5 things to know about rule changes in the 118th Congress

4.  Paves the way for passage of the top legislative priorities for the 118th Congress

The rules package concludes with a call to consider a series of bills as soon as the rules package is adopted. One measure, which would “rescind certain balances made available to the Internal Revenue Service,” passed the House Monday night. 

The House approved H.R. 23, also known as the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act, in a 221-210 vote late Monday. All Republicans supported the bill while all Democrats voted against it.

Additional bills slated for consideration now that the rules package has been approved include H.R. 29, which authorizes “the Secretary of Homeland Security to suspend the entry of aliens,” and H.R. 22, which will “prohibit the Secretary of Energy from sending petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China.” Other bills the House will consider would prohibit taxpayer funding for abortions and require doctors to provide care to infants who survive botched abortions.

The passage of the rules package also paves the way for the creation of a Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party as well as a separate Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. Votes on the establishment of those select committees took place Tuesday. 

With the chamber narrowly divided between the two parties, a small number of Republicans defecting could prevent the passage of one or more of the aforementioned bills. Even if they pass the House, the proposed legislative initiatives face an uphill battle when they head to the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate and President Joe Biden’s desk.