who controls committee assignments in congress

The House Explained

We the People of the United States…

As per the Constitution, the U.S. House of Representatives makes and passes federal laws. The House is one of Congress’s two chambers (the other is the U.S. Senate), and part of the federal government’s legislative branch. The number of voting representatives in the House is fixed by law at no more than 435, proportionally representing the population of the 50 states.

Learn About:

What is a representative.

Also referred to as a congressman or congresswoman, each representative is elected to a two-year term serving the people of a specific congressional district. Among other duties, representatives introduce bills and resolutions, offer amendments and serve on committees. The number of representatives with full voting rights is 435, a number set by Public Law 62-5 on August 8, 1911, and in effect since 1913. The number of representatives per state is proportionate to population.

Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution provides for both the minimum and maximum sizes for the House of Representatives. Currently, there are five delegates representing the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. A resident commissioner represents Puerto Rico. The delegates and resident commissioner possess the same powers as other members of the House, except that they may not vote when the House is meeting as the House of Representatives.

To be elected, a representative must be at least 25 years old, a United States citizen for at least seven years and an inhabitant of the state he or she represents.

Go to the Clerk’s site for more information about representatives.

View the list of House members.

Find Your Representative

Enter your ZIP code in the banner of this page to find the representative for your congressional district.

Did You Know?

After extensive debate, the framers of the Constitution agreed to create the House with representation based on population and the Senate with equal representation. This agreement was part of what is referred to as The Great Compromise .

House leadership includes the speaker, majority and minority leaders, assistant leaders, whips and a party caucus or conference. The speaker acts as leader of the House and combines several institutional and administrative roles. Majority and minority leaders represent their respective parties on the House floor. Whips assist leadership in managing their party's legislative program on the House floor. A party caucus or conference is the name given to a meeting of or organization of all party members in the House. During these meetings, party members discuss matters of concern.

The majority party members and the minority party members meet in separate caucuses to select their leader. Third parties rarely have had enough members to elect their own leadership, and independents will generally join one of the larger party organizations to receive committee assignments.

Learn more about the history of the majority and minority leaders from the Office of the Clerk .

Leadership List

View the list of leadership offices and links to the websites.

Past Leadership

Curious about who else has been Speaker of the House or Majority Leader?  Read more about  past house leadership .

Do You Know?

How many people have served as Speaker of the House? Has the Speaker ever become President? Find out more about the history of the Speakership!

The House’s standing committees have different legislative jurisdictions. Each considers bills and issues and recommends measures for consideration by the House. Committees also have oversight responsibilities to monitor agencies, programs, and activities within their jurisdictions, and in some cases in areas that cut across committee jurisdictions.

The Committee of the Whole House is a committee of the House on which all representatives serve and which meets in the House Chamber for the consideration of measures from the Union calendar.

Before members are assigned to committees, each committee’s size and the proportion of Republicans to Democrats must be decided by the party leaders. The total number of committee slots allotted to each party is approximately the same as the ratio between majority party and minority party members in the full chamber.

Get answers to frequently asked questions about committees from the Clerk of the House.

Committee Websites

All committees have websites where they post information about the legislation they are drafting.

What's a Select Committee?

The House will sometimes form a special or select committee for a short time period and specific purpose, frequently an investigation.

Each committee has a chair and a ranking member. The chair heads the full committee. The ranking member leads the minority members of the committee.

Congress has created a wide variety of temporary and permanent commissions to serve as advisory bodies for investigative or policy-related issues, or to carry out administrative, interparliamentary, or commemorative tasks. Such commissions are typically created by either law or House resolution, and may be composed of House members, private citizens, or a mix of both. In some cases, the commissions are entities of the House or Congress itself; in other cases, they are crafted as independent entities within the legislative branch.

Examples of commissions

• Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission: a temporary, independent investigative body created by law and made up of private citizens.
• Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (also known as the Helsinki Commission): an independent U.S. government agency composed of nine members of the United States Senate, nine from the House of Representatives, and one member each from the Departments of State, Defense and Commerce.
• House Page Board: a permanent, Congressional advisory group created by law and made up of House members, Officers, and private citizens.

