Legislative Update XVII

After lots of arm-twisting on anti-war Democrats in the House of Representatives, Congress voted to approve funding for the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan in an emergency supplemental. This is supposed to be the last time such funds will be provided for outside of the normal budget. IMF funding and the "cash for clunkers" program made it into the final bill, but it does not include the $80 million the White House requested to start effort to close Gitmo. The bill also prohibits detainees from being released in the United States and allows the transfer of detainees for prosecution only after Congress receives a plan detailing the risks.

The Senate passed a separate bill to block the release of detainee abuse photos. President Obama had given his formal word to classify the photos to placate those who wanted to put the prohibition in the war funding bill, which would have further weakened its chances of passing. If and when it will come up for a vote in the House is unknown.

Senate Republicans blocked a resolution condemning violence against women's health-care providers. The Senate did pass a formal apology for slavery, and will be followed by the House next week. It's hard to believe this hasn't happened already. The House did pass a resolution knocking Tehran's crackdown on protesters, with Rep. Ron Paul being the only "nay" vote.

Lastly, on the health care front, House Dems presented a plan that does have a public option, but that was left out of the Senate version. What ultimate comes out of Congress is anyone's guess at this point, assuming that something does that is. The only thing we know for sure is that it appears it's a long road ahead...

UPDATE: For the first time in 20 years, the House unanimously approved four article of impeachment against U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent of Texas accusing him of sexually assaulting two female employees and lying to judicial investigators and Justice Department officials. This now sets up a trial in the Senate.

Legislative Update XV

The House of Representatives passed the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act which would provide four weeks of paid leave for federal workers following the birth or adoption of a child (currently federal employees must use annual or sick leave to be with their new children). The House also passed bills recognizing seven Native American tribes and a resolution honoring those that died in the Tiananmen Square protests twenty years ago that also calls on China to free remaining prisoners and launch a UN-backed probe of its crackdown.

GOP opposition to IMF funding delayed a vote on funding the wars in Aghanistan and Iraq. Why would this matter, you ask? Well, the combined votes of Republicans and those Democrats who don't vote for war funding on principle would have been enough to defeat the legislation, but this will likely be worked out next week. What I want to know is: Can we start running ads that say House Republicans denied funding for our troops? Hell, these days they are even revealing secret information on intelligence briefings. Traitors, all!

The Senate overwhelmingly voted to consider legislation that would allow the FDA to regulate tobacco, which the House has passed already. Republicans are dragging out a vote until next week though.

Legislative Update XIV

Congress sent President Obama two bills this week aimed preventing foreclosures and regulating the credit card industry, though with the price of allowing guns in national parks.

Both chambers of Congress also quickly and unanimously passed and President Obama signed into law a bill aimed at saving billions of dollars in wasteful spending on weapons systems often delivered late and hit by ballooning cost overruns. The armed forces have also submitted to Congress their "wish lists" of spending priorities that did not make the president's Defense budget request, and the items on the list are about one-tenth as expensive as last year's.

The Senate passed $91 billion in war funding, including financing for the International Monetary Fund that may be a sticking point for the House. The Senate also voted 90-6 to strip funding to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay from a supplemental spending bill and bar funding for the transfer of prisoners to the United States. However, many Democrats said they were just waiting on a more specific plan from the Obama administration that the president began to lay out on Thursday.

The Senate confirmed President Obama's nominees for the FDA and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, while his pick to run the census moved toward confirmation as well. But Republicans, who used to believe in "up or down" votes for judicial nominees, blocked action on President Obama's first judicial appointment.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted in favor of the climate change bill currently under consideration by a 33-25 vote.

Finally, the full House rejected a GOP resolution that called for investigations into Speaker Pelosi's accusations against the CIA. Perhaps to mend fences, Pelosi is considering appointing a Republican on an economic crises panel. The Speaker will also be visiting China next week.

Capitol Hill Update IX

In the Senate, Republicans continued their obstructionist streak and prevented the Senate from voting on a bill that would have extended energy tax credits.

In the House, Democrats inexplicably capitulated to President Bush by allowing the passage of a FISA update bill that gives amnesty to telecommunication companies involved in illegal NSA spying. Oh, and they passed new funds for the war in Iraq without conditions again too. Not a good week, guys.

The Senate will likely pass both measures sometime next week, unfortunately.

Capitol Hill Update VI

In the House, Speaker Pelosi split the next war supplemental into separate votes; funding for the war actually failed 141-149 and a new Dec. 31st, 2009 troop withdrawal deadline passed. the House also backed a 13-week extension in unemployment benefits, as well as a $52-billion expansion of veteran education benefits, paid for by a "patriot tax" on wealthy individuals. However, the Senate is expected to reject the withdrawal deadline and veteran-benefits tax, and restore the war funding... Also this week, the House voted for the long-awaited farm bill by a veto-proof margin (as did the Senate, though Bush will still veto in a symbolic move in all likelihood). Lastly, the House backed legislation directing Bush to temporarily stop filling the emergency oil reserve.

