A normally sleepy procedural vote ended in drama for the House of Representatives after a rebellion by Republicans against their own party forced planned chamber proceedings for the week to grind to a halt.
It puts the future in question for two key bills backed by the Trump administration that were slated to get a vote this week.
A mechanism known as a “rule vote,” which traditionally falls along party lines and is not an expression of support or opposition to specific legislation, failed on Tuesday when nine Republicans joined Democrats in an extraordinary rebuke of GOP leaders.
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It comes amid a weekslong battle over the ability to vote remotely for new parents in Congress.
It’s an embarrassing setback for House Republican leadership, who put on a full court press for bills that would have limited district judges’ ability to levy nationwide injunctions and would have mandated proof of citizenship to register to vote, respectively.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has been leading a bipartisan push for legislation that would allow new parents in the House to vote remotely for 12 weeks surrounding their child’s birth.
She attempted to force the bill onto the floor via a mechanism called a “discharge petition,” which would effectively end-run leaders to hold a House-wide vote on legislation, provided the petition gets support from a simple majority of the House.
Lawmakers rarely, if ever, lead discharge petitions against their own party. But Luna’s was poised for success with support from Democrats and some fellow Republicans.
House GOP leaders attempted to block it, however, by inserting language in an unrelated “rules” package on Monday night that would have effectively prevented Luna’s bill from getting a vote.
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That sparked a backlash among Republicans who either supported Luna’s efforts or opposed leaders’ attempts to change previously agreed-upon House rules – and in most cases, a combination of both.
Meanwhile, a source familiar with the House Rules Committee told Fox News Digital that some Republicans on that panel were frustrated at being kept in the dark by House leaders until the final moments before their committee vote on Tuesday morning. All Republicans on the committee voted for the rule, however.
Reps. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., Greg Steube, R-Fla., Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., were among those who voted to kill the rule.
Democrats broke out into applause after the legislation failed.
It’s not immediately clear what House GOP leaders will do next – they could call an emergency session of the House Rules Committee to consider modified language that does not target discharge petitions.
One House Republican, however, suggested lawmakers could be sent home for the week.
“Lots of torn up feelings. Might be better to press pause for a couple of days,” that GOP lawmaker said.
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