Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted down their party's own Energy Department spending bill on Thursday after Democrats added protections for LGBT workers.
An amendment to the spending bill offered by Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) on Wednesday night that would bar federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity was approved by a vote of 223 to 195, with 43 Republicans joining Democrats in support of the measure.
During a floor vote on Thursday, 130 House Republicans voted against the bill, killing it 112-305. Democrats who approved the measure said that they did so because they disagreed with spending levels, according to The Hill.
Republicans scrambled last week to kill a similar amendment protecting LGBT rights, causing mayhem on the House floor when it failed by one vote.
House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX) accused Democrats of introducing a "poison pill" to kill the spending bill.
According to Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY), Republicans are now considering a process that would prevent House members of either party from offering unlimited amendments on future spending bills.
“We’ll adapt to the circumstances and move on," Rogers said.