Politics

2 Democrats Save Mike Johnson From Facing Another Floor Shutdown

Office of Congressman Mike Johnson / Wiki Commons

Democratic Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington rescued House Speaker Mike Johnson Tuesday from facing a floor shutdown.

Five Republicans voted against a rule to protest the passage of the continuing resolution (CR), particularly because it delayed a ban on hemp THC products. If the two Democrats did not vote in favor of opening debate on several bills, the floor would have shut down and the chamber likely would have gone home.

Republican Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Andy Harris of Maryland, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Clay Higgins of Louisiana and Pete Sessions of Texas voted against the rule. If no Democrat voted for the rule, Johnson could have afforded to lose three Republican votes.

Golden and Perez are seen as moderate Democrats and represent districts that President Donald Trump won. Golden voted with former President Joe Biden less than half the time, while a conservative scorecard once ranked Perez the Democrat most aligned with Trump’s 2024 agenda, according to The Oregonian.

Some Democrats expressed frustration with Golden and Perez over their votes. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he did “not get a heads up” that they would vote for the rule, and that Democratic leadership would have a conversation on the matter.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was “disappointed” in their vote.

“Voting for the rule is something that I, as Speaker, never — We didn’t even consider that anybody would do that. We never had that problem, so I’m disappointed that they did that.”

Before voting on the CR, Roy argued that he would vote against the CR because the funding package did not defund Flock Safety cameras and other automated surveillance or fund federal immigration enforcement. He said the CR allowed for taxpayer-funded abortions and sanctuary cities.

“NO ON CR. NO ON RULE THAT DOES NOT ALLOW US TO AMEND AND FIX THE CR: The House of Representatives will be voting for a government funding continuing resolution TODAY that FAILS to deliver on common-sense policies for the American people,” Roy wrote on X.

The CR averted a government shutdown by extending government funding through Dec. 11. The package included the hemp ban delay, blocked the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) proposed rewrite of Uniform Guidance for financial assistance and extended funding for agriculture, flood insurance and veterans’ benefits. The House voted on the package under suspension of the rules, meaning no procedural vote took place and it only needed a two-thirds majority to pass.

The package did not include any spending cuts to address the national debt, which surpassed $40 trillion on Aug. 20.

The House floor shut down on June 30 when 13 Republicans voted against a rule to debate attaching the Safeguard America Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The lawmakers disagreed on Johnson’s proposed method to attach the SAVE America Act through a process called “MIRVing,” where lawmakers attach unrelated bills into a single package.

The floor reopened on July 14 when Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and other holdouts agreed to accept Johnson’s plan, prompting them to vote in favor of debating legislation.

The Senate passed the CR in an Aug. 8 vote before leaving for August recess, while senators had disagreements over the hemp ban delay. Republican North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd introduced an amendment on Aug. 8 to strip a provision to delay the ban, which did not pass.

The White House requested a delay, arguing the brief delay would allow lawmakers and industry stakeholders to negotiate a reasonable federal regulatory system rather than abruptly shutting down a multi-billion dollar industry.