House Commissions

• Congressional Executive Commission on China
• Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission)
• House Democracy Partnership Commission
• Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
• U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission

Whether working on Capitol Hill or in his / her congressional district, a representative’s schedule is extremely busy. Often beginning early in the morning with topical briefings, most representatives move quickly among caucus and committee meetings and hearings. They vote on bills, speak with constituents and other groups, and review constituent mail, press clips and various reports. Work can continue into the evening with receptions or fundraising events.

Key Concept

Representatives carry out a broad scope of work in order to best represent their constituents.

Contact Your Representative

Share your thoughts with your representative. Use the Find Your Representative box in the banner of this site to identify your representative, then use the contact form to share your thoughts.

Representatives’ schedules are sometimes planned out in increments as short as five minutes.

House Rules

The Rules of the House of Representatives for the 118th Congress were established by the House with the adoption of H. Res. 5 (PDF) on January 9, 2023. A section by section analysis is also available.

Rules of Conduct

The Committee on Ethics has jurisdiction over the rules and statutes governing the conduct of members, officers and employees while performing their official duties.

The Rules Committee controls what bills go to the House Floor and the terms of debate.

Majority Rules

The makeup of the Rules Committee has traditionally been weighted in favor of the majority party, and has been in its current configuration of 9 majority and 4 minority members since the late 1970s.

The Rules Committee has an online Parliamentary Bootcamp that gives an overview of House Floor procedures, process and precedents.

As outlined in the Constitution , the House represents citizens based on district populations, while the Senate represents citizens on an equal state basis. This agreement was part of what is called The Great Compromise which, in turn, led to the Permanent Seat of Government Act establishing the nation’s federal capital in Washington, DC. In 1789, the House assembled for the first time in New York. It moved to Philadelphia in 1790 and then to Washington, DC, in 1800.

Each member of the House represents a set number of constituents.

More House History

Learn more about the History of the House from the Clerk’s website.

The House of Representatives moved into the House wing on the south side of the Capitol in 1807, four years before the wing was fully completed.

• Lesson Plans
• Teacher's Guides
• Media Resources

Congressional Committees and the Legislative Process

U.S. Capitol dome.

Library of Congress

This lesson plan introduces students to the pivotal role that Congressional committees play in the legislative process, focusing on how their own Congressional representatives influence legislation through their committee appointments. Students begin by reviewing the stages of the legislative process, then learn how committees and subcommittees help determine the outcome of this process by deciding which bills the full Congress will consider and by shaping the legislation upon which votes are finally cast. With this background, students research the committee and subcommittee assignments of their Congressional representatives, then divide into small groups to prepare class reports on the jurisdictions of these different committees and their representatives' special responsibilities on each one. Finally, students consider why representation on these specific committees might be important to the people of their state or community, and examine how the committee system reflects some of the basic principles of American federalism.

Guiding Questions

What role do Committees play during the legislative process?

How is Committee membership determined?

What role do Committees play with regard to oversight and checks and balances?

Learning Objectives

Analyze the legislative process of the United States Congress by focusing on the role of Committees. 

Evaluate how Congressional representatives can influence legislation through their specific committee assignments.

Evaluate how Committees uphold the Constitutional responsibilities of the Legislative Branch. 

Lesson Plan Details

NCSS.D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.

NCSS.D2.His.2.9-12. Analyze change and continuity in historical eras.

NCSS.D2.His.3.9-12. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context.

NCSS.D2.His.12.9-12. Use questions generated about multiple historical sources to pursue further inquiry and investigate additional sources.

NCSS.D2.His.14.9-12. Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.

NCSS.D2.His.15.9-12. Distinguish between long-term causes and triggering events in developing a historical argument.

NCSS.D2.His.16.9-12. Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.

Begin this lesson by guiding students through the basic process by which a bill becomes law in the United States Congress. The Schoolhouse Rock cartoon "I'm Just a Bill" below provides a look at the process and can be accompanied by a flow-chart diagram of this process.

