This was a vote generated by one of a series of delaying procedural moves of the Republican minority. These procedural moves were designed to protest 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.

The House had approved a motion to recommit H.R. 2847 to the Appropriations Committee, and to add certain neutral language, as a result of a previous procedural move by the Republicans. The bill was formally sent back to the committee and immediately brought back to the House floor with the neutral language added. The House then voted to approve the added language. It is common practice in the House, after any vote, for the Speaker to declare, “without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table”. According to the House Floor Procedural Manual: “If no objection is raised, this has the parliamentary effect of ending any possibility that another vote . . . can take place.” The Manual also notes that objection 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 of 149-267. One hundred and forty-three Republicans and six Democrats voted “aye”. Two hundred and forty Democrats and twenty-seven Republicans voted “nay”. As a result, the motion to reconsider the vote approving the addition of the neutral language to H.R. 2847 was defeated, and the language was added to the bill. An indirect result was that the legislative process was delayed for a few minutes.