Blog

This was a little surprising, frankly, but it will be a good thing. On Monday, I was appointed to serve on the House Rules Committee by Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

As a general statement, the Rules Committee ultimately decides which bills or amendments are brought before the House for consideration. In other words, this committee has a tremendous amount of power (and responsibility).

If you think back to the negotiations a few weeks ago for Speaker of the House, my #1 objective in that process was firm assurances to balance the budget. However, our group of 20 members was also asking for more conservative representation on the House Rules Committee.

That’s because the Rules Committee is often packed with members who are loyal to the House Speaker. That was especially true under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Despite having an incredible amount of clout, the committee itself had a being a proxy for whatever the Speaker of the House wanted.

While some of the Committee’s work is routine and not controversial, there are certainly times when it can (and should) serve as a check to House leadership. It’s important to have people serving on that committee who, although are supportive of leadership, aren’t beholden to them. That’s why our small group of 20 asked for more conservative representation on the Rules Committee – not to deliberately roadblock everything that comes across our desk, but instead to act as a sanity check on things the committee might otherwise be inclined to rubber stamp.

Rep. McCarthy agreed to this request and has kept this promise. Yesterday, I was one of three (3) new conservatives appointed to the Rules Committee. Joining me are Rep. Chip Roy and Rep. Thomas Massie, two great conservatives from Texas and Kentucky, respectively.

To be clear: I was not expecting this appointment and was surprised when Speaker McCarthy called last week to discuss the Rules Committee. It’s a huge commitment. And with 9 Republicans and 6 Democrats on this committee, our conservative bloc cannot be ignored. Again, the point is not to seek problems, but instead to make sure conservative values and voices are part of our legislative process.

In addition to the Rules Committee, I’ll also be serving on the House Budget Committee. That’s another area I’m passionate about, as you know, because our nation MUST be placed on a trajectory to balance the budget and start paying down this mountain of debt. The Budget Committee has an important role to play in that effort.

Meanwhile, I’ll also continue to serve on the House Financial Services Committee, which is responsible for legislation and issues related to the U.S. economy, our banking systems, securities and exchanges, along with housing and insurance.

Anyway, there’s a lot of work and many long months ahead of us. However, it’s a privilege to serve and I’ll keep you all updated along the way.