A detailed explanation of the legislative process is available through EDSITEment at the CongressLink website. At the website homepage, click "Table of Contents" in the lefthand menu, then look under the heading, "Know Your Congress" for the link to How Our Laws Are Made , which describes lawmaking from the House of Representatives' point of view.

For a corresponding description from the Senate's perspective, look under the "Know Your Congress" heading for the link to "Information about Congress," then select "... The Legislative Process," and click " ... Enactment of a Law ." CongressLink also provides access to a more succinct account of the legislative process: on the "Table of Contents" page, scroll down and click "Related Web Sites," then scroll down again and click THOMAS , a congressional information website maintained by the Library of Congress. Click "About the U.S. Congress" and select "About the U.S. Congress" from the list that follows for a chapter from the U.S. Government Manual that includes this outline of the process:

• When a bill ... is introduced in the House, [it is assigned] to the House committee having jurisdiction.
• If favorably considered, it is reported to the House either in its original form or with recommended amendments.
• If ... passed by the House, it is messaged to the Senate and referred to the committee having jurisdiction.
• In the Senate committee the bill, if favorably considered, may be reported in the form it is received from the House, or with recommended amendments.
• The approved bill ... is reported to the Senate and, if passed by that body, returned to the House.
• If one body does not accept the amendments to a bill by the other body, a conference committee comprised of Members of both bodies is usually appointed to effect a compromise.
• When the bill ... is finally approved by both Houses, it is signed by the Speaker ... and the Vice President ... and is presented to the President.
• Once the President's signature is affixed, the measure becomes a law. If the President vetoes the bill, it cannot become law unless it is re-passed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses.

Point out to students the important role that Congressional committees play in this process. Public attention usually focuses on the debate over legislation that occurs on the floor of the House and Senate, but in order for a bill to reach the floor on either side, it must first be approved by a committee, which can also amend the bill to reflect its views on the underlying issue. Congressional committees, in other words, largely control the legislative process by deciding which bills come to a vote and by framing the language of each bill before it is debated.

Provide students with background on the organization and operation of Congressional committees, using resources available through the U.S. Congress  website. A schedule of Congressional committee hearings can be used to identify topics currently under consideration. 

• Although committees are not mentioned in the Constitution, Congress has used committees to manage its business since its first meetings in 1789.
• Committees enable Congress to divide responsibility for its many tasks, including legislation, oversight, and internal administration, and thereby cope effectively with the great number and complexity of the issues placed before it.
• There are today approximately 200 Congressional committees and subcommittees in the House and Senate, each of which is responsible for considering all matters that fall within its jurisdiction.
• Congress has three types of committees: (1) Standing Committees are permanent panels with jurisdiction over broad policy areas (e.g., Agriculture, Foreign Relations) or areas of continuing legislative concern (e.g., Appropriations, Rules); (2) Select Committees are temporary or permanent panels created to consider a specific issue that lies outside the jurisdiction of other committees or that demands special attention (e.g., campaign contributions); (3) Joint Committees are panels formed by the House and Senate together, usually to investigate some common concern rather than to consider legislation, although joint committees known as Conference Committees are formed to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of a specific measure.
• Many committees divide their work among subcommittees, upon which a limited number of the committee members serve. Subcommittees are responsible for specific areas within the committee's jurisdiction and report their work on a bill to the full committee, which must approve it before reporting the bill to its branch of Congress.
• Party leaders determine the size of each committee, which average about 40 members in the House and about 18 members in the Senate, and determine the proportion of majority and minority committee members. The majority party always has more seats on a committee and one of its members chairs the committee. Each party also determines committee assignments for its members, observing rules that have been adopted to limit the number and type of committees and subcommittees upon which one member can serve.
• Each committee's chairperson has authority over its operation. He or she usually sets the committee's agenda, decides when to take or delay action, presides at most committee meetings, and controls the committee's operating budget. Subcommittee chairpersons exercise similar authority over their smaller panels, subject to approval by the committee chair.
• The work of Congressional committees begins when a bill that has been introduced to the House or Senate is referred to the committee for consideration. Most committees take up only a small percentage of the bills referred to them; those upon which the committee takes no action are said to "die in committee." The committee's first step in considering a bill is usually to ask for written comment by the executive agency that will be responsible for administering it should it become law. Next, the committee will usually hold hearings to gather opinions from outside experts and concerned citizens. If the committee decides to move forward with the bill, it will meet to frame and amend the measure through a process called markup. Finally, when the committee has voted to approve the bill, it will report the measure to its branch of Congress, usually with a written report explaining why the measure should be passed.
• Once a bill comes to the floor of the House or Senate, the committee that reported it is usually responsible for guiding it through debate and securing its passage. This can involve working out parliamentary strategies, responding to questions raised by colleagues, and building coalitions of support. Likewise, if the House and Senate pass different versions of a bill, the committees that reported each version will take the lead in working out a compromise through a conference committee.

