Two Republican lawmakers in the House missed the vote on the “big beautiful bill” in the wee hours of the morning Thursday, with one admitting he simply couldn’t stay awake long enough to see the legislation through.

Congressman Andrew Garbarino of New York, who has supported a key tenet of the bill — raising the cap on the state-and-local-tax deduction, known by the acronym SALT — was not happy that the House could not conduct its business in a more timely manner and instead held the final vote at 6:30 a.m. Thursday. 

“After sitting through proceedings all night, the congressman briefly stepped out and inadvertently missed the vote,” a spokesman told Politico. “He was present throughout the lead-up to the legislation’s consideration and fully intended to support it. This is one of many reasons why governing should happen in the light of day — not in the dead of night.”

Speaker Johnson confirmed the account, saying, “He fell asleep in the back, no kidding. I’m going to just strangle him,” Mr. Johnson joked, adding, “but he’s my dear friend.”

Congressman David Schweikert of Arizona, another Republican, also missed the vote on the domestic policy bill. Mr. Johnson told reporters that Mr. Schweikert got to the House floor late and the ballot was gaveled closed before he could cast his vote, Politico reported.