House Republicans have salvaged an agreement on their internal rules, according to six people familiar with the discussions, after it appeared to be on shaky ground for hours earlier on Thursday.
If the agreement — struck by opposing factions within the GOP’s narrow majority Wednesday afternoon — had unraveled, it would have been a significant blow to Speaker Mike Johnson, who blessed the deal. The agreement had been a truce of sorts on conservatives’ and leadership allies’ most contentious battle lines, like hard-liner moves to block party-favored legislation on the House floor.
Under the deal, which was first reported by POLITICO on Wednesday, centrists agreed to drop their proposed rule changes that would have established punishments for members who defied leaders and the will of the conference. In exchange, conservatives agreed to raise the threshold for triggering a vote on ousting the speaker to nine members, up from the current one member.
But a last-minute hiccup emerged early Thursday when Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) indicated he had not agreed to drop his amendments, which would have penalized members who voted against a GOP-supported speaker on the floor or against bringing GOP bills to the floor. Forcing a vote on either proposal could have unraveled the larger deal.
But one House Republican downplayed the drama on Thursday, saying the “deal is intact,” “everything is good” and there are “no obstacles left.” Five people familiar with the discussions also told POLITICO late Thursday morning that the deal was still alive.
As part of the last-minute wrangling, Huizenga agreed to drop his amendments, according to the GOP lawmaker and two people familiar with discussions, which was viewed as the last obstacle to locking in the rules agreement.