A half-dozen centrist House Democrats on Thursday voted for a Republican resolution to condemn the Biden administration, and Vice President Kamala Harris in particular, for their handling of the Southern border.
Why it matters: The vote comes just as Harris is in the process of locking down the Democratic Party's nomination for president.
Driving the news: The House voted 220-196 to pass the resolution "strongly condemning" the Biden administration's and Harris' "failure to secure the United States border."
- Six Democrats voted with Republicans to pass the resolution: Reps. Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Don Davis (D-N.C.), Jared Golden (D-Maine) Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) and Mary Peltola (D-Alaska).
- All six represent competitive districts, with Golden, Perez and Peltola – the co-chairs of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition – representing districts that former President Trump won in 2020.
What they're saying: Golden, in a brief interview at the Capitol, pointed to a bill he co-sponsored with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) that would reinstate strict Trump-era border policies.
- "Those are things ... that [Harris] should probably be looking at doing as president," he told Axios, adding that his vote is to condemn "the current administration, and that would be Joe Biden's administration."
- "Everyone that knows anything about politics knows vice presidents are powerless and it's probably the worst job in American politics. So I'm less interested in how she has been a part of it ... and more interested in how will she handle it," the Maine Democrat continued.
