Area Votes in Congress

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

House

10-year Republican budget. Voting 219-205, the House on Thursday approved a Republican budget (H Con Res 96) that would reach balance by fiscal 2024 through steps such as cutting spending by $5 trillion over 10 years; repealing the Affordable Care Act; scaling back the higher-education aid known as Pell Grants; partially privatizing Medicare for individuals now 55 and younger, and converting Medicaid and food stamps to state-run block-grant programs.

A yes vote was to adopt the Republican budget.

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

Voting no: Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), John Carney (D., Del.), Matt Cartwright (D., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), and Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.).

Not voting: Jon Runyan (R., N.J.) and Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.).

Health insurance for expatriates. By a vote of 257-159, the House on Wednesday failed to reach a two-thirds majority needed to pass a bipartisan bill (HR 4414) that would exempt Americans abroad and foreigners working in the United States from the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. Backers said the bill would protect jobs at U.S. insurance companies that sell policies to expatriates, while foes said it would undermine the ACA and result in expatriates receiving inferior health coverage.

John Carney (D., Del.) said the bill "ensures that American expatriate insurance carriers are on a level playing field with their foreign competitors, so that American jobs stay here in America."

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Carney, Dent, Fattah, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, and Smith.

Voting no: Brady and Cartwright.

Not voting: Runyan and Schwartz.

Accounting for credit programs. Voting 230-165, the House on Monday approved GOP-sponsored accounting rules (HR 1872) that would raise the stated cost of direct-loan and loan-guarantee programs in the U.S. budget by giving more weight to risk.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it is likely to die.

Voting yes: Dent, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, Runyan, and Smith.

Voting no: Brady, Cartwright, and Fattah.

Not voting: Carney and Schwartz.

Equal pay for women. By a vote of 179-217, the House on Monday defeated a Democratic motion to delay enactment of HR 1872 (above) until the Census Bureau finds that women have achieved equal pay with men for full-time, year-round employment.

A yes vote was to adopt the Democratic motion.

Voting yes: Brady, Carney, Cartwright, and Fattah.

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

Not voting: Schwartz.

GOP rules to measure spending. By a vote of 230-185, the House on Tuesday passed a Republican- sponsored bill (HR 1871) that would redefine the all-important "baseline" in budgeting rules to make it easier for Congress to cut discretionary spending.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it is likely to die.

Voting yes: Dent, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Meehan, Pitts, and Smith.

Voting no: Brady, Carney, Cartwright, and Fattah.

Not voting: Runyan and Schwartz.

Disabled children, veterans, police. Voting 191-221, the House on Tuesday defeated a Democratic motion to prevent HR 1871 (above) from triggering spending cuts in programs for student loans, nursing-home safety, the education of disabled children, aviation and food safety, veterans' benefits, or local police.

A yes vote was to adopt the Democratic motion.

Voting yes: Brady, Carney, Cartwright, and Fattah.

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

Not voting: Runyan and Schwartz.

Senate

Female-male pay equity. Voting 53-44, the Senate on Wednesday failed to reach 60 votes for ending GOP blockage of a Democratic-sponsored bill (S 2199) closing loopholes in the 1963 Equal Pay Act and giving women more legal tools for gaining pay equity with male coworkers. The so-called Paycheck Fairness Act would require equal pay for comparable work except when differences can be justified by narrowly defined business necessities or factors such as education, training or experience.

A yes vote was to advance the bill.

Voting yes: Cory Booker (D., N.J.), Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Chris Coons (D., Del.), and Robert Menendez (D., N.J.).

Voting no: Pat Toomey (R., Pa.).

Extended unemployment benefits. Voting 59-38, the Senate on Monday passed a bipartisan bill (HR 3979) to provide extended jobless benefits to about three million individuals out of work for 27 weeks or longer. Benefits funded by the bill would be retroactive to Dec. 28 and end on May 31, with their projected $10 billion cost paid for by extending customs user fees and temporarily changing rules by which companies fund their pension plans.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the House, where it is likely to be shelved.

Voting yes: Booker, Carper, Casey, Coons, and Menendez.

Voting no: Toomey.

Ahead. Congress is in Easter-Passover recess until the week of April 28.