April 19, 2024: Today's Rule and What It Means

 
 

Last night, the House Rules Committee approved a measure to govern House debate on new funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, plus a bill to seize Russian assets, sanction Iran, and force TikTok’s owner to divest or risk a U.S. ban. 

The measure setting parameters for debate—the “rule” in House procedural jargon—has taken on outsized importance this week. Here’s what to know before an expected House vote to approve the rule at 10:30AM ET.

  

A quick rundown on rules

Before the House debates legislation, it must approve a rule that lays out guidelines for that debate. Typically, the rule specifies how much time is allowed for debate, who decides how that time gets used, which amendments, if any, will be considered, and other procedural matters. 

The House Rules Committee drafts the rule and votes on whether to send it to the full House for approval. The Committee’s makeup is skewed in the majority’s favor: Republicans hold nine seats, and Democrats hold four. As a result, minority members have little ability to craft a favorable rule that, for example, permits high-priority, minority-backed amendments. 

So, rule votes usually play out as you might expect: majority members vote for the rule while minority members oppose it, both in the Rules Committee and on the floor.

Why today is different

Three Republicans on the Rules Committee opposed the rule, meaning it would have failed if all Democrats voted no, too. This would have forced House leadership to figure out a new path forward for the foreign aid package.

However, all of the Committee’s Democrats supported the rule, allowing it to pass. This represents the first time since at least the mid-1990s (when Rules reports are available) that minority members have stepped in to advance a rule in the face of majority members’ opposition. 

Given this remarkable step at the committee level and far-right Republicans’ vows to block the package, we’ll likely see a similar dynamic play out on the floor: Democrats appear poised to provide the votes necessary to approve the rule and allow the package to move forward. As we reported in our Tuesday update, this happens rarely but has precedent: last year, 52 House Democrats voted for the rule that allowed debate on the Fiscal Responsibility Act to avoid default on the nation’s debt.

So, what’s in today’s rule?

Much of the rule is unremarkable, outlining the process for debating the aid package. Here are some highlights: 

  • The rule permits individual votes on the four bills that constitute the package: 1) aid to Ukraine, 2) aid to Israel, 3) aid to Taiwan, and 4) a policy bill containing Iran sanctions, the so-called TikTok ban, and other provisions. 

  • The rule states that the four bills will be combined into a single package when sent to the Senate for approval, necessitating just one Senate vote. The House will send the package to the Senate as an amendment to the Senate foreign aid bill that passed in February. This sidesteps a filibuster before the Senate can consider the House’s amendment. You can read more on the procedure here, but all you really need to know is: a procedural trick will speed up Senate consideration. 

  • The rule allows for nine mostly GOP-backed amendments. These amendments concern aid to Ukraine and Taiwan and the related policy package. No amendments to the Israel aid bill were permitted. 

  • Two of the nine amendments contain technical edits and will be “considered as adopted” if/when the rule passes—meaning they won’t require separate votes.

  • Some are so-called “messaging” amendments, including one from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to change every dollar amount for Ukraine to zero. Obviously, this would render the bill meaningless, but will allow like-minded members more time to make their case against aid for Ukraine on the floor. 

Assuming the House approves the rule today, it is expected to vote on the aid package itself tomorrow around 1PM ET. We’ll continue to share notable updates. 

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Cat Rowland