The House Rules Committee establishes procedures for the consideration of legislation and the business of the House. It has jurisdiction over “the rules and joint rules… and order of business of the House,” and has the authority “to report at any time” on such matters (House Rules X and XI). By providing for the “order of business of the House” the Rules Committee has its most important influence on legislation, and this is largely done in the absence of great public scrutiny, in part, because of its procedural nature.
If the Rules Committee is thought of as a traffic flow device its importance can be more easily understood. If the lights turn green only for certain cars, or only under certain conditions, important legislation can literally be stopped in its tracks. For example, many of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal proposals in FRD’s first term, and in particular his famous First Hundred Days, were reported by the Rules Committee as “closed rules.” This meant that no amendments could be offered on the House floor, and the bills would have to be accepted just as they were reported from committee by the majority Democrats led by FRD. (Republicans used similar tactics in the 1890-1910 period.)
A survey of the special rules reported by the Rules Committee for the consideration of legislation found that rules restricting or prohibiting amendments made up only 15 % of all the rules in the mid 1970s. However, by the end of the 1980s, they made up 55 % of the rules.