Where The Rubber Meets The Road (5/30/08)

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.

House

Suits against OPEC. The House passed, 324-84, a bill (HR 6074) authorizing the U.S. attorney general to sue the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries under U.S. antitrust laws for monopolistic practices. The 13 OPEC members are Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. The bill is now before the Senate.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

Voting no: Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.).

Not voting: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.).

(See what I mean about Andrews missing a lot of votes, as I noted here?).

And OMG, Joe Pitts is just too freaking funny – he’s on the Energy and Commerce Committee, for God’s sake; what is he afraid of? Getting some our Saudi “friends” mad at him so he won’t get an invite to chill out at Dubai (and yes, I know Mukasey will never enforce this, but still...).

I just came across this snapshot of Pitts from The Daily Kos, and I love the way they put “representing” in quotes (and by the way, to help Bruce Slater, click here).

Energy, business, personal tax breaks. Voting 263-160, the House passed a bill (HR 6049) providing $55.5 billion in tax breaks for purposes such as spurring the production of non-fossil fuels, promoting energy conservation, stimulating business activity, and helping homeowners and the working poor.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Andrews, Brady, Castle, Dent, Fattah, Gerlach, Holden, LoBiondo, Murphy, Schwartz, Sestak and Smith.

Voting no: Pitts and Saxton.

Wow, all it took were two votes for Pancake Joe to have a really awful week (and Saxton is becoming more and more forgettable as his time draws shorter), even more ridiculous because they both affected what is supposed to be one of Joe's “specialties,” along with heterosexual human rights as noted here (and once more, to help Bruce Slater, click here).

Farm bill veto. Voting 316-108, the House overrode President Bush's veto of a five-year, $289 billion farm bill (HR 2419) that extends the existing system of payments and subsidies for growers of major crops such as cotton, corn, rice, wheat and soybeans; expands nutrition programs such as food stamps and school lunches; promotes land conservation and rural development; provides funding for fruit and vegetable growers, and spurs development of renewable fuels such as cellulose-based ethanol. This vote overrode his veto of 14 of the bill's 15 sections.

A yes vote was to override the presidential veto.

Voting yes: Andrews, Brady, Fattah, Gerlach, Holden, Murphy, Schwartz and Sestak.

Voting no: Castle, Dent, LoBiondo, Pitts, Saxton and Smith.

Now I know Dubya is toast; Gerlach voted to override his veto.

Senate

Farm bill veto. By a tally of 82-13, the Senate joined the House (HR 2419, above) in voting to override President Bush's veto of a $289 billion farm bill that renews subsidies for growers of major crops while also funding conservation and nutrition programs and taxpayer support for fruit and vegetable growers, among other programs.

A yes vote was to enact HR 2419.

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

This week, Congress began its Memorial Day recess until the week of June 2, when both chambers will take up the fiscal 2009 budget resolution and possibly bills to head off mortgage foreclosures and reform agencies related to the housing market.