When The Majority Doesn't Rule
The
Hastert
Rule,
also known as the "majority
of the majority" rule,
is an informal governing principle used by Republican
Speakers
of the House of Representatives
since
the mid-1990s to maintain their speakerships[1]
and
limit the power of the minority party to bringbills
up
for a vote on the floor
of
the House.
Under
the doctrine, the Speaker
of the United States House of Representatives will
not allow a vote on a bill unless a majority of the majority party
supports the bill.
Its
introduction is widely credited to former Speaker Dennis
Hastert
(1999–2007);
however, Newt
Gingrich,
who directly preceded Hastert as Speaker (1995–1999), followed the
same rule.
Hastert
was vocal in his support of the rule stating that his job was "to
please the majority of the majority",though years after his
speakership ended, he distanced himself from the rule, saying, "The
Hastert Rule never really existed. It’s a non-entity as far as I’m
concerned
Even
if the majority of the members of the House would vote to pass it.
The rule keeps the minority party from passing bills with the
assistance of a small number of majority party members.
It’s
called the McConnell rule, and it’s time to make it permanent
before the current agreement runs out on Feb. 7.
This rule, which was used in
last week’s settlement and other agreements for the last two years,
allows the president to raise the debt ceiling and then gives
Congress a chance to disapprove it. If Congress passes a disapproval
measure, the president can veto the legislation. The two chambers
would then each need a two-thirds majority to override the veto and
prevent the debt limit from rising, which is politically unattainable
and is likely to remain so.
Opinion
It’s
a World War I-era contrivance that was never used to extract
concessions until the Tea Party got hold of it in 2011, and it ought
to be formally abolished. It
doesn’t limit the debt,
which is determined only by the amount Congress spends and takes in.
Its only purpose is to give voters the illusion that Congress is
acting as a responsible steward over borrowing.
Paul Hunter paulhunter45177@gmail.com
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