Concession to Freedom Caucus

Ryan offers concession to House Freedom Caucus

He promises to delay discussions of overhauling a procedural mechanism to oust a sitting speaker.

By Lauren French and Jake Sherman

Rep. Paul Ryan has agreed to delay a discussion about reforming the procedural motion used to remove a House speaker, a major concession to the House Freedom Caucus.

The Wisconsin Republican, now the presumptive next speaker of the House, delivered the message to Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the chairman of the Freedom Caucus, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussion. Possible changes to the so-called "motion to vacate" will now come as part of a larger discussion of reworking internal party and House rules. Should he become House speaker, Ryan will set a deadline by which the House Republican Conference will change chamber and party rules.

In launching his bid for speaker, Ryan said the next speaker could not operate under the constant threat of a referendum vote to remove him from his position. He has not said how he wants to reform the motion to vacate, but several options have been discussed, including increasing the threshold to bring such a motion to a vote. Ryan is still insisting on changes to the legislative maneuver to remove the speaker, and the House Freedom Caucus is open to changing the procedure, several members have said.

The Freedom Caucus stopped short of endorsing Ryan's bid for speaker, but a supermajority of the group is supporting him.

North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, a member of the Freedom Caucus, filed a motion to vacate against Speaker John Boehner in July. It never received a vote on the House floor.