In the Senate, there was a near-unanimous vote to scrap FCC-proposed rules that permit one company to own both a newspaper and television station in the same market. By an overwhelming 97-1 margin, the Senate also backed legislation to temporarily halt the filling of the national oil reserve. Bush opposes the bill, but probably will sign it.

Legislative Week in Review XI

Congress voted for an omnibus spending bill that capitulated on both President Bush's spending caps (and in a separate bill for SCHIP) and his demand for more war funding (to a tune of $70 billion).

After courageous opposition from Sens. Chris Dodd and Russ Feingold and others, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid put on hold, for now, a FISA update bill that would include telecom immunity.

The Senate also passed additional Myanmar sanctions and a a long-stalled bill inspired by the Virginia Tech shootings that would more easily flag prospective gun buyers who have documented mental health problems and help states with the cost. The House already passed the bill, but it is unclear yet if Bush will veto it or not.

In one major victory this week, the House of Representatives approved an energy bill to boost fuel efficiency that was then signed by President Bush. The House also backed a 7-year terror insurance bill (conceding to the Senate), the Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act, mortgage tax relief, and a House commission made new ethic recommendations.

Additionally, Congress passed a bill strengthening citizen access provided by the Freedom of Information Act and an AMT fix, but one that does not pay for itself.

UPDATE: Bush pocket vetoes the defense appropriations bill. He signed the CHIP extension, an open government bill, and a Sudan divestment bill, however.

Legislative Week in Review VIII

The House of Representatives voted 218-203 in favor of a $50 billion Iraq funding bill that would require that the U.S. initiate troop withdrawals within 30 days of its passage and agree to the goal of bringing home most soldiers and Marines by Dec. 15, 2008. It also requires that the president certify to Congress 15 days in advance that a unit being sent into combat is "fully mission capable" (though President Bush can waive that requirement) and that all government interrogators rely on the Army's field manual. The manual is based on Geneva Convention standards and was updated in 2006 to specifically prohibit the military from using aggressive interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding.

There was no real change in the vote margins since the last withdrawal bills, but Democratic leaders have stepped up their rhetoric. Both Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid say that they will not approve any funding bill without the timetable and Reid is threatening to force Republicans to actually filibuster the bill if they demand their usual 60-vote hurdle when it comes up again in January (as they did this week). Democrats are vowing not to be bullied, but we will see what happens early next year when the Pentagon's budget (which Congress approved and has been signed into law) can no longer be used to pay for the war.

The full House and the Senate Judiciary Commitee also voted for a version of the FISA update bill that does not include retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies. President Bush has said he will veto the bill without it. I say let him and then send him no bill if he doesn't relent, same with Iraq funding.

Harry Reid has said the Senate will hold "pro forma" sessions during the Thanksgiving recess, to prevent President Bush from recess appointing nominees such as his controversial surgeon general nominee, James Holsinger. Both the House and the Senate resume business the first week of December.

The House also voted for a bill that would tighten the nation’s mortgage regulations in response to the turmoil in the subprime lending market by bringing mortgage brokers — currently regulated on a state-by-state basis — under a nationwide licensing registry, establishing minimum standards for home loans and expanding certain limits on high-cost mortgages. It also would prohibit brokers from steering consumers to mortgages they are unlikely to be able to repay. It passed by a veto proof margin of 291-127. It now goes to the Senate, where a similar bill has been stalled for weeks. The House also passed other non-controversial bills that are listed here.

The House and Senate voted to re-authorize and expand to more children Head Start. Bush is expected to sign given the massive margins of passage in both chambers. The House Education and Labor Committee also approved, 44-0, a five-year reauthorization of the Higher Education Act that would boost student aid and help families compare the costs of different colleges. The bill is likely to go to the full House soon after the Thanksgiving break. The Senate passed its version by a 95-0 vote in July, and members in both chambers are eager to complete action on the measure.

Democrats are offering Bush a budget compromise in which they will split the difference between the amount of domestic spending Bush wants and what they want. Bush already vetoed a spending bill that includes increases for health, education and labor programs (many for the poor) and will veto the transportation-housing spending bill. There are not enough votes to override, so Harry Reid has said Democrats will "bundle" several of the spending bills together and the total would surpass Bush's request by $11 billion, half of the $22 billion more they had been seeking. In the meantime, Congress will approve more stopgap funding.

Lastly, consideration of the Senate version of the farm bill could be pushed beyond next year's elections after a cloture vote failed.

UPDATE: Before going on break, the Senate also, by voice vote, passed a 7-year extension of the government's post-9/11 terrorism risk insurance program which is a shorter time than the House version, a bill that would allow victims of online identity theft schemes to seek restitution from criminals, and a resolution urging an upcoming ASEAN summit to suspend Myanmar from the body.

