A once-obscure 1996 statute lets Congress kill a federal rule in an afternoon, bypassing the filibuster entirely. Only 20 of 461 attempts have become law since it took effect.

A motion to recommit is the House minority's final, guaranteed chance to force a vote before a bill passes. On July 16, 2026, one came within a single vote of working.

An unwritten rule that lets a Speaker block bills his own party doesn't fully back is the reason this Congress has set a modern record for forcing floor votes without him.

A discharge petition lets a House majority bypass its own leadership and force a floor vote, but it takes 218 signatures to even try. The tool sat mostly unused for two decades until 2025.