Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene fought back with Democrat Debbie Dingell on the steps of Congress after Democrats passed an abortion rights bill along party lines.
Scott Wong de The Hill , filmed the exchange after Friday’s vote.
Dingell, a Democrat from Michigan, chided Greene for failing to uphold the Christian concept of respecting neighbors.
“You try to be a Christian and start treating your colleagues decently,” Dingell said.
Later, Dingell simply tweeted “Hold my pearls” in reaction to the exchange.
The confrontation came after the House passed the Women’s Health Protection Act, almost exclusively along party lines, with 218 people voting in favor and 211, with Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas, the only Democrat who voted. against.
The bill would codify protections for abortion, as set out in Roe v Wade. Democrats passed the legislation in response to a law in Texas that will take effect and restrict abortion as soon as heart activity is detected, which usually occurs at six weeks of pregnancy and before most people know they are pregnant
Texas law would also allow people anywhere in the country to sue anyone who “aids and incites” someone seeking an abortion.
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Representative Judy Chu of California was the primary sponsor of the legislation and had been pushing for similar legislation since 2013. But while Democrats have both the House and Senate and President Joe Biden has criticized the Texas law as, “almost anti-American, “the bill likely faces opposition in the Senate.
While Democrats have a 50-vote majority, with Vice President Kamala Harris as the runoff, the bill could die if Republicans obstruct the legislation. Conservative Democrats like Sens Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona oppose eliminating obstructionism, as does Biden.
Chu said that the Senate has an active labor operation.
“They are talking to all the senators who are voting for the bill,” he said, noting that there are 48 co-sponsors, the only Democrats not co-sponsoring the bill, are Mr. Manchin and Senator Bob Casey from Pennsylvania. Chu said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is interested in voting.
“Obstructionism, of course, is the obstacle,” he said. “I think there is a possibility of having a majority in favor of this.”
Rather, Chu said the most important thing was to make sure House Democrats support the legislation, a sentiment echoed by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who is chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.
“The House is the House, the Senate is the Senate and the first step in the process is to make sure that the House is registered, making it clear that we are going to respect and protect the right of women to make a decision about their own health. and watch out “said, Jeffries,
But Texas Republicans opposed passing abortion legislation. Representative Dan Crenshaw, who represents Houston, condemned the Democrats as “extremists.” Representative Louie Gohmert defended Texas law.
“They have never seen anything that a state has done that they did not want to take over,” he said. “He is compassionate, he will save many lives.”
Rep. Kevin Brady echoed Crenshaw’s sentiment, saying the Democrats’ agenda is extreme and said it violated previous bipartisan opposition to taxpayer funding for abortion as the legislation repeals the Hyde Amendment, which groups the public money spent on it, which includes programs like Medicaid.
“That law is now saving 150 babies a day, mainly children born of color,” he said.
But Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, scoffed at the legislation passed in her state.
“I think this saves lives,” he said of the Democrats’ legislation, noting that Texas law “will kill women.”
“We have to save women.”
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