House

The Republicans who nearly derailed the THUD bill

by Cristina Marcos - 06/10/15 12:26 AM ET

A diverse coalition of hard-line conservatives and centrist Republicans came together late Tuesday night to nearly deprive the annual 2016 spending bill for transportation and housing programs of the votes to pass.

The measure came close to failing on the House floor in a razor-thin 216-210 vote that could have delivered a blow to GOP leaders.

The $55.3 billion measure contains cuts to Amtrak as well as the D.C. Metro system that many centrists opposed. Rep. Bold Dold (R-Ill.), a top Democratic target who represents suburbs outside Chicago, tried and failed to increase funding for Amtrak. He ultimately voted against the bill.

{mosads}Similarly, Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), who represents a northern Virginia district near Washington, D.C., cosponsored an amendment to restore funds for the capital’s subway system. That amendment was ultimately struck down on a point of order because it lacked offsets. Like Dold, Comstock voted against the underlying legislation.

Heritage Action, an influential conservative group, issued a key vote this week against the bill, arguing it contained too much funding for infrastucture projects. Many of the House’s staunchest conservative lawmakers joined the centrists in opposing the bill, including Reps. Mo Brooks (Ala.), Ken Buck (Colo.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Jody Hice (Ga.), Tim Huelskamp (Kan.), Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Mark Sanford (S.C.).

Just three Democrats, all of whom are centrists, voted for the bill: Reps. Brad Ashford (Neb.), Henry Cuellar (Texas) and Gwen Graham (Fla.).

Below is a list of the 31 Republicans who voted against the legislation:

1. Justin Amash (Mich.)

2. Mo Brooks (Ala.)

3. Ken Buck (Colo.)

4. Buddy Carter (Ga.)

5. Barbara Comstock (Va.)

6. Ryan Costello (Pa.)

7. Bob Dold (Ill.)

8. Dan Donovan (N.Y.)

9. Michael Fitzpatrick (Pa.)

10. Trent Franks (Ariz.)