House votes down 1 pct cut to $51 billion spending bill

The House early Friday morning voted down a proposal to shave 1 percent off a $51 billion spending bill, in a vote that split Republicans roughly 2-1 in favor.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) proposed a 1 percent cut to the 2015 spending bill for the Departments of Commerce and Justice and other agencies. Blackburn has brought up this proposal on several spending bills for the last few years, but it always gets voted down.

U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) called for a 1 percent cut to a $51 billion spending bill Thursday night, only to see dozens of Republicans oppose it. Kris Connor/Getty Images

"We are $17 trillion in debt," she said during debate on her proposal. "This is something we can do for our children and our grandchildren, and begin to responsibly roll back the amount that the federal government spends."

"It is a targeted spending cut that will result in a savings to the taxpayers of over $400 million," she added. She also noted that the cut would not apply to any spending at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

But the House rejected her proposal in a 148-253 vote that happened just a few minutes after midnight. Most Republicans voted for it, but dozens opposed it — the vote split the GOP 141-78. Democrats opposed it 7-175.

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) raised a brief argument against Blackburn's idea, in which he said spending it the bill was already cut nearly $400 million compared to current funding levels.

He also said the Commerce, Justice, and Science spending bill has been chopped more than $13 billion over the last few years.

Earlier in the day, the House rejected a handful of other amendments from Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) to cut amounts from various other programs covered by the bill. Broun's proposals would have cut nearly $70 million from the bill.

The House approved the bill late Thursday night.

Republicans voting against Blackburn's amendment included Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.). Others were:

Reps. Aderholt (Ala.), Amodei (Nev.), Bachmann (Minn.), Bachus (Ala.), Barletta (Pa.), Brooks (Ala.), Byrne (Ala.), Calvert (Calif.), Cassidy (La.), Cole (Okla.), Crawford (Ark.), Crenshaw (Fla.), Culberson (Texas), Rodney Davis (Ill.), Denham (Calif.), Dent (Pa.), Diaz-Balart (Fla.), Ellmers (N.C.), Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Forbes (Va.), Fortenberry (Neb.), Frelinghuysen (N.J.), Gerlach (Pa.), Gibson (N.Y.), Griffin (Ark.), Grimm (N.Y.), Hanna (N.Y.), Hastings (Wash.), Heck (Nev.), Herrera Beutler (Wash.), Jenkins (Kan.), Jolly (Fla.), Joyce (Ohio), King (N.Y.), Kinzinger (Ill.), Latham (Iowa), LoBiondo (N.J.), Lucas (Okla.), Marino (Pa.), McKeon (Calif.), McKinley (W-Va.), Meadows (N.C.), Meehan (Pa.), Mullin (Okla.), Noem (S.D.), Nugent (Fla.), Nunes (Calif.), Nunnelee (Miss.), Posey (Fla.), Reed (N.Y.), Reichert (Wash.), Renacci (Ohio), Roby (Ala.), Rogers (Ala.), Rogers (Ky.), Rogers (Mich.), Rooney (Fla.), Roskamn (Ill.), Ross (Fla.), Runyan (N.J.), Schock (Ill.), Shimkus (Ill.), Simpson (Idaho), Smith (N.J.), Stewart (Utah), Stivers (Ohio), Thompson (Pa.), Tiberi (Ohio), Turner (Ohio), Valadao (Calif.), Webster (Fla.), Westmoreland (Ga.), Whitfield (Ky.), Wittman (Va.), Wolf (Va.), Womack (Ark.), Young (Alaska).