Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) is now pursuing new rule changes following his botched handling of the controversy surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein files.
According to Axios, Johnson is pushing for revisions to the House’s discharge petition process after a recent petition forced action on the Epstein records — blindsiding House leadership. He argues the petition tool has become “too common” and is weighing rule changes to make it harder for rank-and-file members to bypass the speaker.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also expressed his concerns clearly. Speaking to Axios, the Louisiana Republican criticized the House’s rules, arguing that they allow members to misuse procedural tools, which can disrupt the chamber’s operations.
“I’d like to see a higher threshold for a lot of these motions,” Scalise said. “You know, privileged motions, discharge petitions.”
Earlier this summer, Johnson publicly expressed support for full transparency, saying he backed the release of government records tied to Epstein.
But he abruptly reversed course. Johnson sent the House into early recess to avoid a vote on Epstein-related records and later aligned himself with the White House after hearing what he described as “the president’s heart.”
Johnson’s new push suggests a broader effort to reassert leadership control over members who rely on discharge petitions to force action over leadership’s objections.
A new discharge petition in the House just reached the 218 signatures needed to force a vote after the Thanksgiving recess. The bipartisan Protect America’s Workforce Act of 2025 (H.R. 2550), introduced by Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), seeks to restore collective bargaining rights for thousands of federal employees.
The success is notable in the historical context. According to Axios, “Only seven discharge petitions have been successfully signed into law since 1935, but three came in just the last two years.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) warned Axios that the discharge petition’s growing popularity has put it at risk:
“The Speaker, because he’s not giving an outlet for legislative pursuits, the things we got elected to do, he’s probably going to see more of these discharge petitions,” Massie told Axios.
Massie said he’s “brainstorming” ideas for more discharge petitions with his Democratic colleagues.
Johnson used procedural tactics to block Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s (R-Fla.) discharge petition last March that would allow proxy voting for new parents in Congress, despite its 218 signatures. The Speaker took a lot of heat at the time for his move.
Rules changes can only happen at the start of the new Congress. Johnson would need help from Democrats to suspend the rules — with a two-thirds majority vote — in the middle of a Congress.
Points to Watch
- Will Johnson’s proposed rule changes pass? Some Republicans warn that weakening the discharge petition would undermine an important check on leadership.
- Will leadership punish the members who supported the petition that forced action on the Epstein files?
- How will voters respond? Johnson’s shifting stance on transparency may become a political liability.
- Is this the start of a larger rewrite of House rules — or a targeted crackdown aimed specifically at discharge petitions?
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