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Area Votes in Congress

WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress voted on major issues: House GOP spending plan. Voting 215-209, the House on Thursday passed a Republican bill (HR 6684) to replace about $110 billion in soon-to-begin across-the-board cuts in military and domestic spending with a new round of domestic spending cuts. Sponsored by Rep

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

House

GOP spending plan. Voting 215-209, the House on Thursday passed a Republican bill (HR 6684) to replace about $110 billion in soon-to-begin across-the-board cuts in military and domestic spending with a new round of domestic spending cuts. Sponsored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.), the bill's main purpose was to head off $55 billion in automatic defense cuts over one year scheduled to start Jan. 3 under "sequester" rules of the 2011 Budget Control Act.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Pat Meehan (R., Pa.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), Jon Runyan (R., N.J.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Voting no: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), John Carney (D., Del.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Michael Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), and Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.).

Oil tax breaks, Medicare cuts. Voting 179-243, the House on Thursday defeated a Democratic bid to repeal tax breaks for the five largest oil companies and use the savings to soften cuts that HR 6684 (above) would make in Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children's Health insurance program.

A yes vote backed the Democratic measure.

Voting yes: Andrews, Brady, Carney, Fattah, Holden, and Schwartz.

Voting no: Dent, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, and Smith.

2013 military budget. Voting 315-107, the House on Thursday approved the conference report on a $633.3 billion military budget for fiscal 2013, including $88.5 billion for actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, at least $57 billion for health care, $17.3 billion for nuclear-weapons programs run by the Department of Energy, and $9.7 billion for space- and land-based missile defenses. The bill (HR 4310) funds a 1.7 percent military pay raise, rejects a Pentagon request for further rounds of base-closings, assigns 1,000 Marines to guard U.S. diplomatic facilities, and provides Israel with $210 million for bolstering its Iron Dome defenses.

A yes vote was to approve the conference report.

Voting yes: Andrews, Brady, Dent, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, Holden, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, Schwartz, and Smith.

Voting no: Carney and Fattah.

Senate

2013 military budget. Voting 81-14, the Senate on Friday sent President Obama the conference report on a $633.3 billion fiscal 2013 military budget that includes $88.5 billion for actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition to provisions noted in the House issue above, the bill sets active-duty strengths of 552,100 for the Army, 329,597 for the Air Force, 322,700 for the Navy, and 197,300 for the Marine Corps. The bill provides $5.7 billion for the Afghan police and security forces and $350 million for infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, and funds security for Afghanistan's presidential election in 2014.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Chris Coons (D., Del.), Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.), Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), and Pat Toomey (R., Pa.).

This week. Both chambers may debate fiscal-cliff bills and consider disaster aid for areas struck by Hurricane Sandy. The Senate will vote on the conference report on the fiscal 2013 military budget.