Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) on Friday missed a vote for the first time since taking office in 2011, ending a record that has long been a point of pride for him.
Amash — who broke down in tears after realizing he missed the vote, according to Politico — became known for attending every vote and explaining each one to his constituents on Facebook.
But on Friday, that streak ended when he got tied up talking with reporters off the House floor.
{mosads}Amash, an outspoken member of the Freedom Caucus, was railing against the GOP proposal to repeal and replace ObamaCare.
He expressed frustration that House leadership doesn’t seem open to changing the bill, saying “the place may have been more open under Speaker Boehner, sadly.”
Amash answered questions from reporters over the course of more than 10 minutes, which he paused at one point to return to the floor and check whether he needed to cast a vote.
He quickly returned to take more questions. But he got so caught up in the conversation that he accidentally missed the vote.
Then he remembered: “Are we still on the first amendment?”
“I think you’re on the second,” a reporter replied.
“Let me go in there,” Amash said, turning back to the floor. But he was too late.
Reporters waited for him to return again. But Amash, frustrated that his voting streak had ended, shot a look at the gathered reporters and didn’t come back.
Amash reportedly broke down in tears and tried to ask leadership to re-open the vote but was denied.
Amash tweeted out an apology to his district shortly after missing the vote.
The vote Amash missed was an amendment from Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) on a bill to put restrictions on class-action lawsuits.
Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) now has the longest voting streak of any other House member. He issued a press release shortly after the Amash episode on Friday touting his 4,294th consecutive vote.
“I am humbled by the opportunity to serve my constituents and thank God that no personal hardships have kept me from representing them on a single vote since taking office.”
– Updated at 2:38 p.m.