A group of freshmen Republicans in New York is taking advantage of the GOP’s slim majority to force Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to further their priorities in exchange for support on crucial legislation.
The House Rules Committee on Thursday advanced a piece of legislation that would expand federal deductions for state and local taxes paid, otherwise known as SALT, after four New York Republicans threatened to tank a procedural vote on Tuesday to protest the provision not being included in the full tax bill.
The bill resulted from a series of negotiations with GOP leadership after the Empire State cohort threatened to stall House action altogether unless steps were taken to include SALT, a key policy that New York Republicans unsuccessfully fought to include in a broader tax bill. The group ultimately changed their votes to yes after originally voting no, but only after Johnson made a commitment to move forward with the measure in some form.
The protest replicates a strategy employed by hard-line conservatives to freeze House business when they disagree with leadership.
The bill advanced by the Rules Committee now making its way through the lower chamber is a modified version of Rep. Mike Lawler’s (R-NY) SALT Marriage Penalty Elimination Act, which changes the structure of the SALT cap by doubling the cap for married joint tax filers. The proposal has been a top priority for several New York Republicans as many of them won close elections, in part, by campaigning on the very issue.
It’s not entirely clear whether the bill will pass the full House, as some Republicans view the changes as a tax break for the wealthy. Still, the fact the New York delegation managed to get the bill to the floor is a feat all in itself — and shows the power small factions can hold in such a tightly divided House.
Republicans claim a historically small majority, holding 219 seats compared to Democrats’ 213. As a result, GOP leadership has very little room for error when voting on legislation, as they can only afford to lose two Republican votes if all members are present.
That means even a trio of holdouts can hold outsize influence over business in the House by threatening to withhold their support in exchange for what they want. That puts Johnson in a tough position as he attempts to keep all corners of his party satisfied, which, as he’s learning, is easier said than done.
But the SALT bill isn’t the first time New York Republicans have managed to sway Johnson’s decisions in the House. In fact, the speaker punted action on several funding bills last year due to disagreements from the centrist lawmakers over some of the language and provisions included.
For example, Johnson delayed action on three appropriations bills in November due to a lack of support from centrist Republicans. Many of those lawmakers opposed the legislation because of certain culture war provisions that would force vulnerable incumbents into tough votes as they’re running for reelection in competitive districts.
Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) was among those who opposed the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill over a provision seeking to restrict federal funding being used to enforce Washington, D.C.’s Reproductive Health Nondiscrimination Act. That law protects employees from discrimination by employers if they choose to get an abortion.
“The fact that the FSGG bill includes a repeal of the city of Washington, D.C.’s policy causes a lot of concerns,” Molinaro said at the time. “We must respect and love women faced with such difficult choices.”
New York Republicans also opposed the transportation funding bill over provisions to cut funding to Amtrak, which many decried as a “nonstarter.”
“It’s important to make it clear that the funding needs to be there for Amtrak,” Lawler said at the time.
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Since then, the House has not returned to those spending bills as lawmakers continue to hash out negotiations before federal funding is set to lapse in early March.
That puts Johnson in a tough position as hard-line conservatives are expected to push for those amendments to be included even at the risk of losing centrist support. And with only a three-seat majority over the next few months, that could make it virtually impossible to appease both sides of the conference.