The House on Wednesday passed a bill that would reopen shuttered federal agencies through the end of February, taking another stab after Republicans asked for a revote following apparent passage of the legislation last week.
The bill is part of House Democrats’ push to pass individual spending bills and stopgap legislation to try to split Republicans and force action in the Senate in the ongoing shutdown standoff.
The House passed the bill 229-184. Six Republicans voted yes, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, was the lone Democratic “no” vote.
Democrats declared the bill had passed by voice vote last week, but ultimately agreed to vote again after Republicans said they hadn’t been given enough time to request a recorded vote.
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer maintained Wednesday that Democrats acted appropriately, saying it took Republicans “about five minutes” before they realized they hadn’t made such a request.
“I jokingly, but I think correctly, observed that they’re not used to being in the minority,” said Mr. Hoyer, Maryland Democrat.
Requests for recorded votes typically happen almost immediately after the member presiding over the House simply declares that a bill has passed.
The bill was unlikely to go anywhere in the GOP-controlled Senate either way. But allowing the bill to pass by voice vote could have given the public appearance that House Republicans were publicly breaking with President Trump, since the package didn’t include additional money for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise said last week that he didn’t think Democrats were trying to pull a fast one, and that he and Mr. Hoyer ultimately struck a deal to take the vote again.
The House is also planning this week to pass a package of six full-year funding bills to reopen most of the shuttered federal agencies that House and Senate negotiators had been working on last year, plus another temporary extension of funding for the Department of Homeland Security funding through the end of February.
The Senate, meanwhile, is planning to hold two votes Thursday. One will be on Mr. Trump’s latest offer, which includes $5.7 billion for a border wall, plus temporary protections for illegal immigrant “Dreamers” and immigrants who have fled war-torn countries.
The second vote will be on a Democratic proposal to reopen the government for a few weeks that doesn’t include wall funding. It’s unclear whether either plan can attract the 60 votes necessary to break a possible filibuster.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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