ROLL CALL:
House Refuses to Switch Funds to Fire Fighting
On July 17, by a vote of 153 to 269, the House rejected an amendment to the Interior Department appropriations bill (H.R. 5093) that would have cut back funding for the land acquisition programs of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), while increasing money for the agency’s fire-fighting efforts.
The amendment, sponsored by Rep. John Shadegg (R.-Ariz.), would have cut the land acquisition programs by $36 million dollars and increased funding for fire-fighting by about $23 million. Shadegg said that this amendment was a matter of proper prioritization. "We are seeing a situation where we are reducing the amount of money to fight wildfires; but we are increasing the amount of money to buy land," he said. He noted that while the bill provides $23 million less than the current year for wildfire management, the bill increases the funds for land acquisition by $49 million. "I would suggest that this is a misprioritization of our resources," he said. (Critics have long argued that the federal government should stop acquiring more land until it has the financial and personnel resources to manage the land it already has.)
Reducing the fire-fighting funds is dangerous, Shadegg noted. "What we are doing is we are putting the people who live in those forests at risk, and we are putting the firefighters who need that funding at risk, and we are putting the people who need these funds at risk."
This amendment, Shadegg said, was appropriate in light of the current war on terrorism. "We do not need at this moment in our history, with a war on and a battle over domestic terrorism, to be acquiring more federal land, but we particularly do not need to do so at the expense of wildfire fighting. That should be obvious to anyone who has read the papers in the last month."
Earlier, Shadegg had offered an amendment that would have exempted from environmentalist lawsuits forest-thinning operations designed to remove the small trees and undergrowth that fuel major forest fires. But that amendment was blocked when Democrats raised a point of order against it because it tried to legislate on an appropriations bill.
Rep. George Nethercutt (R.-Wash.), a member of the Appropriations Committee, opposed the BLM amendment, arguing that the subcommittee had paid sufficient attention to the firefighting appropriations. He cited the fact that the subcommittee appropriated $146 million more than the President for the forest service. In addition, he said, "We added $5 million, over $5 million for the readiness and program management, which is really the money to get out there and fight these fires. We have $700 million additional in emergency spending for wildfires and fighting those within the system of the Interior Department, and we are at the President’s budget request of $160 million for fire suppression operations."
He also pointed out that a reduction in the land acquisition program might disrupt other already agreed acquisitions. Although Nethercutt said he admired Shadegg for his sensitivity to this important issue, he "reluctantly" opposed it "because there is a substantial amount of money in the bill that the subcommittee looked at and the full committee looked at and felt was appropriate at a level that meets the needs of fire suppression."
REPUBLICANS FOR (146): Aderholt, Akin, Armey, Bachus, Baker, Barr, Bartlett, Barton, Bilirakis, Blunt, Boehner, Boozman, Brady (TX), Bryant, Burr, Burton, Buyer, Cannon, Cantor, Chabot, Chambliss, Coble, Collins, Combest, Cooksey, Cox, Crane, Cubin, Culberson, Cunningham, DeLay, DeMint, Diaz-Balart, Doolittle, Dreier, Duncan, Emerson, Everett, Flake, Fletcher, Foley, Forbes, Fossella, Gallegly, Ganske, Gibbons, Gilchrest, Gillmor, Goodlatte, Goss, Graham, Graves, Green (WI), Grucci, Gutknecht, Hansen, Hart, Hastings (WA), Hayworth, Hefley, Herger, Hilleary, Hoekstra, Horn, Hostettler, Hunter, Hyde, Issa, Istook, Jenkins, Johnson, Sam, Jones (NC), Keller, Kennedy (MN), Kerns, King (NY), Kingston, Kirk, Kolbe, Latham, Lewis (KY), Linder, Lucas (OK), Manzullo, McCrery, McInnis, Miller, Dan, Miller, Gary, Miller, Jeff, Moran (KS), Myrick, Ney, Norwood, Nussle, Osborne, Ose, Otter, Paul, Pence, Peterson (PA), Petri, Pickering, Pitts, Pombo, Pryce (OH), Putnam, Radanovich, Rehberg, Reynolds, Riley, Rogers (MI), Rohrabacher, Royce, Ryan (WI), Ryun (KS), Schaffer, Sensenbrenner, Sessions, Shadegg, Shays, Sherwood, Shimkus, Shuster, Smith (MI), Smith (TX), Souder, Stearns, Stump, Sullivan, Tancredo, Tauzin, Taylor (NC), Terry, Thornberry, Thune, Tiahrt, Toomey, Upton, Vitter, Watkins (OK), Watts (OK), Weldon (FL), Weller, Wicker, Wilson (NM), Wilson (SC)
