House

Financial bailout. Voting, 263-171, the House on Friday sent President Bush a bill (HR 1424) authorizing the Treasury to spend up to $700 billion to relieve troubled financial firms of their weakest assets while raising the limit on federal deposit insurance from $100,000 to $250,000 per depositor.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Michael N. Castle (R., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), H. James Saxton (R., N.J.), Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.), and Joe Sestak (D., Pa.).

Voting no: Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Failed rescue plan. Voting 205-228 against, the House on Monday defeated a bill (HR 3997) that authorized a taxpayer bailout of financial firms costing up to $700 billion. Four days later, the House approved essentially the same bailout (HR 1424, above) after the Senate had sweetened it.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Andrews, Brady, Castle, Fattah, Murphy, Saxton, Schwartz and Sestak.

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

Indian nuclear deal. Voting 298-117, the House approved an administration plan to sell U.S. nuclear technology, fuel and reactors to India for civilian purposes even though India, which has nuclear arms, has refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Andrews, Castle, Dent, Gerlach, Holden, LoBiondo, Murphy and Saxton.

Voting no: Brady, Fattah, Pitts, Schwartz, Sestak and Smith.

Senate

Financial bailout. Voting, 74-25, the Senate sent the House a bill (HR 1424) authorizing the Treasury to spend up to $700 billion to bail out troubled financial firms in hopes of stabilizing the U.S. economy.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D., Del.), Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey Jr. (D., Pa.), Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.), Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), and Arlen Specter (R., Pa.).

Indian nuclear deal. Voting, 86-13, the Senate sent President Bush a bill (HR 7081, above) authorizing the U.S. to sell civilian nuclear materials to India even though India, a nuclear state since 1974, has refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

A yes vote was to pass the deal.

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

Railroad safety. Voting, 74-24, the Senate authorized the Federal Railroad Administration through 2011 at a budget of $1.2 billion and required the installation of technology by 2015 that would automatically brake trains facing collision or derailment. The bill (HR 2095) also authorizes $13 billion over five years for Amtrak.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

Not voting: Biden.

This week. Congress is scheduled to meet next in January.