House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday that Democratic leadership is weighing action against two lawmakers who crossed party lines to help Republicans pass a procedural rule this week, a move he described as a significant breach requiring a serious response.
During an appearance on "The Don Lemon Show," Jeffries said the matter involving Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington has been referred to the House Democratic Caucus' Committee on Caucus Rules for possible disciplinary measures. "We indicated that it was a significant breach that requires a serious response," he said. "And we have referred the matter to the committee on caucus rules for further discussion and action."
The rule, H. Res. 1499, passed Tuesday by a vote of 210-208. It cleared the chamber with support from 207 Republicans, Golden, Gluesenkamp Perez, and one independent. Five Republicans opposed the measure, meaning it would have failed without the two Democratic votes. The rule authorized consideration of several GOP-backed measures, including a resolution condemning socialism and H.R. 9436, Golden's Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act.
Golden's office pushed back on criticism of the vote, saying his decision was driven by legislation important to Maine's lobster industry rather than an effort to aid Republicans politically. "The Congressman's vote on the rule was about advancing a critical bill for his district, the Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act," Communications Director Mario Moretto said. "And he's been clear about that in conversations with his colleagues in the House."
The lobster bill later passed the House 219-196. It would extend until 2035 a moratorium on certain new federal regulations intended to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Golden's office said the regulations could threaten Maine's lobster industry, while additional time would allow regulators to collect better data.
Golden celebrated the bill's passage in a statement Tuesday, emphasizing his willingness to work across party lines. "This bill is a big win not only for fishermen in Maine, but for bipartisanship in Congress," he said. "While the threat of unnecessary, industry-killing regulations is a matter of survival for lobster harvesters in Maine, the issues at play affect fishermen across the Northeast."
Gluesenkamp Perez also defended her decision in a statement following the vote, framing it around legislation affecting working waterfronts and arguing policymakers should listen to people whose livelihoods depend on natural resources. "Working people need a seat at the table and electeds need to listen to them, not data from the 1990s," she said.
Jeffries' threat came after Democratic leaders condemned Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez in a joint statement Tuesday, accusing the pair of blindsiding the caucus on a procedural vote that had been on the verge of failing. Jeffries, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California asked the caucus rules committee to take up the matter "in short order."