What’s clear is many of McCarthy’s doubters made out quite well as committee posts were doled out, but it wasn’t entirely equal. Donalds and Roy are among the clearest victors: The Texan now has a pivotal role in shaping how legislation hits the House floor through his Rules Committee perch, while also playing a central role on two panels — Judiciary and the special new “Weaponization” of the federal government subpanel — that function as the vanguard of the GOP oversight agenda.
Other anti-McCarthy conservatives, like Miller, Gaetz and Rosendale, retained their past committee assignments; some freshmen in their camp, meanwhile, like Self, Crane and Breechen, landed on panels that typically have a harder time getting national attention.
And of course, the 21 rebels scored victories beyond their committee assignments, such as the restoration of a single member’s ability to force a vote on deposing a speaker (what’s known as a “motion to vacate” in Congress-speak). Taken together, not since the rise of the tea party movement in 2010 has the House’s right flank been set up this well to wield real power in the chamber — positioned to have real influence over which bills hit the floor and with slots on committees likely to result in national exposure.
