House Republicans Push Major Rules Change

Politico: “Dozens of House Republicans are quietly pushing a temporary change that would raise the requirements to earn the party’s recommendation for speaker. Under current rules, the House GOP meets in private to decide on a candidate for speaker by a two-thirds vote. The group wants to instead raise that threshold to 218 of the GOP’s 221 votes.”

“The potential speaker would still need to get 218 votes in a public floor vote, but the group’s hope is that raising that required support in the conference meeting means any fighting would happen behind closed doors, avoiding the public spectacle and humiliation of a dragged-out floor vote.”