WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Dennis Caulfield (R-OH), 61, led a solemn moment of silence on the House floor Tuesday to honor the memory of the Broadband Access and Rural Infrastructure Act, a bipartisan bill he personally voted to kill in subcommittee last November after describing it as “a grave threat to fiscal responsibility.”

The 30-second tribute, delivered from the chamber podium with hand over heart, was attended by 11 colleagues, none of whom appear to have read the bill or attended the subcommittee meeting at which Caulfield cast the deciding vote against it. A staffer placed a single candle on the podium. The candle was battery-operated, per House fire code.

“Some legislation is taken from us too soon,” Caulfield said, voice measured. “We must pause. We must remember. And we must never stop asking why.”

“Congressman Caulfield has always been a champion for rural broadband,” said Communications Director Tiffany Ruhl, 29, in a prepared statement distributed immediately following the moment of silence. The statement did not mention the subcommittee vote. Neither did a follow-up statement issued when reporters asked about the subcommittee vote.

The bill’s original sponsor, Rep. Gloria Haskins (D-WI), 54, watched from the gallery. She did not place her hand over her heart. When asked for comment, she stared at the ceiling for approximately eleven seconds and then said she needed water.

At press time, Caulfield had announced he would be re-introducing the legislation under a new name, calling it “bold, necessary, and long overdue.”