5 things to know about rule changes in the 118th Congress

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, January 11, 2023

5. Require all bills to focus on a single issue

Under the rules of the 118th Congress, “a bill or joint resolution may not be introduced unless the sponsor submits for printing in the Congressional Record a statement setting forth the single subject of the bill or joint resolution.” This particular provision of the rules package will not take effect until Feb. 1.

The requirement that bills focus on a single issue stems from outrage over a $1.7 trillion omnibus bill that passed in the days before Christmas at the conclusion of the 117th U.S. Congress last year. The bill spanned more than 4,000 pages and contained all 12 fiscal year 2023 appropriations bills.

Leaders in both chambers of Congress worked to pass the bill quickly so that lawmakers could depart Washington for Christmas. It contained millions of dollars in funding for LGBT advocacy groups and allocated half a billion dollars in family planning to “areas where population growth threatens biodiversity or endangered species.” The terms “family planning/reproductive health” are often used as euphemisms for abortion.