REJECTED! House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Furious After Speaker Mike Johnson Outsmarts Him
New York City – May 28, 2026
House Rules Committee Rejects Democratic Amendment Barring January 6 Defendants from $1.8 Billion Compensation Fund as House Passes Bipartisan Housing Bill 396-13
New York City, New York — The Republican-controlled House Rules Committee on Tuesday rejected a Democratic amendment that would have prevented individuals charged or convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot from receiving payments from a newly announced $1.8 billion federal compensation fund.
The fund was unveiled Monday by the Department of Justice as part of a settlement arrangement tied to President Donald J. Trump’s decision to drop a $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the unauthorized leak of his tax returns in 2019 and 2020.
During the Rules Committee hearing, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) introduced the amendment, which sought to bar such payments and require disclosure of any funds distributed under the program.
“I move the committee add a new section to the rule providing immediate consideration of HR 7711, the No Rewards for January 6 Rioters Act, so this bill would prohibit the use of federal funds to compensate individuals who were prosecuted for their involvement in the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021,” said McGovern.
“Additionally, my motion would self-execute an amendment that would require the attorney general of the United States to disclose any payments made by the so-called anti-weaponization fund, which was created by the corrupt settlement agreement between Donald Trump and his own administration,” he continued.
“This secret slush fund should be an outrage to every American, no matter your politics.”
The Republican majority on the committee voted down the amendment along party lines. McGovern later expressed frustration on social media.
“Republicans just voted AGAINST my amendment to stop Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund from bailing out the convicted felons who assaulted cops on January 6th,” he wrote. “You read that right. They blocked us from even debating the issue on the House floor. Beyond shameful.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other Democrats criticized the outcome, accusing Republicans of shielding potential beneficiaries of the fund.
Separately, the full House delivered a strong bipartisan victory on Wednesday by passing the amended 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act by a vote of 396-13. The legislation aims to expand homeownership opportunities, lower housing costs, and restrict large institutional investors from purchasing newly built single-family homes.
House leaders described the measure as a direct response to the ongoing housing affordability crisis affecting millions of American families.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) addressed the importance of the bill.
“Increased housing costs and lack of quality supply are two issues that impact nearly every American family,” Johnson said.
He called the legislation a “strong bipartisan package that will put more American families into homes.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) echoed the sentiment.
“This is something that every American in this country will be happy to see, to have lower housing costs,” Scalise said.
House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (R-Ark.) highlighted the bill’s alignment with administration priorities.
“This bill prioritizes American families by expanding homeownership, enhancing affordability, reducing burdensome regulations that drive up costs, and increasing housing supply nationwide,” Hill said.
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“Importantly, it delivers on President Trump’s call to limit institutional investors from competing with the American people as they seek to purchase a home,” he added.
The housing bill now moves to the Senate. The developments reflect ongoing partisan tensions over federal spending and compensation programs alongside rare bipartisan progress on domestic policy issues.
