GOP House conference addressing ‘internal tensions’ following rule rebellion.

House Republicans Struggle to Resolve Internal Tensions

12 Republicans voted down a rule on a bill to block a ban on gas stoves from the Biden administration, causing unexpected strife within the conference.

The vote was supposed to be a sure thing, but a surprise revolt from the right flank in retaliation to how Republican leadership handled the debt ceiling negotiations led to a rule failing for the first time since 2002. Now, House Republicans are trying to resolve internal tensions.

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Members of the House Freedom Caucus met with leadership in Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) office for just over an hour on Tuesday evening following the vote. “We’re trying to resolve internal tension within House Republicans,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), one of the negotiators of the debt ceiling deal. “From time to time, you have to have an airing within your family, and I think that was part of what happened today.”

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA) said that not everything is resolved yet, and they’re still working on resolving the issues at hand.

Leaders have two legislative days to bring the rule back up for a vote. They have to bring it up for a motion to reconsider, which has to pass, then the rule has to be voted on and passed.

Some of the tensions come from Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) claiming leadership told him if he didn’t vote for the rule on the debt ceiling bill, then it would be very difficult to bring his pistol stabilizing brace bill to the House floor. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) did not directly answer multiple questions about whether this occurred but said there was a conversation with Clyde about how the bill might have trouble passing because some Republican members opposed it.

Clyde met with Scalise on Tuesday afternoon following the failed rule vote. As he left the meeting, Scalise told reporters he wants to bring Clyde’s bill to the floor next week.

But Clyde was not one of the members who voted no on the rule on Tuesday, and the members who did oppose the rule have other issues with leadership besides just how Clyde was treated.

“This is all about trying to achieve the objective the American people want us to achieve,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX). “And that’s to restrain spending and not let the swamp do what the swamp does.”

• House Republicans are facing internal tensions after a surprise revolt from the right flank.
• Members of the House Freedom Caucus are working with leadership to resolve the issues at hand.
• Leaders have two legislative days to bring the rule back up for a vote.
• Some of the tensions come from Rep. Andrew Clyde claiming leadership threatened him over his vote.
• The members who opposed the rule have other issues with leadership besides just how Clyde was treated.

It remains to be seen how House Republicans will resolve their internal tensions, but one thing is clear: they are committed to achieving the objectives the American people want them to achieve.

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