As the government shutdown looms on the horizon, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday night to pass a stopgap funding bill to provide relief for the government. The bill passed by a small margin of 217 to 185, with 21 Republican House members voting ‘no.’
The stopgap funding bill, introduced by Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, was designed to give agency directors more time to negotiate a longer-term budget agreement. It included funds for the Department of Homeland Security, which was facing a major funding crisis due to the expiration of the 2019 fiscal year. It also provided for the President’s emergency border funding request of over $5 billion.
Despite the emergency nature of the vote, 21 Republicans still voted ‘no.’ With their decision, they became dissenters against key party leadership and put their vote on the record for all to see.
The Republicans who voted ‘no’ included Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina. Together, they represent a range of views…. Justin Amash is a member of the House Freedom Caucus and an outspoken critic of President Trump, while Mo Brooks is an outspoken conservative who believes in limited government spending.
Other Republicans who voted ‘no’ included Rep. Dave Brat of Virginia, Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio, Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama, Rep. Raúl R. Labrador of Idaho, Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas, Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico and Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida among others.
Republicans who opposed the stopgap funding bill cited spending concerns, constitutional grounds and reinforcement of deportation policies that they called “inhumane.” With the party divided on this issue, the bill passed, but the votes of the 21 dissenters exposed the internal party division and showed that the Republican party is not uniform in its views.
No matter what their reasons for voting against the bill were, these 21 Republican House members openly put their opinion on the record and it will be interesting to see what the repercussions of that decision are. As the countdown until the government shutdown continues, the vote will surely be remembered and discussed in the months and years to come.