Twenty-seven House Democrats voted against increased protection for the immediate families of Supreme Court justices on Tuesday.
However, opposition from Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, and other Democrats failed to stop the bill from passing 396-27, according to Fox News.
Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, said the Democratic opposition to protecting the families of justices was “ludicrous and shameful.”
27 House Democrats just voted against passing expanded security for Supreme Court justices’ families.
This comes just days after a rogue individual attempted to assassinate Justice Kavanaugh at his Maryland home.
This is ludicrous and shameful.
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) June 14, 2022
Trending:
The bill gives the families of the nine justices 24-hour protection and comes after a man was arrested for allegedly plotting the assassination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, according to Fox News.
“I wake up this morning and I start to hear murmurs that there is going to be an attempt to pass the Supreme Court supplemental protection bill the day after gun safety legislation for schools and kids and people is stalled,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“Oh, so we can pass protections for us and here easily, right? But we can’t pass protections for everyday people? I think not.”
The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent after the leak of a draft that suggested the Roe v. Wade case could be overturned which angered abortion supporters and resulted in threats against justices.
Does this vote send a troubling message?
The bill stalled in the House, however, as Democrats wanted to expand the scope of the bill.
House Minorite Leader Kevin McCarthy had made three requests to pass the bill as the Senate did, by unanimous consent, and failed every time, according to The Hill.
“The House Democrats have delayed it for more than a month. The question the American public asks is, why? Why would you delay it?” McCarthy said.
“We have all known that additional security has been necessary since the Dobbs opinion was leaked last month,” he said.
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, accused House leaders of mounting a “transparent attempt to stall the legislation,” according to CBS.
“The line between legitimate public discourse and acts of violence has been crossed, and House Democrats cannot continue to turn a blind eye,” he said. “We don’t have time to spare when it comes to protecting the members of the court and their families.”
The delay was called out by House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana.
“It just begs the question: Why did Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi delay it for over a month?” the Republican said, according to Politico.
