Rep. Chip Roy’s (R-Texas) bid to be chair of the House Rules Committee is emerging as a key issue for those withholding support for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) ahead of Friday afternoon’s Speaker election.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who has withheld support for Johnson, told former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) in a Thursday interview on his new show on One America News Network that a commitment from Johnson to making Roy chair of the House Rules Committee would help him.

“Mike Johnson coming out and committing to Chip Roy being the chairman of the Rules Committee would secure the vote on the first round,” Boebert said.

Roy is one of several members seeking to lead the powerful House panel, which controls the terms of debate and amendments for major legislation that heads to the House floor. 

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who has also said he is undecided on supporting Johnson, also said making Roy the Rules Committee chair would help him secure the gavel.

“Right now, I believe members of the Freedom Caucus are concerned about one of their members, Chip Roy they’d like to see him chair of the Rules Committee. I think if the Speaker were to do that, I think it would be over. I think he would be the Speaker,” Burchett said on on Friday morning.

Burchett said he would also suggest Johnson change that “motion to vacate” rule to trigger a vote on ousting the Speaker back to a one-member threshold, down from a nine-member threshold deal struck in November.

“And so that’s kind of where it all hinges right now, and that was where the negotiations ended last night,” Burchett said. “You’ll have liberal members of our party that don’t like Chip and don’t want to see him in that position. … I think in the end they ought to just acquiesce.”

Burchett later told reporters that having Roy atop the Rules panel is not a must for him as a condition of his own support for Johnson. He also said Roy himself has not been making the position a condition of his support for Johnson.

Johnson has been clear that he does not want to cut any side deals in order to secure the Speakership, sources told The Hill.

Asked if he would be willing to make Roy chair of the Rules Committee, Johnson responded, “I’m not making deals with anybody.”

Roy joined the Rules Committee in January 2023 as the result of a deal struck during former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) drawn-out Speaker election that placed three hard-line conservatives on the panel, giving them the power to join with Democrats to tank or block legislation before it reaches the floor.

But Roy is widely seen as an extreme long shot for the job given his antagonism to leadership and his previous votes against procedural rules legislation designed by the Rules panel that governs debate and consideration of amendments on the House floor despite being on the committee. 

The votes are normally partisan tests of party loyalty, but they have been used by conservatives to protest policy numerous times over the past two years at times, bringing legislative activity to a halt.

Roy told The Hill in December that he would not vote against rules if he becomes chair, however.

“If I was the Rules Committee chairman, there’s no question that I’d have to support the rule,” Roy said.

Roy argued he could better help Johnson avoid floor embarrassments from the perch of the Rules Committee.

“I do a lot of work from the perch of the Rules Committee, trying to figure out how to build rules and doing that anyway. And I feel like I just do it better as the chairman,” Roy said in December.

Johnson’s selection of Roy to lead the panel could also result in a number of moderate Republicans revolting against Johnson, doing little to solve his math problem to be elected Speaker. 

The decision on the chair rests solely with Johnson.

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), who has been a vocal supporter of Johnson for Speaker, is seen as a front-runner for the position. Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.) and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) are also seeking the job.

Those declining to support Johnson are also seeking commitments on spending cuts and assurances that rank-and-file members will be involved in negotiations for high-stakes legislation moving forward, multiple sources told The Hill.

Mychael Schnell contributed.