<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Representatives Jared Golden (D-ME) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) voted against Democratic leadership for the second time this month by supporting a package of bills, including a Russia sanctions bill that had previously passed the Senate with bipartisan support in August.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This marks the second instance in two weeks where the representatives have defied House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Democratic leadership, having previously sided with Republicans, which has caused a notable division within the Democratic caucus.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Their votes assisted Republican leadership in avoiding another rule failure, as some Republican members were hesitant to proceed with a bill to suspend the federal gas tax, which could have jeopardized the GOP agenda.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The vote concluded with a tally of 214-211, with two Republican representatives, Andy Harris (R-MD) and Ralph Norman (R-SC), voting against the measure.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Gluesenkamp Perez cited her district's significant Ukrainian population as a reason for her vote, stating, "I will always stand with my community’s values, and am grateful for the 86 senators who voted to send this bill to the house." She added, "My vote today gets us one step closer to enacting these sanctions into law and I look forward to voting tomorrow to cut off the flow of Russian oil money fueling this war," in a post on X.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A spokesperson for Golden mentioned that he has consistently supported America's allies in Ukraine and did not want the Russia sanctions bill to fail after receiving strong bipartisan support in the Senate.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The actions of Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez are expected to have significant implications for the Democratic caucus and leadership, which is still addressing the fallout from their previous support for a bill condemning socialism and the Democratic Socialists of America two weeks prior.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">At that time, Jeffries described their votes as a "significant breach of trust," and Democratic leadership indicated a need for a "serious response" to the defections, although no formal reprimand has been announced.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Washington Examiner has reached out to Golden for comment.</p>