• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Blog Home
  • Topics
    • Keystone Press Releases
    • Politics and Government
    • Legislation
    • Nevada News
    • Tourism & Gaming
    • Rural Nevada
    • Business
    • Opinion
  • Membership
  • Contact Us
  • About Keystone Nevada

Keystone Nevada Korner

Welcome to The Keystone Korner The Official Blog of Keystone Nevada

Home » Why Empower the Speaker?

Why Empower the Speaker?

January 9, 2023 by Pauline Lee

The House majority party historically centralizes power in its leader—but with Democrats controlling the Senate, some conservatives see that arrangement as a liability.

by Chris Pope, City-Journal News, January 6, 2023

Members of the newly elected U.S. House of Representatives took their seats on January 3, but the chamber has faced the greatest difficulty in selecting a Speaker in over a century. The House majority party has traditionally been eager to delegate power over the chamber to its leader as a means of facilitating the passage of legislation. But, with Democrats controlling the Senate, a critical group of House conservatives fears that the arrangement may simply be used to facilitate legislative dealmaking behind their backs.

The House majority party’s historical willingness to centralize control of the chamber in its leadership owes much to Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed (R-ME), who in the 1880s sought to “facilitate the orderly conduct of business” by restricting the ability of individual members to amend, impede, or delay legislation designed by the majority party. Reed argued: “The best system is to have one party govern and the other party watch; and on general principles I think it would be better for us to govern and for the Democrats to watch.”

Democrats fumed then, but they quickly embraced Reed’s institutional arrangement when they took over the chamber. The majority party would select a Speaker, who would appoint loyal allies to control key committees, which would report bills advancing party preferences—with little scope for amendment allowed on the floor.

Delegating control over the legislative agenda to the Speaker and his appointees allows the majority party to block popular proposals that it disfavors from being considered, without even having to vote against them. It also allows them to bundle legislative provisions together to force the acceptance of unpopular proposals as part of a package deal with popular ones.

Political scientists have argued that House majority parties will typically centralize power to take advantage of this dynamic—a perspective known as “procedural cartel theory.” And the experience of the past 140 years has tended to support this view: congressmen well-placed in the hierarchy of the House majority party have enjoyed lots of power, and legislation has rarely passed against the wishes of its members.

For 83 of the past 100 years, though, the party controlling the House has also had a Senate majority—but not this year, when the House will be controlled by a Republican majority and the Senate by a Democratic one. That mitigates the appeal of centralizing power, which has made it difficult for Kevin McCarthy to command the deference of rank-and-file House Republicans in the 118th Congress, as it did for John Boehner in a similar situation during the 112th (2012–13).

In the current situation, delegating legislative power to the Speaker would do little to allow House Republicans to get conservative bills through the Senate into law. On the contrary, backbench conservatives fear that it could be used to force them to accept compromises negotiated by a Republican Speaker with Senate Democratic leaders.

Over recent years, the conservative wing of the GOP has been distinguished by a belief that the party’s beltway leaders have been overly eager to make concessions and deals with Democrats, and the fear of future betrayal looms over the contest for the Speakership. Only last month, Congress enacted a $1.7 trillion omnibus appropriations bill, after rank-and-file legislators were presented with a 4,155-page bill just days before the government was due to shut down, without the chance to offer amendments.

House Republicans are right to insist on having someone they trust in leadership, and they may wish to amend chamber rules to prevent appropriations agreements from being foisted on them at the last minute in up-or-down omnibus bills. McCarthy has sought to reassure conservatives with an upfront commitment to limit expenditures.

But the recent appropriations package is a testament to the institutional power enjoyed by the outgoing House Democratic majority. Republicans will surely extract better bargains from the Democratic Senate if they can capture the House committee structure and put it in service of their own purposes.

Nor is it simply the case that the absence of legislation is the best that conservatives can hope for. Various elements of the Trump tax cuts are set to expire. Unless these are reauthorized by the upcoming Congress, Democrats might simply pocket a revenue windfall—and set about making promises to spend it.

