In a recent development, a faction of moderate Democratic lawmakers from the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus has proposed a deal to the House Speaker Pro Tempore, Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina.
The proposal seeks to broaden McHenry's powers in return for an increased number of bills on the floor.
The proposal was communicated through a letter penned by four House Democrats, including New Jersey Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who led the initiative. The letter was prompted by the unprecedented removal of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week, which left the House with a speaker pro-tempore possessing "very limited authority."
The letter reads, "In light of our nations pressing issues, a looming government shutdown, and the attacks on our key ally, Israel, we strongly support an immediate vote to expand the Speaker Pro Tempore's authorities to allow for the consideration of a legislative agenda limited to the most pressing issues."
The Democrats propose a temporary expansion of the Speaker Pro Tempore's powers, to be renewed every fifteen calendar days. This would enable the Speaker Pro Tempore to introduce proposed legislation addressing specific areas. These areas include foreign aid funding for Ukraine and Israel, extending the current continuing resolution through January 2024 to prevent a government shutdown, and committee and floor consideration for appropriations bills.
In return for these expanded powers, the Democrats would receive half of the suspension bills on the calendar. The letter further states, "The government cannot continue to be hamstrung leaving American families, our economy, and national security at risk. We hope youd agree that we must restart the business of the House of Representatives without delay."
Joining Gottheimer in signing the letter were Democratic Reps. Ed Case of Hawaii, Susie Lee of Nevada, and Jared Golden of Maine. The letter was first reported by Politico amidst the House GOP's struggle to find a new speaker.
However, the Problem Solvers Caucus is grappling with internal issues. Several House Republicans in the bipartisan group have expressed their discontent over the role their Democratic counterparts played in McCarthy's removal. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican from New York, told Fox News Digital, "Im really thinking strongly about leaving the Problem Solvers Caucus. I think there's a lot of Republicans who are disenchanted with the Democratic members of the Problem Solvers Caucus."
Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, made history as the first speaker of the House to be ousted from his position after eight hardliners within his party joined every Democrat to vote him out. Malliotakis expressed her frustration, stating, "I'm very frustrated that none of the members who claim to be centrist would work with us to defeat this motion to vacate."
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