WASHINGTON — A Texan is now leading one of the most powerful committees in the House of Representatives. House Speaker Mike Johnson chose Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Pilot Point, to chair the Rules Committee, which functions as a gatekeeper for most major legislation.
“The Rules Committee is really where it all happens in the House of Representatives,” Burgess said. “In order for anything to actually get done, legislation needs to come to the floor under a rule and the Rules Committee is where those parameters are worked out.”
The Rules Committee’s more than a dozen members also can amend legislation, and unlike other committees, it sets no time limits for debate. It is that last feature that the panel’s new chairman appreciates the most.
“Any member who wants to come up and speak in favor of or opposed to a bill in favor of or opposed to an amendment can do so and they can do so without time constraints, and that’s really, to me, one of the most powerful things about having this little tiny committee room up above the House floor,” Burgess said. “The Rules Committee is where the rank-and-file member can come and be heard on literally any subject.”
The chair became available after Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, left to lead the Appropriations Committee.
Another Texan, Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, stepped down early as the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee and took on a role providing counsel to her colleagues.
Burgess’ appointment will serve as a crowning achievement of his congressional career, after he announced he would not seek a 12th term.
The 73-year-old joined the Rules Committee a decade ago and said he would like to maintain the collegiality that chairs before him valued. But lately, in order to get contentious pieces of legislation passed under a razor-thin majority, the House has had to rely on what’s called “the suspension of the rules,” which fast-tracks bills and bypasses the Rules Committee.
“That’s not ideal, is it? I mean, if you’re having to suspend the rules, then the system has not worked as intended,” Burgess said. “The party that’s in the majority obviously gives up a lot of their power by passing with a two-thirds majority and passing under suspension of the rules.”
“If you’re having to pass large policy measures under suspension of the rules, you’re not going to give them. In my opinion, they’re not going to get the appropriate hearing that they need,” he continued.
Burgess, who is an obstetrician-gynecologist, has been a leading voice on health care issues on Capitol Hill. Before he leaves Congress, he said he hopes lawmakers will address unlawful border crossings. House Republicans have pushed for passing a hardline border security and immigration bill known as H.R. 2.
“I don’t know how many different ways I can vote for it,” Burgess said.
He said if Congress cannot pass the House Republican-led bill, he vows GOP members will continue to challenge President Joe Biden’s border policies, which is a top issue for conservative Texans.
“Harder to do that if we don’t have a strong border security package, so it’s not too late to do that,” Burgess said. “We’ve got all of the big appropriations bills, all of the big spending bills that will be coming forward. One of those will be a Homeland Security bill, and we ought to insist on strong border security provisions in that. We’ll see where that ends up.”
When asked why exactly he was leaving, Burgess said, “Yeah, I got too old. Twenty-two years is a long time up here.”
The longtime congressman rules out another term, but not without a capstone chairmanship.