Activity 1. Research the committees and subcommittees

Begin by viewing the Library of Congress video on Congressional Committees . Have students research the committees and subcommittees upon which their Congressional representatives serve, using library resources or the resources available through the U.S. Congress  website.

• To help students find out who your Congressional representatives are, use the U.S. Congress  website to search by state.
• Click on the name of each representative for a profile, including a photograph, which lists the representative's committee assignments.
• The U.S. Congress  website page provides information pertaining to sponsored and cosponsored legislation, member websites, and allows users to track legislation.
• To find out which committees and subcommittees a representative serves on, use the U.S. Congress Committee Reports page .
• For an overview of Congressional committees and their jurisdictions, use the  U.S. Congress Committee Reports page .

Congressional Committee Activity:

Divide the class into small groups and have each group prepare a report on one of the committees (or subcommittees) upon which one of your Congressional representatives serves, including the size of the committee, its jurisdiction, and whether your representative has a leadership post on the committee. Encourage students to include as well information about legislation currently before the committee. They can find this information using library resources or through the  U.S. Congress Committee Reports page . 

After students present their reports, discuss how committee assignments can affect a Congressional representative's ability to effectively represent his or her constituents.

• Do your representatives have seats on committees with jurisdiction over issues that have special importance for your state or community? If so, how might their presence on these committees help assure that Congress takes action on questions of local interest?
• Do your representatives have seats on committees with jurisdiction over important legislative activities, such as budget-making or appropriations? If so, how might their presence on these powerful committees help assure that your community's views receive careful Congressional consideration?

After exploring these questions, have students debate the extent to which a Congressional representative's committee vote may be more influential than his or her vote on the floor of the House or Senate. Which vote has more impact on legislation? In this regard, have students consider President Woodrow Wilson's observation that "Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee-rooms is Congress at work."

Activity 2. How do Congressional committees reflects some of the fundamental principles of federalism?

Conclude by having students consider how the structure and function of Congressional committees reflects some of the fundamental principles of federalism. For a broad discussion of federalism, have students read The Federalist No. 39 , in which James Madison highlights the Constitution's provisions for a federal, as distinguished from a national, form of government.

Have students imagine, for example, that they are members of a Congressional committee that is considering a bill with special importance for the people of your community.

• How would they balance their responsibilities to their constituents with their responsibilities to the nation as a whole?
• To what extent is this a question each Congressional representative must answer individually?
• To what extent is it a question that the mechanisms of our government answer through the legislative process?

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Who controls the House? Get to know the balance of power in the 118th Congress

WASHINGTON — The 118th United States Congress began its session on Jan. 3, 2023. In the 2022 midterm elections, the Democrats retained control of the Senate. Democrats have had the majority in the Senate since the 117th Congress. 

But what about the House of Representatives? Who has control over what's known as the lower chamber? Here is what you need to know about the House in the 118th Congress. 

Who controls the House? 

In the 118th Congress which runs through Jan. 3, 2025, Republicans have majority control of the House of Representatives. Republicans took back the House by a slim majority in the 2022 midterm elections. The last time Republicans had control of the House was in the 115th Congress. 

Of the 435 voting seats in the House, 219 are held by Republicans. Democrats hold 213 seats. 

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Who controls the Senate? Breaking down the party division in the 118th US Congress.

How many members are in the House of Representatives? 

