The House of Representatives will vote on a proposed change to its rules that would limit lawmakers' ability to request disclosures from the Trump administration. This change, announced by Republican leaders, aims to suspend the use of "Resolutions of Inquiry"—a congressional mechanism for demanding information or documents from the president or cabinet members—until September 30th.

The new rules would reclassify legislative days to effectively prevent the passage of these investigative resolutions, which have been a part of congressional procedure since the first Congress. If a resolution is approved by the relevant committee, it gains "privileged" status, allowing it to be voted on by the full chamber. Recently, several resolutions have been introduced, including one seeking documents related to Elon Musk's role as a special government employee and potential conflicts of interest, as well as another inquiring whether artificial intelligence is being used in federal layoffs.

Representative Adam Smith from Washington State has sponsored a resolution regarding the "Signalgate" controversy, which questions the administration's use of a messaging app for national security discussions. The move to restrict the inquiry process outside of emergencies is noted to be unprecedented. Sean Vitka from Demand Progress, a watchdog organization, criticized the action, stating that it undermines Congress's ability to conduct oversight independently of party leadership.

Historically, Resolutions of Inquiry have been crucial for obtaining information on significant issues, such as the Vietnam War in the 1970s and more recent inquiries related to the 2008 financial crisis and immigration data. The rules governing these inquiries were first established in 1879, allowing any member of Congress to propose an inquiry, which can pass with a simple majority vote.