Democrats weigh consequences for rogue members who rescued GOP agenda

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Rep. Burgess Owens is opening the door for a pair of rogue House Democrats to join the Republican Party after the duo faces internal backlash from party leaders.

Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Glusenkamp Perez of Washington surprised members of both parties when they voted in favor of the rule, a procedural motion that sets the parameters for debate and passage for legislation that is brought to the floor. The measure, which typically falls along party lines, was on track to fail due to a handful of Republican holdouts.

However, Golden and Glusenkamp Perez voted in favor of the rule, giving it enough support to move forward. Had it failed, the lineup of bills scheduled for this week would not have been able to move forward — including a bill led by Golden.

Top Democrats are now weighing possible consequences for the pair, although it's not clear what that may entail.

Owens, a former Democrat before switching to the Republican Party more than 40 years ago, said the pair should ditch their party over the potential punishment. He also extended that invite to Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat, who has faced backlash in the Senate for repeatedly breaking with his party.

"This institution is supposed to run on members doing what is right for the constituents in their districts," Owens said in a social media post. "The left is controlled by a few radicals who will never tolerate anyone stepping out of line or breaking with the talking points. Here's my open invitation … (to) come on over to our side of the aisle; the seats are just as comfortable."

"They couldn't possibly think I would vote against my own bill," Golden said after the vote.

Minority Leader Jeffries blindsided

The pair did not notify Democratic leadership ahead of the vote, according to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — prompting him to instruct the Committee on Caucus Rules to consider possible consequences.

"The decision by two of our colleagues to blindside the entire House Democratic Caucus and join with the Republican majority to pass a procedural rule on the brink of failing represents a significant breach of trust," Jeffries said in a joint statement with Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar. "It is an action that necessitates a serious response, and we have asked the Committee on Caucus Rules to take this up in short order."

The committee met in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday morning, although it's not clear how much the situation was discussed. The meeting was scheduled before Golden and Glusenkam Perez sided with Republicans on Tuesday.

Both Democrats, who represent competitive districts in the midterm elections, signaled they were not concerned about possible consequences. Instead, the pair said they were doing what was in the best interest of their districts.

However, leadership argued that typical practice for rule votes is to vote along party lines regardless of the underlying bills. Breaking from that tradition is rare, although it's become more common in recent days as Republicans have used the procedure to rebel against leadership.

"It's long understood what the dynamics are related to procedural votes connected to a rule," Jeffries said on Wednesday.

Related topics