Johnson appoints Virginia Foxx as Rules Committee chair

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has selected Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) to serve as chair of the House Rules Committee, installing the veteran lawmaker at the helm of the panel that will play a key role in legislating throughout the 119th Congress.

Johnson selected Foxx to lead the committee over Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), whom many hardline conservatives were pushing for, and Reps. Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.) and Pete Sessions (R-Texas), who also expressed interest in the role. Foxx will be the only female committee chair in the 119th Congress. Foxx’s selection was ratified during the House GOP conference meeting Tuesday morning, a source told The Hill.

In a statement first shared with The Hill, Johnson lauded Foxx’s leadership in various policy domains and the respect she has among House Republicans.

“For two decades, Dr. Foxx has been a stalwart in the House and a leader in multiple policy areas,” Johnson said. “Her drive and personality have established her as among the most universally respected members of our Republican Conference. Dr. Foxx is an example of how Members should serve, and our Conference will benefit greatly with her at the helm of the influential Rules Committee.”

Johnson also made a pair of changes on the committee’s roster: Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, will replace Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on the committee, and freshman Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.) will take the spot previously held by Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), a source confirmed to The Hill. Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) will remain on the panel.

Massie, who has been a thorn in the side of leadership on various legislative undertakings, previously said he offered to remove himself from the panel.

The Rules Committee plays a central role in legislating in the House, being the final stop for bills before they reach the floor. The panel determines the parameters for debate on measures and decides which amendments receive votes on the floor.

But it is also a place where hardline Republicans have, over the past two years, sought to protest legislation they were against. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) agreed to place a trio of conservatives on the panel as part of his negotiations to win the gavel. If all three of those Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the rule, the legislation would be unable to move to the House floor for consideration.

Johnson on Tuesday, during an event hosted by Politico, suggested that Foxx could help quell any chaos on the committee, facetiously calling her “terrifying.”

“She is terrifying. She’s about 4 foot 8, she’s a spark plug, and nobody messes with her which will make her a great chair,” Johnson said.

Foxx was seen as the front-runner in the lead-up to Johnson’s decision. The 20-year House veteran is one of the more senior members of the GOP conference, previously served as chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and is known for her no-nonsense demeanor. The role is typically held by a close ally of the Speaker.

Earlier this month, however, hardline conservatives urged Johnson to make Roy chair of the Rules Committee as a way to shore up support for his Speakership bid. That prospect, however, was seen as unlikely, since Roy has voted against rules in the past, and his selection would have likely sparked opposition among moderate Republicans.

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