Republican Attacks House Leadership
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is pulling back the curtain on what she calls a broken, outdated, and deeply dysfunctional House of Representatives — a system she argues blocks real conservative reforms and leaves voters wondering why nothing ever changes in Washington.
In a sharply worded guest column published Monday, Mace says the House has become so tightly controlled by entrenched leadership that ordinary lawmakers can’t even do the jobs they were elected to perform. Instead of open debate, transparency, and real solutions, Congress operates in a way that shuts out rank-and-file members and ignores the issues Americans care about most.
Mace: “This System Was Designed To Silence Us”
Mace recalls arriving in Washington five years ago believing she could help fix the mess. But she says she quickly discovered a political machine built to protect leadership, not the American people.
Despite her background as the first female graduate of The Citadel’s Corps of Cadets — someone not easily intimidated — Mace says even she was shocked by how difficult it is to get anything meaningful done.
According to Mace, both Republicans and Democrats have allowed years of backroom dealmaking to erase transparency. The House hasn’t operated under a real open rule since 2016, meaning major bills are written in secret, changed at the last minute, and rushed through without public scrutiny.
Popular Conservative Policies Blocked Behind Closed Doors
Mace points out that some of the most supported reforms in the country — banning congressional stock trading, enforcing voter ID, and imposing term limits — don’t even get a vote. She calls these issues “bipartisan supermajority positions,” yet they remain buried because leadership refuses to allow an up-or-down vote.
One of the few remaining tools to force accountability, the discharge petition, goes unused because lawmakers are afraid to cross their own leadership. Mace says members “vanish” rather than risk punishment for pushing reforms their voters overwhelmingly support.
Mace Says Pelosi Was More Effective Than Recent GOP Leadership
In one of the most attention-grabbing lines of her column, Mace argues that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was “more effective” than any Republican speaker this century — not because she supported good policy, but because she understood the importance of discipline and long-term strategy.
While Mace disagrees with Pelosi on nearly everything, she says Pelosi understood a critical truth: No congressional majority is permanent — so use it to deliver results.
Republicans Risk Losing Their Majority If They Don’t Act
Mace accuses her own party of becoming too cautious, advancing watered-down policies to avoid political risk instead of delivering the bold conservative agenda voters expect — especially on:
- Border security
- Soaring costs for families
- Healthcare affordability
- Crime and public safety
She also says Republican women are still treated as political props, calling the GOP conference chair position a “token slot” rather than a real leadership role.
Mace’s Warning: Deliver Results Or Lose Everything
Now running for governor of South Carolina in 2026, Mace says the GOP’s congressional majority will collapse if Republicans don’t get serious about governing.
Her message to Washington is direct and powerful: “We can do better. Let us vote. Let the American people see the process. Let the chips fall.”
