Democratic House members publicly feud

Democratic federal representative Mary G. Perez (D-Wash.) shocked her party colleagues on Wednesday. She tried to publicly condemn retiring Democratic House member Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.), accusing Garcia of undemocratic practices by arranging for his chief of staff to take over his congressional position.

This public feud led to a heated argument between Perez and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), who is responsible for such matters.

Many Democrats also felt that Perez's actions were untimely. Clark "tried... to tell [Perez], 'You don't need to do this now.'” Because it's time for unified opposition against the Republicans.

During the debate on a temporary spending bill to reopen the government, Perez suddenly moved to force a vote on a resolution condemning Garcia's behavior, giving the Republicans an opportunity to shift the focus.

Garcia had originally planned to run for re-election, but unexpectedly announced he would retire before the deadline for nominations in Illinois last week. Garcia's chief of staff, Patty Garcia, was the only other person who collected enough signatures to run, making her the sole candidate in the Democratic primary in a heavily Democratic district.

"It is fundamentally undemocratic for Garcia to decide on a successor," said Perez in a statement provided to Axios.

She added, "Such actions will make people lose interest in electoral politics... If we fail to hold our colleagues accountable for election sabotage, we will face the consequences."

Her resolution—unless she withdraws it, it must be voted on by next Tuesday—states that Garcia's actions "damage the dignity of his office and are incompatible with the spirit of the Constitution."

However, it is expected that House Democrats will block this internal conflict.

Garcia's spokesperson said that he made "a deep personal decision based on his health, his wife's worsening condition, and his responsibilities to his grandchildren (after his daughter passed away)." (Mao Shu in Silicon Valley)

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848751124337732/

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