House Democrats are tired of the fact that nothing in the GOP-controlled Congress is being done through regular order—no open debate, no amendment process, and often times, their votes are inconsequential after Republicans rig the system on controversial bills like health care.
But on Monday Democrats had the opportunity to make a statement on two bills—one related to intelligence funding and the other to veterans' affairs—that Republicans were trying to rush through once again without debate or amendments by suspending House rules for an expedited vote. The catch is, the bills had to be approved by two-thirds of the House, which made Democrats relevant. It's a process typically used for measures that are deemed non-controversial, but Democrats opposed one on procedure grounds and the other on substance, handing GOP leaders an embarrassing defeat. Politico writes:
First, the House voted down the 2018 intelligence authorization bill, which sets policy for intelligence agencies and authorizes funding for classified programs.
Democrats opposed the bill after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi argued in a letter to her Caucus on Sunday that the expedited process was inappropriate given the ongoing investigation into Russian election meddling prompted by U.S. intelligence findings — and the failure to establish an independent commission to look into the matter.
From her letter:
Democratic Members have expressed interest in engaging in full debate on critical intelligence matters and offering amendments to this intelligence legislation. We are therefore asking Members to vote no on the bill when it comes up under suspension so that we can take it up under a rule.
Bottom line: Pelosi asked her caucus to stick together to sink a bill that wasn't necessarily controversial on the merits in order to send a message to GOP leadership and, guess what? Her caucus backed her.
Democrats also shot down a bill that would have funneled $2 billion to an emergency fund that subsidizes private medical costs for veterans seeking treatment outside the Veterans Affairs Department. The problem, they argued, was that the money would have been siphoned straight out of the VA's own budget.
Democrats cited opposition from a large group of veterans organizations that called on Congress to reject the bill because it pays for the program through cuts in the VA.
These may seem like small wins, but they are actual setbacks for a Republican majority that has had a lot of trouble finding its footing, even in vote counting among its own members.
The pair of setbacks also means Republicans will have to hurry to pass the bills. The House leaves for a month-long August recess at the end of this week.
More generally, time is of the essence right now for Republicans. Every day they fail to accomplish something edges them one day closer to 2018, when the barriers to making things happen will increase exponentially.