Members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus staged an unusual play in the House of Representatives during a rare pro forma session on election night at 5 p.m. that resulted in the scuttling, at least for now, of a widely popular bill that was about to be passed Week.

Reps. Garret Graves, R-La., and Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., had successfully collected the 218 signatures needed for a dismissal petition to bypass GOP leaders and introduce bipartisan legislation that two have long sought existing provisions that apply to the social sector would repeal security benefits for certain pensioners. They were due to make their move as early as Tuesday evening by triggering a two-day clock to enforce the special provision for immediate consideration of the bill.

With 330 co-sponsors, including current Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who was one of the first to add his name at the start of the 118th Congress, the measure's passage was all but guaranteed. GOP leaders considered simply bringing it up next week under suspension of the rules, which skips a rules vote but requires approval from two-thirds of members present and voting to pass.

Then the Freedom Caucus, which opposes the measure's $196 billion cost over a decade, intervened.

What Happened: Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., a more or less local member from the East Coast, chaired the pro forma session, which lasted a full seven minutes.

During the brief session, he recognized outgoing Rep. Bob Good, R-Va. — the former Freedom Caucus chairman who lost his primary — for a unanimous endorsement proposal. Good's motion to table the Social Security bill passed unanimously, with no objection from anyone else in the room.

The effect of placing the bill on the table in this context, under the rules of the House of Representatives, has the same effect as rejecting a bill on the floor; It is dead for now. Since the discharge motion was actually filed to consider the rule and not the bill itself, the rule could still be called for a vote as part of the discharge process, which if passed would result in the bill being taken off the table and a vote is possible.

Alternatively, a brand new, identical bill could simply be introduced – as early as this Friday's pro forma session – and that measure, with the rules suspended, put to a vote as early as next week.

So this is by no means a permanent blocking of the Social Security Act, but the way in which the maneuver took place is striking.

Harris' attempt to recognize Good contradicts the Speaker's “announced guidelines” in exercising powers under House rules, which provide that such UC requests can only be made after assurances that both the majority and minority leadership the House of Representatives and the relevant committees have no objection.

In fact, before Harris recognized Good, House Speaker Jason Smith can be heard on the microphone saying, “The chairman will not comply with the gentleman's request.” The chairman cannot comply with the gentleman's request.”

Harris and the parliamentarian appeared to have spoken after the House adjourned, according to congressional procedural expert Kacper Surdy – known as “ringwiss” on the social platform

High price

Even if the bill ultimately passes the House, its price tag and limited remaining session time will make it difficult to convince the Senate, although it has more than enough supporters in that chamber to overcome a filibuster.

The legislation would repeal the “co-retirement” and “state pension equalization” provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for those who spent portions of their careers in state and local government or in other positions where their income is not subject to Social Security taxes .

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would cost $196 billion over a decade and would advance the depletion date of Social Security trust funds by six months. Proponents of the bill argue that six months isn't that important considering Congress would have to intervene sometime around 2034, and that even the advertised price is misleading.

According to the National Association of Police, the cost is not a waste of taxpayer money, but rather money that will be “deducted from the hard-earned monthly Social Security checks of retired police officers, teachers, nurses and bus drivers over the next decade.” Organizations that campaigned for the measure.

Graves, the top GOP sponsor, is leaving Congress after redistricting caused his district to become one that heavily favors Democrats. Spanberger is running for governor of Virginia.

In a statement following the plenary action on Tuesday, Graves dismissed the Freedom Caucus' push as a meaningless ploy. “With this new precedent set, I would like to call on UC to send every American a pony,” he said.