House
2010 military budget. Voting 281-146, the House authorized a $680 billion defense budget (HR 2647) for fiscal 2010 that includes $130 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and $27.9 billion for military health care. The bill was opposed mainly over its expansion of the federal hate-crimes law to cover offenses based on sexual orientation, gender or disability.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting yes: John Adler (D., N.J.), 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.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.), and Joe Sestak (D., Pa.).
Voting no: Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).
Guantanamo Bay prisoners. Voting 208-216, the House defeated a Republican bid for firmer measures in HR 2647 (above) against transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to the United States. The motion proposed an absolute ban on prisoner transfers to U.S. soil, in contrast to language in the underlying bill that makes transfers possible 45 days after President Obama has given Congress a plan to close the military prison.
A yes vote backed the GOP motion.
Voting yes: Adler, Castle, Dent, Gerlach, Holden, LoBiondo, Pitts, and Smith.
Voting no: Andrews, Brady, Fattah, Murphy, Schwartz, and Sestak.
Rep. Charles Rangel. Voting 246-153, the House referred to the ethics panel a Republican bid to unseat Rep. Charles Rangel (D., N.Y.) as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. This measure (HR 805) blunted a separate GOP motion to immediately remove Rangel because of official and personal misconduct he has publicly acknowledged.
A yes vote backed the Democratic-sponsored motion.
Voting yes: Adler, Andrews, Brady, Fattah, Holden, Murphy, Schwartz, and Sestak.
Voting no: Castle, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Pitts, and Smith.
Not voting: Dent.
Senate
2010 military appropriations. Voting 93-7, the Senate approved $636.3 billion in military appropriations for fiscal 2010, including $128.2 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and $28.3 billion for service members' health care. The bill (HR 3326) funds a 2.9 percent military pay raise; caps production of the F-22 Raptor fighter jet; funds C-17 cargo jets over Pentagon objections; provides $7.7 billion for the National Missile Defense, and authorizes 1.425 million active-duty troops and 844,500 reservists.
While the House bill above authorizes the defense budget, this bill would actually spend the money.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting yes: Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey Jr. (D., Pa.), Ted Kaufman (D., Del.), Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.), Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), and Arlen Specter (D., Pa.).
Military contractors. Voting 68-30, the Senate banned military contracts under HR 3326 (above) to companies that deny employees the right to sue over alleged workplace mistreatment. This would end, at least for fiscal 2010, the standard practice of contractors requiring workers to submit grievances to mandatory arbitration and forgo lawsuits.
A yes vote backed the amendment.
Voting yes: Carper, Casey, Kaufman, Lautenberg, and Menendez.
Not voting: Specter.
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