Some of the House Republicans who initially opposed Kevin McCarthy's bid for the speaker's gavel received plum assignments after they agreed to support him.

One of those lawmakers, Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy, has been very critical about the way business is conducted in the House. Now as a member of the all-important House Rules Committee, he’ll have the power to shake things up.

What You Need To Know

  • Texas Rep. Chip Roy, one of the Republicans who initially opposed Kevin McCarthy's speakership bid, was given a spot on the all-important House Rules Committee, which influences which bills advance to the floor and how they are voted on
  • Roy was a key negotiator for the 20 House Republicans who initially opposed McCarthy's speakership bid, which ultimately went to a historic 15 rounds of voting

  • Some of the concessions won by Roy and other hardliners in return for supporting McCarthy include lawmakers having more time to review legislation, and lowering the threshold on the number of lawmakers needed to force a vote ousting the speaker from five to one

Roy was a key negotiator for the 20 House Republicans who initially opposed McCarthy's speakership bid, which ultimately went to a historic 15 rounds of voting.

Now the Austin Republican, along with fellow far-right Reps. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Thomas Massey, R-Ky., have been given seats on the House Rules Committee, which decided which bills advance to the House floor and governs how they are voted on. Rep. Norman also opposed McCarthy's bid for speaker, while Rep. Massey, who has long clashed with the House GOP leader, backed his nomination.

Roy, who has a deep knowledge of House rules and procedures, pledged that the way the chamber works will change.

“If you're going to offer $45 billion for Ukraine, maybe we should offer amendments, maybe we should allow members to say 'hold on a second,' a little accountability, or knowing what's in our national security interest," Roy told Spectrum News. "That's healthy for the country. We've gotten away from healthy open debate, and I think the speaker's fight showed that a little bit.”

Roy said he didn’t ask for the spot in return for supporting McCarthy, noting that it was the California Republican who asked him to serve on the panel.

“I'm a dad of a 13-year-old, 11-year-old, I don't want to have to fly out a day early necessarily, in order to come be on the Rules Committee. But I also can't complain about the way this place works and not saddle up if someone's asking me to,” Roy said. 

Some of the concessions won by Roy and other hardliners in return for supporting McCarthy include lawmakers having more time to review legislation, and lowering the threshold on the number of lawmakers needed to force a vote ousting the speaker from five to one.

“There are things taken in totality that I'd be saying, 'guys, we can't do this,'" Roy said. "Yes, spending is one of those areas, border security, there are going to be things that I just don't think would be the appropriate direction for us to go. We need to be able to use the Rules Committee to sort of check kind of what the swamp likes to do in this town.

Roy also secured a spot on the new subcommittee on the so-called "Weaponization of the Federal Government," which was opposed by all House Democrats.

Some Democrats argued it would be used to peddle unproven conspiracies.