Rep. Chip RoyR-Texas is positioning himself as a candidate to become the next chairman of the House Rules Committee, an influential panel that serves as the final gatekeeper for most bills before they are voted on by the entire House.
“I’ll leave it up to the speaker on that,” Roy said when asked this week about chairing Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast. “Obviously I put my name out there.”
It would be astonishing progress for a lawmaker who has been an outspoken critic of the leadership of the House of Representatives on certain issues, particularly in the area of public spending.
More recently, however, the Republican rebel — and current policy chair of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus — has gained a reputation as a conduit between GOP leaders and the lawmakers typically known for ignoring their directives.
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Rep. Chip Roy could be in the running to become chairman of the House Rules Committee ((Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images))
Roy won 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 — part of a broader compromise for McCarthy to end his short-lived House to win a speakership.
The Texas Republican was not one of the eight Republicans who later voted to impeach McCarthy despite his early criticism – and was even publicly skeptical of his colleagues’ decision to do so.
The House Rules Committee is the final point of contact for bills before a vote in the entire House. The committee and its chair are responsible for dictating the terms of debate on a bill and any amendments that will also come to a vote.
After a bill passes the House Rules Committee, it is then subject to a “rules vote” in the entire House to allow debate on the legislation before voting on final passage.
In his two years on the committee, Roy has voted against several House rules, which could jeopardize his hopes for the role.
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That decision is up to House Speaker Mike Johnson (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
However, he received support from several colleagues. Rep. Ralph Norman, R.S.C., told Fox News Digital on Thursday: “He would be great. I support him 100%.”
Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, wrote on X that Roy “will build the conservative coalition in the House of Representatives necessary to support President Trump’s priorities as chairman of the Rules Committee.”
But unlike other committees, whose chairs are chosen by a broader group of lawmakers, only the House speaker will have a say on the House Rules panel.
“I think it’s important to have a rules chairman, whoever that may be, who will support the leadership,” said a Republican lawmaker who granted anonymity to speak freely about Roy’s bid.
“The speaker will get his agenda through one way or another, and so whoever he appoints to that, that will be the deal. Because he can remove them and then replace them.”
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The current chairman of the House Rules Committee, Michael Burgess, is retiring at the end of this year (Getty Images)
Another Republican lawmaker said, “He’s one of the smartest and knows the procedures, but most won’t trust him in that role.”
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Current House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Virginia Foxx, RN.C., is also rumored to be in consideration for the role.
Current House Rules Committee Chairman Michael Burgess, R-Texas, is retiring at the end of this year.
