House GOP leaders to subcommittee chairs: Vote with us or step down
House Republicans are continuing to threaten the rebels within their ranks. At least three committee chairmen have issued formal warnings to subcommittee chairmen that lawmakers planning to vote against procedural motions on the House floor should give up their posts â the third time in just six weeks that Republican leaders have made it known they will not tolerate members stepping out of line. Story Continued Below House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway of Texas, Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop of Utah and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce of California have all warned their subcommittee chairs that voting against rules while occupying the coveted positions will not be accepted, according to lawmakers familiar with the discussions. Bishop said his Wednesday night warning was part of a larger discussion on how he wants his committee to run, including how bills and amendments will be introduced. âOn a procedural issue, especially a rule, if you feel strong enough against something, you should also feel strong enough to remove yourself from the situation in which you would be a distraction to what we are trying to do on the committee,â Bishop said. The Republican leadership team, led by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), did not issue a directive to its chairmen to punish members who vote against procedural motions. However, sources said GOP leadership made clear to all full committee chairmen that there is an expectation that subcommittee chairs will vote with Republicans on rules. The warning does not automatically come with a punishment if subcommittee chairmen vote against rules, sources stressed, but itâs yet another sign that Boehner and his allies are looking to bring the rank and file into line after a series of close votes on budgets and appropriations bills in the previous Congress. Already this year, the Ohio Republican stripped committee spots from two lawmakers who challenged his speakership in early January. Reps. Richard Nugent and Daniel Webster, both of Florida, were removed from the Rules Committee â a panel appointed exclusively at Boehnerâs direction â after Webster launched a challenge for the top spot in the House and Nugent backed him. In a second move, Republican Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana told whips that any lawmaker serving on the team would be expected to fall in line on rules and speaker votes. In response, Reps. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Jeff Duncan of South Carolina both gave notice that they no longer wanted to be part of the leadership operation. Procedural motions are important for the majority party as it allows the House to proceed to debate and vote on the underlying legislation. These moves come as at least two dozen Republicans formed a splinter caucus designed to advance a conservative direction in the House. The House Freedom Caucus has pledged to work with Republican leaders, but lawmakers involved with forming the group said its members would be willing to vote against a rule or procedural vote as a bloc if they are left out of discussions on legislation. It would take around 28 members to derail a rules vote. A Republican lawmaker who attended the closed-door meeting with Bishop said members of the new conservative caucus feel as if the committee announcement is a reaction to the groupâs growing influence. âHe said that if youâre going to vote against a procedural motion you might as well resign prior to doing so, there was no discussion about it,â the lawmaker said. âThis is something completely new. I think they see that [the Freedom Caucus] is a very potent weapon we can use.â Royceâs office said the chairman had not held a conversation with members. Conawayâs office declined to comment. âThe whip team meetings are private meetings and the chairman will not discuss conversations that take place during these meetings,â said a spokesperson for the Agriculture Committee.