H.Res. 1377 · 119th Congress · Placed on the House Calendar, Calendar No. 82.
House Sets Debate Rules for Four Bills on Guns, Spending, and Veterans
Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1181) to prohibit payment card networks and covered entities from requiring the use of or assigning merchant category codes that distinguish a firearms retailer from general-merchandise retailer or sporting-goods retailer, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 9022) making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027, and for other purposes; providin
Deep dive June 26, 2026
This resolution sets the rules for House floor debate on four bills. The bills cover gun store payment codes, energy spending, national security spending, and veterans benefits. Each bill gets limited debate time and only allowed amendments.
What to know
- One bill would stop payment networks from giving gun stores a special tracking code.
- Two spending bills fund energy, water, national security, and State Department programs through September 30, 2027.
- A fourth bill deals with veterans benefits and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- Each bill gets one hour of debate, split evenly between the two sides.
- Only pre-approved amendments are allowed on the spending bills, and members cannot split amendment packages into separate votes.
- Before a final vote on each bill, members may make only one motion to send the bill back to committee.
Heads up
3 buried provisions
Provisions we flagged do not match the bill's stated purpose, or repeat language from bills that did not pass on their own.
Blanket waiver of points of order on four bills (Sections 1, 2, 7, 12)
Why we flagged this
This rule waives all points of order against four bills and their provisions. Points of order are a key tool House members use to block items that break House rules. Waiving them lets the bills move forward even if parts do not follow normal rules, like rules against adding new policy to spending bills. This is routine for rules resolutions, but it has a big effect on what can pass without challenge.
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All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. ... All points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived.
Waiver of unauthorized appropriations rule for national security bill (Section 7)
Why we flagged this
Clause 2 of Rule XXI blocks spending on programs not yet approved by law. Clause 5(a) blocks tax or tariff changes in the wrong bill type. This rule waives both for the national security and State Department spending bill. That means money can be set aside for programs that Congress has not formally authorized, with no member able to raise a rules objection.
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Points of order against provisions in the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 or clause 5(a) of rule XXI are waived.
Pre-adopted substitute and amendment without a vote (Sections 1 and 12)
Why we flagged this
For the firearms payment code bill and the veterans bill, a committee substitute or amendment is treated as already adopted when the rule passes. Members do not get a separate vote on those changes. The full rewritten text becomes the bill before debate even starts.
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The amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Financial Services now printed in the bill shall be considered as adopted. ... The amendment printed in part C of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered as adopted.
Section by section
Rule for debating the firearms merchant code bill (H.R. 1181)
This section sets the rules for how the House will debate H.R. 1181. That bill would stop payment card networks from using special merchant category codes to single out gun retailers. This rule waives procedural objections so the bill can move forward. It treats a committee-approved version of the bill as already adopted. Debate is limited to one hour, split equally between the majority and minority leaders of the Financial Services Committee. After debate, the only allowed action before a final vote is one motion to send the bill back to committee.
Members of the House of Representatives debating the bill. Indirectly affects gun retailers, payment card networks, and their customers.
Limiting debate to one hour and waiving procedural objections speeds up the process but reduces the time members have to offer changes or raise concerns.
Show the exact bill text
All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived... one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Financial Services or their respective designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.
Rules for debating the energy and water spending bill
This section sets the rules for how the House will debate H.R. 9022, a spending bill for energy and water programs for the year ending September 30, 2027. The Speaker can call the full House into a special committee mode to begin debate at any time. The bill skips its first full reading aloud. Any procedural objections to simply considering the bill are set aside. Total debate time is capped at one hour. That hour is split equally between the majority and minority leaders of the Appropriations Committee. After debate, members can propose changes to the bill under a five-minute speaking rule. The bill is also treated as if it has already been read in full. Objections based on one specific budget rule (clause 2 of rule XXI) are also waived.
Members of the House of Representatives who wish to debate or amend this spending bill. The rules limit how long they can speak and which procedural objections they can raise.
