Where The Rubber Meets The Road (8/3/07)

As reported in last Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer, here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress were recorded on major roll-call votes last week.

Iraq bases ban. Members passed, 399-24, a bill to prohibit the United States from establishing permanent military bases in Iraq or exerting economic control of the Iraq oil industry.

A yes vote was to pass HR 2929.

All Philadelphia-area representatives voted in favor of the bill.

Part of me is shocked by the unanimity of the vote here, though, as you can see, the 24 votes against this bill all came from Republicans.

Farm bill. Members passed, 231-191, a bill that would extend the system of payments to growers of major crops, expand nutrition programs such as Food Stamps, fund fruit and vegetable programs, and promote conservation.

A yes vote was to pass the five-year farm program (HR 2419)

Voting yes: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), Joe Sestak (D., Pa.), and Allyson Schwartz (D., Pa.),

Voting no: Michael Castle (R., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.) Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.) Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), H. James Saxton (R., N.J.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

I noted a short time ago that the Repugs were prepared to sign on board with this bill, but when they found out it would be financed by closing the loophole that allows U.S.-based foreign companies to set up offshore operations to avoid our taxes, they decided to fight it en masse.

I just hope that every Repug who opposed this and whose districts include farms (such as Lancaster County, “Voting No” Joe Pitts?) has to face the music when his (in this case) constituents go to the polls next November.

Senate

Homeland security. Senators passed, 89-4, a $40.6 billion Department of Homeland Security budget for 2008.

A yes vote was to fund the agency (HR 2638).

All Philadelphia-area senators voted in favor of the bill.

Student-loan ethics. Senators passed, 95-0, a renewal of the Higher Education Act that would ban firms that lend to students from offering inducements such as trips to college officials.

A yes vote supported the bill (S 1642).

All Philadelphia-area senators voted in favor of the bill.

Oh, and by the way, speaking of student loans, I came across this story that originated in the New York Times yesterday which tells us that the Department of Education, after all of the goings-on with private lenders, still doesn’t have a means to detect and uncover misconduct by these entities and protect student borrowers; this probably accounts for the decisive vote.

OK, let’s all join in on this one – “Heckuva Job, Margie!”