DEMOCRATS FOR (6): Condit, Hall (TX), Matheson, Phelps, Stenholm, Turner
INDEPENDENTS FOR (1): Goode
REPUBLICANS AGAINST (71): Ballenger, Bass, Biggert, Boehlert, Bonilla, Bono, Brown (SC), Callahan, Calvert, Camp ,Capito ,Castle ,Crenshaw ,Davis, Jo Ann ,Davis, Tom, Deal ,Dunn, Ehlers ,English, Ferguson ,Frelinghuysen, Gekas ,Gilman, Granger ,Greenwood ,Hayes ,Hobson, Houghton, Hulshof, Isakson, Johnson (CT), Johnson (IL) ,Kelly ,Knollenberg ,LaHood ,LaTourette, Leach, Lewis (CA), LoBiondo ,McKeon, Mica, Morella, Nethercutt ,Northup, Platts, Portman, Quinn ,Ramstad, Regula, Rogers (KY), Ros-Lehtinen ,Roukema ,Saxton, Schrock ,Shaw, Simmons, Simpson, Skeen, Smith (NJ), Sununu, Sweeney, Thomas, Tiberi, Walden, Walsh, Wamp, Weldon (PA), Whitfield, Wolf, Young (AK), Young (FL)
DEMOCRATS AGAINST (197): Abercrombie, Ackerman, Allen, Andrews, Baca, Baird, Baldacci, Baldwin, Barcia, Barrett, Becerra, Bentsen, Berkley, Berman, Berry, Bishop, Blumenauer, Borski, Boswell, Boucher Jefferson, Boyd, Brady (PA), Brown (FL), Brown (OH), Capps, Capuano, Cardin, Carson (IN), Carson (OK), Clay, Clayton, Clement, Clyburn, Conyers, Costello, Coyne, Cramer, Crowley, Cummings, Davis (CA), Davis (FL), Davis (IL), DeFazio, DeGette, Delahunt, DeLauro, Deutsch, Dicks, Dingell, Doggett, Dooley, Doyle, Edwards, Engel, Eshoo, Etheridge, Evans, Farr, Fattah, Filner, Ford, Frank, Frost, Gephardt, Gonzalez, Gordon, Green (TX), Gutierrez, Hall (OH), Harman, Hastings (FL), Hill, Hilliard, Hinchey, Hinojosa, Hoeffel, Holden, Holt, Honda, Hooley, Hoyer, Inslee, Israel, Jackson (IL), Jackson-Lee (TX), John, Johnson, E. B., Jones (OH), Kanjorski, Kaptur, Kennedy (RI), Kildee, Kilpatrick, Kind (WI), Kleczka, Kucinich, LaFalce, Lampson, Langevin, Larsen (WA), Larson (CT), Lee, Levin, Lewis (GA), Lofgren, Lowey, Lucas (KY), Luther, Lynch, Maloney (CT), Maloney (NY), Markey, Matsui, McCarthy (MO), McCarthy (NY), McCollum, McDermott, McGovern, McIntyre, McKinney, McNulty, Meek (FL), Meeks (NY), Menendez, Millender-McDonald, Miller, George, Mink, Mollohan, Moore, Moran (VA), Murtha, Napolitano, Neal, Oberstar, Obey, Olver, Ortiz, Owens, Pallone, Pascrell, Pastor, Payne, Pelosi, Peterson (MN), Pomeroy, Price (NC), Rahall, Rangel, Reyes, Rivers, Rodriguez, Roemer, Ross, Rothman, Roybal-Allard, Rush, Sabo, Sanchez, Sandlin, Sawyer, Schakowsky, Schiff, Scott, Serrano, Sherman, Shows, Skelton, Slaughter, Smith (WA), Snyder, Solis, Spratt, Stark, Strickland, Stupak, Tanner, Tauscher, Taylor (MS), Thompson, (CA), Thompson, (MS), Thurman, Tierney, Towns, Udall (CO), Udall (NM), Velazquez, Visclosky, Waters, Watson (CA), Watt (NC), Waxman, Weiner, Wexler, Woolsey, Wu, Wynn
INDEPENDENTS AGAINST (1): Sanders
REPUBLICANS (4): Bereuter, Ehrlich, McHugh, Oxley
DEMOCRATS (8): Blagojevich, Bonior, Lantos, Lipinski, Mascara, Meehan, Nadler, Traficant
ROLL CALL:
House Easily Approves Treasury Spending Bill
On July 24, by a vote of 308 to 121, the House passed the Treasury and General Appropriations Act (H.R. 5120), giving $35.1 billion-a $1-billion increase-to the Treasury Department, the United States Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President and other agencies for fiscal 2003 and providing a 4.1% pay raise to all federal employees. The bill also included the annual cost-of-living pay increase for members of Congress. The raise is automatic unless Congress votes against it and House leaders in both parties successfully maneuvered to avoid a House rollcall vote on this provision.
