Today, House Republicans defeated a motion in the U.S. House of Representatives to safeguard President Obama’s executive order protecting LGBT employees of federal contractors from discrimination.

During consideration of a bill to require federal agencies to cut costs by eliminating existing regulations, Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) offered a procedural motion to exempt regulations implementing the federal contractor executive order, guaranteeing these important protections would be shielded from any potential cuts.  As is often the case with these procedural motions, the amendment failed along party lines on a vote of 178 to 239.

“We’re disappointed that the House of Representatives refused to protect the landmark LGBT federal contractor executive order. This was a missed opportunity for a bipartisan majority to reaffirm the essential nature of these protections,” said HRC Government Affairs Director David Stacy. “We appreciate the leadership of Rep. David Cicilline and House Democrats in highlighting this critical protection.”

The underlying legislation to impose regulatory cuts is unlikely to pass the Senate, and the White House issued a veto threat.

In June of last year, a similar amendment upholding the executive order was offered by Representative Scott Peters (D-CA) to an appropriations bill funding the Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Urban Development.  A resounding 60 Republicans voted in favor of the amendment, which passed 241-184.