The amendment from Representative Sean Patrick Maloney of NY, who is gay, passed late Wednesday with support from all 180 Democrats and 43 Republicans.
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Republicans zeroed in on the fact that Democrats voted against the bill by 6-175 even though they succeeded in attaching the LGBT amendment to it.
House Republicans had scrambled last week to defeat a Democratic proposal to protect federal workers from being fired on the basis of sexual discrimination or gender identity, but Democrats brought the proposal back late Wednesday night and the measure passed.
LGBT rights have sparked an intense political debate around the country and last week, exploded onto the House floor when Maloney tried to include his language about federal contractors in a military construction and veterans’ affairs bill.
“I thought the comments were wildly out of bounds and especially inappropriate given that this was supposed to be a prayer”, said Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa.
Some Republicans acknowledged Democrats didn’t do anything they wouldn’t have done.
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the outcome is the fault of Ryan’s own party: “House Republicans’ thirst to discriminate against the LGBT community is so strong that they are willing to vote down their own appropriations bill in order to prevent progress over bigotry”. “They were looking to sabotage the appropriations process”, Speaker Paul Ryan said in a press conference shortly after the vote.
According to the Post, Democrats are planning to weave these LGBT-rights skirmishes into a larger, Trump-themed narrative about the GOP as the party of intolerance. The amendment appeared to pass – then a bunch of Republicans switched their votes. “After all of the division last week, it’s refreshing to see so many friends, colleagues from both sides of the aisle support equality”, Maloney, who is gay, tweeted following the measure’s passage on Wednesday. “If you want an open process that means you have an obligation to be supportive of the final product”.
Ryan said he would talk with members about how best to move forward to maintain a functioning and workable appropriations process, calling the work far too important for dilatory tactics.
The 223-195 vote reversed last week’s defeat of the gay rights measure.
“It sounds like discrimination in the disguise of religious freedom”, said Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio.
“Unless the bill allows for discrimination we’re not going to vote for it?” That amendment was adopted but the South Carolina GOP delegation opposed it, citing federal government meddling. “History will not look kindly on the votes Republicans proudly took to target Americans because of whom they are or whom they love”. The group key voted against the measure Wednesday, warning that it would codify “President Obama’s radical transgender bathroom guidance”.
Still, the bill had been expected to pass until Republicans opposed it en masse over the LGBT language.
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A contentious Confederate flag amendment was the primary reason House Republicans stopped bringing up appropriations bills previous year, but that issue was laid to rest when it agreed last week to an amendment effectively lowering the “stars and bars” at federal cemeteries. “That said, we remain dedicated to working on this bill, and on all of our appropriations bills”.