Legislative Week in Review VII

Speaker Pelosi has announced the House of Representatives will vote next week on four-month, $50 billion Iraq war “bridge fund” that would require withdrawal to begin immediately on passage, with a goal of completing the withdrawal by December 2008, leaving behind only a smaller force with a scaled-back mission to provide security for US troops and diplomats, combat Al Qaeda, and deliver "limited support for the Iraqi security forces." The legislation would also incorporate language from bills by Sen. Jim Webb and Rep. Ellen Tauscher that would grant additional training and rest time for troops between deployments. On the issue of torture, it would set in law the rules in the Army Field Manual, which do not allow torture. The $50 billion, about quarter of President Bush's total supplemental war funding request, could be used only toward the withdrawal and other goals laid out in the legislation. If approved by the House, the Senate also might take up the measure next week.

In a private caucus meeting on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told rank-and-file Democrats the bill was their best shot at challenging Bush on the war. And if Bush rejected it, she said, she did not intend on sending him another war spending bill for the rest of the year. Majority Leader Harry Reid also said he did not want to approve a spending measure for Iraq unless it forced a change in Bush's policies.

The House and Senate handed President Bush his first veto override over the water projects bill. They also agreed on a budget for the Pentagon that does not include money for either war, which the House passed overwhelmingly. Both the House and Senate approved more money for education, job training and health care in the latest appropriations bill this week, but it will be vetoed by President Bush and does not have sustaining margins. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin says Democrats will attempt to piece together most of the remaining annual appropriations bills into one “omnibus” package they hope can pass by the end of the year.

President Bush did sign the Joshua Omvig suicide prevention bill into law. The law requires mental health training for Veterans Affairs staff; a suicide prevention counselor at each VA medical facility; and mental-health screening and treatment for veterans who receive VA care. It also supports outreach and education for veterans and their families, peer support counseling and research into suicide prevention.

The House approved a trade agreement with Peru that 116 Democrats voted against. By a vote of 235-184, the House voted in favor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to protect millions of Americans by outlawing workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. There are not enough votes to overcome a promise veto though. The House also passed 258-155 a bill that creates the National Homeowners Insurance Stabilization Program under which the Treasury secretary can extend loans to states impacted by severe natural disasters. Lastly, the the House voted 216-193 vote to $80 billion alternative minimum tax patch (all Republicans voted against this tax relief plan for the middle class). The White House is threatening a veto for those two bills as well.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich sought a privileged motion to bring up articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney, but it was ultimately sent to the House Judiciary Commitee after much wrangling.

The House Veterans Affairs Committee approved a bill Wednesday to make more National Guard and reserve troops eligible for G.I. Bill benefits by easing the requirements to receive them. Meanhwhile, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers made a last-ditch proposal Monday to the White House for access to documents and testimony related to the firings of nine U.S. attorneys last year. And the House Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials approved by voice vote a bill that would limit the levels of perchlorate in drinking water.

The Senate Judiciary Committee also punted off until next week a vote a bill to overhaul FISA that would granted immunity to phone companies that participated in the Bush administration’s illegal wiretapping program. Sen. Arlen Specter, the ranking Republican, has apparently offered a compromise would make the federal government — instead of the phone companies — the defendant in about 40 pending lawsuits across the country.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse introduced the Caging Prohibition Act, a bill which would outlaw the long-recognized voter suppression tactic which has often been used to target minority voters. Sen. Barack Obama's Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Act, which bans voter photo ID laws, has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Senate farm bill, which differs substantially from the one the House passed a few months back, may languish until 2008 due to non-related amendments. Bush has threatened a veto anyway.

Lawmakers are looking into Yahoo! company's possible involvement in the jailing of a Chinese journalist, alleged financial wrongdoing involving six well-known televangelists, and how nearly four months after the Federal Emergency Management Agency promised to study the risk of formaldehyde in trailers provided to Hurricane Katrina survivors, none of 52,000 occupied units have been tested, and FEMA has warned its employees for their own safety to stay out of 70,000 similar trailers in storage.

Americans solidly opposed to unconditional Iraq funding

A new poll released by Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee's One Voice PAC has shows nearly 70% percent of Americans strongly oppose Congress providing more money for Iraq funding without conditions and support re-directing money to pay for a withdrawal of troops.

The question: “President Bush wants Congress to approve a $200 billion dollar request to continue funding the Iraq war and keep the troops in Iraq. Should Congress … vote against the $200 billion funding request; vote for the $200 billion funding request without conditions; or vote for the $200 billion funding request, but specify that it can be used only to protect U.S. troops and contractors and bring them home, rather than to continue the war?”

The results: Among registered voters, just 23 percent supported the president’s request without conditions while 22 percent supported voting against the funding and 47 percent supported providing funding only for redeployment. It was statistically similar among all adults.
Interestingly, only Republican male voters have a majority in favor of approving the funding request without conditions, but even their support is just 57 percent.

The poll was announced on the fifth anniversary of the House vote authorizing the use of force against Iraq - October 10th, 2002 (sadly, the Senate voted for it a day later on my birthday).

Lee is joined by 86 other members of Congress who have signed a letter to President Bush stating their opposition to voting for any Iraq spending measure that does not bring troops home. Back in July, just 70 House members signed the letter. Now, more than a third of the caucus is in support and could be very influential in the next spending fight.

You can tell your representative to sign the letter here.

UPDATE: 89 members of the House have now signed the letter.