Where The Rubber Meets The Road (5/8/09)

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

2010-14 federal budget. Voting 233-193, the House adopted the conference report on a five-year Democratic budget (S Con Res 13) that for 2010 projects $3.4 trillion in spending, a $1.2 trillion deficit, $284 billion in interest payments on federal debt, and $130 billion for war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A yes vote was to adopt the budget plan.

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

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

The party of “No” strikes again (and these numbers may be skewed left a bit, but not by much, and they’ve barely changed since Obama was inaugurated...still "food for thought" - of course, that's assuming Repugs think at all any more).

Hate-crimes prosecutions. Members voted, 249-175, to expand the federal law against hate crimes to include offenses based on sexual orientation, gender, or disability, as well as the existing categories of race, color, religion and national origin. The bill (HR 1913), which awaits Senate action, authorizes federal grants and law enforcement resources to help state and local officials combat hate crimes. The law targets crimes of violence but not free speech.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

Voting no: Pitts and Smith.

This is a truly hideous vote by Chris Smith, typical for a life form who (as noted here), would deny gays and lesbians the right to work as teachers, doctors, nurses, first responders, federal contractors, or state and federal workers, (maybe even) deny basic rights like student loans to gay college students. And did I mention the New Jersey rep’s ties to right wing hate groups?

And as noted here, Pancake Joe is all in favor of human rights…as long as you’re straight.

Credit-card rules. Voting 357-70, the House sent the Senate a bill (HR 627) imposing pro-consumer rules on credit cards. The bill bans due-date gimmickry; allows cardholders to set personal credit limits above which transactions cannot be processed; sets 18 as the minimum age for obtaining a card in most circumstances; prohibits changes in contract terms until renewal; and requires 45 days' notice of rate increases while allowing existing balances to be paid at the previous rate.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

Voting no: Pitts.

The PA-16 rep continues to embarrass his constituents and the democratic process itself with votes such as this one.

Senate

2010-14 budget. Voting 53-43, the Senate gave final approval to a five-year Democratic budget (S Con Res 13) that accommodates most of President Obama's requests, including his proposals for revamping health care, student loans, and energy policies. The budget projects $3.4 trillion in spending and a $1.2 trillion deficit for 2010. The plan did not require a presidential signature and took effect immediately.

A yes vote was to adopt the budget plan.

Voting yes: Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Ted Kaufman (D., Del.), Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.), and Robert Menendez (D., N.J.).

Voting no: Arlen Specter (D., Pa.).

Oh, and by the way, get a load of this fundraising gimmick from our brand new “Democratic” senator (doesn’t really have anything to do with the budget, I’ll admit, but man, is this low – and he actually uses the phrase “real change” in an effort to trick people who think they’re donating to a charity…I swear, I may gag).

Update 5/9/10: Snarlin' Arlen is nothing if not slick, people (here).

Kathleen Sebelius confirmation. The Senate confirmed, 65-31, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, 60, as the 21st secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Sebelius, a Democrat, was backed by all 56 Democrats and independents who voted and by nine Republicans.

A yes vote was to confirm Sebelius.

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

I should note that the Inquirer published this editorial almost a week ago giving Casey credit for this vote (Sebelius is pro-choice, see), even though Scranton, PA Bishop Joseph Martino now wonders aloud whether or not Casey, a Catholic, should receive communion because of it.

Get a load of this, Bishop Martino…

The People-Press poll also shows that the balance of Catholic opinion leans in support of both abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research, even though recent polling suggests that, as with the public overall, Catholics' views on abortion have moved in a more conservative direction over the past year. However, the Catholic community remains deeply divided on these issues depending on frequency of Mass attendance.

So you have a choice, Bishop Martino – keep beating this “values voter” dead horse and drive away more congregants, or leave it alone and let the coffers fill up a little bit more as more people come back for Mass (at what point does the economy finally trump the Church’s intrusiveness on this issue?).

Besides, Bishop Martino, do you really mean to deny communion to every pro-choice Catholic? You’ll barely have anyone left attending services if you do.

Financial crimes. Voting 92-4, the Senate passed a bill (S 386) toughening federal laws against financial crimes such as mortgage and securities fraud. The bill also broadens the False Claims Act, under which private citizens can file fraud suits on behalf of the government and receive a large share of any recovered funds. The bill awaits House action.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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

And by the way (as noted here), the four knuckleheads who voted against this were Jim Inhofe, Tom Coburn, Jim DeMint and Jon Kyl (surprised?).

This week, the House considered a bill to rein in predatory home lending, while the Senate debated bills on saving troubled mortgages and changing credit-card practices.