Massie removed from powerful House committee after vote against Johnson

"I volunteered to step aside if the Speaker wanted to place someone else on the Rules Committee and he chose that option. This was not retribution for my vote against him," Massie posted on X. 

"I look forward to continuing my work on the Judiciary and Transportation committees."

The Rules Committee holds sway over which bills make it to the House floor for a vote. Massie, a hardline libertarian, had said he would step aside from the panel voluntarily after he opposed Johnson for speaker on grounds that Johnson had relied on Democratic support to pass major spending bills.

But Massie's uncompromising positions have often isolated him from the rest of the GOP conference. One Republican lawvmaker told Fox News Digital, "98% of the conference wanted Massie off rules." 

Additionally, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the former chairwoman of the Education and Workforce Committee, will lead the panel after Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, retired.

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., the House GOP deputy whip, was also removed from the committee and replaced by freshman Rep. Brian Jack, R-Ga. 

The House Rules Committee is the final stop for bills before a House-wide vote. The committee and its chair are responsible for dictating the terms of debate on a bill and what, if any, amendments will also get a vote.

After a bill passes the House Rules Committee, it is then subject to a House-wide "rule vote" to allow for debate on the legislation before a vote on final passage.