By Sarah Ferris, Morgan Rimmer, CNN
(CNN) – Speaker Mike Johnson almost lost control of the House floor – again – due to a group of unhappy conservatives.
Then two Democrats stepped in to assist.
Centrist Democrats Rep. Jared Golden from Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez from Washington took the unusual action on Tuesday of supporting GOP leaders’ agenda amid a conservative backlash.
These Democrats backed an important GOP procedural vote that was essential for Republicans to later bring multiple bills to the floor.
Why did they do it? It helped clear the way for a priority bill that Golden supports for lobstermen, as noted by two people familiar with the talks. This bill already has backing from the White House, and Golden and others hope it can be passed this year.
However, their vote also allowed Johnson to continue with messaging votes that Democrats are against, including a resolution aimed at condemning socialism that Republicans want to use against Democrats during the campaign.
The decision of those two Democrats quickly angered members of their own party – including some leaders who were taken aback by their votes, several sources told CNN.
When asked if he was disappointed in those members, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters: “The two Democrats who voted for the rule did not give any member of House Democratic leadership a heads-up, and as a result, blindsided the entire caucus and created a significant breach of trust.”
Jeffries mentioned it’s “under discussion” whether there will be consequences for the two lawmakers.
Throughout the caucus, Democrats argued that this defection among them prevented a major and embarrassing defeat for Republicans that could have forced Johnson to send his members home for the rest of September.
Typically, minority party members unite to oppose these kinds of procedural votes since they are needed by the majority party to bring bills forward.
Several conservatives were blocking their leaders’ plans on the floor this week as part of their protest against another move to pass a stopgap funding bill that far-right members dislike.
Republicans like Rep. Chip Roy refused to support a Senate-passed funding bill that didn’t allow House conservatives to include their own priorities, such as measures against what they label “mass surveillance” or increased funding for President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
The-CNN-Wire
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