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The article only says she violated the rule, it does not say she used it or followed it.
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[[File:Dennis Hastert 2.jpg|thumb|Dennis Hastert explicitly adopted the majority of the majority rule after becoming Speaker of the House.]]
[[File:Dennis Hastert 2.jpg|thumb|Dennis Hastert explicitly adopted the majority of the majority rule after becoming Speaker of the House.]]
The '''Hastert Rule''', also known as the '''"majority of the majority" rule''', is an informal governing principle used by [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]<ref name=goddard/><ref name=timesrecord/><ref name=about>{{cite web|url=http://uspolitics.about.com/od/glossary/fl/The-Hastert-Rule.htm|title=The Hastert Rule|publisher=[[About.com]]|first=Time|last=Murse}}</ref> and [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]<ref name=seven>{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/nancy-pelosi-john-boehner-comments-91311.html|title=Nancy Pelosi: Female John Boehner would be called the 'weakest speaker'|publisher=Politico|date=May 14, 2013|first=Kevin|last=Robillard}}</ref> [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speakers of the House of Representatives]] since the mid-1990s to maintain their speakerships<ref name=ball>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/07/even-the-aide-who-coined-the-hastert-rule-says-the-hastert-rule-isnt-working/277961/ |title= Even the Aide Who Coined the Hastert Rule Says the Hastert Rule Isn't Working|publisher=The Atlantic|first=Molly|last=Ball|date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> and limit the power of the minority party to bring [[Bill (law)|bills]] up for a vote on the [[Floor (legislative)|floor]] of the [[United States House of Representatives|House]].<ref name=crawford>{{cite news|url=http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/k-street-insiders/k-street-insiders/20145-the-majority-of-the-majority-doctrine|title=The ‘majority of the majority’ doctrine|date=September 19, 2007|publisher=The Hill|first=George|last=Crawford}}</ref> Under the doctrine, the [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives]] will not allow a floor vote on a bill unless a majority of the majority party supports the bill.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/60296.html|title=Boehner seeks 'majority of the majority'|publisher=Politico|date=July 30, 2011|first=Jake |last=Sherman |first2=Jonathan |last2=Allen}}</ref>
The '''Hastert Rule''', also known as the '''"majority of the majority" rule''', is an informal governing principle used by [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]<ref name=goddard/><ref name=timesrecord/><ref name=about>{{cite web|url=http://uspolitics.about.com/od/glossary/fl/The-Hastert-Rule.htm|title=The Hastert Rule|publisher=[[About.com]]|first=Time|last=Murse}}</ref>[[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speakers of the House of Representatives]] since the mid-1990s to maintain their speakerships<ref name=ball>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/07/even-the-aide-who-coined-the-hastert-rule-says-the-hastert-rule-isnt-working/277961/ |title= Even the Aide Who Coined the Hastert Rule Says the Hastert Rule Isn't Working|publisher=The Atlantic|first=Molly|last=Ball|date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> and limit the power of the minority party to bring [[Bill (law)|bills]] up for a vote on the [[Floor (legislative)|floor]] of the [[United States House of Representatives|House]].<ref name=crawford>{{cite news|url=http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/k-street-insiders/k-street-insiders/20145-the-majority-of-the-majority-doctrine|title=The ‘majority of the majority’ doctrine|date=September 19, 2007|publisher=The Hill|first=George|last=Crawford}}</ref> Under the doctrine, the [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives]] will not allow a floor vote on a bill unless a majority of the majority party supports the bill.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/60296.html|title=Boehner seeks 'majority of the majority'|publisher=Politico|date=July 30, 2011|first=Jake |last=Sherman |first2=Jonathan |last2=Allen}}</ref>