Limiting debate time and waiving certain objections speeds up the process but reduces the opportunity for extended floor discussion or procedural challenges.
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General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees.
Rules for amending the energy and water spending bill
This section sets the rules for how changes can be made to H.R. 9022, the energy and water spending bill. Only certain amendments are allowed. Those amendments must be ones listed in a Rules Committee report, offered as a group (called "en bloc"), or offered as short procedural changes called "pro forma" amendments. Each listed amendment must be debated in a set order, offered only by the member named in the report, and debated for a set amount of time. The time is split equally between the person proposing the change and someone who opposes it. Members cannot further change these amendments, and they cannot ask for a separate vote on parts of an amendment. Rules that might normally block these amendments are waived.
Members of the House of Representatives who want to propose changes to the energy and water spending bill. It also affects any person or group whose interests are tied to that bill.
Limiting amendments keeps debate focused and efficient, but it also reduces the number of changes members can propose or vote on separately.
Show the exact bill text
No amendment to H.R. 9022 shall be in order except those printed in part A of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution, amendments en bloc described in section 4 of this resolution, and pro forma amendments described in section 5 of this resolution.
Bundled amendment voting rule
This section lets the chair of the Appropriations Committee group multiple amendments together and offer them as one package vote. The package is called an 'en bloc' amendment. The rules allow 20 minutes of total debate on the package, split evenly between the majority and minority sides. Members cannot break the package apart to vote on individual pieces separately. The only exception to that rule is something allowed under Section 5 of the same resolution.
Members of the House of Representatives, especially those on the Appropriations Committee. It also affects any member who wants to vote on individual amendments separately.
Grouping amendments speeds up the voting process, but it limits members' ability to vote on each amendment one at a time.
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Amendments en bloc offered pursuant to this section shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 20 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees, shall not be subject to amendment except as provided by section 5 of this resolution, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole.
Pro forma amendments during debate on spending bill
This section allows two leaders during debate on the energy and water spending bill to each offer up to 10 'pro forma' amendments. A pro forma amendment is a procedural tool used to extend debate time, not to actually change the bill's text. The chair of the Appropriations Committee and the ranking minority member (or their chosen stand-ins) each get up to 10 of these opportunities. They can use them at any point while the bill is open for amendment.
The chair and ranking minority member of the House Appropriations Committee, or their designees, are directly affected. This also shapes how much debate time is available for all House members during consideration of the energy and water spending bill.
Allowing pro forma amendments gives leaders more control over debate time, but it also means floor time can be extended beyond what other members might prefer.
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the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees may offer up to 10 pro forma amendments each at any point for the purpose of debate.
Final vote rules for energy and water spending bill
This section sets the rules for how the House will finish work on H.R. 9022, the energy and water spending bill. Once the committee is done reviewing and adding changes, it must send the bill to the full House. After that, debate ends automatically. The House then moves straight to a final vote. The only procedure allowed before that vote is one motion to recommit, which lets members send the bill back to committee with instructions.
Members of the House of Representatives who want to debate or amend the bill after it leaves committee. The rules limit what steps they can take before the final vote.
Moving quickly to a final vote saves floor time, but it limits members' ability to make further changes or extend debate.
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The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit.
Rules for debating a national security spending bill
This section sets the rules for how the House will debate H.R. 8595, a spending bill for national security, the State Department, and related programs for the budget year ending September 30, 2027. The Speaker can send the House into a special debate session called the Committee of the Whole at any time after this resolution passes. The bill gets one hour of general debate, split equally between the chair and the top minority member of the Appropriations Committee. After that debate, members can propose changes under the five-minute rule. Several procedural objections that members could normally raise are waived, meaning they cannot be used to block or slow down the bill.
All House members who want to debate or amend the national security spending bill. It also affects anyone whose programs are funded by that bill.
Waiving points of order speeds up the process but limits the tools members can use to challenge the bill's content.
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All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees.
