Republicans in the House of Representatives have approved a new rules package that will gut the Office of Congressional Ethics. The measure will force out three of the four Democrats currently serving on the office’s board of directors and will severely limit the office’s ability to hire new workers, including investigative staffers. Another provision in the new rules package allows a single lawmaker to force a vote on ousting the speaker of the House. It was a concession made by newly minted Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to win the support of far-right members of his party. Democrats also warned that McCarthy appears to have struck informal agreements with fellow Republicans. This is Massachusetts Democratic Congressmember Jim McGovern.
