Boehner debt ceiling bill’s 22 ‘no’ votes: Who’s who

By ALEX ISENSTADT, Politico

There were 22 Republicans who lined up against House Speaker John Boehner’s package to raise the nation’s debt ceiling – a cast that’s almost entirely made up of tea party-backed freshmen and a few deeply conservative veterans.

Of the nearly two dozen ‘no’ votes, about half were cast by freshmen who waged anti-Washington campaigns that railed against Congress’s culture of spending – a group that includes Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, Tennessee Rep. Scott DesJarlais, and Minnesota Rep. Chip Cravaack, who explained in a statement following the vote that, “Last November, I told my constituents in the 8th District that I’m a numbers guy. I gave them my promise and my word that if the numbers don’t add up, I’m not voting for it.”Nearly all of those who voted ‘no’ are aligned with the tea party, including Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh and Florida Rep. Steve Southerland, two rookies who have distinguished themselves as especially vocal critics of the Washington establishment since arriving in Congress earlier this year.

Nearly all of those who voted ‘no’ are aligned with the tea party, including Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh and Florida Rep. Steve Southerland, two rookies who have distinguished themselves as especially vocal critics of the Washington establishment since arriving in Congress earlier this year.

One relatively small state accounted for almost a quarter of the votes against the Boehner bill: South Carolina, a hotbed of tea party activism. The state’s entire five-member GOP delegation voted in unison, including the four freshmen – Reps. Jeff Duncan, Tim Scott, Mick Mulvaney, and Trey Gowdy – and veteran Rep. Joe Wilson, the conservative who famously yelled “You lie!” at President Barack Obama during a nationally televised joint session of Congress.

“This past November, Americans made it clear they expect their elected leaders to make meaningful fiscal reforms today so as to not burden future generations with crushing deficits and debts tomorrow,” Wilson said after the vote.

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