Limits on amendments to H.R. 8595
This section sets the rules for how changes can be made to H.R. 8595 during House floor debate. Only certain amendments are allowed: those listed in a Rules Committee report, amendments offered as a group (en bloc), and minor housekeeping amendments. Each listed amendment must be offered in a set order, by a specific member, and gets a fixed amount of debate time split between supporters and opponents. Amendments cannot be broken into separate votes. All procedural objections against these listed amendments are waived in advance.
Members of the House of Representatives who want to propose changes to H.R. 8595. It limits which members can offer amendments and how those amendments are handled.
Setting these strict rules speeds up floor debate and prevents surprise changes, but it also limits the ability of members to freely propose or modify amendments to the bill.
Show the exact bill text
No amendment to H.R. 8595 shall be in order except those printed in part B of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution, amendments en bloc described in section 9 of this resolution, and pro forma amendments described in section 10 of this resolution.
Bundled amendments vote procedure
This section lets the chair of the Appropriations Committee package multiple amendments together into one bundle called an 'en bloc' amendment. The amendments in the bundle come from a printed list in a Rules Committee report. The bundle is treated as already read aloud. Debate is limited to 20 minutes, split equally between the chair and the top minority member. Members cannot break the bundle apart to vote on each amendment separately. The only exception to that no-amendment rule is whatever is allowed under section 10 of this resolution.
Members of the House of Representatives who want to debate or vote on individual spending amendments. The Appropriations Committee chair and ranking minority member control the debate time.
Bundling amendments speeds up floor debate, but individual members lose the ability to demand a separate vote on each amendment in the package.
Show the exact bill text
Amendments en bloc offered pursuant to this section shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 20 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees, shall not be subject to amendment except as provided by section 10 of this resolution, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole.
Pro forma amendments during debate
This section allows two members to offer special amendments during debate on H.R. 8595. The chair and the ranking minority member of the Appropriations Committee can each offer up to 10 'pro forma' amendments. These amendments are not meant to change the bill. They are a tool used to extend debate time. Each member can also assign this right to a designee.
The chair and ranking minority member of the House Appropriations Committee, or their chosen substitutes.
This gives both the majority and minority sides equal extra debate time, but it can also slow down the overall floor process.
Show the exact bill text
the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees may offer up to 10 pro forma amendments each at any point for the purpose of debate.
Final steps for H.R. 8595 in committee
This section sets the rules for finishing work on H.R. 8595. When the committee is done making changes to the bill, it must stop and send the bill back to the full House. The bill, along with any changes made, then moves straight toward a final vote. Only one procedural move is allowed before that vote: a motion to recommit, which lets members send the bill back to committee.
Members of the House of Representatives voting on H.R. 8595. It controls how and when they can act on the bill.
Limiting debate and procedural steps speeds up the vote but reduces the chances for members to make further changes or delay the bill.
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At the conclusion of consideration of H.R. 8595 for amendment the Committee shall rise and report the bill to the House with such amendments as may have been adopted.
Rule for debating a veterans benefits bill
This section sets the rules for how the House will debate H.R. 9237, a bill to improve benefits for veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs. All procedural objections to considering the bill are waived. A specific amendment written by the Rules Committee is automatically adopted before debate starts. The full bill, with that amendment, is treated as already read aloud. Debate is limited to one hour, split evenly between the chair and the top minority member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. After debate, only one motion to send the bill back to committee is allowed before a final vote.
Members of the House who want to debate or object to the veterans benefits bill. Veterans and VA staff would be affected if the underlying bill becomes law.
Waiving objections and limiting debate speeds up the process but gives members less time to raise concerns or offer additional changes.
Show the exact bill text
All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The amendment printed in part C of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered as adopted.
Citations
- Congress.gov bill text: link (retrieved 2026-06-26)
Public record
Below is the official voting record from Congress.gov. It is not our analysis.
Source: Congress.gov
This bill has no recorded roll-call vote yet. A roll-call vote records how each member voted by name.
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