Overview
- House Republicans passed a rules package on April 29, 2025, suspending Democrats’ ability to force votes on resolutions of inquiry until September 30.
- The move shields Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Trump administration from investigations into the handling of classified information on the Signal app, known as 'Signalgate.'
- Resolutions of inquiry, a key minority party tool for demanding executive branch documents, are now effectively blocked for over five months.
- Speaker Mike Johnson defended the procedural change as a measure to prevent political stunts, while some GOP members, including Rep. Don Bacon, expressed concerns about transparency and accountability.
- Democrats, led by Reps. Adam Smith, Stephen Lynch, and Gregory Meeks, had filed resolutions seeking records on Hegseth’s Signal communications and military operations in Yemen.