CNN
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House Republicans announced an agreement Wednesday night that would raise the bar for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair in exchange for changes to the amendment.
A motion to nullify the rules currently only allows one member of parliament to move a vote of no confidence against the speaker. The new agreement raises that threshold to nine.
The conservative House Freedom Caucus and the pro-government Republican Main Street Caucus were discussing changes to the secession motion with Speaker Mike Johnson, according to three Republicans who participated in the discussion. Changes to the party’s internal rules would nullify the procedural measures used to remove Mr Johnson’s predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, from power. In return, Republican lawmakers will not push for amendments that would penalize members who vote against the rules.
If Mr. Johnson succeeds in raising the threshold, a key issue for him would be resolved in the next Congress, which CNN predicted Wednesday would give Republicans a majority in the House. The Republican conference must approve the deal on Thursday.
Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, said the new agreement would “eliminate controversial issues” to “carry out” President-elect Donald Trump’s policies. said.
“We know who the speakers are at this time, and we are working together across the conference to eliminate any controversial issues that may have divided us,” Harris said. “We were able to move forward together to realize the president’s agenda.” “That’s it. That’s what the American people expect from us, and the first step, a very concrete step, was taken today.”
South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson, a member of the Main Street group, said the deal removes an amendment that “probably would have divided this conference.”
“We had the opportunity to set the Motion to Leave at a higher number than No. 1, and instead of removing some amendments that would have probably divided this meeting, the Motion to Leave was set at No. 9. “Andy did a good job of explaining to Main Street leadership why those amendments would divide the Republican conference,” Johnson said.
Motions to leave are rarely used as a procedural tool, and McCarthy is the only speaker to be expelled by passing a removal resolution. However, threats surrounding its use can be a powerful means of putting pressure on speakers.
Last year, to win over critics and secure the speaker’s gavel, Mr. McCarthy and his allies made a series of concessions to conservatives. This included allowing even a single lawmaker to submit a motion to resign. House Republicans removed Mr. McCarthy as speaker in October 2023 and elected Mr. Johnson as speaker after three weeks of infighting.
