French opposition lawmakers brought the government down on Wednesday, throwing the European Union's second-biggest economic power deeper into a political crisis that threatens its capacity to legislate and rein in a massive budget deficit. Far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined forces to back a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his government, with a majority 331 votes in support of the motion. Barnier was expected to tender his resignation and that of his government to President Emmanuel Macron shortly. No French government had lost a confidence vote since Georges Pompidou's in 1962. This time, Macron had ushered in the crisis by calling a snap election in June that delivered a polarized parliament. The left and far right punished Barnier for opting to use special constitutional powers to ram part of an unpopular budget, which sought 60 billion euros in savings in an effort to shrink the deficit, through parliament without a final vote. Far-right chief Marine Le Pen had said collapsing the government was "the only way the constitution gives us to protect the French from a dangerous, unfair and punitive budget."