According to Politico, Kevin McCarthy has caved on major concessions that make him far more palatable. We don’t know if he’ll win yet. The 20 rebels want more concessions, but there is movement.
The concessions:
- A one-member “motion to vacate”: The threshold needed to force a vote ousting a speaker is now one member. While McCarthy originally indicated that restoring the one-member “motion to vacate” was a red line, his allies now argue that there’s not a huge practical difference between this and his previous offer of requiring five members to trigger the vote. It will certainly help keep McCarthy in line.
- Rules Committee seats for the Freedom Caucus: McCarthy is prepared to give the House Freedom Caucus two seats on the powerful House Rules Committee, which oversees the amendment process for the floor. (Some conservatives still want four panel seats.) There are also talks about giving a third seat to a conservative close to the Freedom Caucus but not in it — someone like Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). Conservatives want to choose their own members for these jobs as opposed to the Speaker choosing. That is something conservatives have wanted for a long time.
- A vote on term limits: This is a demand of Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), who has proposed a constitutional amendment limiting lawmakers to three terms in the House. That won’t be a winner unfortunately, but why not vote on it?
- Major changes to the appropriations process: McCarthy has allegedly promised standalone votes on each of the 12 yearly appropriations bills, which would be considered under what is known as an “open rule,” allowing floor amendments to be offered by any lawmaker. Conservatives also won a concession to carve out any earmarks included in those packages for separate votes. That would end these devastating omnibus crisis bills.
We don’t think McCarthy will win on the upcoming 7th vote, but they’re getting closer. This is what democracy in a Republic looks like. He and his hack friends need to stop insulting and threatening conservatives who show courage and are only trying to help the people.
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