<p class="wp-block-paragraph">House Minority Leader <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/hakeem-jeffries/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hakeem Jeffries</a> (D-NY) was surprised on Tuesday when two members of his caucus voted with House Speaker <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/mike-johnson/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA) to bring a resolution denouncing socialism to the floor for a full vote.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In a 210-208 vote, Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) and Jared Golden (D-ME) joined 207 House Republicans and independent Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA) to advance several pieces of legislation, including the resolution condemning socialism. The votes from Gluesenkamp Perez and Golden, who are considered centrist Democrats, were pivotal in preventing a tie, which would have resulted in the resolution failing under House rules.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Jeffries stated to reporters that he was not informed of the decision prior to the vote. </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I didn’t get a heads up. You’ll have to talk to Katherine,” Jeffries said, referring to House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Later on Tuesday, Jeffries described the situation as “a significant breach of trust” and indicated that potential repercussions for Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez were “under discussion.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In a post on X, socialist influencer Emma Vigeland criticized Jeffries for being uninformed about the vote.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Pitiful. [Nancy] Pelosi was no leftist, but she could whip her caucus. She would never have been left in the dark like this,” Vigeland wrote. “Jeffries is bad at the basics of his job, and passing the buck onto Katherine Clark is poor leadership. NFL quarterbacks talk like this before they’re benched.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The vote took place shortly after the House passed a funding measure with bipartisan support to keep the government open through mid-December. Some conservative hardliners expressed dissatisfaction with certain provisions in the funding bill and with Johnson's reliance on Democratic support, threatening to block other measures as retribution.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The attempt to block the socialism resolution nearly succeeded, as five House Republicans voted against bringing it to the floor. Given the narrow Republican majority and absences among lawmakers, Johnson could not afford to lose more than two Republicans.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Also included in the package of measures for a full House vote was the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act of 2026, which extends deadlines for the federal government to issue new regulations on lobster and crab fishing. Golden, who is retiring this year from a competitive House seat, is the primary Democratic co-sponsor of this bill.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In a statement, Gluesenkamp Perez shared a personal story about her son catching his first fish in the Columbia River, emphasizing that the “DC bubble” often overlooks the needs of working waterfronts.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Nature is not a terrarium—and you don’t get effective environmentalism without the input of people who make their livelihoods and heritage on the water—whether we’re talking about lobsters or sea lions—working people need a seat at the table and elected officials need to listen to them, not data from the 1990s,” Gluesenkamp Perez wrote.</p>