House Democrats are fighting over new rule changes being proposed by incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) on the eve of the party taking back the House of Representatives.
When the 116th Congress is sworn in, one of the first votes they will take is on a rules package that will govern how Congress operates. One of the rules the chamber must abide by is known as "pay-go." If the rules package is adopted, the cost of any new entitlement spending or tax cuts must be paid for in order to come to the House floor for a vote.
The rule has enraged some progressives because they believe the rule will make it harder for Congress to pass progressive policy aims like Medicare for all or climate change legislation. Incoming Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (R., Calif.) voiced their opposition to the rule over Twitter.
"Tomorrow I will also vote No on the rules package, which is trying to slip in #PAYGO. PAYGO isn’t only bad economics, as @RoKhanna explains; it’s also a dark political maneuver designed to hamstring progress on healthcare+other leg," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. "We shouldn’t hinder ourselves from the start."
Tomorrow I will also vote No on the rules package, which is trying to slip in #PAYGO.
PAYGO isn’t only bad economics, as @RoKhanna explains; it’s also a dark political maneuver designed to hamstring progress on healthcare+other leg.
We shouldn’t hinder ourselves from the start. https://t.co/WW3UaBs7vh
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 2, 2019
Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, responded to criticism of the pay-go rule by noting how a federal law signed under President Barack Obama mandates across-the-board cuts to other programs if new deficit-increasing legislation is enacted.
"A vote AGAINST the Democratic Rules package is a vote to let Mick Mulvaney make across the board cuts, unilaterally reversing Democratic initiatives and funding increases," Hammill tweeted at Khanna.
We must replace CUTGO to allow Democrats to designate appropriate offsets (including revenue increases). A vote AGAINST the Democratic Rules package is a vote to let Mick Mulvaney make across the board cuts, unilaterally reversing Democratic initiatives and funding increases. https://t.co/eP5eNxrQ7b
— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) January 2, 2019
Rep. Tim Ryan (D., Ohio), a former Pelosi foe, also came out against the pay-go rule but didn't say he would vote against the rules package entirely.
"We must not handcuff our new Democratic majority, so PAYGO is a no go for me," Ryan said. "Critical investments in education, infrastructure, and health care should not be held hostage to budgetary constraints that Republicans have never respected anyhow."
Reps. Mark Pocan (D., Wis.) and Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.), the co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 116th Congress, said that they will vote for the rules package. They support the package because they've received assurances from House Democratic leaders and incoming Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (D., Mass.) that the pay-go rule can be waived, according to a statement from the progressive lawmakers.
The rules package needs 218 votes to pass. Only 18 Democrats need to oppose it to prevent the new rules from passing.