It doesn’t happen often, so when House Republicans defeat one of their own spending bills on the floor, it’s cause for a minor celebration.
Rank-and-file House Republican lawmakers stunned congressional observers Thursday by joining with Democrats to defeat the $142.5 billion Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations conference report by a vote of 209-224.
It was the first time since September 1995 that the final version of a spending bill was defeated on the House floor, according to House officials. Twenty-two Republicans voted against the bill while not one Democrat supported it. The public defeat raised new questions about the cohesiveness of the House Republican conference and the authority of interim Majority Leader Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).
Indeed, Blunt probably shouldn’t get too comfortable in that Majority Leader’s chair just yet. Tom DeLay’s legal difficulties will block his re-ascension for the foreseeable future, and the past several weeks have given Blunt an opportunity to show he’s a capable leader who can pass legislation. Instead, for the first time in 10 years, Republicans couldn’t even pass one of their own appropriations bills and the caucus is coming apart at the seams. When GOP lawmakers get together in January to consider a new leadership team, Blunt is going to have a difficult pitch to make to his colleagues.
The poor guy even tried all of his usual tricks — none of which worked this time.
About 30 minutes after the vote was called on the spending bill — twice as long as the vote was scheduled to last — acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) drew a finger across his throat, and the defeat was official.
Usually, they can hold these votes open indefinitely to get the results they want. Yesterday, even this stunt failed.
TNR’s Michael Crowley has a Republican contact who emailed him yesterday to say, “The new ‘leadership’ team is flailing. Moderates are talking of fielding a leadership candidate in January, the right wingers are about to drive the moderates out into the rice paddies, it’s absolute anarchy.”
The Republican majority hasn’t completely lost control — they did, after all, manage to pass a spending-cut bill early this morning — but on the whole, this is a caucus in which the fissures are getting worse, factions are stabbing each other in the back, and there is no leadership. It couldn’t have happened to a more appropriate group of people.