Two moderate House Democrats broke with their party Tuesday and helped Republicans pass a narrowly divided procedural vote during Congress’ final stretch before the November midterm elections.
Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington sided with Republicans on the rule governing consideration of several measures, including a major Russia sanctions bill.
The rule passed 214-211, with Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez providing the only Democratic votes in favor.
Two Republicans opposed the rule, meaning the Democratic defections were decisive in allowing the package to move forward.
Procedural rule votes are typically treated as tests of party unity because the minority party generally votes against rules written by the majority.
Golden’s office said his decision was driven by his support for legislation targeting Russia over its war in Ukraine.
His spokesman said Golden did not want the sanctions bill to die on a procedural vote after it had already received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate.
Gluesenkamp Perez offered a similar explanation and pointed to the large Ukrainian community she represents in southwestern Washington.
“I’ll always stand with my community’s values,” she wrote while saying the vote moved Congress closer to enacting additional sanctions on Russia.
She said she planned to support the underlying legislation when it reached a final House vote.
The sanctions measure passed the Senate 86-11 and would expand economic pressure on Russia while also giving President Donald Trump additional tariff authority against countries purchasing Russian energy.
The legislation also targets Russian energy and defense interests, sanctions-evasion networks and Iran.
Some House Democrats support stronger sanctions on Moscow but have raised concerns about provisions granting Trump broader discretion over tariffs and waivers.
Those disagreements helped turn what might otherwise have been a broadly bipartisan foreign-policy measure into a more complicated procedural fight.
The vote also revived tensions between Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez and House Democratic leadership.
Both lawmakers broke with their caucus on another rule vote earlier this month, prompting an unusually sharp response from Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other Democratic leaders.
🚨 BREAKING: HOUSE PASSES IT BY THREE VOTES. 214-211. 🇺🇸
The gavel just slammed. The resolution is ADOPTED.
House Republicans just rammed through the rule to: 🔥 Stand up a National Fraud Enforcement Division at DOJ 🔥 Supercharge federal-state crackdowns on fraud in federal… pic.twitter.com/5piusnftrC— CONSTITUTION X 🇺🇸 (@ConstitustionX) September 15, 2026
🚨 JUST IN: The US House has just PASSED H Res 1530 which tees up legislation to solidify a National Fraud Enforcement Division at the Department of Justice
2 DEMOCRATS joined Speaker Johnson to make this pass: Golden and Gluesenkamp, and it passed BECAUSE OF THEM
HAKEEM… pic.twitter.com/CnB0miTBvJ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 15, 2026
At the time, Democratic leaders called the move a “significant breach of trust” and said the caucus’ rules committee would review the matter.
No publicly announced punishment had followed before Tuesday’s second defection.
Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez have both cultivated reputations as members willing to separate from Democratic leadership on selected votes.
Golden is retiring from Congress at the end of his current term, reducing the political consequences he personally faces from another intraparty dispute.
Gluesenkamp Perez is seeking reelection in a Washington district that supported Trump in 2024, making her voting record a major feature of her campaign.
Tuesday’s vote does not itself enact the Russia sanctions legislation.
Instead, the rule establishes the procedures allowing the House to debate and vote on that bill and several other measures.
The sanctions legislation is expected to receive a separate final vote as lawmakers attempt to complete business before leaving Washington ahead of the midterms.
For Jeffries, the episode provided another example of two members refusing to follow Democratic leadership on a procedural vote, Fox News reported.
For Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez, the explanation was equally direct: they believed advancing the Russia sanctions bill mattered more than maintaining party unity on the rule.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