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: Speaker Kevin McCarthy

Primary Sidebar

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
Bootleg Bistro
Bootleg Bistro Ad
SLLC_Keystone_Blog-Ad_300x500_10%-Off-Repairs_05.19.21
CIOServices Ad 300x500-100
BRH Keystone Ad JPEG
Willow_Manor
Keystone Corporation Nevada

News Topics

  • Keystone Press Releases
  • Politics and Government
  • Legislation
  • Nevada News
  • Tourism & Gaming
  • Rural Nevada
  • Business
  • Opinion

Rural Nevada

As Nevada farmers retire, few taking their place as number of farms continues to shrink

November 13, 2023 By Courtney Holland

By Amy Alonzo, The Nevada Independent, November 13th, 2023 For more than 50 years, Rick and B. Ann Lattin operated Lattin Farms in Fallon, a … [Read More...] about As Nevada farmers retire, few taking their place as number of farms continues to shrink

Winnemucca braces for massive lithium mine

September 18, 2023 By Courtney Holland

By Ray Hagar, Nevada Newsmakers, September 18, 2023 Winnemucca, a town of more than 8,600 residents off Interstate 80 in Northern Nevada, is proud … [Read More...] about Winnemucca braces for massive lithium mine

Weather may have slowed January sales

April 8, 2023 By Courtney Holland

By The Record Courier Staff, April 4, 2023 For the third month in a row, Douglas County merchants reported a decrease in taxable sales, though not … [Read More...] about Weather may have slowed January sales

30 new projects in Pahrump: Arby’s, Chipotle, Midas Muffler, 3 convenient stores & more

March 29, 2023 By Courtney Holland

By Robin Hebrock, Pahrump Valley Times, March 28, 2023 Business is booming in the Pahrump Valley, with dozens of new companies looking to bring … [Read More...] about 30 new projects in Pahrump: Arby’s, Chipotle, Midas Muffler, 3 convenient stores & more

Opinion

EDITORIAL: Absentee ballot fraud concerns lead to new election

November 27, 2023 By Keystone Admin

By the Las Vegas Review-Journal Editorial Board, November 24, 2023 Reality is catching up to those who downplay the possibility of absentee and … [Read More...] about EDITORIAL: Absentee ballot fraud concerns lead to new election

OPINION: Be thankful we’re a little different in Nevada

November 27, 2023 By Keystone Admin

By Michael Schaus, The Nevada Independent, November 26th, 2023 Nevada is a state that’s difficult to explain to outsiders.  For many, our … [Read More...] about OPINION: Be thankful we’re a little different in Nevada

EDITORIAL: Red states, blue states — a tale of migration

November 27, 2023 By Keystone Admin

Tax rates matter. By the Las Vegas Review-Journal Editorial Board, November 20, 2023 U.S. migration patterns speak volumes about progressive … [Read More...] about EDITORIAL: Red states, blue states — a tale of migration

Tags

Adam Laxalt Biden Administration Business Business Columns Casinos & Gaming Catherine Cortez Masto Clark County Clark County School District Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) economy Editorials Education Elon Musk Gov. Joe Lombardo Gov. Steve Sisolak Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) Housing inflation Joe Lombardo las vegas Local Local Las Vegas Local Nevada mc-business mc-local mc-news mc-opinion Nevada Nevada Legislature News North Las Vegas NPRI Opinion Opinion Columns PAID Politics and Government Roe v. Wade school choice Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto small businesses Sports Tesla tourism unemployment rate Victor Joecks

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Keystone Corporation - All Rights Reserved · Log in
Privacy Policy
By accessing this site, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use

The views, opinions and conclusions expressed by the authors of any article or post on the Keystone Korner are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Keystone Corporation or its officers and board members. Moreover, any reference to a person, party, product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Keystone Corporation or its officers and board members.