House Republicans are weighing new penalties for members who defy party leaders on key procedural votes, setting up a fight over how much independence lawmakers should have when the party returns to a majority.

Six people granted anonymity to discuss the private deliberations said the proposals could be considered as the GOP finalizes its conference rules package, potentially as soon as next week. Possible punishments include removing members from committee assignments or taking other disciplinary action.

The effort follows two years in which a small number of Republicans used the party’s narrow majority to extract concessions from leaders. Members of the House Freedom Caucus repeatedly opposed procedural “rules” needed to advance legislation to floor debate. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida also used discharge petitions on multiple occasions to bypass party leadership.

The debate presents a challenge for incoming minority leader Jim Jordan of Ohio, whose allies include many of the hard-liners now drawing criticism. He must balance their concerns against those of rank-and-file Republicans seeking greater accountability.

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) said colleagues raised the issue during a closed-door leadership election this week. He said Friday that he had “never” seen as many rebellions as in the past two years.

“There’s a lot of people that are very upset about that, and it’s a hard thing to try to deal with,” Simpson said. “How do you punish them?”

Another House Republican, granted anonymity to confirm the discussions, said there was “a strong push for accountability for those who deliberately sabotage the will of the team.”

Luna opposed the proposed crackdown, saying Friday that leaders were “effectively trying to control us.” She argued there was a difference between opposing a rule and preventing lawmakers from legislating.

The conference rules debate was delayed at Jordan’s request after his election as GOP leader and is expected to be rescheduled. Simpson praised Jordan as a “team player” who had encouraged members to support procedural votes since his unsuccessful 2023 speakership bid.

Any changes would have little immediate effect while Republicans are in the minority and do not control the floor. Simpson nevertheless called it potentially “the perfect time” to establish a precedent, while noting that “some leeway” was warranted: He had himself backed a Democratic rule for a bill he negotiated.