This was one of a series of votes resulting from delaying procedural moves of the Republican minority. The Republicans forced these votes as a means of protesting the manner in which the Democratic majority was conducting the legislative process. The Republicans were particularly objecting to the limitation that the Democratic majority was placing on the number of amendments that could be offered to spending bills.

It is routine practice in the House, after any vote, for the Speaker to declare, “without objection, the motion to reconsider (the vote) is laid upon the table” (or killed). According to the House Floor Procedural Manual, if no objection is raised to killing the motion to reconsider the previous vote, this eliminates the possibility that another vote can take place on the same matter. The Manual also notes that objection to reconsider the previous vote is often raised, and a motion is made to reconsider the previous vote, “when Members (usually minority Members) determine there is a need to slow down the legislative process.” That is what occurred here.

The motion was defeated by a vote was 139-266. One hundred and thirty-four Republicans and five Democrats voted “aye”. Two hundred and sixty-six Democrats and thirty-two Republicans voted “nay”. As a formal result, the previous vote was not reconsidered. An indirect result was that the legislative process was delayed for a few minutes.