Trump's tax bill passed the House. A Republican fell asleep through the vote.
WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a sweeping bill packed with President Donald Trump’s legislative priorities in a huge win for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana.
The bill passed by a vote of 215-214. But there were a few Republican lawmakers who didn’t cast yes votes - including one who fell asleep.
Johnson said that New York Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino “fell asleep in the back” after an all-night session with others discussing the bill and inadvertently missed the vote.
“I'm going to just strangle him,” Johnson joked. “But he's my dear friend.”
Garbarino said in a statement to Paste BN that he was “moments away from the House floor, to vote ‘yes,’ when the vote was closed.”
“While I am frustrated that the vote was closed before I was able to cast my vote, I am proud of the work we accomplished to deliver huge results for Long Island. I congratulate President Trump on getting this bill passed and look forward to voting ‘yes’ when it comes back to the House floor from the Senate," he added.
Arizona Rep. David Schweikert also missed the vote. Johnson said Schweikert slipped his electronic voting card into place after the vote had ended.
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie and Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson voted against the bill, while Maryland Rep. Andy Harris voted present.
Contributing: Riley Beggin, Paste BN