Under the rules of the House, the Speaker schedules floor votes on pending legislation. The Hastert Rule says that the Speaker will not schedule a floor vote on any bill that does not have majority support within his/her party — even if the majority of the members of the House would vote to pass it. The rule keeps the minority party from passing bills with the assistance of a small number of majority party members. 218 votes are needed to pass a bill in the House; if the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] are the minority and the Republicans are the majority, the Hastert Rule would not allow 170 Democrats and 50 Republicans together to pass a bill, because 50 Republicans votes is far short of a majority of the majority party, so the Speaker would not allow a vote to take place.<ref name=welna>{{cite news|url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/12/02/166268748/the-3-unofficial-gop-rules-that-are-making-a-deficit-deal-even-harder|title=The 3 Unofficial GOP Rules That Are Making A Deficit Deal Even Harder|date=December 2, 2012|publisher=NPR|first=David|last=Welna}}</ref> However, the Hastert Rule is an informal rule and the Speaker is not bound by it; he/she may break it at their discretion. Speakers have at times broken the Hastert Rule and allowed votes to be scheduled on legislation that lacked majority support within the Speakers own party.
Under the rules of the House, the Speaker schedules floor votes on pending legislation. The Hastert Rule says that the Speaker will not schedule a floor vote on any bill that does not have majority support within his/her party — even if the majority of the members of the House would vote to pass it. The rule keeps the minority party from passing bills with the assistance of a small number of majority party members. 218 votes are needed to pass a bill in the House; if the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] are the minority and the Republicans are the majority, the Hastert Rule would not allow 170 Democrats and 50 Republicans together to pass a bill, because 50 Republicans votes is far short of a majority of the majority party, so the Speaker would not allow a vote to take place.<ref name=welna>{{cite news|url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/12/02/166268748/the-3-unofficial-gop-rules-that-are-making-a-deficit-deal-even-harder|title=The 3 Unofficial GOP Rules That Are Making A Deficit Deal Even Harder|date=December 2, 2012|publisher=NPR|first=David|last=Welna}}</ref> However, the Hastert Rule is an informal rule and the Speaker is not bound by it; he/she may break it at their discretion. Speakers have at times broken the Hastert Rule and allowed votes to be scheduled on legislation that lacked majority support within the Speakers own party.

Revision as of 02:34, 15 December 2014

Dennis Hastert explicitly adopted the majority of the majority rule after becoming Speaker of the House.

The Hastert Rule, also known as the "majority of the majority" rule, is an informal governing principle used by Republican[1][2][3]Speakers of the House of Representatives since the mid-1990s to maintain their speakerships[4] and limit the power of the minority party to bring bills up for a vote on the floor of the House.[5] Under the doctrine, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives will not allow a floor vote on a bill unless a majority of the majority party supports the bill.[6]

Under the rules of the House, the Speaker schedules floor votes on pending legislation. The Hastert Rule says that the Speaker will not schedule a floor vote on any bill that does not have majority support within his/her party — even if the majority of the members of the House would vote to pass it. The rule keeps the minority party from passing bills with the assistance of a small number of majority party members. 218 votes are needed to pass a bill in the House; if the Democrats are the minority and the Republicans are the majority, the Hastert Rule would not allow 170 Democrats and 50 Republicans together to pass a bill, because 50 Republicans votes is far short of a majority of the majority party, so the Speaker would not allow a vote to take place.[7] However, the Hastert Rule is an informal rule and the Speaker is not bound by it; he/she may break it at their discretion. Speakers have at times broken the Hastert Rule and allowed votes to be scheduled on legislation that lacked majority support within the Speakers own party.

Origins

The Hastert Rule's introduction is widely credited to former Speaker Dennis Hastert (1999–2007); however, Newt Gingrich, who directly preceded Hastert as Speaker (1995–1999), followed the same rule.[8] The notion of the rule arose out of a debate in 2006 over whether Hastert should bring an immigration reform bill to the House floor after it had been passed by the Senate. “It was pretty obvious at that point that it didn’t have the votes to move it out, especially in the Judiciary Committee,” he said later. “It was pretty well stacked with people who weren’t willing to move.”[9]

