Chaos erupts on House floor as Democrat moves to condemn fellow party member

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) shocked and dismayed colleagues Wednesday with a rogue effort to condemn retiring Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) for effectively ensuring his chief of staff would succeed him in Congress.Why it matters: It was a rare moment of public infighting that resulted in a heated exchange between Gluesenkamp Perez and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.).Gluesenkamp Perez's move came just ahead of a vote to reopen the government that Democrats are largely unified in opposing. "Everybody has been trying to say to her, 'Why today?' We have really focused, important work to do today,'" one House Democrat who was on the floor at the time told Axios.Clark, the lawmaker explained, "was trying to ... say [to Gluesenkamp Perez], 'You don't need to do this right now.'"Driving the news: During debate on the stopgap spending bill to reopen the government, Gluesenkamp Perez motioned to force a vote on a resolution disapproving of García's actions.García, who had been expected to run for reelection, unexpectedly announced just before Illinois' filing deadline last week that he would instead retire.García's chief of staff Patty Garcia was the only other person who had gathered enough signatures to run, leaving her as the only candidate in the Democratic primary in a heavily Democratic district.What they're saying: García's "stated reasons for retirement are honorable, but his decision to anoint an heir is fundamentally undemocratic," Gluesenkamp Perez said in a statement provided to Axios.She added: "This is the kind of thing that makes folks tune out of electoral politics ... If we fail to hold our colleagues accountable for this subversion of elections, we own the consequences."Her resolution, which now needs to be voted on by next Tuesday unless she withdraws it, calls García's actions "beneath the dignity of his office and incompatible with the spirit of the Constitution."The other side: "It should obviously be the jurisdiction of the election officials in Chicago and Illinois," Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), who was on the floor at the time, told Axios."It didn't make sense," Garcia added. "It's very disappointing. It's very unusual."García's office did not respond to a request for comment. He told Axios in an interview last week he had planned to run for reelection before being beseeched by his doctor and wife at the last minute to drop out for health reasons.Between the lines: Gluesenkamp Perez, who represents one of the most Republican-leaning districts of any House Democrat, is a centrist who is known to break with her party frequently.She has not said how she plans to vote on reopening the government, and is seen as one of the most likely potential defectors on the Democratic side.

Comments

World news

USask Huskies capture Mitchell Bowl at home, advance to 2025 Vanier Cup

Global News

Marjorie Taylor Greene casts doubt on Trump‘s MAGA credentials and suggests he is being pressured to cover up Epstein files

about 20 hours ago

Independent

Marjorie Taylor Greene tells Trump to ‘refocus’ on MAGA and tamp down divisive rhetoric as feud over Epstein files intensifies: Live

about 20 hours ago

Group of five in early twenties die in Co Louth car crash ‘while heading to a party’

Metro

Comments

Similar News

‘Prolific’ sex offender Chao Xu jailed for life

Paris shooting LIVE: Montparnasse station chaos as man 'shot by police'

House members find creative ways to beat travel chaos to reach DC in time for shutdown vote

Republicans fret as shutdown threatens Thanksgiving travel chaos

Female TikTok star is kidnapped and publicly executed by al-Qaeda jihadists in Mali as yet another African nation descends into chaos

US flights cancelled in their hundreds sparking travel chaos as passengers stranded

What airports are being hit by FAA cutbacks? How can I navigate the chaos?

Trump’s latest move will cause chaos for air travellers – and backlash against Republicans

German autobahn chaos as couple 'having sex at 90mph' nearly cause pile-up

Scarborough fireworks chaos leaves children 'seriously injured' as police shut down event

US airspace 'could shut down in days' and trigger worldwide travel chaos

Sean Duffy warns he might be forced to close parts of US airspace next week if shutdown continues: ‘You will see mass chaos’

Documents reveal chaos and confusion behind government shutdown layoffs

Chaos at the FDA leaves staffers disturbed, ready to leave

Pet monkey in diaper sparks chaos in Texas Halloween shop

Chaos at Orlando International Airport as lack of air traffic controllers causing mass delays

‘They killed civilians in their beds’: chaos and brutality reign after fall of El Fasher

