Jeffries blindsided after Dems help force vote denouncing socialism
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was caught off guard when two of his caucus members, Representatives Marie Glusenkamp Perez and Jared golden, joined Republicans in voting to bring a resolution denouncing socialism to the floor. The vote ended narrowly at 210-208,with the defectors’ support preventing the resolution from passing. Jeffries expressed that he was not informed beforehand about the move, a sentiment echoed by critics who pointed out his lack of leadership. The vote took place shortly after the House passed a funding measure to keep the government open through mid-December, amid resistance from conservative Republicans concerned about certain provisions and Democratic support. The incident highlights internal divisions within the Democratic caucus and the fragile balance of power in the House. Additionally, the package included legislation like the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act, which aims to extend federal regulation deadlines on lobster and crab fishing. Rep. Glusenkamp Perez emphasized the importance of including working peopel in environmental discussions, citing her personal experience with fishing and advocating for the voices of communities dependent on these industries.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was blindsided on Tuesday when two members of his caucus voted with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to put a resolution denouncing socialism on the floor for a full vote.
In a 210-208 vote, Reps. Marie Glusenkemp Perez (D-WA) and Jared Golden (D-ME) voted with 207 House Republicans and independent Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA) to bring several pieces of legislation to the floor, including a resolution condemning and denouncing socialism. The defection of GlusenKemp Perez and Golden, two centrist Democrats, was sufficient to prevent a tie, which is the same as a vote failing under House rules.
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Jeffries told reporters that he wasn’t informed of the decision ahead of time.
“I didn’t get a heads up. You’ll have to talk to Katherine,” Jeffries said, referring to House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA).
In an X post, socialist influencer Emma Vigeland called out Jeffries for being “left in the dark” about the vote.
“Pitiful. [Nancy] Pelosi was no leftist, but she could whip her caucus. She would never have been left in the dark like this,” Vigeland wrote. “Jeffries is bad at the basics of his job, and passing the buck onto Katherine Clark is poor leadership. NFL quarterbacks talk like this before they’re benched.”
The vote occurred shortly after the House, along bipartisan lines, passed a funding measure keeping the government open through mid-December. Conservative hardliners, upset with provisions within the funding bill and the fact that Johnson was relying on Democratic support, pledged to tank other measures from coming to the floor in retribution.
The gambit almost succeeded as five House Republicans voted against bringing the socialism resolution to the floor. Given the narrow GOP majority and lawmaker absences, Johnson could not afford to lose more than two Republicans.
Also included in the package of measures to be voted on by the full House was the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act of 2026. The bill extends the deadlines for the federal government to issue new regulations on lobster and crab fishing. Golden, who is retiring this year from a battleground House seat, is the prime Democratic co-sponsor on the bill.
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In a statement, Gluesenkamp Perez shared a story about her son having “pulled his first fish out of the Columbia River on Sunday night,” and that the “DC bubble” doesn’t get “working waterfronts require working people.”
“Nature is not a terrarium–and you don’t get effective environmentalism without the input of people who make their livelihoods and heritage on the water-whether we’re talking about lobsters or sea lions–working people need a seat at the table and electeds need to listen to them, not data from the 1990s,” Gluesenkamp Perez wrote.
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