Top GOP rebel angles for powerful House leadership-backed committee post

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is putting himself forward as a contender to be the next chair of the House Rules Committee, an influential panel that acts as the last gatekeeper for most bills before they get a House-wide vote.

“I will defer to the speaker on that,” Roy said when asked about the chairmanship on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast this week. “Obviously, I have put my name out there.”

It would be an astonishing ascent for a lawmaker who has been a vocal critic of House leadership on certain issues, particularly on government spending.

More recently, however, the GOP rebel – and current policy chair of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus – has gained a reputation for being a conduit between GOP leaders and the lawmakers usually known for bucking their directives.

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Roy got a seat on the House Rules Committee as part of a deal with ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in January 2023 to expand conservative representation – a piece of a wider compromise for McCarthy to win his short-lived House speakership.

The Texas Republican was not one of the eight Republicans who later voted to oust McCarthy despite his early criticism – and was even publicly skeptical of his colleagues’ decision to do so.

The House Rules Committee is the final stop for bills before a House-wide vote. The committee and its chair are responsible for dictating the terms of debate on a bill and what, if any, amendments will also get a vote.

After a bill passes the House Rules Committee, it is then subject to a House-wide “rule vote” to allow for debate on the legislation before a vote on final passage.

In his two years on the committee, Roy has voted against several House rules, which could put his hopes for the role in jeopardy.

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He’s scored support from multiple colleagues, however – Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital on Thursday, “He’d be great. I support him 100%.”

Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, wrote on X that Roy “will build the conservative coalition in the House needed to support President Trump’s priorities as Rule Committee chairman.”

But unlike other committees, whose chairpersons are selected by a wider group of lawmakers, only the House speaker gets a say for the House Rules panel.

“I think it’s important to have a rules chairman, whoever that may be, that will support leadership,” one GOP lawmaker granted anonymity to speak freely said about Roy’s bid. 

“The speaker is going to get his agenda passed one way or the other, and so whoever he appoints to that – that’s going to be the deal. Because he can remove them and then replace them.”

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Another GOP lawmaker said, “He’s one of the brightest and knows procedure, but most won’t trust him in that role.”

Rumors are swirling that current House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., is also in contention for the role.

Current House Rules Committee Chairman Michael Burgess, R-Texas, is retiring at the end of this year.