Organizational Meeting for the 119th Congress

Committee Organizing for 119th CongressHouse Rules · January 16, 2025 · 119th Congress
The House Rules Committee met to adopt its committee rules for the 119th Congress, designate a vice chair, and set the composition and ratio of its subcommittees. Begins at ▶ 0:03:54
Transcript
Highlights

Title

House Rules Committee organizes for the 119th Congress

Purpose

The House Rules Committee met to adopt its committee rules for the 119th Congress, designate a vice chair, and set the composition and ratio of its subcommittees. Newly appointed Chair Virginia Foxx and Ranking Member Jim McGovern opened with remarks on the committee's role, followed by several Democratic amendments to the committee rules addressing the 72-hour rule and deficit-related reconciliation bills, all of which were rejected on party-line or near party-line votes before the underlying rules package passed. Begins at▶ 0:03:54

Who spoke

• Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC)▶ 0:03:54: Opened the meeting, welcomed returning and new members including Ranking Member Jim McGovern▶ 0:04:24 and new members Morgan Griffith and Jack▶ 0:05:25, and noted the committee would review but had not traditionally enforced the 5-minute rule▶ 0:06:26; later presided over votes and designated Morgan Griffith as vice chair▶ 0:40:13.

• Ranking Member Jim McGovern (D-MA)▶ 0:06:57: Congratulated Foxx but said the committee had "become the place where democracy goes to die" under Republican control▶ 0:08:28, noting over 40 proposed rules changes from member day were not included in the new rules package▶ 0:08:58; later offered amendments on the 72-hour rule▶ 0:20:56 and pressed Roy on why Republicans wouldn't give themselves power to enforce it▶ 0:21:26.

• Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA)▶ 0:12:30: Moved adoption of the chairwoman's proposed committee rules▶ 0:13:00 and later moved the subcommittee composition of five majority to two minority members▶ 0:40:44.

• Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX)▶ 0:15:18: Opposed McGovern's tax amendment, citing $700+ billion in Inflation Reduction Act subsidies▶ 0:15:18; expressed sympathy for the 72-hour rule amendment but voted against it, noting it was waved only once last Congress▶ 0:19:55; proposed a friendly amendment to the deficit rule replacing sole reliance on CBO scoring▶ 0:34:34.

• Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA)▶ 0:15:48: Stated U.S. tax revenues are higher than ever under Trump's tax laws▶ 0:15:48; later cited federal tax revenue rising from $3.3 trillion in 2017 to $5.08 trillion▶ 0:32:32, attributing deficit growth to Democratic spending via the Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan▶ 0:32:32.

• Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA)▶ 0:16:19: Voted on recorded votes as "Miss ganin"/Scanlon; no separate floor remarks noted beyond vote calls▶ 0:16:19.

• Rep. Deborah Ross / "Miss hin" (D)▶ 0:17:24: Offered an amendment requiring a two-thirds vote to waive the 72-hour rule▶ 0:17:24, citing criticism from Rep. Massie, Donald Trump, and Elon Musk about bills being jammed through without time to read them▶ 0:18:24; later opposed the deficit amendment, citing CBO's inaccurate past estimates on tax revenue and the Inflation Reduction Act's cost▶ 0:30:31.

• Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO)▶ 0:22:26: Noted the 72-hour rule was waived once in March 2024 and read from Roy's own floor speech criticizing a $1.2 trillion bill given only 24 hours' review▶ 0:22:26; later noted per committee records the rule was waived three times▶ 0:24:04.

• Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM)▶ 0:26:29: Offered an amendment to bar the committee from reporting a reconciliation bill that increases the deficit▶ 0:26:29, citing CBO estimates of $4.6 trillion in added deficit from extending tax cuts▶ 0:29:01; later amended her own amendment at Roy's suggestion to remove the CBO-specific language▶ 0:36:38.

Key moments

• McGovern said over 40 proposed rules changes submitted at last year's member day hearing were entirely excluded from the new rules package, including a bipartisan single-subject-bill disclosure rule pushed by Rep. Griffith▶ 0:08:28▶ 0:08:58.

• McGovern's amendment to bar tax-cut giveaways in reconciliation bills failed 4-9 on a recorded vote▶ 0:16:54.

• Rep. Hinson's (Miss hin's) amendment requiring a two-thirds vote to waive the 72-hour rule failed 4-9▶ 0:25:59, after Neguse noted the rule had been waived three times per committee records, contradicting Roy's stated recollection of once▶ 0:24:04.

• Roy acknowledged voting to waive the 72-hour rule himself while publicly opposing a Christmas-week bill that violated it, and said he would "not be cowed" on the issue despite voting against Hinson's amendment▶ 0:19:55▶ 0:20:25.

• Leger Fernández's original deficit-reconciliation amendment, citing CBO's $4.6 trillion projection, failed 5-8 after being amended to drop the CBO reference at Roy's suggestion▶ 0:29:01▶ 0:39:40.

• Rep. Scott countered deficit criticism by citing federal tax revenue growth from $3.3 trillion (2017) to $5.08 trillion, attributing recent deficits to Democratic spending on the Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan▶ 0:32:32.

• Hinson said CBO underestimated Tax Cuts and Jobs Act revenues by "$16 trillion" and revised its Inflation Reduction Act cost estimate from $271 billion to $663 billion▶ 0:30:31.

• The full committee rules package for the 119th Congress passed on a voice vote▶ 0:39:40.

• Foxx designated Rep. Morgan Griffith as vice chair of the committee under Clause 2(d) of House Rule 11▶ 0:40:13.

• Griffith's motion set subcommittee composition at five majority to two minority members, consistent with past Congresses, and the committee agreed to postpone specific subcommittee appointments pending further consultation▶ 0:40:44▶ 0:41:44.

Metadata

CommitteeHouse Rules
Chamber / CongressHouse · 119th Congress
DateJanuary 16, 2025
TypeMeeting
Witnesses
(none listed in event metadata)
Videoyoutube
Transcript78 caption blocks · 6,241 words · 0:42:31 runtime
EventCongress.gov 117782