AP Photo Democrats fume at fellow Democrat over same-sex benefits vote Rep. Corrine Brown switches her vote on a measure to provide benefits to same-sex spouses of service members.

Democrats on the House Veterans Affairs Committee are fuming after the panel’s ranking member declined to support their effort to extend federal benefits to the spouses of same-sex veterans on Thursday.

Rep. Corrine Brown, the top Democrat on the committee, didn’t tell her colleagues she planned to vote "present" on an amendment authored by Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) — even though Brown voted in support of extending benefits to same-sex spouses of service members and veterans just last year.


The vote comes as Brown is facing a redistricting struggle in Florida. Titus called the "present" vote a “slap in the face” to veterans and other Democratic lawmakers on the panel.

“I never question someone’s motives for how they vote, but what upset us is, one, she changed her vote and second, she didn’t let us know and she is our leader,” Titus said. “We’re talking about a number of options….We’re going to do something. We want to hear her explanation and we want her to hear why we are upset. It was really disappointing.”

In a statement, Brown said she felt the amendment would hold up the larger piece of legislation to which it was attached.

“I felt that the Titus amendment, if passed, would jeopardize the underlying ... legislation, which would permanently provide for a cost of living increase for our veterans, without making Congress pass a new COLA each year,” Brown said. “I have supported Rep. Titus’ legislation in the past," she added, "but voted 'present' today to preserve the agreement in the base bill before the committee.”

But Democrats are not letting the issue die in the committee room.

Titus said the lawmakers are requesting a meeting with Brown so the Florida Democrat can explain her decision. It is uncommon for ranking members to vote against amendments or legislation authored by colleagues from their own party without giving warning, especially if they supported the effort in past votes.

Titus and other Democrats on the panel are also considering asking for a meeting with Democratic leaders about the vote and Brown’s tenure as ranking member. And some members on the panel want to send a “Dear Colleague” letter to all of the House Democrats expressing their frustration.

The Florida Supreme Court threw out a large portion of the state’s congressional map earlier this year, which puts Brown’s Jacksonville-based district in jeopardy. If the map is redrawn as planned, Brown will lose a large population of African-American voters she’s represented for years to a neighboring district.

Brown has already filed a lawsuit in the 3rd District Federal Court in North Florida to block the effort, saying it could jeopardize minority rights. Her district was created by federal mandate in the 1990s to expand representation for minorities.

Staffers for lawmakers on the committee suggested redistricting threat – and the fact that Brown would likely face a tough primary challenge – may explain the changed stance. When asked for a response, Brown's office pointed to her written statement.

Brown’s district would also likely be expanded to include a larger population of conservative white voters, and already a popular figure in Florida politics, former State Sen. Al Lawson, a Democrat, has indicated he would challenge her for the seat. Lawson, like Brown, is African-American.

The amendment vote was extemely close on Thursday. Eight Democrats joined two Republicans — Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) and Rep. Ryan Costello (R-Pa.) — to vote “yes.” The other 12 Republicans on the panel voted “no.”



CORRECTION: Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the outcome if Brown and another Democrat had voted 'yes' on the amendment. It would have tied, not passed.