Speakers' views and use of the policy

  • Tip O'Neill (Speaker from 1977–1987): According to John Feehery, a Hastert aide and speechwriter who coined the term "majority of the majority," O'Neill let the Republicans "run the floor" because he didn't have the votes and because he believed that if he gave then-president Ronald Reagan "enough rope, he would end up strangling himself."[10]
  • Tom Foley: (1989–1995): In 2004, on the PBS NewsHour, Foley said, "I think you don't want to bring bills to the floor that a majority of your party is opposed to routinely but sometimes when a great issue is at stake, I think you need to do that."[11]
  • Newt Gingrich (1995–1999): Although the majority-of-the-majority rule had not been articulated at the time, Gingrich followed it in practice.[8]
  • Dennis Hastert (1999–2007): In 2003 Hastert said, "On occasion, a particular issue might excite a majority made up mostly of the minority. Campaign finance is a particularly good example of this phenomenon. [But] the job of speaker is not to expedite legislation that runs counter to the wishes of the majority of his majority."[12] During his speakership, he broke the Hastert Rule a dozen times.[13] In mid-2013 he said, "If you start to rely on the minority to get the majority of your votes, then all of a sudden you’re not running the shop anymore."[14] Later that year, Hastert said, "The Hastert Rule never really existed. It’s a non-entity as far as I’m concerned." Reflecting on his time as speaker, he said, "This wasn’t a rule. I was speaking philosophically at the time.... The Hastert Rule is kind of a misnomer."[15]
  • Nancy Pelosi (2007–2011): In May 2007 Pelosi said, "I’m the Speaker of the House…I have to take into consideration something broader than the majority of the majority in the Democratic Caucus."[16] She also said at that time, "I would encourage my colleagues not to be proposing resolutions that say ‘the majority of the majority does this or that. We have to talk it out, see what is possible to get a job done. And as I say, we do that together."[17] Never the less, according to the Brookings Institution, she violated the majority-of-the-majority rule seven times during her four-year speakership.[18]
Speaker John Boehner
  • In December 2012 Boehner told his caucus in a conference call "I’m not interested in passing something with mostly Democrat votes" and that did not have the support of the majority of the Republican caucus.[19][20] Nonetheless, Boehner allowed a vote on January 1, 2013 on the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (also known as the "fiscal cliff bill") with only 85 out of 241 Republicans in favor (a support level of only 35%) and the bill passed with the support of 90% of Democrats (172 out of 191).[21][22] The bill's passage marked the first time in more than ten years that a measure passed a Republican-controlled House when opposed by a majority of House Republicans.[23] In response, former House Speaker Hastert criticized Boehner for not adhering to the "majority of the majority" governing principle by saying, "Maybe you can do it once, maybe you can do it twice, but when you start making deals when you have to get Democrats to pass the legislation, you are not in power anymore."[24][25]
  • Two weeks later, on January 15, 2013, Boehner allowed a vote on aid to victims of Hurricane Sandy to take place without the support of a majority of the Republican caucus.[1] The vote passed with 241 votes, but only 49 of the votes were from Republicans or a mere 21% of the majority.[26] Since then some notable Republicans have publicly questioned whether the "majority of the majority" rule is still viable or have proposed jettisoning it altogether.[26][27][28]
  • In spite of all the criticism, on February 28, 2013 Boehner brought a third bill for a vote on the floor of the house which did not have support of majority of Republicans. The bill, an extension of the Violence Against Women Act, received the vote of only 38% of the Republicans in the House of Representatives.[29]
  • On April 9, 2013, the "rule" was violated a fourth time, on a bill about federal acquisition of historic sites. The bill was passed with more than two thirds of the House vote but without a majority of the GOP caucus.[30] Shortly thereafter, Boehner said, "Listen: It was never a rule to begin with. And certainly my prerogative – my intention is to always pass bills with strong Republican support."[31]
  • On October 16, 2013, Boehner again violated the rule by allowing a floor vote to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling. The House voted 285 to 144 less than three hours after the Senate overwhelmingly passed the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014. The "yea" votes consisted of 198 Democrats and only 87 Republicans, less than 40% of the conference.[32]
  • On February 11, 2014, Boehner broke the rule by allowing a floor vote on a "clean" debt ceiling bill. The bill passed the house 221-201, with only 28 Republicans voting "yea" along with 193 Democrats.[33]

