Continuing resolution passes despite false fire alarm

Last night the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution, though a “Squad” member tried to delay the vote.

The continuing resolution

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Speaker of the House, announced final passage of the continuing resolution on X at 9:55 p.m.

CNN has the details of the resolution, and an embed of its text from Document Cloud.

It essentially funds all government functions, at levels that the 117^th Congress established, for forty-five days beginning today. (Today is the beginning of the fiscal year for the federal government.) But this bill does not include any more funding for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The House passed the measure, 335-91, according to The New York Times. 90 Republicans and 1 Democrat voted against it, and 126 Republicans and 209 Democrats voted for it. McCarthy took the extraordinary step of passing it under suspension of the rules.

The bill then went to the Senate, which also passed it, 88-9, according to The New York Post.

In signing the measure into law, President Joe Biden saw fit to blame “extremist Republicans” for the “delay” in passage. For her part, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) vowed to move to vacate the chair.

Several other users expressed their disapproval of the continuing resolution.

In fact, Laura Loomer, yesterday morning, openly called for a “shutdown” of the government.

But unaccountably, one Democrat tried to delay the vote so that the resolution would miss the deadline.

Jamaal Bowman turns in a false alarm

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) pulled a fire alarm in a House office building before the House was set to vote. Oddly enough, The New York Times shows that he voted for the bill. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) was the only House Democrat to vote against it.

Station KYW-TV (Channel 3, CBS, Philadelphia) has video of Bowman pulling a fire alarm on a wall near a door. This incident took place in the Cannon House Office Building on Independence Avenue, according to CNN. (The Office Buildings for the House and Senate contain some hearing rooms in addition to Members’ offices. But all votes must take place in the House and Senate chambers in the Capitol.) Journalist Simon Ateba has this screencap:

Bowman told the Capitol Police that his activation of the fire alarm was an accident. To be specific, he says he mistook the fire alarm handle for an automatic door opening handle. Rep. Bryan Stell (R-Wisc.), Chairman of the House Administration Committee, doesn’t believe that. Neither did several other Members of Congress.

Well they might doubt that. Automatic door switches are push-button switches that one operates with the palm of the hand. Many of these have the Handicap Symbol on them. Fire alarms come in a narrow varietyh of types, but have many common features. They have bright red plastic housings with the legend FIRE ALARM prominent across the top.

Bowman later released a statement trying to explain his behavior.

Why did he do it?

As outrageous as Bowman’s behavior (and his attempted explanation) is, it is also mysterious. Why delay a vote when you intend to vote yes? One possible explanation suggests itself: he thought he could cause a government shutdown without appearing to. Even that strains credulity, however, for it suggests he did not know about the surveillance cameras at every door.

The other explanation: sheer carelessness. The door he was trying to exit was an emergency door, that had emergency door markings. Why didn’t he go out the front door, which is easy of access? (Your editor has been in all three House buildings over the years of Marches for Life.) And again, no one could mistake a fire alarm for an automatic door switch.