Humanity is on path toward 'climate chaos,' scientists warn

DHS is using old videos of chaos and protest to push the Trump-Noem takeover of cities like Chicago: report

Trump and Xi talks could end months of global economic chaos

World news

USask Huskies capture Mitchell Bowl at home, advance to 2025 Vanier Cup

Danko Jones on new album ‘Leo Rising’ and what it takes to grind it out on the road

Call of the Wilde: Montréal Canadiens fall to the Boston Bruins

La Nina weather system could bring more deadly storms to Southeast Asia, scientists warn

Hunt for gunman after boy, 10, and 21-year-old woman killed and three others injured in mass shooting in Newark

Marjorie Taylor Greene casts doubt on Trump‘s MAGA credentials and suggests he is being pressured to cover up Epstein files

Marjorie Taylor Greene tells Trump to ‘refocus’ on MAGA and tamp down divisive rhetoric as feud over Epstein files intensifies: Live

Group of five in early twenties die in Co Louth car crash ‘while heading to a party’

The militias battling to form a breakaway coastal state in the Middle East

Christmas is cancelled as shoppers cut back on festive supermarket baskets

Trump wants to crush the BBC. Time for Labour to take a stand

Nearly 70 schools to close in Australia over fears of asbestos in play sand

'Deep sadness' as extensive search off Ireland's coast for missing Royal Navy crew member ends

Arrest over deadly car blast in New Delhi

The cities Trump is targeting with ICE crackdowns next

Trump's $2,000 tariff checks requires legislation, Bessent says

Tragic update in hunt for missing UK Navy crew member after distress call

Five week old baby drowned in bath 'after argument between mum and dad'

B.C. Premier David Eby survives leadership review as NDP delegates signal support

'Fury from Alberta and Saskatchewan': Western patience wearing thin over lack of Alberta pipeline plan

10 necessities for fighting the cold and flu

Bruins hand slumping Canadiens third straight loss

Gun theft lead to shelter-in-place order in Alta.

Vilardi nets shootout winner, Jets down Flames

Forsberg shuts down Senators in return to Ottawa

A rare nugget of bipartisanship: How data farms’ water-gobbling and rate hikes have communities fighting back

How Budget could hit you if you earn over £50k – and what you can do about it

Lorde live in Manchester was a confirmation of her status as a pop star

Cold snap to bring -7°C temperatures and possibly snow as health alerts issued

Iran says it's no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country

Behind the Curtain: MAGA's metastasizing mess

Twilight of the star CEO

Ontario town ends boat rescue service sparking concern among water safety advocates

Naturalized citizens gripped by fear as Trump’s immigration policy shifts

Five people dead after crash on ‘very dangerous’ road

At least 13 injured in ‘freak accident’ as demolition derby car crashes into crowd

Sending licence fee money to Mar-a-Lago not ‘smart’, shadow minister suggests after Trump threatened to sue BBC

Hundreds of thousands rally in Manila against flood-control corruption scandal

Commentary: Front-runner or flash in the pan? Sizing up Newsom, 2028

Noughties diet culture destroyed our girls. I can’t believe it’s back

The cars still available on the Motability scheme if luxury models are cut

Everything we know about the Home Office’s radical asylum overhaul

Is AI being shoved down your throat at work? Here’s how to fight back.

Why are there so many billionaires nowadays?

Five young adults dead after car crash

Photos of the treasures in Rome's exclusive Colonna Palace

Zelenskyy says Ukraine is working on a prisoner exchange with Russia

Foreign minister says Iran is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country

Co Louth crash: Three men and two women killed in horror car accident

Tragic twist of Disney fan who died in front of resort staff as hidden details emerge

YouTuber Jack Doherty arrested in Miami on drug possession charges

China Escalates Japan Feud With Island Patrols and Warnings to Citizens

'Dear Canada, we miss you': What these U.S. cities and states are doing to woo Canadians back

Despite Trump's cane sugar activism, Canadian Coke drinkers should get used to high-fructose corn syrup

Two-year-old boy dies after falling from 20th-floor apartment window in New Jersey

Border Patrol agents question Christmas light workers as crackdown escalates

Trump turns on Marjorie Taylor Greene in explosive feud that could shatter MAGA movement