House Democrats withdrew more than a dozen bills Monday, including one honoring police officers for defending the Capitol on Jan. 6 after conservative Republicans threatened to force independent votes on each proposal. .
All 13 bills had been scheduled for the suspension schedule, a routine procedure that allowed non-controversial bills to pass quickly on the floor of the house. Among them was a proposal, sponsored by Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi says the Capitol riots were one of the most difficult moments of her career, Hillary Clinton calls on women to “repair” the “damage” of COVID-19 to women’s rights. Republicans are forcing Democrats to withdraw the law in honor of Capitol MORE police (D-California), to award Congressional gold medals to Capitol Police and the DC Metropolitan Police for each department’s role in the Jan. 6 deadly Capitol attack.
However, conservatives at the Republican Party conference indicated they would require a roll-call vote for each bill (a lengthy process given the health issues surrounding the coronavirus pandemic) that would have kept lawmakers voting on the floor until almost Tuesday morning.
Instead of moving forward with this arduous program, Democratic leaders postponed apartment activity to the 13 suspension bills and will look for ways to speed them up at a later date.
“Republicans informed us that they planned to call a roll-call vote for all 13 bills, which, in this COVID environment, with each vote lasting 45 minutes, would mean approximately 10 hours of voting,” the office said. leader of the majority of the House Steny Hoyer
Steny Hamilton Hoyer: The Republican Stone Wall Forces Democrats to Remove Honor Law to Capitol Police Overnight Health Care: After a Brutal Year, Is the United States Coming Back to Normal? | CDC says vaccinated people are safe to gather inside Biden will deliver a keynote address on the anniversary of the pandemic’s closure: House vote on COVID-19 relief expected Wednesday MORE (D-Md.), Said in a statement announcing the schedule change.
“What a way to thank them,” the office added, referring to officers lined up to receive the medal.
It is unclear why Republicans tried to prolong the debate on the suspension bills, some of which were sponsored by Republican Party lawmakers and all of them enjoyed broad bipartisan support.
The office of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy: The Republican stone wall forces Democrats to withdraw the bill in honor of Capitol police. Trump intensifies battle with Republican leadership RNC fires at Trump and says he “has every right” to use his name on appeals to raise funds MORE (R-California) did not respond to a request for comment.
The Gold Medal of Congress, the country’s highest civilian honor, is usually reserved for individuals. But given the extraordinary nature of the January 6 attack on the Capitol — and the large number of police officers on hand that day — the House resolution would celebrate these officers collectively, with one medal going to the Capitol Police, another going to the DC Metropolitan Police, and a third going to the Smithsonian Institution. It has broad bipartisan support, with 300 sponsors.
Other bills adjourned Monday include proposals offering military veterans COVID-19 vaccines, encouraging loans to small businesses in rural areas, and expanding programs to combat child abuse.