Legislative maneuver divides House GOP through right privilege.

House Republicans Express Displeasure with Privileged Resolutions

Some members of the House Republican Conference are expressing their frustration with their more conservative colleagues who continue to file privileged resolutions in order to bypass leadership and regular order. These resolutions are being used to force a vote on impeachment and censures, much to the annoyance of some members.

Recent Resolutions

Last week, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) filed a privileged resolution to censure Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and impose a hefty fine on him. However, the motion failed as 20 Republicans joined the Democrats in voting to table it. Luna has now filed a new privileged resolution to censure Schiff without the fine, and it is expected to come up for a vote on Wednesday.

Following Luna’s resolution, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) filed her own privileged resolution to impeach President Joe Biden. Additionally, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) plans to turn all of her impeachment resolutions into privileged resolutions.

What are Privileged Resolutions?

A privileged resolution is a way to bypass leadership and regular order, allowing a vote on the floor without going through the normal committee process. House leadership has two days to schedule a vote once a privileged resolution is filed. However, before the resolution can be voted on, there is often a motion to table it, which, if successful, blocks the resolution from proceeding.

Disagreements and Opposition

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has expressed his opposition to privileged resolutions, particularly Boebert’s resolution to impeach Biden. He believes that bringing something to the floor with only two days’ notice does not make a strong case to the American public.

Other members, including Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA), have also voiced their displeasure with privileged motions. They believe that regular order and empowering committee chairs are the proper ways to handle these matters.

Importance of Proper Process

Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) emphasizes the importance of doing things right when it comes to impeachment. He believes that impeachments should not be exercised flippantly and that circumventing regular order could have negative consequences in the future.

Centrist Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) supports censuring Schiff but disagrees with the use of privileged resolutions. He believes that these matters should go through committee and be handled with seriousness and judiciousness.

Even more conservative members, such as Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), express their dissatisfaction with privileged resolutions. They believe that these resolutions should go through the committee process rather than being brought up through privileged motions.

When asked about his stance on privileged resolutions, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) simply stated, “People have a right to do what they want to do.”

Overall, the use of privileged resolutions has sparked debate and frustration among House Republicans, with differing opinions on the proper process for addressing impeachment and censure resolutions.

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