House Republicans on Thursday fell short, 212-216, on an attempt to begin floor consideration on the fiscal 2024 Defense appropriations bill for the third time in recent days as a handful of lawmakers split from their party, collapsing the GOP’s razor thin margin as Democrats remained united against the legislation.
Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Eli Crane of Arizona, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Matt Rosendale of Montana were the five GOP no votes. Rules Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., also changed his vote to a “no,” though that’s a procedural move to allow the chamber to try again in short order. Cole quickly offered a motion to reconsider the vote, and then the chamber went into recess subject to the call of the chair.
Cries of “Regular order!” could be heard in the House chamber as the vote came to a close.
Republican leadership will now need to continue negotiating with the holdouts to prepare for a fourth attempt at getting the bill to the floor — a matter that is complicated by a rotating cast of lawmakers who oppose the $826.4 billion Pentagon spending bill.
On Tuesday, five GOP lawmakers joined with Democrats to tank consideration of the bill on a 212-214 vote. Last week, leadership had to hastily pull the rule from the floor schedule amid ongoing conservative opposition to issues unrelated to military funding.
Two Republicans who voted against the Defense spending bill rule earlier in the week — Ken Buck of Colorado and Ralph Norman of South Carolina — signaled their intent to change their votes and ultimately backed the rule on Thursday. But Greene and Crane flipped their positions the other way, voting against the rule Thursday after backing it on Tuesday.
Democrats, on the other hand, oppose the measure over the inclusion of policy riders that would restrict the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy, limit health care access for transgender troops and end various diversity initiatives at the Defense Department.
The provisions virtually guaranteed that most, if not all, Democrats would oppose the bill, and are the same provisions that turned all but four House Democrats against the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act in July.
If and when the rule governing floor debate for the bill is adopted, the House is expected to debate 184 amendments submitted for consideration alongside the legislation.
Cole said during a Rules Committee hearing Wednesday that members could expect to be in session through Saturday.
Peter Cohn contributed to this report.
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