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House GOP kills committee chair rule change

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Nov 16, 2022
Kevin McCarthy holds a press conference at the Capitol

Kevin McCarthy at a press conference Tuesday. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

House Republicans voted this afternoon not to allow committee members to elect committee chairs, members leaving a conference meeting this evening told Axios. (Sorry, Adrian Smith!)

  • But they punted on other conference rule changes until after Thanksgiving — including a rule that would require a majority of the GOP conference to sign off on legislation before it moves to the House floor.

Between the lines: We reported on Monday that this change would make it even more difficult to pass health bills next year, making the lame duck session even more important for health care legislation.

  • We expect legislators and lobbyists to continue pushing hard to get their health care priorities done before the end of the year — just in case.
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