kevin-mccarthy

As the House prepares to wrap up its fall legislative business this week before going on recess for the duration of the midterm campaign season, half of the vulnerable Republican incumbents will be leaving with parting gifts. 

Those gifts come in the form of floor votes on bills they have authored. By the end of the week, 28 of the 57 House Republicans whose seats are considered in play this cycle, according to Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, are set to go home with the chamber having voted this month on at least one of their bills. 

At least 15 members of the bipartisan Problems Solvers Caucus have pledged to withhold their vote for speaker if the candidate that emerges as the majority party’s nominee does not back the caucus’s proposed rule changes.

The Problem Solvers unveiled a package of rules changes in late July dubbed “Break the Gridlock.” The proposals aim to open up the legislative process in a way that prioritizes bipartisanship.

Speaker Paul D. Ryan joined a handful of lawmakers from both parties who have decried a New York Times op-ed author for publishing a Wednesday criticism of the president anonymously.

The Wisconsin Republican called for the author to vacate his or her job.

Whether it was the potential of a government shutdown or President Donald Trump suggesting that his Department of Justice erred in bring charges against two Republican congressmen just months ahead of the midterms, Speaker Paul D. Ryan is shrugging off the controversy.  

Consider it part of the “no drama” strategy House GOP leaders laid out to their conference Wednesday morning.

Democratic candidates can’t escape the question, “Do you support Nancy Pelosi?” But how many Republican candidates can say they’ve heard the equivalent about Kevin McCarthy or Jim Jordan, the two GOP speaker hopefuls?

A Roll Call analysis found only 13 press reports in which Republican candidates in the 86 competitive House races were asked about or commented on McCarthy or Jordan in the context of who should be the next Republican leader.

House Republicans will have a new leader next Congress since Speaker Paul D. Ryan is retiring, but will there be additional changes in their top ranks?

The answer to that question will depend in large part on whether Republicans can hold onto their majority in the November midterms, and if they do, how the speaker’s race unfolds.

California Rep. Jeff Denham told a local GOP women’s group Friday that he will be the next House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman, ignoring the fact that he is not the only member running for the position, the Republicans are far from a lock to hold their majority and Denham himself faces a potentially competitive race. 

The panel’s current chair, Pennsylvania Rep. Bill Shuster, is retiring. Missouri Rep. Sam Graves and Denham are both running to replace him. The Republican Steering Committee, a panel of 30-some members primarily comprised of GOP leadership and regional representatives, selects committee leaders.

Whichever party controls the House in 2019, the next speaker won’t secure the job easily and will likely have to promise major changes to how the institution operates, with members demanding that as a condition for support.

Frustration has grown among rank-and-file members for years as leadership usurped decision-making power from committees. Lawmakers have pushed to change House and caucus rules to return influence to individuals and committees, but with limited success.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is calling for Twitter to ban an independent congressional candidate for making sexist slurs against first lady Melania Trump.

Mark Roberts, who is challenging Oregon Republican Rep. Greg Walden for his seat, was responding to a tweet from Turning Point USA founder Charley Kirk, who pointed out that the first lady has a much smaller staff than her predecessor Michelle Obama. Kirk said there are only five White House staffers as opposed to the 44 who worked for Obama.