McCarthy Vows to Oust 3 Democrats From Their Committee Memberships

[DaisyDay]

Kevin McCarthy wants to block three Democrats from committees if he becomes House speaker

Democrats said McCarthy will do whatever his right wing wants him to do because he still lacks the votes to land the speaker's job.

www.usatoday.com

In stumping for the position, McCarthy has targeted Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; and Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., members of the House Intelligence Committee.

Can he do this?

 

[Fantine]

I don't think so. If that were possible, i am sure there would have been some Republicans barred by Pelosi for ample good reasons.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

Oh please! Don't tell me that they are going to do nothing for the next two years except mudsling their imagined enemies.

 

[Always in His Presence]

Kevin McCarthy wants to block three Democrats from committees if he becomes House speaker

Democrats said McCarthy will do whatever his right wing wants him to do because he still lacks the votes to land the speaker's job.

www.usatoday.com

Can he do this?

Yup -

House Rules

View the House Rules

cha.house.gov

Committee appointment

The Speaker shall appoint all se- lect, joint, and conference committees ordered by the House. At any time after an original appointment, the Speaker may remove Members, Delegates, or the Resident Commissioner from, or appoint additional Members, Delegates, or the Resident Commissioner to, a select or conference com- mittee. In appointing Members, Dele- gates, or the Resident Commissioner to conference committees, the Speaker shall appoint no less than a majority who generally supported the House position as determined by the Speaker, shall name those who are primarily responsible for the legislation, and shall, to the fullest extent feasible, include the principal proponents of the major provisions of the bill or resolution passed or adopted by the House.​

 

[inquiring mind]

He'll make a great speaker.

 

[Gene2memE]

I don't think so. If that were possible, i am sure there would have been some Republicans barred by Pelosi for ample good reasons.

It's very rare, but it happens.

Pelosi said 'Nyet!' to several of McCarthy's picks for the January 6th Committee (basically because he recommended only those who had voted against certifying the 2020 election, or had engaged in lawsuits attempting to dispute the results). I believe she rejected Jim Jordan and Jim Banks.
McCarthy then pulled all his recommendations from the committee, leaving Cheney as the sole serving Republican. Subsequently, Adam Kinzinger (another Republican) was appointed to the committee, and a couple of former Republican representatives served as advisors.

 

[DaisyDay]

Who removed Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee memberships?

ETA: It was a full House vote, not a unilateral action by the Speaker.

House Removes Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene From Her Committee Assignments

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy did not take the robust action Democrats and some Republicans were calling for, so the whole chamber took up a resolution on her racist and inflammatory comments.

www.npr.org

 

[Fantine]

The 1/6 committee was convened for a specific purpose. Standing committees are different.

 

[DaisyDay]

It's very rare, but it happens.

Pelosi said 'Nyet!' to several of McCarthy's picks for the January 6th Committee (basically because he recommended only those who had voted against certifying the 2020 election, or had engaged in lawsuits attempting to dispute the results). I believe she rejected Jim Jordan and Jim Banks.
McCarthy then pulled all his recommendations from the committee, leaving Cheney as the sole serving Republican. Subsequently, Adam Kinzinger (another Republican) was appointed to the committee, and a couple of former Republican representatives served as advisors.

Pelosi disallowed them on that committee on grounds that they had participated in the action and so might be called as witnesses, but she didn't remove them from existing memberships.

 

[Tuur]

Kevin McCarthy wants to block three Democrats from committees if he becomes House speaker

Democrats said McCarthy will do whatever his right wing wants him to do because he still lacks the votes to land the speaker's job.

www.usatoday.com

Can he do this?

I think so, I think committees are drawn up with each term of Congress. So if no one supports them for a committee, they don't get on the committee.

 

[mark46]

Who removed Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee memberships?

ETA: It was a full House vote, not a unilateral action by the Speaker.

House Removes Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene From Her Committee Assignments

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy did not take the robust action Democrats and some Republicans were calling for, so the whole chamber took up a resolution on her racist and inflammatory comments.

www.npr.org

So, your idea is that McCarthy can't get all the republicans to agree on the 3 democrats?