There are 435 voting members in the House of Representatives. There are six non-voting membersknown as delegates: 

• American Samoa: Amata Coleman Radewagen (R)
• District of Columbia: Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)
• U.S. Virgin Islands: Stacey Plaskett (D)
• Guam: James Moylan (R)
• Northern Mariana Islands: Gregorio Sablan (D)

Who is the speaker of the House?

Rep. Mike Johnson, R-LA, was sworn in as the 56th speaker of the House seat on Oct. 25 . He is the first speaker from Louisiana .

Former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-CA, was the speaker of the House from Jan. 7 to Oct. 3, 2023. He was the 55th person to serve as speaker of the House. It took 15 rounds of voting to elect McCarthy into the position , the first time in more than a century that the process of electing a speaker took more than one ballot.

On Oct. 3 , McCarthy was voted out as speaker, becoming the first speaker in U.S. history to be removed from the role during a legislative session.

Just curious for more? We've got you covered

USA TODAY is exploring the questions you and others ask every day. From " What are the requirements to be president? " to " Who's running for president? " to " Is Election Day a federal holiday? " − we're striving to find answers to the most common questions you ask every day. Head to our  Just Curiou s section to see what else we can answer. 

What the 21 McCarthy holdouts got in committee assignments

WASHINGTON — The 21 House Republicans who initially blocked Rep. Kevin McCarthy from winning the speakership had demanded big changes to House rules, but they also wanted more influence on the congressional committees that will set the GOP agenda over the next two years.

While not every holdout got exactly what he or she had asked for, some won plum committee assignments from McCarthy, R-Calif., and his allies after they helped him secure the speaker's gavel , a process that took 15 rounds of voting.

As part of his deal with detractors, McCarthy named three conservative rabble rousers — Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Thomas Massie of Kentucky — to the influential Rules Committee, which decides how exactly bills come to the House floor.

Here's what we know so far:

• Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona , a former head of the Freedom Caucus and one of the five so-called Never Kevins , will keep his spots on the powerful Judiciary and Oversight committees. He was also named chairman of Judiciary's subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance. Biggs changed his vote to "present" on the final ballot for speaker, helping push McCarthy over the finish line.
• Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina , one of 13 holdouts who flipped to back McCarthy on the 12th ballot, will continue to serve on both the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. McCarthy also named Bishop to Judiciary's new subcommittee on the "Weaponization of the Federal Government."
• Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado , a vocal McCarthy critic who voted "present" on the 14th and 15th ballots, was awarded a seat on the Oversight and Accountability Committee, which plans to launch numerous investigations into the Biden administration. She will continue to serve on the Natural Resources panel, on which she served in the previous Congress.
• Freshman Rep. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma , who flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot, won seats on the Homeland Security Committee and Budget committees.
• Rep. Mike Cloud of Texas , who also flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot, won a new seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee, which controls federal spending. McCarthy also named him to the new select committee investigating the origins of the Covid pandemic.
• Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia , another lawmaker who flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot, will serve for the first time on Appropriations.
• Freshman Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona , who voted "present" on the 15th ballot, will serve on the Homeland Security Committee.
• Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida , who was nominated to run against McCarthy for speaker and flipped to him on the 12th ballot, was named by McCarthy as the "speaker's designee" on the influential Steering Committee, which decides which lawmakers get committee gavels and seats. Donalds also won a coveted spot on the Financial Services Committee, a top panel known on Capitol Hill as an "A" committee.
• Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida , perhaps the most vocal McCarthy foe during the speaker fight, who flipped to "present" in the 14th round, will continue to serve on the Judiciary panel and was appointed by McCarthy to the new weaponization subcommittee .
• Rep. Bob Good of Virginia , one of the Never Kevins who flipped to "present" in the last round of voting, will serve on the Budget and Education and Workforce committees.
• Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona , who flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot, was reinstated by Republicans on two committees —Oversight and Natural Resources panels — after Democrats removed him two years ago for posting threats to lawmakers on social media. He was named chairman of the Natural Resources subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
• Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland , who flipped to McCarthy on the 13th ballot, will continue to serve on the Appropriations panel. Harris, a physician, will be the chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration subcommittee.
• Freshman Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida , who flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot, won a seats on the Oversight and Natural Resources panels.
• Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois , who flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot, will remain on the Agriculture Committee.
• Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina , one of the Never Kevins who flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot, was named by the speaker as one of nine Republicans on the Rules Committee. Norman also will remain on the Financial Services panel, which he joined in June, and will serve on the Budget Committee too.
• Freshman Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee , who flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot, also won a seat on Financial Services.
• Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania , the chairman of the far-right House Freedom Caucus who brokered a deal between conservatives and McCarthy, will remain on the Foreign Affairs Committee. A subject of Jan. 6 investigations , Perry won a new seat on the Oversight committee.
• Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana , a Never Kevin who flipped to "present" on the final ballot, will continue to serve on Natural Resources.
• Rep. Chip Roy of Texas , who along with Perry helped negotiate a deal with McCarthy, was tapped to serve on the Budget committee and the influential Rules Committee. Roy will also keep his seat on the Judiciary panel.
• Freshman Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas , who flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot, will serve on the Foreign Affairs panel.
• Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana , who flipped from "present" to vote for McCarthy on the 12th ballot, will continue to serve on the Judiciary panel.