Commentary

Commentators note that there are pros and cons to the "majority of the majority" rule. On the positive side, it ensures that no legislative proposal will counter the wishes of the majority of the Speaker's caucus.[5] It also all but ensures that the Speaker will keep his or her job.[8] On the negative side, when combined with a systematic effort to marginalize the influence of the minority power, it can lead to a breakdown of the legislative process, radicalization of the members of the minority party, and legislation that does not reflect the broadest view and area of agreement.[5]

Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, an opponent of the rule, has said the rule is a major reason why bills passed on a bipartisan basis in the Senate are often not later introduced in the House.[7] He has also said that, as Speaker of the House, "you are the party leader, but you are ratified by the whole House. You are a constitutional officer", and that at crucial times a speaker must put the House ahead of his or her party.[12]

Ezra Klein of The Washington Post has written that the Hastert Rule is "more of an aspiration" than a rule and that codifying it as a formal rule would be detrimental to House Republicans, as it would prevent them from voting against bills that the Republican caucus wanted passed but that a majority of Republicans wanted to oppose for ideological or political reasons.[34]

Slate magazine blogger Matthew Yglesias has contended that the rule, while flawed, is better than the alternatives and that the dynamic prior to its adoption was "a weird kind of super-empowerment of the Rules committee that allowed it to arbitrarily bottle up proposals".[35]

Maine senator Angus King, as well as several commentators, including Rex Huppke of the Chicago Tribune, Eric Black of MinnPost and Tom Murse of About.com, have blamed the Hastert Rule for the government shutdown of October 2013.[2][36][37] Huppke added facetiously, "Here's the fun part: the Hastert Rule isn't an official rule, or an official anything. It's just a made-up concept, like bipartisanship or polite discourse."[38]

CNBC's Ben White has called the Hastert Rule "perhaps the most over-hyped phenomena in politics," since Republican speakers "have regularly violated the rule when it was in their interest to do so."[39]

Discharge petition

A discharge petition signed by 218 members (or more) from any party is the only way to force consideration of a bill that does not have the support of the Speaker. However, discharge petitions are rarely successful, as a member of the majority party defying their party's leadership by signing a discharge petition can expect retribution from the leadership.

