“Many members said the bill’s defeat, by 224 to 209 votes, was the first rejection of an appropriation measure they could recall since Republicans assumed House control in 1995. The loss left the leadership uncertain whether to bring up another budget measure, which calls for $50 billion in cuts over five years.”

In a dramatic rebuke of conservative leadership, the House has defeated the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education spending bill for Fiscal Year 2006. This year’s bill, which contains one-third of all domestic spending, calls for deep cuts in critical government programs.

The vote was scheduled for 15 minutes but lasted more than a half hour. This time, the conservative leaders couldn’t twist enough arms.

UPDATE: This bill seemed to be OK with the right-wing until Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) cut out all the pork.

UPDATE II: More on the loss for conservative leadership from a Hill staffer, via The Plank:

The defeat was embarassing in more than one respect. First, they lost. Second, they looked hapless while losing. Rather than stopping the bleeding, they held the vote open for a long time, but had a twenty vote deficit. Very few of those votes were budging. To make the effort to hold the vote open and then to lose looks exceptionally weak.

from thinkprogress