In Big Win Democrats Pass Vital LGBT Protections Bill After Last Week’s GOP Collusion to Defeat It

Democratic Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney Wins Major Battle

Late Wednesday night the House passed a bill that ensures President Barack Obama’s 2014 executive orders protecting LGBT workers will not be overturned. When the voting was over, cheers were heard in the chamber. The final vote tally was 223-195, The Hill reports.

The legislation, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, had been defeated in an ugly act of collusion last week. Maloney’s bill last week initially passed, but top Republican leaders, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, held the vote open after the clock ran out, and convinced at least seven Republicans to change their votes so the measure would be defeated. They were successful, leading Democrats over the past week vowing to unseat those who switched their votes.

Wednesday night’s win is a big one for Rep. Maloney and the LGBT community. It would overturn the Russell Amendment, which passed attached to the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act. That amendment guts and nullifies President Barack Obama’s LGBT executive order protections in the name of “religious liberty.” Maloney’s bill nullifies the Russell Amendment.

The seven Republicans who had switched their votes to defeat Maloney’s bill last week all voted in favor of Maloney’s bill Wednesday. They are: 

Jeff Denham (Calif.)

Darrell Issa (Calif.)

Bruce Poliquin (Maine)

David Valadao (Calif.)

Greg Walden (Ore.)

Mimi Walters (Calif.)

David Young (Iowa)

 

Image by Craig Caplan via Twitter