Democrats vote to support TAX CHEAT Rangel

Two Mississippi Democrats join Republicans in support of removing Rangel from the powerful Way & Means Committee Chairmanship.

WASHINGTON -- Democrats defeated the latest effort by Republicans to remove Rep. Charles Rangel from his chairmanship of the influential Ways and Means Committee, but couldn't stop Democratic defections in what had been a united party front.

Two Mississippi Democrats, Reps. Gene Taylor and Travis Childers, joined Republicans in a procedural vote to prevent Democrats from killing the measure. The vote failed by 246-153, with six Republicans siding with Democrats. In the two previous votes, five Republicans crossed party lines and no Democrats.

The vote was the third effort by Republicans to remove Mr. Rangel from the helm of the tax-writing committee in the last year.

The practical implications of Wednesday's floor action were limited. The House did vote to refer a wide range of issues involving Mr. Rangel to the House Ethics Committee, but the panel has already been investigating Mr. Rangel for a year. The defections suggest the party's support for Mr. Rangel could be softening as Democrats prepare to enter what is expected to be a tough midterm election year.

"These votes show that support for the Democratic leaders' decision to sweep this matter under the rug is starting to crack," said Michael Steel, a spokesman for Minority Leader John Boehner (R., Ohio).