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posted ago by ReticulatingSplines ago by ReticulatingSplines +154 / -0

https://nypost.com/2023/01/07/freedom-caucus-earns-major-concessions-from-kevin-mccarthy/

Freedom Caucus members will be granted several seats on the crucial House Rules Committee and House Appropriations Committee — a “very important” concession, Gaetz said. He declined to say who he was pushing for those roles.

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz said he felt triumphant about the four-day, 15-vote proceedings.

The low-profile Rules Committee determines how new bills can be introduced into the House. Its members — often some of the body’s most senior lawmakers — can effectively stall bills of their choosing, making them some of the most powerful in the chamber.

Meanwhile, the Appropriations Committee is tasked with passing the all-important appropriations bills that fund the government. Seats on that committee have long been a target of House fiscal hawks.

Rumors are swirling that Freedom Caucus member Rep. Lauren Boebert is angling for a plum assignment on the Judiciary Committee. Gaetz insisted to The Post he has no plans to move from his current seats on the Judiciary and Armed Services committees.

Under new rules set to be adopted Monday, a single member will be allowed to introduce a “motion to vacate,” a vote on ousting the speaker, House insiders confirmed. Previously, five members were required to make such a motion. “Any power that limits the speaker’s power is a step in the right direction,” said a jubilant Freedom Caucus staffer after McCarthy’s election. “The Freedom Caucus is more relevant than ever, and McCarthy won’t be able to get anything done without our endorsement and support.”

Freedom Caucus members also won a slew of other major concessions, including:

•	A promise for guaranteed votes on pet issues, like a balanced budget amendment, and term limits, a Texas border plan, and an end to all remaining coronavirus mandates and funding.

•	A new committee to investigate the alleged weaponization of the FBI against its political foes. The committee would be modeled on the Church Committee, which investigated US intelligence agencies in 1975. It would have a budget comparable to the recently disbanded Jan. 6 Committee.

•	More single-subject bills to allow members to vote on specific, narrow issues instead of thousand-page pork barrel behemoths.

•	A 72-hour window for members to read any new bill before it can be voted on.

•	A promise to refuse any increase in the debt ceiling in the next federal budget agreement.