The House of Representatives narrowly defeated a resolution aimed at blocking further attacks on Venezuela after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., held the poll open for a lengthy period to secure a final vote against it.
The House voted 215–215 on the measure. Under House rules, a tied vote is a defeat.
Johnson’s decision to keep the vote open for more than 20 minutes drew jeers from Democrats and an angry response from Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., one of the measure’s supporters.
“Close the vote! Come on! Seriously!” Ryan said. “Come on! This is serious! This is serious shit! Close the vote!”
Ryan’s request was ignored and the vote was held open until Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, who had been campaigning for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, arrived in the chamber to cast the decisive vote against the measure.
The slow-moving vote in the House had threatened to spoil a signature achievement for Johnson, who minutes earlier had secured passage of an appropriations package that would prevent another government shutdown.
Democrats were unanimous in support, and a pair of Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Don Bacon, R-Neb., crossed the aisle to vote with them.
For a time, it appeared that supporters of the resolution might secure its passage, thanks to the absence of Hunt and other Republicans.
That would have marked a significant defeat for Johnson in light of President Donald Trump’s furious response to Republican defections during a vote two weeks ago in the Senate.
Five Republicans had cast ayes in a procedural vote to advance a war powers resolution similar to the one considered by the House on Thursday. Trump’s bullying response convinced two GOP senators to flip their votes a week later and doom the measure there.
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