In a swift and highly partisan vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 77 on February 10, 2025. This resolution changes the way Congress can reject “midnight rules”—regulations issued in the final weeks of an outgoing presidential administration.
What made this vote particularly unusual was its rapid advancement. In just a few hours, H.R. 77 went from its first reading to a final vote, bypassing the standard legislative process that often takes weeks or months.
The vote fell strictly along party lines:
✅ All present Republicans voted “Aye”
❌ All present Democrats voted “Nay”
What H.R. 77 Does and Why It Matters
H.R. 77 is a House resolution, meaning it affects House rules and procedures rather than creating new law. The resolution changes how Congress can disapprove multiple midnight rules at once, streamlining the process for overturning last-minute executive regulations.
Current Process (Before H.R. 77):
- If an outgoing president issues multiple regulations, Congress must vote on each one separately to overturn them.
- This makes it time-consuming and difficult to reject a large batch of rules.
New Process Under H.R. 77:
- Congress can now bundle multiple midnight rules together into a single resolution of disapproval and vote on them all at once.
- This means Congress can act more quickly and efficiently to invalidate last-minute regulations from an outgoing administration.
Supporters of H.R. 77 argue this change is necessary to prevent presidents from rushing through controversial rules in their final days. Opponents, however, see it as a broad power grab that could be used to wipe out regulations without proper individual scrutiny.
A Rare Fast-Track Vote: How H.R. 77 Passed in Just Hours
What makes this vote stand out is how quickly it moved through the House. Normally, legislation goes through several steps, including committee review, multiple readings, and extended debate before a final vote.
However, H.R. 77 was pushed forward in a matter of hours, thanks to procedural maneuvers that limited debate and blocked amendments:
- First Reading: The bill was introduced and immediately moved forward.
- Waiving Procedural Barriers: A House resolution waived all points of order, preventing procedural objections that could delay the process.
- Debate Time Limited: Only one hour of debate was allowed, split evenly between supporters and opponents.
- Final Vote Taken the Same Day: Rather than allowing time for amendments or further discussion, the resolution was pushed directly to a final vote.
This kind of expedited process is rare, usually reserved for high-priority measures backed by the majority party. The fact that H.R. 77 was rushed through in a single day signals that House Republicans saw it as an urgent priority, while Democrats were left with little time to mount opposition.
What Happens Next?
Since H.R. 77 is a House resolution, it does not go to the Senate or the President. Instead, it takes effect immediately within the House, changing the way the chamber handles midnight rules going forward.
This means that in future sessions, if an outgoing president issues multiple last-minute regulations, the House can now vote to overturn them in one resolution rather than voting on each rule separately.
The long-term impact of H.R. 77 will depend on how future Congresses use this power. It could become a routine tool for quickly rejecting midnight rules, or it could become a flashpoint in future partisan battles over executive authority.
Stay tuned for more updates as the House continues to reshape its procedural rules.
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