Representative Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, has spoken out about missing the recent vote on the debt limit bill, claiming to have done so intentionally despite earlier reports to the contrary.
Boebert was among the House GOP members, particularly those on the party's far-right flank, to speak out against the debt limit deal recently brokered between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. After weeks of conflict, the final deal ultimately raised the debt ceiling until January 2025 and introduced a handful of cuts to government spending, though to a lesser degree than Republicans had suggested.
The bill was successfully passed in both the House and Senate, despite varying pushback on both sides, and was signed by Biden on Saturday afternoon. Boebert was notably absent from the House vote on Wednesday and was initially mum on her reasons why. Reports from the scene indicated that Boebert had been late and just missed the vote, with members of her staff later telling reporters that it had not been her intention to miss the vote, The Denver Post reported.
In a video posted to Twitter on Saturday, the congresswoman, however, attempted to claim that she had missed the vote on purpose, referring to it as a "no-show protest," adding that the bill had been "shoved down our throats."
"Hey, everyone, I'm back in Colorado, but let's talk about D.C.," Boebert said in the video. "No excuses, I was ticked off they wouldn't let me do my job, so I didn't take the vote. Once again, Washington's power machine shoved a multi-trillion-dollar bill down our throats, refused to allow debate or amendments, disregarded everything we fought for in January to actually allow representatives to do their jobs."
She added later in the video: "Deals cut in the dark are why we are headed towards $36 trillion in debt, and I refuse to be a part of it."
Boebert had previously been among the Republicans speaking out against the contents of the bill, tweeting last Saturday that she intended to vote against it.
"Our base didn't volunteer, door knock and fight so hard to get us the majority for this kind of compromise deal with Joe Biden," she wrote in the tweet. "Our voters deserve better than this. We work for them. You can count me as a NO on this deal. We can do better."
Boebert's presence on Wednesday would not have made a difference in the outcome, as the debt limit bill passed 314-117. Of the House members who voted no, 71 were Republicans and 46 were Democrats.
Newsweek reached out to Boebert's press office via email for comment.
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