Shadow majority: House Democrats outvoted GOP on every major bill passed
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Republicans may hold the House majority, but Democratic yeas outnumbered GOP votes on every major bill that landed on President Biden's desk this year.
Why it matters: A divided government, slim congressional majorities and a fractured House GOP caucus forced significant bipartisanship on measures to raise the debt ceiling, keep the government running and set U.S. defense policy.
Driving the news: The House passed the sprawling National Defense Authorization Act on Wednesday, with 162 Democrats voting with 146 Republicans.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) drew criticism from more conservative voices for both the content of the bill and the process for bringing it to the floor.
- Some Republicans wanted to add provisions to the bill that took on culture war issues, such as abortion policies, diversity, equity and inclusion programs and transgender health care.
By the numbers: The bipartisanship is not a new dynamic. Every major piece of legislation to pass both chambers this year had a majority of House "yea' votes coming from Democrats.
- It's how Congress raised the debt ceiling in June and avoided a government shutdown — twice.
- Nine less-significant bills — not including resolutions — made it to the president's desk this year with nearly half of votes coming from Democrats, according to data from Quorum. All were uncontroversial, with six receiving zero no votes.
- These bills declassified information related to the origins of COVID-19 and aimed to give veterans easier access to their benefits claims, among other measures.
