House lawmakers again attempted to approve a $19.1 billion disaster aid package Tuesday but for a second time a Republican representative blocked the chamber from clearing the bill, Roll Call reported.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) objected to a second unanimous consent vote for the aid bill that would provide much-needed recovery funding for states recovering from natural disasters. It also includes repair funding for several military installations struggling to recover from major natural disasters, as On Base has reported.
“If Speaker Pelosi considered this must-pass legislation, why did she send everybody home on recess for 10 days without voting on it? To pass a $19 billion bill like this, without a recorded vote, is legislative malpractice,” Massie said prior to blocking the unanimous consent vote.
On Friday, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, blocked the first unanimous consent vote to approve the package during the chamber’s weeklong Memorial Day recess.
Roy’s objections included concerns about the approval process as well the lack of billions the Trump administration sought for handling a surge of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.
House and Senate negotiators agreed on the disaster bill last Thursday after border funding provisions were dropped from the measure.
The next and final unanimous consent opportunity is expected Thursday afternoon, according to House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.).