How a bill about whales turned into a warning sign for Democrats

How a bill regarding whales turned into a warning sign for Democrats House Democrats can taste the post-midterm power.

Key points

• By contrast, Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez blindsided Jeffries and the rest of the Democratic caucus entirely, creating "a lot of anger, " according to Jayapal.
• For two years, they've griped regarding dysfunction among their Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives.
• Without better communication, Subramanyam cautioned, Democrats could fall prey to the same discord that has hampered Republicans' ability to follow through on more of their priorities.
• Despite those dynamics, there was talk in recent days on Capitol Hill regarding the prospect of stripping the Washington congresswoman of her sole committee assignment.
• Two days afterwards, he seemed to walk that threat back after what he called a "productive, forward-looking conversation" with Gluesenkamp Perez.

WASHINGTON – After a bill regarding whales caused a mutiny among Democrats, some fear they're sailing toward even rougher waters.

For two years, they've griped regarding dysfunction among their Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives. With a historically thin voting margin, hardline conservatives have, over and over again, effectively frozen the GOP-led chamber's legislative agenda to advocate for their own problems. The family drama has created major hurdles for Speaker Mike Johnson to, at times, do even the basics of Congress' typical work.

Democrats, despite all their complaining, may shortly be in the exact same boat.

For context, an early warning sign came over the last week. Two moderate Democrats, Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Maine Rep. Jared Golden, threw Republicans a political lifeline when they broke with their party to backing a procedural measure known as a "rule, " triggering movement on a series of bills throughout the House floor.

Among them was legislation, introduced by Golden himself, to delay the onset of federal whale protections he cautioned would hurt coastal lobster fishing. In an official note after the bill passed, the congressman remarked he'd succeeded in shielding Maine lobstermen from "costly, burdensome new regulations."

"My constituents don't care about the team sports of congressional procedure, " he remarked. "I will always vote in the interest of Maine's fishing families and communities."

Gluesenkamp Perez, widely known as a political maverick and fiscally conservative Democrat, issued a similar statement: "What the DC bubble doesn't get is that working waterfronts require working people, " she remarked.

Meanwhile, the duo's defiance paved the way for a resolution to condemn socialism, a key election-year messaging bill for the GOP that drew glaring defections among Democrats, plenty of of whom were incensed at the turn of events. In a joint statement with other top Democrats, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the New York lawmaker who could become the next and first Black speaker of the House, accused the rebellious pair of a "significant breach of trust, " vowing a "serious response."

For context, the debacle offered a worrisome glimpse into a feasible future for Democrats in the House, where in November, they expect to regain a much-needed foothold of power in a largely Republican-controlled Washington. It additionally presented an early leadership test for Jeffries, whose rising political influence, and potentially historic speakership, is already being haunted by comparisons to the iron first of his predecessor, Nancy Pelosi.

"Nancy had a lot of ways of exercising power, " Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, informed USA TODAY. In our On Politics newsletter: House Democrats' wake-up call.

Jayapal, who at times clashed with former Speaker Pelosi, remarked there were moments when she and other progressives leaned on the same procedural maneuvers that Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez did. But they applied the tactic of threatening to tank a rule vote "very sparingly, " she stated, and only after consulting with leadership and failing to reach a compromise.

"It's OK to vote your district and feel like you need to stick up for your district, " Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Virginia, informed USA TODAY. "It's important also to communicate that, so that we can all be on the same page."

"It could very well happen a lot next year if we're not united, " he remarked.

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Notably, the frustration within the Democratic caucus immediately prompted some calls for harsh consequences. But the question for Jeffries, of just how much of an example to create out of the betrayal, was immediately complicated by a number of factors.

For one, Golden is departing Congress next year. Gluesenkamp Perez, meanwhile, is in a tough reelection race, and Democrats desperately want to keep her more rural seat blue.

Despite those dynamics, there was talk in recent days on Capitol Hill regarding the prospect of stripping the Washington congresswoman of her sole committee assignment. Theoretically, Jeffries could take away her spot on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, where she has the enviable ability to earmark federal spending priorities for her district.

Ultimately, a number of Democrats, including Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts, informed USA TODAY they wouldn't backing such a harsh punishment.

Still, McGovern created his displeasure with Gluesenkamp Perez abundantly clear. He turned his back on her as she was speaking during a session of the Rules Committee, the panel in charge of the procedural nitty-gritty of legislative business. After session with Gluesenkamp Perez, McGovern, the top Democrat on the committee who will probable hold its gavel next year, informed USA TODAY his exasperation with her was "yesterday's news."

But the détente didn't seem to fully wipe away a broader preoccupation among influential Democrats like him regarding whether they can fully avoid the same types of public, intraparty brawls that have befallen the GOP.

Hyperpartisanship and the gerrymandering wars have fell the likelihood that either party will have a comfortable majority in the House any time shortly. Consequently, even a handful of lawmakers on either side will continue to have outsized power over the chamber's day-to-day operations – a dynamic that will continue to pose complex challenges for congressional leaders.

"All I'm interested in is making sure that when we win, we're not them, " McGovern remarked, referring to Republicans, "because these guys seem incapable of governing."

Zachary Schermele is the congressional correspondent for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

Taken together, the developments around how a bill about whales turned into a warning sign for Democrats point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.