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House Democrats unsuccessfully tried to send the Midnight Rules Relief Act back to committee, a procedural move intended to stall or change the bill before its final vote.
This vote was on a 'Motion to Recommit' for H.R. 77, the Midnight Rules Relief Act. The underlying bill seeks to change the Congressional Review Act to allow Congress to overturn multiple federal regulations at once if they were issued during the final year of a president's term, rather than voting on each one individually. A Motion to Recommit is a procedural tool used in the House of Representatives by the minority party (in this case, the Democrats) just before a final vote. It is typically the last chance for the opposition to propose a change to the bill or to send it back to a committee for further study, which usually effectively kills the bill for the time being. The motion failed 205 to 213, with the vote falling almost entirely along party lines. Because the motion was rejected, the House was able to proceed immediately to the final vote on whether to pass the bill itself. The defeat of this motion indicated that the Republican majority had the votes necessary to move forward without changes.
Following the rejection of this motion, the House held a final vote on the passage of H.R. 77, which successfully passed the chamber.
OPEN BILL →Why it matters. This was the final hurdle before passing legislation that significantly expands Congress's power to quickly undo a previous administration's final regulations.
Who’s affected. Federal Agencies: Agencies would face a higher risk of having their end-of-term work overturned in bulk. · Incoming Presidential Administrations: New administrations would have a more efficient tool to repeal policies they disagree with immediately upon taking office.
Democrats. The Democratic caucus voted almost unanimously in favor of the motion to recommit.
Republicans. The Republican caucus voted almost unanimously against the motion to prevent any delays to the bill.
On Motion to Recommit
Feb 12, 2025
House Democrats unsuccessfully tried to send the Midnight Rules Relief Act back to committee, a procedural move intended to stall or change the bill before its final vote.
A motion to recommit is the minority party's final opportunity to amend a bill or send it back to committee. In modern practice, it is a standard procedural hurdle that the majority party almost always votes down to keep the bill moving toward final passage.
Following the rejection of this motion, the House held a final vote on the passage of H.R. 77, which successfully passed the chamber.
This was the final hurdle before passing legislation that significantly expands Congress's power to quickly undo a previous administration's final regulations.
The vote was a classic party-line split, with Democrats voting in favor of the motion to stall the bill and Republicans voting against it to ensure the bill moved forward.
The Democratic caucus voted almost unanimously in favor of the motion to recommit.
The Republican caucus voted almost unanimously against the motion to prevent any delays to the bill.
The single independent member voted with the Republicans against the motion.