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Roll Call

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February 1, 2010

Congressional roll call for week of Jan. 25

WASHINGTON - Here’s how area members of Congress voted on major issues in the week ending Jan. 29.

HOUSE

SMALL-BUSINESS FINANCING: Voting 410 for and four against, the House on Jan. 27 passed a bill (HR 4508) to extend several Small Business Administration loan and grant programs while awaiting Senate action on a House-passed bill to upgrade and reauthorize those programs.

Sam Graves, R-Mo., said: “Without enactment of this extension, a vital number of programs that the SBA operates would cease to function. Given the continued importance that small businesses play in the revitalization of the American economy, we simply cannot allow the SBA authorizations to run out.”

No member spoke against the bill.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.



MASSACHUSETTS  Voting yes: John Olver, D-1, Richard

Neal, D-2, James McGovern, D-3, Niki Tsongas,

D-5, John Tierney, D-6, Edward Markey, D-7, Michael

Capuano, D-8, Stephen Lynch, D-9, William Delahunt,

D-10 

Voting no:   None

Not voting:   Barney Frank, D-4 



SENATE

BERNANKE CONFIRMATION: Voting 70 for and 30 against, the Senate on Jan. 28 confirmed Ben S. Bernanke, 56, for a second four-year term as chairman of the Federal Reserve System board of governors. Bernanke’s first term was to expire Jan. 31. Bernanke has ten years remaining in his 14-year term as a Fed board member.

Max Baucus, D-Mont., said: “Facing the worst financial calamity in nearly 70 years and relying on his keen insight into the origins of financial panics, (Bernanke) successfully worked with the previous and current administrations to ensure that the economy of the United States and the world survived the crisis of 2008.”

Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said Bernanke’s “decisions over the last eight years as a member of the Federal Reserve Board, as chairman of (President Bush’s) Council of Economic Advisers, and as Chairman of the Fed helped set the fire that destroyed our economy.”

A yes vote was to confirm Bernanke.



MASSACHUSETTS  Voting yes: Paul Kirk, D, John

Kerry, D 

Voting no:   None

Not voting:   None



NATIONAL DEBT LIMIT: Voting 60 for and 39 against, the Senate on Jan. 28 sent the House a bill raising the national debt limit by $1.9 trillion to $14.29 trillion. The bill (HJ Res 45) would extend Treasury borrowing authority until late 2010 or early 2011, at which time Congress would vote on whether to raise the debt ceiling.

Max Baucus, D-Mont., said: “Federal budget deficits are at record highs. Why is that? The reasons are simple. We have been and still are in the deepest recession since the Great Depression....The current administration inherited those problems.”

Judd Gregg, R-N.H., said “it is irresponsible to increase the debt ceiling if you don’t do something responsible about addressing what is driving the debt ceiling, which is spending.”

A yes vote was to raise the federal debt limit.



MASSACHUSETTS  Voting yes: Kirk, Kerry 

Voting no:   None

Not voting:   None



`PAY AS YOU GO’: In a party-line vote of 60 for and 40 against, the Senate on Jan. 28 reached the supermajority it needed to add a pay-as-you-go budget rule to HJ Res 45 (above). Because the House already has approved pay-go, this vote cleared the way for it to become law. Under pay-go, tax cuts or entitlement spending hikes must be offset elsewhere in the federal budget. If not offset, they need supermajorities for approval. Pay-go was a staple of congressional budgeting throughout the 1990s but dropped to facilitate Bush administration tax cuts, among other reasons. Republicans usually oppose pay-go as a deterrent to tax cuts.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called pay-go “necessary because we spent the last decade spending money we did not have. We spent trillions on two wars, tax breaks for millionaires, corporations, and other red-ink policies. Those days should be over. We simply can no longer afford it.”

Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, argued that pay-go is stricter on tax cuts than entitlement spending, saying: “I cannot support this pay-go amendment because it would continue the double-standard that exists between taxes and spending.”

A yes vote was to enact pay-go.



MASSACHUSETTS  Voting yes: Kirk, Kerry 

Voting no:   None

Not voting:   None



SPENDING CAPS: Voting 56 for and 44 against, the Senate on Jan. 28 failed to get 60 votes for putting spending caps on the 40 percent of the federal budget that is discretionary spending. Under the amendment to HJ Res 45 (above), two-thirds majority votes would be needed in the Senate to waive the caps in order to meet national emergencies. The caps would be based on fiscal 2010 spending levels and expire after five years.

Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., called the caps “a firewall that will save us from our excesses. It will begin to restore financial responsibility to our nation, a commodity of which we are in desperately short supply.”

Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, said: “Arbitrary spending caps would impede the delivery of resources needed to keep Americans safe from terrorist attacks and violent crime...”

A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.



MASSACHUSETTS  Voting yes:  None

Voting no:   Kirk, Kerry 

Not voting:   None



DEFICIT COMMISSION; Voting 53 for and 46 against, the Senate on Jan 26 failed to get 60 votes needed to establish an 18-member commission that would develop a deficit-reduction plan for an up-or-down vote in Congress with amendments barred. The president would have veto power over the legislation, which presumably would be a mix of tax increases and mandatory and discretionary spending cuts. This vote occurred during debate on HJ Res 45 (above).

The panel would be comprised of 16 members of Congress, evenly split between the parties, and two members of the administration, one of whom would be the Treasury secretary. The fiscal plan would need the votes of 14 commissioners to be sent to Congress for a fast-track vote with amendments barred. Super-majorities would be needed in both chambers to approve the recommendations.

Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said: “What we have been doing is a proven failure. It is time for something different. It is time for an attempt that brings both sides together, Republicans and Democrats, with an assurance that the recommendations of the commission come to a vote.”

Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., said: “I agree that Congress needs a gut check on spending, but we don’t need a gutless vote. I worry that this commission will be a fast-track process to ration Medicare run by a group with limited accountability selected by the very same politicians who were incapable of making the tough decisions.”

A yes vote was to establish the commission.



MASSACHUSETTS  Voting yes: Kerry 

Voting no:   Kirk 

Not voting:   None



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