House Democrats Flub Two Big Votes After Winning Election

After sweeping to election victories on the promise of fixing Washington, Democrats managed to flub two of their first votes in the House since returning to Capitol Hill, notably the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The stumbles sparked anger among Democrats, with some suggesting the party might not be ready to govern from the majority. But few were willing to point fingers at leaders who are set to run Congress next year.

“Whatever happened is unacceptable,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) told The Washington Sun when asked Wednesday whether Democrats could have prevailed in the Hegseth vote.

Another House Democrat granted anonymity to speak candidly simply said Democrats need to “get our fucking shit together.”

The other error came on Wednesday when Democrats failed to demand a roll call vote on a veterans’ bill that California Rep. Mark Takano, the top Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee, said would slash veterans’ benefits.

In that case, Democrats said leadership didn’t fail — it was a Republican ruse.

“It was a dirty, rotten thing to do,” Rep. Rebecca Balint (D-Vermont) said. “Republicans approached our Democrat staffers on the floor and said we have technical changes to the bill.”

Balint said when Takano stepped away to review the changes, Republicans called the vote.

“They did it that way because they knew they could not defend it. That tells you everything,” Takano said in a statement.

A Republican source who has directed such floor activities, however, said it’s the minority’s responsibility to not let such maneuvering happen.

“It is a fuckup by the minority leadership, plain and simple. Can’t point the finger at anyone but yourself,” the source said.

The veterans bill is not likely to pass the Senate. The Hegseth vote, though, could have led to a trial to remove a Cabinet secretary who Democrats revile.

While the lost opportunity inspired plenty of anger, Democrats were not willing to trash the leaders who will be in charge of shepherding them through what will likely be two consequential years of battling the White House.

They pointed in other directions. Several of the Democrats who missed the Hegseth vote blamed police escorts and “a traffic incident” for preventing them from reaching the floor. The office of Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada said he had a personal emergency. Rep. Lou Correa of California was back home preparing for surgery. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi was in San Francisco for a Veterans Day event.

Some of the harshest criticism on Tuesday came from Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California, who told reporters that members knew the vote was coming, “so people should have gotten their raggedy selves up these steps to vote.”

On Wednesday, Kamlager-Dove simply blamed Republicans.

Minority Whip Katherine Clark, whose office is in charge of vote-counting, did not respond to questions on leadership’s role. But she told her caucus in a closed-door meeting Wednesday that Democrats had “disappointed the American people,” according to a source familiar with the matter.

Lower-ranking members of Democratic leadership declined to blame the missing members or discuss whether it could have been prevented.

“I’m not going to opine on the particular members. I don’t know the circumstances with respect to those individuals,” said Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado, who serves as assistant Democratic leader.

Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Ted Lieu of California said he wasn’t “sure what happened.”

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ office did not immediately respond to questions about the snafu.

At least publicly, rank-and-file members declined to blame party leaders who did not corral members for something as consequential as removing the defense secretary.

Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson said individual members are responsible for being on time.

“Everybody’s an adult, and they’ll have to explain back to their respective districts why they missed the vote,” Thompson said.

Even Rep.-elect Darializa Avila Chevalier of New York, one of several incoming democratic socialist members who have declined to support Jeffries for speaker, blamed “structural elements” when asked if leaders were at fault.

“It’s not about an individual. It’s about a system that has not worked for the American people,” Avila Chevalier told The Sun.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland said the incident “will be a very important lesson for the extraordinary incoming new class.”

“There are a million events going on on the Hill and around Washington, but go to those events after you vote, not before you vote,” Raskin said

Jeffries told reporters Tuesday night that Democrats may target Hegseth again with their new House and Senate majorities. “This is not the end of it. It’s just the beginning,” he said.

Others shrugged it off as the kind of thing that just happens.

“I’ll take their word for it,” said Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. “Traffic can be bad. I’ve been caught in it.”

Republicans on the other hand seized on Tuesday night’s vote as a sign of things to come. “More of that’'s going to happen probably,” said Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho.