Rep. Jamaal Bowman pulls fire alarm ahead of House vote to fund government

Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York pulled the fireplace alarm in a Capitol workplace constructing on Saturday forward of an important, last-minute Home vote that might avert a authorities shutdown, his workplace confirmed.

“Congressman Bowman didn’t understand he would set off a constructing alarm as he was dashing to make an pressing vote,” a spokesman for Bowman mentioned. “The Congressman regrets any confusion.”

It is unclear why Bowman pulled the fireplace alarm. 

U.S. Capitol Police confirmed in a press release {that a} hearth alarm triggered an evacuation of the Cannon workplace constructing at 12:05 p.m. Jap time. The constructing was evacuated whereas Capitol law enforcement officials checked it, and the constructing was reopened after it was decided that there was no menace. 

“An investigation into what occurred and why continues,” the assertion mentioned. 

The Home voted 335-91 on Saturday on a bipartisan stopgap spending measure that might fund the federal government for 45 days, a dramatic last-minute vote that can seemingly cease a authorities shutdown that had appeared all however inevitable simply hours earlier. The invoice has been despatched to the Senate, which should approve it by midnight Saturday to keep away from a shutdown. 

The GOP-led Home Administration Committee mentioned Saturday that an investigation was already underway into Bowman pulling the fireplace alarm. 

Calling the incident “critical,” Home Speaker Kevin McCarthy informed reporters he can be chatting with Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries in regards to the incident and that he was going to ask the Home Ethics Committee to look into it. 

“This is a humiliation,” McCarthy mentioned. “You are elected to be a member of Congress. You pulled a hearth alarm in a minute of hours earlier than the federal government being shut down? Attempting to dictate the federal government would shut down? What is going on via an individual’s thoughts like that? However we’ll discover the suitable potential to cope with this.” 

Jeffries informed reporters that he hadn’t seen the video of the incident but. 

— Keshia Butts contributed to this report.