House passes controversial rules package with only one Republican opposing

Representative Tony Gonzales of Texas opposes it

The House of Representatives passed a controversial rules package that some in the conference criticised as a concession to the far-right in the party.

The rules package passed on an almost exclusively party-line vote, with 220 Republicans voting for it and only Republican Representative Tony Gonzales of Texas voting against the package. All 212 Democrats voted against the rules package.

Mr Gonzales of Texas had announced that he would vote against it on Friday amid the dispute within the GOP about concessions to right-wing members who opposed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s nomination.

But Representative Byron Donalds of Florida, who voted for Mr McCarthy before having his name put forward for nomination, said the package puts power back in the hands of members.

“Our rules package is the most transformative rules package this place has seen in quite some time,” he said. “And I think that's a very good thing and I expect it to I suppose it's a pass unanimously.”

Mr Donalds said that he had heard whispers from Democrats saying they liked some parts of the rules package.

“These rules will help every member, no matter their party or where they come from in a country,” he told reporters.

Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who voted “present” for Mr McCarthy’s speakership, praised the rules package.

“These rules will help every member no matter their party or where they come from in a country,” she told The Independent.

But Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina said that while she would vote for it, she worries about giving away too much to insurgent Republicans.

“And if we're going to say that the far left should it be cutting back from deals and secret when they're in charge, then we too shouldn't be doing it,” she said. “And I was I posed the question, well, what is it what are we negotiating here?”

Specifically, Ms Mace noted how in the final rules package released on Friday, the only change was lowering the threshold for a motion to vacate the chair, which would allow for a no-confidence vote for the speaker.

“So what did we do for four days,” she said. “What else was negotiated?”