Area Votes in Congress

WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress voted on major issues last week:

House

"Don't ask, don't tell" repeal. Voting 234-194, the House passed an amendment to the fiscal 2011 defense budget (HR 5136) that would make it legal for gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military. The vote was to repeal the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" law under which about 13,500 troops have been discharged after their homosexuality became public. The repeal would occur after the Pentagon completes a policy review in December.

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.) said: "When I served in Baghdad, my team did not care whether a fellow soldier was straight or gay. We cared if they could fire their F4 assault rifle or run a convoy down 'Ambush Alley.' Could they do their job so that everybody in our unit could come home safely? With our military fighting two wars, why on earth would we tell over 13,500 able-bodied Americans that their services are not needed?"

A yes vote backed the amendment.

Voting yes: John Adler (D., N.J.), Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.), and Joe Sestak (D., Pa.).

Voting no: Michael N. Castle (R., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

2011 military budget. Voting 229-186, the House authorized a $680 billion military budget for fiscal 2011, an increase of $46 billion or nearly 7 percent over the comparable 2010 figure. The bill (HR 5136) authorizes $159 billion for war next year in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Adler, Andrews, Brady, Castle, Dent, Fattah, Holden, Murphy, Schwartz, and Sestak.

Voting no: Gerlach, LoBiondo, Pitts, and Smith.

Jobless, business benefits. Voting 215-204, the House passed a nearly $100 billion bill (HR 4213) that would extend jobless checks for the long-term unemployed through November and renew an array of tax breaks - such as the research-and-development credit - that benefit businesses.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Adler, Andrews, Brady, Fattah, Holden, Murphy, Schwartz, and Sestak.

Voting no: Castle, Dent, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Pitts, and Smith.

Senate

War and disaster spending. Voting 67-28, the Senate sent the House a bill (HR 4899) to provide nearly $60 billion in supplemental fiscal 2010 appropriations, all defined as emergency spending that would be added to the national debt. In part, the bill provides $33 billion for war operations mainly in Afghanistan; $14 billion for entitlement programs; $5.1 billion to help states recover from recent flooding and tornadoes; $2.8 billion for Haiti; and $68 million for the initial federal response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Ted Kaufman (D., Del.), Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.), Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), and Arlen Specter (D., Pa.).

Border security. Voting 51-46, the Senate failed to get 60 votes for passing a Republican amendment to HR 4899 (above) to appropriate $250 million for sending 6,000 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. This would add 4,800 troops to the 1,200 just deployed by President Obama.

John McCain (R., Ariz.) said the president's deploying 1,200 troops "is simply not enough. We need 6,000. We need 3,000 across the border and an additional 3,000 on the Arizona-Mexico border."

A yes vote backed the amendment.

Voting no: Carper, Casey, Kaufman, Lautenberg, Menendez, and Specter.

Budget dispute. Voting 50-47, the Senate tabled (killed) an amendment to offset the nearly $60 billion cost of HR 4899 (above) by cutting the spending side of the federal budget while leaving the taxation side unchanged. The amendment realized most of its savings by rescinding tens of billions of dollars already appropriated for specific purposes but not yet obligated.

A yes vote was to table the amendment.

Voting yes: Carper, Casey, Kaufman, Lautenberg, Menendez, and Specter.

Afghanistan withdrawal. Voting 18-80, the Senate defeated an amendment to HR 4899 requiring a presidential timetable for withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan. The measure sought to require details underpinning President Obama's announced intention to start pulling troops from Afghanistan in July 2011.

A yes vote backed the amendment.

Voting yes: Specter.

Voting no: Carper, Casey, Kaufman, Lautenberg, and Menendez.

This week. Congress is in Memorial Day recess until the week of June 8.