Votes in Congress/ How our representatives voted
WASHINGTON — Here are the votes of Western New York’s four members of the House of Representatives and the state’s two U. S. senators on major legislation in Congress. A “Y” means the member voted for the measure; an “N” means the member voted against the measure.
HOUSE
National Defense Authorization Act— The House approved the National Defense Authorization Act, sponsored by Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., to fund the Pentagon for fiscal 2010. Supporters said the bill would aid American service members and provide “necessary resources to keep Americans safe” while making progress on protecting national security with the right approach. Opponents said the legislation would undercut efforts to have reasonable constraints on military spending and would establish “a terrible precedent” for government budgeting. The vote June 25 was 389 yeas to 22 nays. Rep. Brian M. Higgins, D-Buffalo, Y; Rep. Chris Lee R-Clarence, Y; Rep. Eric J. J. Massa D-Corning, Y; Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-Fairport, Y. Indiana Dunes Restoration Project— The House rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif., to the Interior Department Appropriations Act that would have eliminated $1 million of funding to restore the Good Fellow Lodge at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Supporters of the amendment said the project “would reduce National Park Service maintenance and operation costs [and would encourage] environmental stewardship” in Indiana. Opponents said rather than funding park projects on the basis of congressional requests, the Interior should look at all potential park projects and needs around the country and determine which ones meet funding requirements. The vote June 26 was 123 yeas to 305 nays. Higgins, N; Lee, N; Massa, N; Slaughter, N. Canton Arts Project Retained— The House rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. John Campbell, RCalif., to the Interior Department Appropriations Act that would have eliminated $150,000 of earmark funding for a Traditional Arts project in Canton, N. Y. Supporters of the amendment said cutting the earmark meant “that the people of this country would be better served if we saved this money, didn’t spend it, didn’t borrow it, and tried to have a little better rein on some of their money.” Opponents of the amendment said the earmark would “bring economic development through vitalizing tourism [by helping] create the opportunities for new businesses to come in” to the town of Canton.
The vote June 26 was 122 yeas to 309 nays.
Higgins, N; Lee, Y; Massa, N; Slaughter, N.
Interior and Environment Appropriations— The House approved the Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for fiscal 2010, sponsored by Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash. Supporters said the bill would help fund programs “vital to every American, . . . improve the environment for everyone . . . and work to fulfill our nation’s trust responsibilities” to Native Americans. Opponents said it would increase spending “with relatively little planning and coordination across multiple agencies and the rest of government” and set out an unsustainable pattern of spending in difficult economic times.
The vote June 26 was 254 yeas to 173 nays.
Higgins, Y; Lee, N; Massa, Y; Slaughter, Y.
Clean Energy and Security Act— The House approved the American Clean Energy and Security Act, sponsored by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., to promote clean energy resources and establish a cap-and-trade program to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Supporters said the bill, which was strongly endorsed by President Obama, “tackles big problems that have been ignored for far too long, . . . proposes solutions that will transform our economic and clean-air environment . . . and will drive a new era of sustainable growth and innovation.” Opponents said “[it] promises to destroy our standard of living and the quality of life with higher energy costs, higher food prices and lost jobs,” and that it would hurt Americans’ ability to get inexpensive sources of energy.
The vote June 26 was 219 yeas to 212 nays.
Higgins, Y; Lee, N; Massa, N; Slaughter, Y.
SENATE
There were no key votes in the Senate.
Information for this column is supplied by Targeted News Service.
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