SAN ANTONIO – Texas Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Roy has taken the lead to reform how Congress does business.
On Tuesday, GOP leaders disagreed on the next speaker of the House. Californian U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy fell short by less than 20 votes after three rounds of voting.
In a Zoom interview, Roy said the vote against McCarthy isn’t personal.
“We’ve got an institutional kind of corruption in this town where the powers that be decide bills behind closed doors. They jam it through like they just did the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill,” Roy said. “And the next thing you know, you wake up and go, ‘Wait, how do we end up $32 trillion in debt?’”
Roy said that while what’s going on in Washington, D.C., might look messy, it’s part of an overdue process.
“The sausage-making is a little dirty sometimes, and we’re seeing it in full display on the floor of the House. This is not unprecedented. We’re fighting to try to save this country by fixing this place.”
Roy said there would continue to be meetings Tuesday night and into Wednesday before another vote. He said what’s happening and has failed to occur in Washinton will impact Texans.
“I’m telling that to you, Texans, that that’s a problem. You want to stop that in the future? Then, you need to stop it in the Rules Committee. So if you want me to change Washington, you need to understand that, at the end of the day, you’re not going to change Washington unless you fundamentally take control of the reins of the Rules Committee and the people who make decisions here.”
The opposition demands that the next House speaker agree to a change in rules. Among those changes, rank-and-file members of Congress would be allowed to vote and debate on bills.
Freshman GOP U.S. Rep Keith Self says he supports rules that will allow him to have a say on behalf of his constituents.
“Texas will continue to lead the conservative states, and we need to have a very strong speaker who will close the border, will be serious about our debt,” he said.
Meetings will continue, and Congress will convene on Wednesday at noon to vote again on a speaker.
WATCH: Reps. Chip Roy, Keith Self share thoughts after House speaker votes
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