We’ve already seen the 118th Congress in action and it isn’t pretty. Next up is the Rules Package, which must be adopted by the House by January 13th in order to process payroll for staff. The importance of the Rules Package cannot be overstated. Sadly it is understood by few in the US, including those in Congress.
The rules proposed by the Republican Majority consists of a number of significant changes, including rules that make it easier to oust the Speaker of the House; raise the threshold of votes necessary to raise taxes; attempt to end Congressional staff unionization; and reject commonsense pandemic safety-procedures like remote voting by proxy.
One need look no further than the Statement of the Minority on the proposed Rules, to see that the House’s “Rules” are far from just procedural. The House Rules carry great weight and significance and can be used to pass substantive pieces of legislation. According to the Statement of the Minority, the GOP is using its package “to jam through 12 bills outside of regular order that read like a wish list from the radical right: limiting women’s health care, attacking abortion access, helping oil companies to drill and pollute, making it easier for billionaires to avoid paying taxes, and creating a disturbing new subcommittee to research QAnon conspiracy theories and Truth Social posts so they can gin up fake investigations into nonexistent scandals.”
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Contact your representatives and let them know what you think of the proposed Rule Package.