In addition to committee assignments, McCarthy had made other concessions to his right flank.

In the package of rules changes McCarthy and the Freedom Caucus negotiated for the 118th Congress was a provision allowing a single lawmaker to force a floor vote to oust McCarthy as speaker. They also agreed to make it harder to raise federal spending, taxes and the debt ceiling, and to create select committees to investigate the Chinese Communist Party and the "weaponization of the federal government."

Some Freedom Caucus members who stuck with McCarthy from the very start also did well for themselves. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a McCarthy ally whom Democrats stripped of her committee assignments two years ago, won seats on the Oversight and Homeland Security committees.

Meanwhile, Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio, a Freedom Caucus member who nominated McCarthy on the fifth ballot , was named chairman of the Financial Services subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

Scott Wong is a senior congressional reporter for NBC News.

Kyle Stewart is a field producer covering Congress for NBC News.

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House Committees: Assignment Process

House conservatives have a special group dedicated to preserving their power. Of course, it's called the FART team.

• House conservatives have organized a crack team to monitor to potential ways to undermine their power.
• The House Freedom Caucus has formed a Floor Action Response Team.
• Yes, they called it FART.

The far-right House Freedom Caucus has formed a crack team of conservative lawmakers to monitor the House floor lest Speaker Mike Johnson or other Republicans try to limit their power.

Naturally, the band of rabble-rousers that loves generating headlines for its members has called the group the Floor Action Response Team or FART. Because, why not?

According to Politico, this group will make sure that no other Republicans try to rush through changes that would make it harder for lawmakers to oust Johnson from power or that would strip three Freedom Caucus members of a powerful perch they all hold. The publication reported that the Freedom Caucus does not expect any such maneuvers but is remaining vigilant just in case any of their colleagues try to be silent but deadly to their cause.

Related stories

Conservatives' tensions with Johnson have surged since the $1.2 trillion government funding bill to avert a partial shutdown. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene , a Georgia Republican and former Freedom Caucus member, filed a motion to potentially remove Johnson from power in response to the funding bill. The situation has only grown worse after Johnson made clear he would allow the House to vote on additional US aid to Ukraine.

Greene could force a vote on Johnson's future at any time. Earlier this week, Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican with a libertarian bent, became the first Republican to pledge to join Greene's effort publicly. Massie is also not a member of the Freedom Caucus, whose membership is technically secret, but he does support many of the caucus' broader aims.

The team does not appear to be a new creation. The X account PatriotTakes, which frequently trolls Republicans, posted a clip in 2022 of Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican and Freedom Caucus member, discussing a FART team.

"Myself and other members of members of the House Freedom Caucus, we have a Floor Action Response Team," Boebert said during an appearance on a Blaze Media show. "F-A-R-T, I'm a mother of four boys, I can appreciate that."

Kevin McCarthy is partially responsible for the stink.

