“That is an intentional choice Republicans have made, because unfortunately, in their view, bipartisanship is no longer something to be applauded,” said. Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse.
The latest example of the legislative breakdown is a national security supplemental that would provide aid to foreign partners in Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific.
Senators worked across the aisle for months to craft the aid package and passed it before the current recess on a strong bipartisan vote.
But House leaders chose to break for recess a day early, without bringing that bill to the floor or offering an alternative.
Democratic Rep. Jason Crow said if a vote had been held on the military aid package, “it would pass overwhelmingly.” It’s something that even Republicans who oppose additional Ukraine aid admit would happen.
“The problem is that Speaker (Mike) Johnson will not put that vote to the floor because his extreme members are preventing him from doing so. You have a couple of dozen people that are holding everyone else hostage,” Crow said.
After last week’s special election in New York, Republicans are down to just a two-vote majority in the House. That razor-thin majority, plus the rules House leaders are operating under, give individual caucus members power to punish their leader for any move they disagree with.
Outside experts also see the fractures in the Republican party, particularly in the House, as the main culprit holding up work for the entire Congress.
“You have two wings of the party which can’t agree on some very, very basic things. And when you have that you don’t really have a functional majority,” explained Joshua Huder, a senior fellow with the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University.
To keep the gavel, Speaker Johnson has been trying to avoid the kind of revolt that ousted his predecessor last year.
“You could put Henry Clay in the speakership right now to lead Republicans and he would fail,” Hurder said of the American politician whose nickname was the Great Compromiser. “The Republican Party right now is functionally broken in the House.”
Colorado freshman Rep. Yadira Caraveo said serving in Congress is a marked contrast from her experience in the state House.
“We’re going home early when there is a whole slate of things to do,” the Democrat said, “because the party in the majority just can’t seem to get themselves together.”
It’s not surprising to hear Democrats complain about the Republican majority. But the criticism is also coming from the other side of the aisle. Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy vented his frustration on the House floor last November.
“One thing. I want my Republican colleagues to give me one thing. One. That I can go campaign on say we did. One,” he yelled to a nearly empty chamber. “Anybody sitting in the complex, if you want to come down to the floor and explain to me one material, meaningful, significant thing the Republican majority has done besides, ‘well, I guess it’s not as bad as the Democrats.’”
The level of frustration from rank-and-file members about the lack of direction from their leadership and all that has not happened is palpable.
When asked if Republican leadership was flying by the seat of their pants, Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds replied bluntly, “Oh no, we ain’t flying right now. We, like, crashed.”
The dysfunction is also pushing some lawmakers to the exits. Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck is retiring after the end of this year. He admits this…
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