Congressman Ryan Zinke Votes for Historic House Rules Package & to Defund the IRS 

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Today, Congressman Ryan Zinke of Montana’s First Congressional District cast his first two legislative votes after being sworn into the 118^th Congress early Saturday morning. The first vote was on the rules package which governs how the House operates for the 118^th Congress. It is widely considered the most conservative package in decades and restores a number of fiscal and procedural safeguards that had been gutted in recent years. The second vote was to defund the 87,000 IRS agents authorized in the 2022 “Inflation Reduction Act.” 

On the Rules Package

“This rules package does exactly what I promised Montanans I’d do; restore trust and transparency in government and hold bad actors accountable,” said Zinke. “We are getting rid of fiscally irresponsible omnibus bills, we’re getting rid of 1,000 page bills spanning multiple subjects, we’re requiring bills be available for at least 72 hours before any votes are cast, and we’re starting two committees to investigate the weaponization of the federal government and hold China accountable. This is what change looks like under the unified Republican House majority.” 

The Rules Package: 

• Requires the text of legislation to be made available at least 72 hours prior to a vote in the House.
• Ensures that bills coming to the Floor follow new single-subject and germaneness rules and protocols to protect Members from voting on bloated legislative vehicles.
• Ends proxy voting in the House and remote proceedings in committees.
• Replaces the current PAYGO requirements with CUTGO provisions that prohibit legislation from coming to the floor that has the net effect of increasing mandatory spending within a five- or ten-year budget window without equal or greater offsets.
• Restores fiscal accountability by eliminating the Gephardt Rule that allowed for an automatic suspension of the debt ceiling upon adoption of a budget resolution.
• Restores the Holman Rule that adds another layer of accountability for the federal bureaucracy by allowing amendments that reduce the salary of specific federal employees or programs.
• Requires a three-fifths majority vote in the House on any legislation that increases tax rates.
• Establishes a Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the
• United States and the Chinese Communist Party.
• Establishes a Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.
• Modifies the directive of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic to focus its work on covid origins, the federal government's role in gain-of-function research, and other consequential matters related to the pandemic.
• Ensures there are no prohibitions against using gender-specific language such as "father" or "mother" on the House floor or in committee.
• Provides for the consideration of several single subject rule bills during the first two session weeks, allowing the House Rules Committee time to organize. 

Defunding 87,000 IRS agents  

“Defunding the 87,000 IRS troopers was one of my top campaign promises and today I’m fulfilling that promise to Montana,” said Zinke. “If the Biden Administration and his rubber stamp in the Senate was serious about growing the middle class, they wouldn’t send 87,000 armed troopers to audit bank accounts after somebody bought a set of snow tires. Instead, the senate would defund the troopers and work with the House to pass meaningful legislation to help grow the economy. The House is the only firewall against the assault of progressive policies from the Biden Administration.” 

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