@cspanofficial: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) stayed mum when asked Thursday whether Democratic leadership was planning to punish Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) for breaking ranks and siding with Republicans on procedural votes. "We'll have more to say about the situation when we have more to say about the situation," he told reporters at a press conference. Reps. Gluesenkamp Perez and Jared Golden (D-ME) have crossed the aisle on two occasions in recent weeks to help Republicans on procedural votes to ensure legislation came to the floor for a vote. It's extremely rare for members of the minority party to help the majority on procedural votes. The first instance was a few weeks ago, when they voted for a rule to bring several measures to the floor, including a lobstermen bill they supported, but also GOP priorities like a resolution to condemn socialism and bills to roll back environmental protections and bar universities from participating in boycotts of Israel. The second time was on Tuesday, when the pair voted for a rule that teed up a vote on a Russia sanctions bill that Democratic leaders opposed over the new tariff authorities it gives President Trump. The measure ultimately passed with 58 Democrats supporting it, but it divided the party. The pair's moves infuriated Democratic leaders as well as many in the rank and file, some of whom want them to lose committee assignments or face other punitive measures. Rep. Golden is retiring, so he's less of a focus, but Democrats want to ensure party loyalty moving forward, particularly if they retake the majority in November. After the first instance, Rep. Jeffries said their actions warranted a "serious response," but two days later said he had met privately with Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez and that they were having a "forward-looking conversation." "We'll address the situation when we address the situation," Rep. Jeffries told reporters Thursday. "We're focused right now on taking back control of the House of Representatives. That's what the American people want to see: a dramatic change in this country, because they are drowning." #hakeem #jeffries #perez #cspan

C-SPAN

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Thursday 17 September 2026 20:10:06 GMT