What caused Central WA Rep. Newhouse to miss 2 votes on crucial farm aid, fed funding
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, was absent from debate and votes on a bipartisan spending plan funding government agencies, disaster relief and economic assistance to the nation’s farmers.
The Central Washington congressman missed out on two opportunities to vote on the American Relief Act, 2025, first on Dec. 19 and then again on Dec. 20, to avert a Christmas government shutdown.
The legislation passed the U.S. House on its second attempt, gaining the two-thirds support it needed to pass, after President-elect Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk and conservative lawmakers torpedoed the first proposal.
A spokesperson for Newhouse’s office said he was absent from the Dec. 20 vote to officiate a wedding, a commitment he had made months before the December deadline was selected.
“He was in touch with House leadership throughout the process and was prepared to return to D.C. if his vote was needed to pass the bill,” they told the Herald. “The congressman is looking forward to the start of the new Republican Congress in January and will continue to work hard on behalf of the people of Central Washington.”
Similarly, outgoing Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who serves Spokane and other parts of Eastern Washington, was also listed as “NOT VOTING” on the two roll calls.
But Washington state’s eight other House delegates and two senators voted in favor of the final bill.
After the House passed it, 366-34, the bill went on to the Senate, where lawmakers worked over night to approve it, 85-11. President Joe Biden signed the American Relief Act, 2025, the next day on Dec. 21.
Lawmakers scrapped Trump’s last-minute request to lift the debt ceiling in the 118-page package, but funded government agencies at current levels through March 14 and included $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural assistance, according to the Associated Press.
With control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives in the New Year, Republicans have big priorities — including tax cut extensions and border reform — they hope to pass as they gear up for another fight over government funding.
It’s likely congressional Republicans will continue to court Democrats for votes if Trump’s die-hard loyalists continue to stir the pot on funding.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Republican from Louisiana who was pressed by Musk and his conservative allies to thin down the bill’s first iteration, recently earned Trump’s endorsement to keep his job in the next Congress.
Johnson was spotted at a private fundraising event in the Tri-Cities this fall, stumping in favor of Newhouse, who was seeking reelection to another term against a Trump-endorsed candidate.
The new Congress begins at noon on Friday, Jan. 3.
This story was originally published January 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "What caused Central WA Rep. Newhouse to miss 2 votes on crucial farm aid, fed funding."
