Freedom Caucus Reportedly Proposes Reducing Speaker’s Power On Steering Committee

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, after a Special GOP Leadership Election. Republicans in the House of Representatives have nominated Ryan to become ... Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, after a Special GOP Leadership Election. Republicans in the House of Representatives have nominated Ryan to become the chamber's next speaker, hoping he can lead them out of weeks of disarray and point them toward accomplishments they can highlight in next year's elections. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) MORE LESS
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Now that House Republicans have elected Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as speaker, members of the House Freedom Caucus are preparing to push changes to the Republican steering committee.

Members of the conservative caucus that pushed to oust Boehner have started circulating a plan to reduce the power of the GOP leadership team on the panel that decides committee assignments, The Hill reported on Wednesday.

Currently, the speaker has five votes on the Steering Committee and the majority leader has two. The Freedom Caucus would keep the representatives in six top leadership spots on the committee, but give those individuals the same voting power as the rest of the Steering Committee’s members.

The House Freedom Caucus also wants to remove the committee chairs currently sitting on the committee, and instead select 20 additional members for the committee representing different geographical regions, according to The Hill.

The plan would reduce the speaker’s power on the committee and involve more members and younger congressmen in the committee’s deliberations. This comes after many members expressed a need for House leadership include more members in its decisions.

Ryan has already expressed willingness to make changes to the Steering Committee. He told members of his caucus that he will try to restructure the committee before Thanksgiving, according to Politico.

Read the entire House Freedom Caucus proposal at The Hill.

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Notable Replies

  1. MOR POwer FOR THE PEOple THAT CAMe TO DO sTUFF in Congress. LIke STOPPing Socialistic UTOPITARIAN OHBummer’s OVERreach. ANd. sTOPPIng Congress FROM DOING stuff.

  2. Sorry, Freedumb-belles, the time to make demands is BEFORE you seal the deal with votes.

  3. Avatar for bkmn bkmn says:

    This should make Newt spin in his grave…er, or somewhere.

  4. ¨The House Freedom Caucus also wants to remove the committee chairs currently sitting on the committee, and instead select 20 additional members for the committee representing different geographical regions, according to The Hill.¨

    So, they claim that they´re all about democracy, but then they apportion seats based on geography? Perhaps Wyoming and Montana have one vote, and so does New York and New Jersey? I thought that each member the House of Representatives was supposed to Represent more or less the same number of people (ignoring gerrymandering, of course)? It´s not supposed to be ¨geographical¨.

  5. Avatar for wtf1 wtf1 says:

    Ah, hahahahaha! Take that Ap-paulin ryan!

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