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy initially resisted setting the "motion to vacate" at the threshold of just a single lawmaker before reversing himself to wrap up the votes to what ultimately became his doomed speakership. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida made history by successfully using the motion to vacate to force McCarthy's ouster. Gaetz teamed up with seven other House Republicans and House Democrats to boot McCarthy from power.

FART is also worried that more centrist GOP lawmakers could move to strip Massie, Rep. Chip Roy, and Ralph Norman from the powerful House Rules Committee. In another McCarthy-era concession, Republicans allowed the three conservative lawmakers to serve on the panel responsible for determining how most legislation reaches the floor. In recent weeks, the trio has increasingly used their power to effectively block Johnson from carrying out his agenda.

On Wednesday evening, Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican who represents a swing district, said the three lawmakers should either resign from the panel or be formally removed by their colleagues.

"They are there on behalf of the conference, not themselves," Lawler wrote on X.

Watch: House of Representatives tumbles into chaos as fight for new speaker erupts

• Main content

The American Privacy Rights Act Puts People in Control of Their Data

Americans Support a National Data Privacy Standard

On Wednesday, April 17, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a legislative hearing to discuss the bipartisan, bicameral data privacy legislation along with other proposals to protect kids online.

As Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) said , “ Right now, the average American spends nearly seven hours online a day, with two and a half hours of that time being spent on social media platforms.

“The consequences range from increased suicide rates and depression, to increased polarization and loss of trust in our institutions. All the while, these companies are collecting nearly every data point imaginable which they use to then control what we see and when we see it.”

“Many companies are using their control over our data to erode people’s agency, their rights, and their identity. It’s time for that status quo to change.”  

“Congress has been trying to develop and pass comprehensive data privacy and security legislation for decades. With the American Privacy Rights Act, we are at a unique moment in history where we finally have the opportunity to imagine the internet as a force for prosperity and good.”  

Every witness at our hearing agreed: This is Congress’s best chance to establish comprehensive data privacy protections. Watch:  

Kara Frederick, Director of the Tech Policy Center at the Heritage Foundation , said, “I firmly believe the issue before us, data privacy, is the lynchpin upon which every piece of tech policy legislation will hinge.”

“Nowadays, when you give your kid a smartphone, you are not giving your kid access to the world, you are giving the world access to your kid.”  

A key focus of the hearing was how the algorithms developed by these companies are designed to hold our attention, a feature that has been particularly harmful to kids. We have all heard countless stories of children being targeted with content that can lead to dangerous, life-threatening behaviors, which is why parents across the country overwhelmingly support stronger online protections for their children.

Last week, members heard from Ava Smithing , who experienced first-hand the way that a large-scale collection of data can tailor algorithms to exploit kids’ vulnerabilities. 

Watch Ava talk about the need for data minimization in order to protect kids online:

Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) asked the witnesses “Who is the greatest threats to Americans’ data security?” They answered that the top threats are individuals who are using data to scam and steal from Americans, foreign adversaries, like the Chinese Communist Party, and Big Tech companies. 

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) asked Kara Frederick about creating specific privacy protections for children. She replied that “children's consciences are not properly formed before these companies are going at them.” 

Rep. John James (R-MI) and Witness Katherine Kuehn of the National Technology Security Coalition also talked about how important the American Privacy Rights Act is for seniors.

Budget & Oversight Hearing – Fiscal Year 2024 Request for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, and National Institute of Health

The Honorable Dawn O'Connell Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response

• HHRG-118-AP07-Wstate-OConnellD-20230419.pdf
• HHRG-118-AP07-Bio-OConnellD-20230419.pdf

Dr. Lawrence Tabak D.D.S, Ph.D Performing the Duties of the Director, National Institutes for Health

• HHRG-118-AP07-Wstate-TabakL-20230419.pdf
• HHRG-118-AP07-Bio-TabakL-20230419.pdf

Dr. Rochelle Walensky M.D, M.P.H Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• HHRG-118-AP07-Wstate-WalenskyR-20230419.pdf
• HHRG-118-AP07-Bio-WalenskyR-20230419.pdf

U.S. Congressman

Michael C. Burgess , M.D.

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