The bill would provide both the Treasury Department and the United States Postal Service increased funding too improve facilities, employee training and pay increases, and technological improvements.
Both parties agreed with the appropriations made for the Treasury Department and the United States Postal Service-which were in line with the President’s proposals-but there were disagreements over the President’s initiative to privatize vast portions of the federal workforce.
Rep. Jim Moran (D.-Va.) introduced an amendment intended to prevent mass privatization throughout federal agencies. Moran said that "one-size-fits-all arbitrary privatization quotas do not consider the unique needs of different federal agencies." Rep. Ernest Istook (R.-Okla.) countered that the amendment "has as its goal stopping the Bush Administration’s management initiative that is trying to save taxpayers significant dollars. . . . It is not trying to stop people from being arbitrary in having private-public competition, to see who can do the job, who can do it best and who can do it at the best cost for the taxpayers. It is trying to stop the very concept." Nonetheless, Moran’s amendment passed, 261 to 166, drawing a presidential veto threat.
Another successful amendment that also provoked a veto threat would prohibit the use of funds in the bill to enforce the travel ban to Cuba. That amendment, sponsored by the usually conservative Rep. Jeff Flake (R.-Ariz.), succeeded 262 to 167. As Cuban-American Rep. Robert Menendez (D.-N.J.) noted, noting that the President has said there is no justification for a change of policy toward Cuba.
Neither the Flake amendment nor the Moran amendment passed by enough to override a veto. The Senate has yet to take up the Treasury appropriations bill.
A ‘yes’ vote was a vote in favor of the appropriations bill to fund the Treasury Department and other agencies that contains two provisions strongly opposed by the White House. A ‘no’ vote was a vote against the bill.
REPUBLICANS FOR (148): Aderholt, Armey, Ballenger, Bartlett, Bass, Bereuter, Biggert, Bilirakis, Blunt, Boehlert, Boehner, Bonilla, Bono, Boozman, Brown (SC), Burr, Burton, Buyer, Callahan, Calvert, Camp, Cannon, Cantor, Castle, Chambliss, Combest, Cooksey, Cox, Crenshaw, Cunningham, Davis, Tom, DeLay, Doolittle, Dreier, Dunn, Ehlers, Ehrlich, Emerson, English, Ferguson, Fletcher, Frelinghuysen, Gallegly, Ganske, Gekas, Gibbons, Gilchrest, Gillmor, Gilman, Goss, Granger, Green (WI), Greenwood, Grucci, Hansen, Hart, Hastings (WA), Hayes, Hobson, Horn, Houghton, Hulshof, Hunter, Hyde, Isakson, Issa, Istook, Johnson, Sam, Johnson (CT), Keller, Kelly, Kennedy (MN), King (NY), Kingston, Kirk, Kolbe, LaHood, Latham, LaTourette, Leach, Lewis (CA), Lewis (KY), Linder, LoBiondo, Lucas (OK), Manzullo, McCrery, McHugh, McKeon, Miller, Dan, Miller, Gary, Morella, Myrick, Nethercutt, Ney, Northup, Nussle, Osborne, Ose, Peterson (PA), Pickering, Pombo, Portman, Pryce (OH), Putnam, Quinn, Radanovich, Regula, Rehberg, Reynolds, Rogers (KY), Rogers (MI), Rohrabacher, Roukema, Saxton, Shaw, Shays, Sherwood, Shuster, Simmons, Simpson, Skeen, Smith (MI), Smith (NJ), Smith (TX), Souder, Sununu, Sweeney, Tauzin, Taylor (NC), Thomas, Thornberry, Tiahrt, Upton, Vitter, Walden, Walsh, Wamp, Watkins (OK), Watts (OK), Weldon (PA), Weller, Whitfield, Wicker, Wilson (NM), Wolf, Young (AK), Young (FL)
