In the run-up to the Republican leadership races, senators from the same party are making their differences over possible rule changes more apparent. Conservative Mike Lee, for example, is reiterating his calls for term limits while simultaneously rejecting suggestions from Sen. Thom Tillis.
The Utah Republican Lee wrote to his fellow senators on Wednesday, stating that this year the conference can choose to “further democratize the way we do business” or “further consolidate power in the Leader and weaken the ability of individual members to fully exercise their rights and duties.”
This is in direct reaction to Sunday’s letter from Tillis (R-N.C.), in which he proposed his own set of rule modifications. Among his suggestions is to grant the incoming Republican leader greater authority to designate the head of the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm and to assign members to specific committees. By bringing the conference in line with GOP leadership, he said, the messaging and priorities may improve.
Leave it to Lee to disagree.
It is a strength, not a weakness, of our conference that we represent a plurality of opinions while typically agreeing on a conservative philosophy,” Lee stated. “The greatest approach to find common ground and foster harmony is to let our disagreements play out in the legislative process.”
As this back-and-forth shows, tensions are rising within the Republican conference over the question of who will lead them and what authority they should have. As Mitch McConnell prepares to retire from his position later this year, conservatives are putting pressure on anybody who may succeed him to pledge to implement a long list of rule changes, including term limits and a complete overhaul of committee assignments. Despite their best efforts to maintain civility in their written remarks, Tillis and Lee have become symbols of a deeper and more pervasive divide within the conference.
The disarray within the House Republican caucus this term is seen by many senators as a possible red flag. There were months of governmental crises after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy gave up important powers to placate his conservative opponents; this culminated in a three-week struggle to replace him with Speaker Mike Johnson. McCarthy was ousted nine months later. Some senators are concerned that comparable, though less severe, problems may arise in their own chamber as a result of Lee’s ideas.
According to Tillis, he is not “advocating” for the rule changes per se, but rather providing “food for thought.”
Term limitations for the next GOP leader have been strongly opposed by Tillis and McConnell, who both believe that the proposal will damage the conference’s reputation and fundraising capacity. On Wednesday, Lee wrote to reaffirm his backing for the proposed modification.
Lee stated that although the leader is technically subject to challenge every two years, the power of indefinite tenure discourages any serious attempt to do so. He argued that individual senators would generally be taking too much of a “risk” to challenge a leader without term limits.
Additionally, Lee rejected the notion of giving the leader more say in who serves on Republican Senate committees and other panels. According to Tillis, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) head may be nominated by the party leader and then confirmed by the entire conference, just like the Democrats in the Senate.
“The best way to implement the conference’s will is through its serving members, not through a hierarchical management system,” Lee stated.
Lee and Tillis did reach an agreement on certain issues, namely on plans to increase rank-and-file members’ visibility and access to the amendments process. The senator from Utah, however, added that he would also like to see leadership refrain from “filling the tree,” a strategy that clogs the amendments log. Filling the “tree” makes it more difficult for regular members to have their revisions approved.
In general, Lee praised Tillis for contributing to the conversation over rule improvements. Members continue to bicker about possible rule changes, with little assurance that any will be enacted, because the leadership elections aren’t until November.
Lee expressed his desire that the conversations continue, nevertheless.
“I would like to express my gratitude to Sen. Tillis for formally proposing a set of measures that should help to sustain the conversation, and I humbly request that the conference start allocating specific time to accomplish just that,” Lee composed in his letter. “I am eagerly anticipating the ongoing discussion.”
