WASHINGTON — Rep. Jamal Bowman, DNY, sounded a fire alarm in the Cannon House office building Saturday as both sides negotiated a government shutdown.
Rep. Brian Steele, R-Wis., chairman of the House Administration Committee, In a post on X said, Previously called Twitter, “an investigation into why it was pulled is ongoing.”
But Bowman’s spokeswoman Emma Simon later said in a statement: “Bowman didn’t realize she would set off a building alarm when she rushed to vote.
“The congressman regrets any confusion,” Simon said.
A short-term stopgap measure passed by the House would fund the government for 45 days and include President Joe Biden’s request for $16 billion in additional disaster relief funds, but omit additional aid for Ukraine.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., used what is referred to as the “magic minute” in an attempt to buy House Democrats more time to read the 71-page stopgap measure before it is voted on.
Under House rules, the leader can speak for an unlimited amount of time. In November 2021 McCarthy spoke for more than eight hours to delay Biden’s “Build Back Better” bill.
“Strap in, because this might take a while,” Jeffries said on the House floor.
The measure will be voted on by the Senate to avoid a government shutdown within twelve hours.
The shutdown will lead to disruptions for thousands of federal workers, but will also affect families who rely on WIC benefits and Head Start programs for child care, members of the military, visitors to national parks and more.
