House GOP leadership plan second rules vote to break floor logjam

House Republicans will try to break a conservative logjam that has frozen the floor.

GOP leadership has scheduled a second vote on Thursday to start debate on a trio of unrelated bills that 13 Republicans, largely from the Freedom Caucus, blocked from coming up on Wednesday.

The hardball strategy was in retaliation for a top-line spending deal congressional leaders rolled out over the weekend. It’s a strategy many of the same members have used under both Speaker Mike Johnson and his predecessor Kevin McCarthy.

Leadership and Freedom Caucus members are in talks to try to resolve the stalemate before Thursday’s vote, with Republicans cautiously optimistic they’ll be able to overcome what is normally a routine hurdle. But given their razor-thin majority, it would only take a few members to doom the vote.

Conservatives say they tanked the rule on Wednesday to send leadership a message about the deal, which they have panned for not including steeper spending cuts or changes to the border.

While they’ve left the door open to blocking additional rules, including potentially Thursday’s, they indicated it would depend on if leadership came to the table on their grievances.

“My hope is to persuade the speaker and the leadership and the entire Republican conference, to not follow through with the deal as it’s been announced. We have leveraged as a House majority,” Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (R-Va.) said after Wednesday’s failed vote.

Good and other Freedom Caucus members headed into Johnson’s office on Thursday morning. Good declined to answer questions, including if they will pass the rule.

But Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), heading into Johnson’s office, told POLITICO that he expected Republicans to be able to pass the rule on Thursday.

Conservative rebels he added, were not getting firm concessions but brainstorming and talking through their concerns.

“Just being heard. … Going over ideas,” Norman said.