The House of Representatives narrowly defeated a resolution aimed at blocking further attacks on Venezuela after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., held the vote open for an extended period to secure a final tally against it.
Johnson's decision to keep the vote open for over 20 minutes drew jeers from Democrats and sparked criticism from Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., one of the measure's supporters. When Ryan called on House members to close the vote, his request was ignored, allowing another Republican, Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, who had been campaigning for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, to cast the decisive "no" vote against the resolution.
The prolonged vote came as Democrats were united behind the measure and had initially appeared poised for success. However, the lack of a quorum due to some Republicans opposing participation led to the tied 215-215 result under House rules, effectively defeating the resolution.
This development occurred after President Donald Trump's strong response to Republican defections during a vote in the Senate two weeks prior, when he bullied two GOP senators into changing their votes and ultimately doomed the measure. The outcome highlights Johnson's ability to resist pressure from his own party members as well as Trump.
In contrast, five Republicans had initially cast votes in support of advancing a similar war powers resolution earlier that week. Nevertheless, this does not appear to have influenced Johnson's decision regarding this particular resolution, and instead highlights the difficulties faced by the House Speaker in securing unanimous Republican support on key legislation.
Johnson's decision to keep the vote open for over 20 minutes drew jeers from Democrats and sparked criticism from Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., one of the measure's supporters. When Ryan called on House members to close the vote, his request was ignored, allowing another Republican, Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, who had been campaigning for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, to cast the decisive "no" vote against the resolution.
The prolonged vote came as Democrats were united behind the measure and had initially appeared poised for success. However, the lack of a quorum due to some Republicans opposing participation led to the tied 215-215 result under House rules, effectively defeating the resolution.
This development occurred after President Donald Trump's strong response to Republican defections during a vote in the Senate two weeks prior, when he bullied two GOP senators into changing their votes and ultimately doomed the measure. The outcome highlights Johnson's ability to resist pressure from his own party members as well as Trump.
In contrast, five Republicans had initially cast votes in support of advancing a similar war powers resolution earlier that week. Nevertheless, this does not appear to have influenced Johnson's decision regarding this particular resolution, and instead highlights the difficulties faced by the House Speaker in securing unanimous Republican support on key legislation.
it's so frustrating when ppl use politics as a way to manipulate others... i mean i get that it's all part of the game but can't we just work together as humans? 
anyway back to this resolution in venezuela - it's kinda mindblowing how one person can single-handedly block an important vote 
and now they're being called out for it 
I gotta say, Mike Johnson is a total boss man 
. He held that vote open for like 20 minutes and still managed to get it passed with 215-215 votes. It's crazy how some people can't even follow basic rules 
. Democrats are all up in arms about the fact that he kept the vote going, but honestly, I think it was a genius move by Johnson. He's clearly got things under control and isn't afraid to make tough decisions 
The 215-215 result is CRAZY! It's like they say, "narrow margin" doesn't even cover it 
. Did you see that Rep. Pat Ryan getting ignored on the floor? That's some weird stuff right there 
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. feels like republicans are all over the place rn... some support a measure, others dont 
. It's like he knew some reps would be down for it and held out for those who wanted to change their votes. The fact that he could keep the vote open for so long, especially when the other side was united, says a lot about his negotiating skills... or lack thereof 
. I'm not saying he's being bad, but as a representative of his party, shouldn't he be putting the needs of the majority above all else? Still, kudos to him for getting that one rep (Wesley Hunt) on board with his "no" vote 
. It just goes to show how complex politics can get and how far a leader will go to achieve their goals 
also, it's funny how some reps were all for war powers resolution one week but not the other. seems like party politics are more complicated than we thought 
. I'm still in awe that this measure didn't pass despite all those Republicans initially voting for it... what's going on with our politics lately?! 
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i mean i get it he's trying to secure a final tally but come on, that's just rude 
It's like, what even is the point of having a quorum if you're just gonna let people walk out when it gets tough? 
. Anyway, this whole thing just goes to show how hard it is for the House Speaker to keep his party in line... 
It's like, what even is the point of having representatives if they're just gonna make it up as they go along? 
what is going on with Mike Johnson rn?! keeping the vote open for 20+ mins just to secure that one "no" vote is straight up shady 
. Democrats were united and thought they had this one in the bag, but nope! 
and it's all because of those GOP senators who couldn't even get their acts together 
. Can't we just have a simple majority vote around here? 