Bipartisan Efforts to Change House Censure Rules Gain Momentum

Bipartisan lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives are pushing for a change in the rules governing censure, a move that reflects growing frustrations over the current process. Representatives Don Beyer, a Democrat from Virginia, and Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, are co-sponsoring a resolution that seeks to raise the threshold required to censure House members from a simple majority to sixty percent.

This proposal comes in the wake of several recent censure efforts targeting members like Representatives Chuy Garcia, Cory Mills, and Del. Stacey Plaskett. Additionally, Representative Greg Steube is leading an initiative to expel Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.

In a letter addressed to their colleagues, Beyer and Bacon stated, 'The censure process in the House is broken... These cycles of censure and punishment impair our ability to work together for the American people.' They emphasized that the resolution aims to fix what they describe as a broken process that detracts from the House's ability to address pressing issues facing the nation.

Currently, a formal censure acts as a reprimand and only requires a simple majority to pass, while expulsion necessitates a much more significant two-thirds majority vote. Historically, only twenty-one members of Congress have been expelled, with the last expulsion occurring in two thousand twenty-three when former Representative George Santos was removed.

The new resolution proposed by Beyer and Bacon would not alter the threshold for expulsion but would raise the requirement to remove a member from committee assignments to sixty percent. This change indicates a desire for a more collaborative environment in Congress, limiting the use of censure as a tool for partisan conflicts.

Beyer and Bacon argue that shifting the threshold will restore sanity and civility in the House. House members have until noon on Friday to co-sponsor this resolution. This proposed change is seen as part of a broader effort to address ongoing tensions and improve accountability within the legislative body, highlighting the need for reforms that foster cooperation rather than division.

As lawmakers navigate this proposal, it remains to be seen how many members will support this significant change in censure rules.