This week, MAGA Republicans took control of the House of Representatives. As part of his rise to the Speakership, Kevin McCarthy made a series of concessions to the most radical MAGA faction in his caucus. These concessions amount to a serious attack on our democratic norms, undermining our highest systems of justice and law enforcement, limiting Congressional ethics oversight, and establishing a non-transparent rules process—among other concessions to far-right figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, and more. They will stop at nothing to chase conspiracy theories and sow distrust in our most fundamental democratic institutions rather than governing effectively. These are five of the most pressing threats to democracy this week:
- Kevin McCarthy Made Deep Concessions to MAGA Loyalists Behind Closed Doors. As part of his Speakership bid, Kevin McCarthy made a laundry list of concessions to some of his party’s most radical members. Though some of those concessions were made public in the new House rules package, a secret three-page addendum to the rules dictates a set of extra promises outlined behind closed doors. These include “three seats on the Rules Committee for Freedom Caucus members, freezing spending at the fiscal 2022 levels, lavish committee assignments, and more.” Kevin McCarthy’s mysterious back-room deals with hard right figures—who plotted the events of January 6th and spread some of the most outlandish conspiracy theories about the 2020 election—pose an ongoing threat to democracy. With MAGA Republicans in charge of the House, chaos and conspiracy is all-but-certain to reign.
- The House GOP Established A New House Committee Designed to Undermine the FBI and DOJ’s Lawful Investigations. Earlier this week, Kevin McCarthy and the MAGA House narrowly established a subcommittee pledging to probe what they call the “weaponization of government,” including “ongoing criminal investigations” at the Justice Department. The subcommittee will allow the party’s most radical members on the Committee to look into any government agency or program ranging from the FBI to the IRS—including those probing former President Trump. Even worse, MAGA leaders have deliberately placed DOJ targets like Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), whose phone was seized by the FBI as part of the federal law enforcement investigation into January 6th, on the committee. This move is a blatant political ploy that only threatens to erode the relationship between the Department of Justice and Congressional Republicans, many of whom have spent months plotting to impeach Attorney General Merrick Garland.
- House Republicans Adopted A New, Non-transparent Rules Process. On Monday, the GOP House passed a new rules package that will make it more difficult for the House to carry out even basic duties over the next two years. First, the new rules re-establish the “motion to vacate the chair,” allowing any one member to call a vote to remove the speaker—a move that could easily destabilize House Republicans’ fragile speakership. Second, the new rules set new limitations for spending and taxation by requiring a supermajority vote to raise taxes, allowing lawmakers to use appropriations bills to defund specific programs, and eliminating a rule automatically raising the federal debt limit. With the federal debt ceiling looming in the coming months, such provisions could trigger a government shutdown or even a debt default. Finally, the new rules end proxy voting and require lawmakers to make legislation publicly available at least 72 hours before bringing it to a vote. With just a single-digit majority, these MAGA rules are likely to hinder transparency and slow the democratic process.
- House Republicans Moved To Gut Congressional Ethics. As part of the rules package, the House GOP voted to pass sweeping changes to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), an independent body tasked with investigating reports about sitting members of Congress. The MAGA House imposed term limits and made it more difficult for the OCE to staff its office. Experts denounced the measures, accusing MAGA Republicans of “handcuff[ing]” and “significantly weaken[ing]” the OCE. The move comes just days after a nonprofit filed a complaint against Rep. George Santos (R-NY) after the freshman congressman admitted to fabricating portions of his biography and misrepresenting his financial disclosures.
- MAGA Republicans Are Calling For AG Merrick Garland’s Impeachment Over Classified Documents. On Monday evening, we learned that President Biden recently turned over a small number of classified documents discovered in a secure private office. Even though the circumstances are not comparable, House Republicans have drawn false comparisons to Trump’s mishandling of hundreds of classified documents and refusal to cooperate with federal law enforcement. After spending months decrying the FBI’s lawfully executed search warrant at Mar-a-Lago and subsequent investigation into Trump, MAGA lawmakers are demanding a full House investigation and DOJ review into President Biden. Even worse, far-right figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene want to impeach AG Merrick Garland. Now that Marjorie Taylor Greene has secured Kevin McCarthy’s loyalty, her priorities now hold much greater sway over the House GOP agenda. MAGA efforts to equate two vastly different situations threaten to muddle the rule of law and damage democratic norms of accountable governance.
