GOP speaker candidate releases 5 policy commitments he urges fellow contenders to follow

EXCLUSIVE: One of the nine House Republicans running for speaker is out with a list of five commitments he is calling on his fellow contenders for the gavel to commit to.

Republican Policy Committee Chair Gary Palmer, R-Ala., released the policy outline less than an hour before House GOP lawmakers are retreating behind closed doors to hear from the speaker candidates. 

That includes a commitment to fund the government with 12 individual spending bills by June 30; forcing "real spending cuts" and not "budget gimmicks;" refusing to pass any more short-term stopgap funding bills; giving members 72 hours to read a bill before it hits the House floor; and, perhaps most critically – making sure the GOP conference is on the same page before holding a House-wide vote.

"Congress has been kicking the can down the road since before I was elected. We don’t need a person or a personality, we need a plan," Palmer said. 

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"The American people deserve a Republican Conference that is unified, transparent, and committed to the job. Before we vote tomorrow, every candidate should commit to these principles."

On spending, Palmer is calling for specific deadlines he believes will help keep government open and funded without leaning on continuing resolutions or omnibus spending bills – both of which have wide opposition in the GOP.

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Under Palmer’s plan, the House could not bring any legislation sent from the Senate after July 30 if all 12 appropriations bills have not been passed by then. It would also stop the House from recessing after July 31 if the 12 individual spending bills have not been passed – with a possible override for national security reasons via a two-thirds vote of the House.

It comes after ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted from his role soon after passing a 45-day continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown. The fiscal year ended on Sept. 30 with just four of 12 bills passed.

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He also called to "decentralize the legislative process and prioritize individual members’ policy priorities" in uniting the conference before a House-wide vote. 

That point holds particular importance now as House Republican candidate for speaker struggle to get enough support to win a House-wide vote with no Democratic support.

Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, failed three House votes for speaker after becoming Republicans’ speaker-designate, not reaching the 217 votes necessary in any of the rounds. He was booted out of the race on Friday.