House GOP clarifies 72-hour rule before procedural vote on NPR funding

Weiner’s comments were made just before the House was preparing to vote on the rule for debating that bill. Weiner recited the Republican procedural rule, and asked Acting Speaker Ted Poe (R-Texas) if the so-called 72-hour rule was being waived, or whether “it does not exist.”

Poe responded, “The period of time on which the rule is predicated is not a number of hours but rather a number of days, specifically calendar days…” before being interrupted by boos from the Democratic side of the aisle. Poe finished by saying the rule counts calendar days “other than weekends or holidays when the House is not in session.”

Poe said that as an example, a bill introduced Tuesday, like H.R. 1076, could be taken up any time Thursday, even if less than 72 hours had passed.

Weiner asked Poe if 72 hours had passed since H.R. 1076 was made publicly available, to which Poe said (to more boos) that the chair “will not respond to hypothetical questions.”

After this debate, the House voted 236-181 in favor of the rule for considering H.R. 1076. One Democrat, Heath Shuler (D-NC), voted with every Republican in favor of the rule.