Centralized decision-making powers by the House speaker, an increasing trend for more than a quarter-century under the leadership of both parties, is reaching a boiling point for some GOP lawmakers.
They say House Speaker Nancy Pelosi makes too many decisions unilaterally that too often place restrictions on the entire chamber. That includes installation of metal detectors at entry points to the House chamber, violations of which trigger fines of $5,000 for the first offense and $10,000 for the second one, and mandates that lawmakers wear masks on the House floor.
Pelosi and her leadership team say they’re commonsense solutions to beefing up security after the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill siege and to fighting the spread of COVID-19, which more than a dozen members have already tested positive for.
But Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, doesn’t see it that way.
“So let me get this straight: All 435 representatives can be trusted with access to our nation’s Top Secret information, but as of this week, none of them can be trusted not to attack other members with metallic weapons on the floor of the House?” Massie tweeted on Thursday.
So let me get this straight:
All 435 representatives can be trusted with access to our nation’s Top Secret information,
but as of this week, none of them can be trusted not to attack other members with metallic weapons on the floor of the House? pic.twitter.com/KjusLWq7Td
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 14, 2021
Criticism of the House speaker is no surprise considering it’s coming from a member of the minority party. But Massie insists he’s been consistent in his criticism about the centralization of powers in the House since first being elected in 2012.
“Too much power has been consolidated into the office of Speaker of the House. This isn’t a Democrat or Republican problem. It’s a problem for everyone. I also said this when Paul Ryan and John Boehner were speakers, but it’s getting worse,” tweeted Massie, who earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and a Master of Scienc in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Too much power has been consolidated into the office of Speaker of the House.
This isn’t a Democrat or Republican problem. It’s a problem for everyone. I also said this when Paul Ryan and John Boehner were speakers, but it’s getting worse.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 14, 2021
It’s the kind of complaint that’s been heard from rank-and-file House members since Newt Gingrich became speaker following the 1994 “Republican Revolution,” when the GOP won its first majority in 40 years. The Georgia Republican hand-selected committee chairs and consolidated power in a series of other ways.
But current Republicans in the House say it’s gotten worse of late, a situation compounded by threats of violence after the Capitol siege and the nearly yearlong coronavirus pandemic. Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, they contend, make too many decisions on their own without any consultation from other members too often.
Pelosi “shamelessly adheres to the philosophy of ‘never allow a good crisis to go to waste,” Rep. Jody Hice, a Georgia Republican, told the Washington Examiner in a written statement. “As America stands bitterly divided in the wake of the tragic events of January 6, Pelosi has chosen this moment to extend her own power. Rather than focus on economic recovery or the Coronavirus pandemic, she is pushing Democrats’ radical agenda through naked power grabs like H.R. 1 — a federal takeover of elections across the country.”
Moreover, Hice said, “Pelosi has now placed metal detectors around the House floor, treating Republican Members of Congress as though we are the enemy. It’s time for Speaker Pelosi to start thinking more about the American people and less about her own party’s power.”
Pelosi’s office did not respond to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner.
Pelosi’s metal detector violation fine came after announcing lawmakers would be penalized financially for not wearing masks on the House floor. Reporters and staff are also affected by the rules Pelosi sets on the House side.
Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois, the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, said those kinds of moves should not have been made unilaterally by the speaker.
“The known threats are outside the Capitol, and this should be seen as a purely political move by the speaker. After speaking numerous times with Capitol Police leadership and dozens of rank-and-file officers since Jan. 6, we need to be focused on ensuring a safe Inauguration Day and a peaceful transfer of power,” Davis told the Washington Examiner.
Pelosi’s also cut off access to the Speaker’s Lobby, an area located off the House floor where lawmakers and correspondents congregate until the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, to limit crowding. Pelosi later ordered the furniture to be removed from the long ornate hallway to discourage members from idling in the area for too long.
On Friday, during the speaker’s weekly press conference, Pelosi confirmed the Speaker’s Lobby would be reopened when the pandemic ended but did not provide further details.
