Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez breaks with Democrats to help Republicans again

Anumita Kaur, The Seattle Times on Sep 17, 2026

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, of Washington, again voted alongside Republicans to advance their legislative priorities, marking the second time this month that the centrist Democrat has defected from her party during a key vote.

Gluesenkamp Perez on Tuesday voted alongside Republicans to pass a procedural measure — otherwise set to fail — that moved a set of GOP-led bills to the House floor. Those bills, which included legislation that would give President Donald Trump new authorities to sanction Russia’s trading partners and roll backs of some Environmental Protection Agency regulations, then passed.

Rep. Jared Golden, of Maine, was the only Democrat to join her in the defection on Tuesday.

They did the same on Sept. 1, shocking fellow Democrats and drawing ire from Democratic House leadership when they helped advance a slate of Republican bills, including a resolution to denounce “socialism in all its forms.”

In both episodes, every Democrat except Gluesenkamp Perez and Golden voted against advancing the Republican-led package of bills. These procedural measures typically fall along party lines, with the minority party uniting against the majority party.

By helping Republicans move their agenda forward, Gluesenkamp Perez and Golden crossed a line that Democratic leaders regard as fundamental to maintaining leverage in the House. Had they voted with their party, the procedural measure would likely have failed and the Republican-led bills would not have advanced to a full House vote.

The back-to-back defections demonstrate an unusual political calculus for the two centrist Democrats who represent districts where Republicans remain competitive. It has also inspired questions about how Democratic leaders will manage their caucus, particularly as they seek to retake the House in November.

Gluesenkamp Perez is vying for a third term to represent her swing Southwest Washington district. Golden is not running for reelection. Both champion the Blue Dog Coalition ethos, which describes itself as pragmatic, fiscally responsible Democrats.

House Democratic leadership issued a scathing statement following Gluesenkamp Perez’s and Golden’s actions earlier this month, deeming it a “significant breach of trust” and suggesting the two may face consequences for unexpectedly breaking with their caucus.

That possibility quickly simmered down. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries days later said he had a “productive” conversation with Gluesenkamp Perez “about moving in a direction that allows the team to continue to communicate with each other in a consistent way, where we can arrive at shared priorities.”

This week’s schism renewed some calls for consequences for the representatives, as Minority Whip Katherine Clark on Wednesday indicated to reporters that she supports removing disloyal Democrats from their committees.

Gluesenkamp Perez and Clark were seen speaking with each other on the House floor following the vote Tuesday night. Gluesenkamp Perez’s office declined to detail that conversation.

Gluesenkamp Perez in a statement indicated she voted to advance the set of bills out of support for one that would expand sanctions against Russia.

“I’m proud to represent one of the largest Ukrainian communities in America-people who have lost fathers, mothers, sons and daughters in the fight to defeat fascism. I’ll always stand with my community’s values,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “My vote today gets us one step closer to enacting these sanctions into law … to cut off the flow of Russian oil money fueling this war.”

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Bellingham, on Wednesday defended his party’s broad opposition to the sanctions bill, which he voted against. “President Trump already has authority to impose sanctions on the Russian officials and companies that are fueling the brutal war in Ukraine,” Larsen said in a statement. “And yet he has chosen to sanction only two Russian officials with that authority. … This sanctions bill doesn’t do anything to help Ukraine that this President can’t already do.”

When Gluesenkamp Perez broke from Democrats to pass the procedural measure earlier this month, she similarly pointed to one bill— regarding lobstermen — within the larger package. In a statement to The Seattle Times, she said that she is not concerned about anger among Democrats for aiding Republican priorities.

“I don’t worry about that kind of stuff. I will always vote my district and let others play inside DC politics games,” she said. “I stand by my vote to support Ukraine on a bipartisan bill that passed the Senate 86 to 11.”

The bill expanding Trump’s ability to sanction Russia passed 262-159 on Wednesday evening, with many Democrats criticizing it for handing the president too much power. The resolution to overturn some EPA regulations passed 218-208, largely along party lines.