Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is critical of how the House of Representatives functions, arguing that entrenched leadership control has made the chamber "restrictive and ineffective" and left ordinary lawmakers unable to do the jobs they were elected to perform.
In a guest column for The New York Times published Monday, Mace wrote that when she arrived in Washington five years ago, she believed she "could make a difference" but quickly found a system that "promotes control by party leaders over accountability and achievement."
"I don't scare easily," Mace wrote, citing her history as the first woman to graduate from The Citadel's Corps of Cadets. "But I've learned that the obstacles to achieving almost anything are enough to make any member who came to Washington with noble intentions ask: Why am I even here?"
According to Mace, both parties have contributed to a decades-long erosion of debate and transparency.
"Leaders of both parties have systematically silenced rank-and-file voices," she wrote, noting that the House has "not considered a single open rule since 2016."
Instead, major bills are drafted behind closed doors, with leaders frequently removing provisions after promising to include them.
She cited several overwhelmingly popular policies — congressional stock-trading bans, term limits, and voter ID requirements — that never receive votes.
"These are bipartisan supermajority positions," Mace emphasized. "The House cannot hold a simple up-or-down vote on any of them."
Mace highlighted discharge petitions as one of the last tools available to force leadership's hand, writing, "When asked to sign that petition, they vanish rather than upset House leadership."
She said the tactic succeeded recently in compelling the Justice Department to release the Epstein files.
In a striking passage, Mace argued that Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was "a more effective House speaker than any Republican this century," adding that "I agree with her on essentially nothing. But she understood something we don't: No majority is permanent."
Mace criticized her own party for being "petrified of losing" power and therefore advancing only the "most moderate policies" instead of delivering on Republican promises.
She also said women in the conference are too often marginalized, calling the GOP conference chair role a "token slot."
Now a candidate for South Carolina governor in 2026, Mace warned that the GOP's governing majority could collapse if Republicans fail to secure the border, lower costs, improve healthcare, and restore public safety.
"We can do better," she concluded. "Let us vote. Let the people see. Let the chips fall."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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