House Vote Turns Into GOP Performative Chaos Show

It was supposed to just be a few simple votes in the House of Represenatives to get the “One Big Beautiful Bill” moving after the vote in the Senate.

President Trump made it abundantly clear that he wants to sign the bill on Friday, Independence Day, and have this over and done with. This was an easy call for Democrats – show up, vote no, call it a day. For Republicans, it should have been equally simple. However, this is the House GOP caucus – there will be grandstanding until the bitter end.

The last amendment to the reconciliation bill went through on Wednesday evening, and then it was time for a procedural vote to advance the OBBB to the House floor for the final vote. Which to the layperson, sounds weird. There’s a vote in order to agree to take a final vote on the bill. But with extra performative votes come extra performative shenanigans. For example, Representative Victoria Spartz of Indiana, who decided to vote “no” on the procedural vote.

Yes. She said she was going to vote no on this procedure vote but then yes on the final bill vote.

That makes no sense.

She needs to change her vote.

— $8 Bartemy (@BartemyS) July 3, 2025

The bottom line is that people who have every intention of voting “yes” when the final vote occurs, are seeing the chance to register their last complaints about how the sausage got made during the procedural vote. Which would be annoying, but understandable, if the House GOP caucus had the votes to spare. Newsflash – they do not have the votes to spare.

Lawmakers returned to the House chamber at 9:30 p.m. — after an hours-long delay — to hold a procedural vote that would open up debate on the megabill and tee up a vote on final passage.

The effort, however, stopped in its tracks after three hardline conservatives — Reps. Keith Self (R-Texas), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) and Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) — voted against the rule, along with centrist Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.). Nine other Republicans declined to vote altogether, denying Republican leaders the majority needed to open debate on the megabill.

With all Democrats opposing the package, the vote remained stuck at 207-216 for a time, before Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) voted to support the measure shortly after 11 p.m. That momentum in favor of the bill was quickly negated, however, when Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who voted against the megabill in the House last month, switched his vote on the rule from “yes” to “no,” setting GOP leaders back some more.

As of just before midnight, the vote stood at 207-217, with five GOP “no” votes and eight Republicans not yet having voted.

Those eight were: Reps. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Andy Harris (R-Md.), Bob Onder (R-Mo.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas) had not yet voted as of 11:45 p.m.

The impasse has forced Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) into a game of chicken, with leaders vowing to hold the vote open indefinitely in an effort to force the holdouts into a change of heart.

Speaker Johnson was busy working the floor, trying to get the caucus into line.

It turned out that some of the Republicans who needed to vote weren’t even on Capitol Hill. You had ONE JOB, guys. Those who think they are going to decamp for vacation early should be yanked back to do their actual job and VOTE. And anyone who thinks that they get to leave early – nope. If the vote stays open, then you’re there. The final vote is going to be happening, and your job is to BE THERE.

Well past midnight in Washington DC, President Trump was losing his patience as he posted on Truth Social at 12:12 am and 12:45 am Eastern time.

Democrats, who were busy claiming that people were going to die if the OBBB got passed, are probably enjoying the show right now. It doesn’t matter that these are procedural votes, it only matters that the GOP look like idiots who can’t get their own caucus in line.

As of the writing of this post, the vote has completely stalled out on the House floor. Speaker Johnson said he would keep the vote open “as long as it takes” to get it done. The most annoying part of this are not the “no” votes – it’s the eight representatives who haven’t even bothered to show up and record their votes. Those eight are likely holding out to see which way the wind is blowing, or if they can get a few more concessions out of the OBBB. Are they actively working, or did they just go to bed and not bother to show? If the missing eight would at least show up, and record a vote, then Speaker Johnson and President Trump would know who to be working and talking to through the night.

Will the “One Big Beautiful Bill” end up getting passed eventually? Yes, and it might even happen by the Fourth. Do some members of the House GOP caucus intend to make as big dramatic show out of their vote? Apparently. Honestly, the congressional vacation should be put off until the work is done, and Speaker Johnson should make them all stay in Washington DC until the last vote happens. This is the job you campaigned to do, representatives – so get it done.

Featured image via Proulain on Pixabay, cropped, Pixabay license

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