Washington, D.C. – Today, after passage of the House Rules Package for the 118th Congress, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (CA-20) issued the following statement on opening up the House legislative process to all Members:
“Congress has been broken for a long time. Over the years, a concentration of power within the Speaker’s Office has kept lawmakers on the sidelines from participating in the legislative process that would impact their communities. Lawmaking should be open to all Members, not just a select few, so that the best ideas win.
“That’s what this rules package reflects. Rules that empower Members to debate and legislate are replacing rules that silenced their voice and centralized power. Rules that increase transparency are replacing rules that kept lawmaking hidden behind closed doors. And rules that reopen Congress to We the People are replacing rules like proxy voting that kept this floor empty.
“By boldly shifting away from the centralized legislating of the past and returning to regular order that empower Members, committees, and the public, House Republicans are keeping our commitment to make Congress more open, more accountable, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.”