Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) yelled at House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) on the House floor. Bush accused the 12 Republican annual appropriation bills passed that day of being “racist.”
The measures, which allocate funding for military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs, passed in a 219-211 vote. All Democrats and two Republicans voted against the measure.
While Scalise was delivering remarks about the success of the GOP agenda, Bush interrupted him by shouting, “Your bills are racist.”
Chaos ensued as a result of her comment and only died down when Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Massachusetts) tried appealing to conservative lawmakers.
“We hope that you will say no to extremism, to hatred, to bigotry, that is put into these appropriations bills, and say yes to solutions and fairness for the American people,” she said.
Following the meeting, Bush tweeted a shrugging emoji accompanied by the sentiment, “I said what I said.”
The bill has almost no chance of getting through the Democratic-led Senate. Congress has adjourned this week for its monthlong recess. Lawmakers are racing against the clock to pass the legislation in September.
