The passage of a veterans bill on the House floor sparked controversy on Wednesday after Democrats failed to request a recorded vote, allowing Republicans to advance the bill without opposition.
It’s the second bill in as many days that disorganization from Democrats led to an undesired outcome for the party. On Tuesday, 11 members missed a vote on impeachment articles for War Secretary Pete Hegseth. Many of the members who missed the vote were down the street at a political event.
The bill, called the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, has long been opposed by Democratic leadership, who say a provision in the legislation that would reduce benefits for certain disability claims such as tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea to expand benefits for other claims would set a dangerous precedent.
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) accused Republicans of playing “dirty pool” on the House floor, claiming Republicans passed the legislation as discussions occurred among floor staff over proposed changes.
Clark told the Washington Examiner that Democratic committee staff is still reviewing the proposed changes.
“Obviously, we did not agree to them, so we will see what happens if they decide to send the bill to the Senate,” Clark said.
If Democrats agree to the changes, there will be another voice vote to amend the text. However, if they do not, Republicans could send the legislation to the Senate as is.
Republicans, meanwhile, say Democrats made an error on the floor and did not have someone at the podium to request a roll-call vote when it was offered, allowing the legislation to pass by voice vote.
Several members emerged from the House chamber confused over the snafu, saying they were unsure what happened. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) told the Washington Examiner that, from his understanding, Democrats “air-balled” the vote and “messed up.”
Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), meanwhile, said the passage without a recorded vote “should not have happened.”
“I mean, that’s pretty clear,” Crow said. “We wanted to force a roll-call vote. I don’t know why it happened.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) pinned the blame for confusion over the bill’s passing at Democrats, saying the bill passed and if a “few of them want to go voice their objections, they can go and make it clear on the House floor why they’re against our veterans on Veterans Day.”
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“But I was proud to support it,” Scalise told reporters.
The House is expected to vote Thursday on a second veterans bill, which does not include the controversial provision opposed by Democrats, that was brought to the floor by a discharge petition called the Major Richard Star Act. That bill would increase retirement payouts for roughly 50,000 combat-injured veterans.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
