Steube Plans House Rule to Bar Members Who Refuse Constitutional Oath
Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) says he will propose a House rules change to prevent newly elected members from taking their seats if they refuse to swear the constitutional oath of office.
Steube announced the plan in an interview with commentator Benny Johnson, then reiterated it in a post on X.
“Every member of Congress has to swear an oath to protect and uphold the Constitution,” Steube said.
“If she is refusing to do that, she should not be seated. I think we should pass a rule,” he continued.
“This program has given me the idea to file an amendment to the rules.”
Steube later laid out his position in a separate post.
“The oath to defend the Constitution isn’t optional,” he wrote. “If you’re elected to Congress but refuse to swear it, you shouldn’t be sworn in!!”
“I’m calling for a House rules change to ensure anyone who refuses the oath is barred from taking their seat.”
His remarks targeted Democratic Socialist congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, whom Steube said has a public record that raises questions about whether she could take the oath in good faith.
Steube said Avila Chevalier founded Columbia University Apartheid Divest, commonly known as CUAD. He cited the group’s published platform, which includes statements calling for “Death to America,” the “total eradication of Western Civilization,” and the use of militant force to pursue those aims.
He also pointed to previously reported social media posts attributed to Avila Chevalier, including one in which she reportedly joked about using an American flag as a napkin.
“These people are incompatible with our country and cannot uphold their oath of office,” Steube said.
He argued that the oath requires lawmakers to support and defend the Constitution, and questioned whether someone associated with those positions could honestly make that commitment.
Article VI of the Constitution requires members of Congress to take an oath or affirmation to support the Constitution before assuming office. The current oath says members will “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic” and “bear true faith and allegiance to the same.”
Steube has not released the text of his proposed amendment or explained how it would address disputes over a member’s intent or past statements. The House adopts its rules at the start of each new Congress, and changes require approval by a majority of the chamber.
Avila Chevalier recently won her Democratic primary in New York and is expected to compete in the general election for a seat in the U.S. House. If elected, she would still have to take the constitutional oath before being sworn in. It remains unclear whether House leadership will consider Steube’s proposal.
Separately, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani suffered a setback this week in his administration’s effort to stop the sale of more than 5,000 rent-subsidized apartments owned by Pinnacle Group, one of the city’s largest landlords.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones of the Southern District of New York temporarily blocked the city from intervening in Pinnacle’s bankruptcy proceedings, allowing the auction process to continue.
Pinnacle filed for bankruptcy in May after defaulting on approximately $560 million in loans. The Mamdani administration has separately alleged that the company owes the city $12.7 million in unpaid housing-code fines. The administration also wants to take control of the privately owned properties.
Mamdani directed the city’s Law Department to oppose the proposed sale, arguing that a change in ownership could add to housing instability for thousands of tenants living in subsidized apartments. Jones ruled that the bankruptcy sale should proceed.
Owned by Joel Wiener, Pinnacle controls more than 140 residential buildings containing roughly 9,000 apartments across the city’s five boroughs. Court filings indicate that Summit Real Estate Holdings has offered approximately $450 million to acquire about 90 of the properties.