References

  1. ^ a b Goddard, Taegan (January 16, 2013). "Did Democrats finally find a way to bypass House Republicans?". The Week.
  2. ^ a b "King: 'Hastert rule' added to gridlock". Associated Press. October 17, 2013.
  3. ^ Murse, Time. "The Hastert Rule". About.com.
  4. ^ Ball, Molly (July 21, 2013). "Even the Aide Who Coined the Hastert Rule Says the Hastert Rule Isn't Working". The Atlantic.
  5. ^ a b c Crawford, George (September 19, 2007). "The 'majority of the majority' doctrine". The Hill.
  6. ^ Sherman, Jake; Allen, Jonathan (July 30, 2011). "Boehner seeks 'majority of the majority'". Politico.
  7. ^ a b Welna, David (December 2, 2012). "The 3 Unofficial GOP Rules That Are Making A Deficit Deal Even Harder". NPR.
  8. ^ a b c Feehery, John (August 1, 2011). "Majority of the majority". The Hill.
  9. ^ Meckler, Laura (January 30, 2014). "Former Speaker Hastert Calls for Immigration Overhaul". The Wall Street Journal.
  10. ^ Feehery, John (January 16, 2013). "Rules Are Made to Be Broken". The Feehery Theory.
  11. ^ "Congress Reaches Deal on Intelligence Bill". PBS NewsHour. December 6, 2004.
  12. ^ a b Babington, Charles (November 27, 2004). "Hastert Launches a Partisan Policy". Washington Post.
  13. ^ Noah, Timothy (Sep 27, 2013). "The absurdity of the Hastert Rule". Retrieved Oct 3, 2013.
  14. ^ Strong, Jonathan (July 3, 2013). "Immigration and the Hastert Rule". The National Review.
  15. ^ Clift, Eleanor (October 3, 2013). "Denny Hastert Disses the 'Hastert Rule': It 'Never Really Existed'". The Daily Beast.
  16. ^ Davis, Susan (May 29, 2007). "Pelosi Brings End to 'Hastert Rule'". Roll Call.
  17. ^ Davis, Susan (May 29, 2007). "Pelosi Brings End to 'Hastert Rule'". Roll Call.
  18. ^ Robillard, Kevin (May 14, 2013). "Nancy Pelosi: Female John Boehner would be called the 'weakest speaker'". Politico.
  19. ^ Sherman, Jake; Bresnahan, John (December 27, 2012). "Fiscal cliff action shifts to Senate". Politico.
  20. ^ Newhauser, Daniel; Shiner, Meredith (December 27, 2012). "Boehner 'Not Interested' in Bill That Most of GOP Would Reject". Roll Call.
  21. ^ Hook, Janet; Boles, Corey; Hughes, Siobhan (January 2, 2013). "Congress Passes Cliff Deal". Wall Street Journal.
  22. ^ Tomasky, Michael (January 2, 2013). "The End of the Hastert Rule". The Daily Beast.
  23. ^ Tumulty, Karen; Wallsten, Peter (January 2, 2013). "Has the 'fiscal cliff' fight changed how Washington works?". Washington Post.
  24. ^ Johnson, Luke (January 3, 2013). "Dennis Hastert Warns John Boehner About Leadership After Fiscal Cliff Deal". Huffington Post.
  25. ^ Robillard, Kevin (January 3, 2013). "Dennis Hastert warns Boehner on his 'rule'". Politico.
  26. ^ a b Newhauser, Daniel (January 16, 2013). "'Hastert Rule' Takes Body Blows With Sandy, Cliff Votes". Roll Call.
  27. ^ Yglesias, Matthew (January 17, 2013). "House GOP Considering New Strategy on Fiscal Issues: Surrender!". Slate.
  28. ^ Frum, David (January 16, 2013). "Speaker Boehner, Ditch the Hastert Rule". The Daily Beast.
  29. ^ "Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013". Office of the Clerk of the US House of Representatives. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-01.
  30. ^ Willis, Derek (April 11, 2013). "Tracking Hastert Rule Violations in the House". The New York Times.
  31. ^ Blake, Aaron (April 11, 2013). "Boehner on Hastert Rule: 'It was never a rule to begin with'". Washington Post.
  32. ^ Everett, Burgess; Sherman, Jake; Raju, Manu (October 17, 2013). "Boehner taps Dems to push budget deal across finish line". Politico.
  33. ^ Cillizza, Chris (February 16, 2014). "Does John Boehner still want to be House speaker?". The Washington Post.
  34. ^ Klein, Ezra (June 18, 2013). "Is Boehner bluffing on the Hastert rule? Even he doesn't know". Washington Post.
  35. ^ Yglesias, Matthew (January 2, 2013). "Boehner to Reid: "Go F—— Yourself"; Why Party Cartels Matter". Slate.
  36. ^ Black, Eric (October 2, 2013). "What's behind the shutdown? Put 'Hastert Rule' and Constitution on your list". MinnPost.
  37. ^ Murse, Tom (October 6, 2013). "Why You Should Blame Something Called the Hastert Rule for the Government Shutdown of 2013". About.com.
  38. ^ Huppke, Rex (October 17, 2013). "We'll miss the countdown to catastrophe". The Chicago Tribune. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  39. ^ White, Ben (November 25, 2013). "A winter of bitter discontent in DC? Maybe not". CNBC.
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