Rep. Mike Lawler (RN.Y.) called for Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) to be “immediately removed” from their powerful seats on the Rules Committee after voting with the congressman. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Wednesday to advance her effort to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Ga.) from his position.
Greene’s effort to force a vote on the motion to vacate Wednesday ultimately failed when Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.) countered with a motion to introduce her resolution adopted by an overwhelming bipartisan majority, with a vote of 359-43.
Only 11 Republicans, including Roy and Massie, supported Greene’s effort to move forward with the vote.
Lawler now says they should face the consequences.
“From my perspective, as I’ve said repeatedly, people need to be held accountable. Whether you are talking about committee assignments, you have two members, Chip Roy and Thomas Massie on the Rules Committee, who should be immediately removed. I’ve been saying this for weeks,” Lawler said Wednesday, speaking to reporters on the Capitol steps after Wednesday’s vote.
“People who engage in this type of behavior, the Steering Committee and the conference must take action regarding their committee’s duties,” Lawler continued. “I’ve said this before, going back to last fall.”
One of the concessions former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made in January 2023 — during the four-day saga in which he negotiated with members to gain their support — was to put three hard-line conservatives, including Roy and Massie, on the Rules Committee.
The House Rules Committee has the final say on legislation before it goes to the floor, giving lawmakers tremendous power to determine which bills will be considered and under what conditions. Typically, close allies of the President are on the Rules Committee.
Although McCarthy was removed from his position as speaker of the House, Roy and Massie retained their coveted seats on the committee.
“Obviously we had a situation throughout the entire period of the 118th Congress where we had members who continually undermined the majority,” Lawler said. “So this is not a new phenomenon that we are dealing with, unfortunately.”
“I don’t think this changes anything,” he said, adding that “I hope it strengthens everyone’s resolve” to pursue consequences.
“You have to have consequences for actions, whether you’re talking about student protesters on college campuses, whether you’re talking about criminals in big cities, whether you’re talking about actions that harm the majority in Congress,” Lawler said. “You need to have consequences for actions.”
Filip Timotija contributed reporting.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