 

[disciple Clint]

Kevin McCarthy wants to block three Democrats from committees if he becomes House speaker

Democrats said McCarthy will do whatever his right wing wants him to do because he still lacks the votes to land the speaker's job.

www.usatoday.com

Can he do this?

I believe he can and he no doubt should

 

[wing2000]

I believe he can and he no doubt should

Ok, I will bite.

Why should McCarthy remove 3 members from the committees?
On what basis?
Is there a precedent for a new Speaker of the House vowing to remove members from committees even before he or she takes office?

 

[Tuur]

Ok, I will bite.

Why should McCarthy remove 3 members from the committees?
On what basis?
Is there a precedent for a new Speaker of the House vowing to remove members from committees even before he or she takes office?

What basis? Nothing more than standard politics. I don't know if there's a precedent for saying in advance what is likely to happen anyway. It sounds like political crowing to me.

 

[DaisyDay]

So, your idea is that McCarthy can't get all the republicans to agree on the 3 democrats?

My idea is to find out what he can do.

 

[DaisyDay]

I believe he can and he no doubt should

Why should he? You think the country should be more divided, partisan and run on petty grievances?

 

[Arcangl86]

My idea is to find out what he can do.

It doesn't appear that he has the power to do so on his own, but it would take a full vote of the House. Then again, those three are particularly hated by the GOP, so there is a good chance he can follow through.

 

[Hans Blaster]

It doesn't appear that he has the power to do so on his own, but it would take a full vote of the House. Then again, those three are particularly hated by the GOP, so there is a good chance he can follow through.

Fun fact. Because the House is new with each Congress (all members are newly elected) the committees are empty and all members must be appointed to them. The regular practice is that each side puts forward resolutions appointing members to committees and those resolution are passed by unanimous consent.

For example here is the first such resolution placing Republicans on committees (I think as ranking members):

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-resolution/10

(H. Res. 9 appointed Dems. H. Res. 8 adopted the rules of the House.)

What the GOP members could do (and I say members, because I don't think McCarthy will have enough control to stop it from happening) is to object to the unanimous consent motion and force the vote. They motion to seat those members might still pass. (Missing members, Republicans that aren't in on the "block Schiff et al." plan, etc.) If it did then they would have to pass a removal resolution with debate and everything.

 

[Hank77]

Kevin McCarthy wants to block three Democrats from committees if he becomes House speaker

Democrats said McCarthy will do whatever his right wing wants him to do because he still lacks the votes to land the speaker's job.

www.usatoday.com

Can he do this?

Committee Assignments
Members are typically limited to service on two committees and four subcommittees, with exceptions for particular committees. The steering committee for each party makes assignments which in turn must be voted on by the Democratic Caucus or Republican Conference.

House Committees | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives

“I know not how better to describe our form of government in a single phrase than by calling it a government by the chairmen of the Standing Committees of Congress.”— Woodrow Wilson, 1885The committee system of the U.S. House of Representatives was originally intended as a temporary measure to...

history.house.gov

Standing, Select, and Joint Committees Distinguished

House committees are of three distinct types: (1) standing
committees, whose members are elected by the House, (2) select
committees (also called special committees), whose members are
appointed by the Speaker,
and (3) joint committees, whose members are chosen according to the provisions of the statute or concurrent the resolution creating them. Variations of these three categories are discussed in later sections.

Standing committees (created in the standing rules) receive bills
and other measures within their jurisdiction upon referral from the
Speaker. See Introduction and Reference of Bills. Select committees
are established (usually outside the standing rules) to consider a
particular matter or subject and may or may not have legislative
jurisdiction. A select committee often expires when it issues its
final report on the matter for which it was created. 4 Hinds
Sec. Sec. 4403-4405; see Sec. 12, infra. Joint committees take up
matters of concern to both Houses. See Sec. 14, infra.

House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House - Chapter 11. Committees

I think Jan. 6 is a select committee.

 

[Hans Blaster]

I think Jan. 6 is a select committee.

It is. It was *always* going to expire at the end of this year.

The House Intel committee is a "Permanent Select Committee". The appointment rules are in the "select" form, but the committee continues to exist.