On Wednesday night, House Republicans failed to passa continuing resolution to keep the government funded beyond Sept. 30, as 48 Republicans cut ranks with their leadership and voted against the measure (as did all but six Democrats, who object to the bill’s level of disaster aid and cuts to a clean vehicle manufacturing program). House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) was reportedly incensed at the members who abandoned him on the vote, deriding them as “know-it-alls who have all the right answers.”
But early this morning, the House was able to pass a CR, after Boehner and the Republican leadership added a $100 million cut to a Department of Energy clean-energy loan program. Other than that cut, the bill was exactly the same as the one the House defeated on Wednesday. But the additional cut was enough to entice 23 Republican members into flipping their votes. They were:
But early this morning, the House was able to pass a CR, after Boehner and the Republican leadership added a $100 million cut to a Department of Energy clean-energy loan program. Other than that cut, the bill was exactly the same as the one the House defeated on Wednesday. But the additional cut was enough to entice 23 Republican members into flipping their votes. They were:
| Rep. Lou Barletta (PA) | Rep. Larry Buschon (IN) | Rep. Michael Burgess (TX) |
| Rep. Dan Burton (IN) | Rep. John Campbell (CA) | Rep. Francisco Canseco (TX) |
| Rep. Jason Chaffetz (UT) | Rep. John Duncan (TN) | Rep. Stephen Lee Fincher (TN) |
| Rep. John Fleming (LA) | Rep. Trey Gowdy (SC) | Rep. Tim Johnson (IL) |
| Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO) | Rep. Jeff Landry (LA) | Rep. Kenny Marchant (TX) |
| Rep. Jeff Miller (FL) | Rep. Randy Neugebauer (TX) | Rep. Bill Posey (FL) |
| Rep. Dana Rohrbacher (CA) | Rep. Dennis Ross (FL) | Rep. Ed Royce (CA) |
| Rep. Michael Turner (OH) | Rep. Tim Walberg (MI) |
Wednesday’s roll call vote is here and today’s is here. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) did not vote Wednesday night but voted for the CR today. Six of the flippers are members of theofficial Tea Party caucus.
Not only did these Republicans switch their vote due to the addition of a single $100 million spending cut to a $1 trillion bill, but the cut is to a program that, until recently, Republicans supported. The motivation for including the cut is that it’s from the program that funded the tech company Solyndra, the right’s favorite punching bag at the moment.
The Senate has already approved a continuing resolution that funds disaster aid at a higher level than the House and doesn’t cut vehicle manufacturing. But instead of attempting to forge a compromise, Boehner and the House GOP decided to buy 23 votes via a single spending cut.
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