The House adopted a resolution Tuesday to denounce socialism in all its forms, with eight Democrats breaking from their party to vote with Republicans in a 220 to 192 to 2 vote. Two additional Democrats voted present.
According to CBS News, the Democrats who supported the resolution were Reps. Kathy Castor of Florida, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Jared Golden of Maine, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Darren Soto of Florida and Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico. Reps. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire voted present.
Republican leaders scheduled the vote after Democratic primary voters backed a number of democratic socialist candidates in recent months. Among those who won primaries were Darializa Avila Chevalier of New York and Melat Kiros of Colorado, both of whom defeated incumbent Democrats. A small number of sitting congressional Democrats identify as democratic socialists, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, connected the resolution to his party's push on voting regulations. "Not only do we denounce socialism, but also the idea of people that aren't American citizens voting in our elections, because that's part of their platform," Scalise said Tuesday of the Democratic Socialists of America. The resolution also reaffirms Republican support for the SAVE America Act, a voting regulations bill that remains stalled in the Senate, where it lacks even a simple majority.
The vote nearly failed before it reached final passage. A handful of Republican hardliners voted no on a procedural vote earlier Tuesday, putting the measure in jeopardy. Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez then crossed over to help the procedural vote succeed, drawing a sharp response from House Democratic leadership.
"The decision by two of our colleagues to blindside the entire House Democratic Caucus and join with the Republican majority to pass a procedural rule on the brink of failing represents a significant breach of trust. It is an action that necessitates a serious response, and we have asked the Committee on Caucus Rules to take this up in short order," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a joint statement with House Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar.
Prior to the vote, Rep. Aguilar noted that some Democrats had put forward a separate resolution condemning socialism that did not include the statement of support for the SAVE America Act.
