Key facts
- Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) voted with Republicans on a procedural rule.
- The procedural vote passed 210-208, narrowly advancing the House GOP agenda.
- Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, and Pete Aguilar were not given advance notice and referred the matter to the committee on caucus rules.
- Five Republicans voted against the rule, protesting the exclusion of certain provisions.
- Golden stated his vote was to advance his bill protecting Maine's lobster industry.
- Gluesenkamp Perez cited concerns for working waterfront communities.
Two Democratic lawmakers, Representatives Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, joined Republicans to vote for a procedural rule, narrowly advancing the House GOP's agenda for the week. The vote, which passed 210-208, surprised Democratic leaders who were not given advance notice of their party members' intentions.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, along with Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, issued a statement calling the move a "significant breach of trust" and announced a referral to the committee on caucus rules to consider punishing the two lawmakers. This comes as Democratic leadership has recently focused on condemning a leftwing streamer, drawing criticism from progressives for perceived inattention to larger political threats.
The procedural vote, known as a "rule," is typically passed on party lines and allows the majority to bring legislation to the floor. Five Republicans had planned to vote against it, but Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez supplied the necessary votes for passage. Golden stated his vote was motivated by the need to advance his bill protecting Maine's lobster industry from federal regulations, while Gluesenkamp Perez cited similar concerns for working waterfront communities in her district.
Speaker Mike Johnson commented that critics who predicted the rule's failure were wrong, asserting that Republicans are working to continue the House's business.