DEMOCRATS FOR (159): Abercrombie, Ackerman, Allen, Andrews, Baca, Baird, Baldacci, Becerra, Bentsen, Berkley, Berman, Bishop, Blagojevich, Blumenauer, Borski, Boucher, Boyd, Brady (PA), Brown (FL), Brown (OH), Capps, Cardin, Clay, Clayton, Clyburn, Coyne, Cramer, Crowley, Cummings, Davis (FL), Davis (IL), DeFazio, DeGette, Delahunt, DeLauro, Dicks, Dingell, Dooley, Doyle, Edwards, Engel, Eshoo, Evans, Farr, Fattah, Filner, Frank, Frost, Gephardt, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gutierrez, Hall (OH), Harman, Hastings (FL), Hilliard, Hinchey, Hinojosa, Hoeffel, Holden, Holt, Honda, Hooley, Hoyer, Jackson (IL), Jackson-Lee (TX), Jefferson, John, Johnson, E. B., Jones (OH), Kanjorski, Kaptur, Kennedy (RI), Kildee, Kilpatrick, LaFalce, Lampson Langevin, Lantos, Larsen (WA), Larson (CT), Lee, Levin, Lewis (GA), Lipinski, Lofgren, Lowey, Lynch, Markey, Mascara, Matsui, McCarthy (MO), McCarthy (NY), McCollum, McDermott, McGovern, McIntyre, McNulty, Meehan, Meek (FL), Meeks (NY), Millender-McDonald, Miller, George, Mink, Mollohan, Moran (VA), Murtha, Nadler, Neal, Oberstar, Obey, Olver, Ortiz, Owens, Pallone, Pascrell, Pastor, Payne, Pelosi, Price (NC), Rahall, Rangel, Reyes, Rivers, Rodriguez, Rothman, Roybal-Allard, Rush, Sabo, Sanchez, Sawyer, Schakowsky, Scott, Serrano, Sherman, Skelton, Snyder, Solis, Spratt, Stark, Stenholm, Tauscher, Thompson (CA), Thompson (MS), Tierney, Towns, Udall (CO), Udall (NM), Velazquez, Visclosky, Waters, Watson (CA), Watt (NC), Waxman, Weiner, Wexler, Woolsey, Wu, Wynn
INDEPENDENTS FOR (1): Sanders
REPUBLICANS AGAINST (71): Akin, Bachus, Baker, Barr, Barton, Brady (TX), Bryant, Capito, Chabot, Coble, Collins, Crane, Cubin, Culberson, Davis, Jo Ann, Deal, DeMint, Diaz-Balart, Duncan, Everett, Flake, Foley, Forbes, Fossella, Goodlatte, Graham, Graves, Gutknecht, Hayworth, Hefley, Herger, Hilleary, Hoekstra, Hostettler, Jenkins, Johnson (IL), Jones (NC), Kerns, McInnis, Mica, Miller, Jeff ,Moran (KS), Norwood, Otter, Oxley, Paul, Pence, Petri, Pitts, Platts, Ramstad, Riley, Ros-Lehtinen, Royce, Ryan (WI), Ryun (KS), Schaffer, Schrock, Sensenbrenner, Sessions, Shadegg, Shimkus, Stump, Sullivan, Tancredo, Terry, Thune, Tiberi, Toomey, Weldon (FL), Wilson (SC)
DEMOCRATS AGAINST (49): Baldwin, Barcia, Barrett, Berry, Boswell, Capuano, Carson (IN), Carson (OK), Clement, Conyers, Costello, Davis (CA), Deutsch, Doggett, Etheridge, Ford, Green (TX), Hall (TX), Hill, Inslee, Israel, Kind (WI), Kleczka, Kucinich, Lucas (KY), Luther, Maloney (CT), Maloney (NY), Matheson, McKinney, Menendez, Moore, Napolitano, Peterson (MN), Phelps, Pomeroy, Roemer, Ross, Sandlin, Schiff, Shows, Slaughter, Smith (WA), Strickland, Stupak, Tanner, Taylor (MS), Thurman, Turner
INDEPENDENTS AGAINST (1): Goode
REPUBLICANS (2): Knollenberg, Stearns
DEMOCRATS (3): Bonior, Condit, Traficant
