House Republicans announced on Wednesday that they have reached a deal to raise the threshold required to oust their speaker after securing control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.
The agreement was struck between the leaders of two key factions within the party: the House Freedom Caucus and the Main Street Caucus. The deal involves changing the rule that previously allowed a single member to trigger a no-confidence vote to remove the speaker. Under the new terms, the threshold will be raised to nine members. In return, the Main Street Caucus agreed to drop proposed rules aimed at penalizing those who defied the party majority.
“We’ve been able to work across the conference to eliminate the controversial issues that could have divided us,” said Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, chair of the House Freedom Caucus.
Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, who leads the Main Street Caucus, confirmed that Harris reached out to him Wednesday morning to broker the agreement, emphasizing that “unity is important.” Johnson acknowledged that some proposed rule changes “probably would have divided this conference.”
“Because of this agreement, we are in a better position to move forward the Republican agenda,” Johnson said.
Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, also a member of the Main Street Caucus, explained that the proposed rules were meant to ensure accountability for members who acted against party lines. “We were very let down by the actions of some in…this current Congress,” he said.
The Republican Party has faced challenges governing with its slim majority over the past two years due to internal divisions. In January 2023, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California secured his position after a protracted 15-ballot fight with conservatives who demanded significant concessions, including the rule allowing a single member to call for his ouster. That very concession led to McCarthy’s downfall nine months later when he relied on Democratic votes to temporarily avert a government shutdown, marking the first time a House speaker was removed through such a motion.
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, who has faced similar challenges and has occasionally relied on Democratic votes to pass legislation, received the backing of House Republicans for another term. The party’s narrow majority in the upcoming Congress will be further complicated by President-elect Donald Trump’s offers to several members to join his administration.
Johnson, who changed his plans to spend the weekend with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, explained, “He’s very aware of the margin, the size of the margin, but he has an administration to fill, a Cabinet to fill. Everyone in this room is keenly aware of it as well, and that’s why we’re emphasizing unity right now.”
