House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, have set a new record for the most closed rules in Congress, according to a statement released by Ranking Member Jim McGovern (D-MA). Since January 2025, the House has issued 117 closed rules with ten months remaining in the 119th Congress. Closed rules prevent members from offering amendments to legislation on the floor.
McGovern criticized Speaker Johnson’s leadership, stating: “Today, Republicans officially broke their own record for the most measures ever advanced to the floor with no amendments allowed. Speaker Johnson promised he would run this place differently, but he’s broken that promise time and again—and not just for Democrats, but for Republicans. He’s blocked almost every Democratic amendment and the majority of Republican amendments, too.”
He further accused Republican leadership of restricting legislative debate: “This is all about turning Congress into a rubber stamp for Donald Trump—more than eight in ten times under this Republican Majority, nobody in the House of Representatives is allowed to change a comma unless Donald Trump gives Mike Johnson permission. It’s embarrassing, it’s pathetic, and it’s a stain on our democracy. Clearly, Mike Johnson thinks he works for the White House, and not the American people. He has diminished Congress and turned his position into a pathetic echo of what it used to be. Shame on him, and shame on the Republicans who go along to get along even though their amendments are blocked and their voices continue to be silenced by their own leadership.”
Recently, Democrats on the Rules Committee published a staff report that describes how Speaker Johnson and House Republicans have limited debate and deliberation within the House.
