Four things that happened in Congress during busy Wednesday session

Congress had a busy slate on Wednesday, returning to business after weeks of standstill when the House of Representatives was without an elected speaker.

The House held three key votes, including over whether to table a motion to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), while tensions in the Senate regarding Sen. Tommy Tuberville‘s (R-AL) hold on military promotions boiled over with members of the Senate GOP criticizing their colleague on the floor. Here are the four key moments from Congress on Wednesday.

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House votes to table motion to censure Tlaib

The House voted to table a resolution to censure Tlaib over allegedly antisemitic behavior and for “leading an insurrection” at the U.S. Capitol complex, referring to when a group of pro-Palestinian protesters went inside the Cannon House Office Building. The resolution was offered by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) but was tabled in a 222-186 vote, which saw 23 Republicans join all Democrats in the majority.

The Republicans who voted against the resolution included Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Ken Buck (R-CO), John Duarte (D-CA), Chuck Edwards (R-NC), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Rich McCormick (R-GA), Max Miller (R-OH), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Chip Roy (R-TX), Austin Scott (R-GA), Victoria Spartz (R-IN), Mike Turner (R-OH), Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), and Tim Walberg (R-MI).

Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AP

Roy explained that he voted against the resolution due to the inclusion of the claim that Tlaib led an “insurrection,” saying the term has been “stretched and abused” in the past and should not be done so again.

“I voted to table the resolution,” Roy said in a statement on Wednesday. “In January 2021, the legal term insurrection was stretched and abused by many following the events at the Capitol. We should not continue to perpetuate claims of ‘insurrection’ at the Capitol, and we should not abuse the term now.”

Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) had been planning on bringing forward a resolution to censure Greene after the Georgia Republican brought forward the censure resolution against Tlaib, but said she would “hold back on the vote for now” after 23 Republicans helped defeat the censure against Tlaib.

Rep. George Santos (R-NY) survives expulsion vote

Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-NY) easily survived an expulsion vote on Wednesday by a 179-213 vote. Two-thirds of the House needed to vote to expel him, but the resolution failed to get a majority of the chamber.

Most Democrats voted to expel Santos, with 24 Republicans joining them, while most Republicans, along with 30 Democrats, voted against expelling the freshman congressman.

The effort was led by a group of New York Republicans, including Reps. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Brandon Williams (R-NY), and Marc Molinaro (R-NY), who argued that “the United States Congress must always uphold the highest standards and ensure accountability for those who have taken advantage of the American people — regardless of political party.”

The vote came one day after the House Ethics Committee provided an update to its investigation into Santos, saying it would provide its next course of action on Nov. 17. Several members of Congress who voted against expelling Santos cited the committee’s impending update and the ongoing criminal trial as a reason not to expel the New York Republican.

Sixth appropriations bill passed in the House

The House passed its sixth of 12 appropriations bills on Wednesday night, ensuring $1.85 billion in funding for the legislative branch. This bill funds member pay, U.S. Capitol Police officer pay, along with other congressional services.

The vote saw every Republican and four Democrats vote in favor of the bill, which is the second appropriations bill passed under House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).

AP

Military promotions fight boils over in Senate

On the other side of the Capitol building, intraparty tensions boiled over amid Tuberville’s continued hold on unanimous consent for military promotions. Several Senate Republicans expressed their frustration at the Alabama Republican for refusing to allow the Senate to quickly agree to military promotions, as he protests the Defense Department’s policy of paying for service members to travel to obtain an abortion.

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Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) led an effort to get nominees for promotions passed by unanimous consent, with several GOP senators detailing the backgrounds of the nominees only for Tuberville to block the voice votes.

“Just listen to these bios,” Sullivan said, pleading his case to advance military nominees. “This is the best of America, and these men and women have been serving and sacrificing honorably for literally decades.”