Democrats Dying In Office Could Make GOP Bill Easier To Pass | EUROtoday

WASHINGTON — With the dying of Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.) on Wednesday, three House Democrats — all of their 70s — have died in workplace to this point in 2025, probably making it simpler for Republicans to go formidable laws enacting President Donald Trump’s coverage agenda.

The deaths have punctuated a debate about age and seniority that’s roiled the Democratic Party since former President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate efficiency in opposition to Trump final 12 months.

But the passing of the three Democrats has additionally had a sensible affect on governance by making it barely simpler for Republicans to push partisan laws by way of the House of Representatives.

At the beginning of the 119th Congress in January, there have been 220 Republicans and 215 Democrats, so it took 218 members to win a majority vote within the 435-member physique. That meant Republicans might lose help from solely two of their very own and nonetheless go payments with out Democratic votes.

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With the deaths of Reps. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) in March, then Connolly’s dying, plus the absence of Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), who’s recovering from a gallbladder an infection, the bulk quantity is 216. (Connolly hasn’t voted since saying the resurgence of his esophageal most cancers final month.)

Assuming all different members are current — which isn’t all the time the case — Republicans can now lose 4 of their very own and nonetheless prevail. At least theoretically, a single lacking Democratic vote might imply the distinction between House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) efficiently pushing Medicaid and tax cuts by way of the House this week.

Already, Johnson has bother on his facet and may depend out Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has stated he’ll vote in opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, because the laws known as. As of Wednesday morning, a number of different Republicans who’ve stated they’ve issues with the invoice have refused to decide to voting for it, although there’s a respectable likelihood they’ll all cave.

Update 5/22/25: The House handed the invoice Thursday by a vote of 215 to 214, with all Democrats and two Republicans voting no, one Republican voting “present,” and two Republicans not voting. Democrats had full attendance; Norcross made the vote. The two Republicans who didn’t vote stated afterward they’d have voted sure.

The measure is consequential, containing about $4 trillion in tax cuts partly offset by greater than $1 trillion in spending cuts to federal well being and vitamin packages. Medicaid enrollment might shrink by greater than 7 million from cuts amounting to about 10% of venture program spending over a decade. The federal funds deficit will develop by a number of trillion {dollars} whereas wealthy households discover themselves higher off and poor households get a weaker security web.

As the House Rules Committee labored by way of the laws on Wednesday, Democrats and Republicans alike saluted Connolly, who endeared himself to colleagues by way of his feisty and collegial demeanor. He defeated the a lot youthful Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) in an inside election to be the highest Democrat on the House Oversight Committee this 12 months regardless of his most cancers analysis.

But exterior Congress, a number of progressive voices stated Connolly’s premature dying confirmed an absence of knowledge within the celebration persevering with to raise members of superior age, no matter their acuity.

“Rep. Connolly was a good guy, a good leader, and a committed public servant,” Amanda Litman, president of Run for Something, a progressive candidate recruitment group, stated on social media. “It’s so deeply sad on many levels that his final months of life were spent fighting to hold on to power.”

Correction: An earlier model of this story misstated what number of Republicans might vote “no” and never sink the invoice with one Democratic absence and the three vacancies; Republicans might have had 4 “no” votes.