The House voted 220-192 on Tuesday to condemn socialism “in all its forms.” Every Republican backed the measure, and so did eight Democrats. Two more Democrats voted “present.”
H.Res. 1490, sponsored by Colorado Republican Rep. Jeff Crank, is nonbinding. It also calls for enactment of the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot. The House has passed that bill several times. It has stalled in the Senate.
Who crossed the aisle
The eight Democrats were Darren Soto and Kathy Castor of Florida, Jared Golden of Maine, Vicente Gonzalez Jr. and Henry Cuellar of Texas, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Don Davis of North Carolina and Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico. Soto voted against the SAVE Act last year, and Castor did the same in April. Both face tougher races this fall after Florida redistricting. Castor told The Hill she saw the SAVE America language as “a joke,” and added: “And thankfully, that’s not going anywhere.”
Colorado’s delegation split on party lines. Crank, Jeff Hurd, Lauren Boebert and Gabe Evans voted yes. Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jason Crow and Brittany Pettersen voted no.
The floor fight
Crank called it a “simple up or down vote” on the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America. “The Democratic Socialists of America was a fringe movement a decade ago,” he said. “Now they’re growing within the Democrat ranks, winning primaries and threatening the foundation of what makes this country the greatest on earth.” DSA-aligned candidates have unseated Democratic incumbents in several congressional primaries. In Denver this summer, Melat Kiros beat DeGette.
Rep. Tom McClintock, a California Republican, put his case in four words: “Freedom rocks, socialism sucks!”
Democrats called the exercise empty. Rep. Joseph Morelle of New York, who led the debate against it, noted that the House had only just come back from a five-week recess. “Passing a resolution that calls for the passing of a bill we’ve already passed, and calling for the enactment of a resolution which we’ve already enacted,” he said. He pointed to the rising costs of gas and groceries. Opponents also noted that the House passed another resolution condemning socialism last year.
Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin mocked the text for ignoring the Trump administration’s purchase of stakes in corporations, which he described as typically a tenet of socialism.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said before the vote that he would oppose it, calling the SAVE America language “the latest MAGA effort to rig the midterm elections.”
After the vote, Crank said that a resolution like this “would’ve passed the House unanimously” ten to 15 years ago, and that the roll call “showed who stands for freedom and others who stand with socialism.”
Sources
- House adopts Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank’s resolution condemning socialism, mostly along party lines – Colorado Springs Gazette
- Darren Soto one of eight House Democrats to denounce socialism, support Trump's SAVE Act in Tuesday vote – Orlando Weekly
