Area Votes in Congress

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

House

The House considered HR 1314 (below) in two parts. It approved (219-211) the part concerning fast-track trade authority. But it defeated (126-302) the part authorizing Trade Adjustment Assistance, which brought down the overall bill and delivered a defeat to President Obama's trade agenda.

Trans-Pacific trade pact. Voting 219-211, the House on Friday passed a bill (HR 1314) that would enable trade agreements such as the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership to move through Congress with up-or-down votes without amendments or being subjected to Senate filibusters. The bill gives President Obama the fast-track Trade Promotion Authority he requested for his bid to shepherd the TPP into law.

A yes vote was to set fast-track rules for debating the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Voting yes: Ryan Costello (R., Pa.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Michael Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), Pat Meehan (R., Pa.), and Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.).

Voting no: Brendan Boyle (D., Pa.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), John Carney (D., Del.), Matt Cartwright (D., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Tom MacArthur (R., N.J.), Donald Norcross (D., N.J.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Trade adjustment assistance. Voting 126-302, the House on Friday defeated a measure to provide $450 million annually in Trade Adjustment Assistance for U.S. workers and others dislocated by free-trade agreements. TAA provides retraining and temporary financial support to workers whose jobs have been lost as a result of an increase in imports or their company's shifting of work overseas.

A yes vote was to authorize Trade Adjustment Assistance as part of a larger trade package (HR 1314, above).

Voting yes: Carney, Costello, Dent, Fitzpatrick, Meehan, and Pitts.

Voting no: Boyle, Brady, Cartwright, Fattah, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Norcross, and Smith.

GOP instructions to trade negotiators. Voting 240-190, the House on Friday passed a GOP-drafted bill (HR 644) on customs enforcement that instructs U.S. officials to pursue certain policy objectives as they negotiate the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership with 11 other nations that border on the Pacific Ocean.

A yes vote was to send the bill to a House-Senate conference.

Voting yes: Costello, Dent, Fitzpatrick, MacArthur, Meehan, and Pitts.

Voting no: Boyle, Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Fattah, LoBiondo, Norcross, and Smith.

Authorization of force against ISIS. Voting 196-231, the House on Thursday refused to require Congress to formally authorize the ongoing U.S. war against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) forces in the Middle East. The amendment was offered to a 2016 military appropriations bill (HR 2685). It barred funding for U.S. combat against ISIS after March 2016 if Congress by that time has not passed an authorization of military force in keeping with its war-making obligations under the Constitution.

A yes vote was to compel Congress to eventually authorize the U.S. war against ISIS.

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

Voting no: Cartwright, Costello, Dent, Fitzpatrick, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Meehan, Norcross, Pitts, and Smith.

2016 military appropriations. Voting 278-149, the House on Thursday passed a $578.6 billion military appropriations bill for fiscal 2016 that includes about $50 billion in emergency war funding for U.S. operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other combat zones. The bill (HR 2685) funds a 2.3 percent military pay raise; sets troop strengths of 1.309 million active-duty and 819,200 Guard and reserve personnel; funds weapons systems for the four branches; provides $50 billion-plus for active-duty, family and retiree health care; begins a 401(k)-style retirement plan for active-duty and retired service members; arms Ukraine forces and Syrian rebels; and funds programs for victims of sexual assault.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

Voting yes: Costello, Dent, Fitzpatrick, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Meehan, Norcross, Pitts, and Smith.

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

Beef, pork, chicken labeling. Voting 300-131, the House on Wednesday sent the Senate a bill (HR 2393) that would repeal country-of-origin labeling requirements for beef, pork, and chicken sold in retail grocery stores in the United States. Supporters said the requirement has been found to violate global trade rules and thus prompts retaliation against U.S. products.

A yes vote was to end country-of-origin labeling for beef, pork, and chicken sold in U.S. food stores.

Voting yes: Brady, Carney, Costello, Dent, Fattah, Fitzpatrick, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Meehan, Pitts, and Smith.

Voting no: Boyle, Cartwright, and Norcross.

Safety of railroad tank cars. Voting 136-286, the House on Tuesday affirmed a new Department of Transportation rule that requires stronger construction of railroad cars hauling highly flammable materials in the U.S. The rule largely phases out over 10 years the existing stock of tank cars used to transport fluids such as tar-sands and Bakken crude oil. Offered to a DOT budget bill (HR 2577), this amendment sought to kill the rule by denying funds to implement it.

A yes vote was to kill a new rule on tank-car construction standards.

Voting no: Boyle, Brady, Carney, Cartwright, Costello, Dent, Fattah, Fitzpatrick, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Meehan, Norcross, Pitts, and Smith.

Financial deregulation. Voting 246-171, the House on Tuesday passed a bill (HR 2289) that would reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission through fiscal 2019 while scaling back its power to regulate the derivatives market under the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial-regulation law.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

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

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

Senate

Military budget, cybersecurity. Voting 56-40, the Senate on Thursday failed to reach 60 votes needed to attach a bill on cybersecurity to the $612 billion military budget for fiscal 2016 (HR 1735). Republicans said the bill was a good fit because it also concerns national security, while Democrats said they wanted it to be debated as self-standing legislation. The underlying military budget remained in debate.

A yes vote was to affix a cybersecurity bill to the 2016 military budget.

Voting yes: Pat Toomey (R., Pa.).

Voting no: Cory Booker (D., N.J.), Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Chris Coons (D., Del.), and Robert Menendez (D., N.J.).

Dispute over spending caps. Voting 46-51, the Senate on Tuesday refused to block a Republican plan to circumvent legally binding spending caps by shifting large sums of conventional military outlays to an emergency war account that has no such limits. In effect, the vote upheld the GOP's adding $38 billion in noncombat funds to $50 billion in war spending in the off-budget Overseas Contingency Operations fund, as part of the fiscal 2016 military budget (HR 1735).

A yes vote was to block the GOP tactic for raising military spending.

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

Voting no: Toomey.

This week. The House will take up fiscal 2016 appropriations bills, while the Senate will resume debate on the 2016 military budget.