HOW YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATES VOTED
For the week ending October 6
Contact your legislators at the U.S. Capitol Zip codes: House 20515, Senate 20510 Capitol operator: (202) 224-3121
STRICTER ABORTION LIMITS: Voting 237 for and 189 against, the House on Oct. 3 sent the Senate a GOP-drafted bill (HR 36) that would outlaw abortions after 20 weeks of fertilization on the belief that the fetus can feel pain by then. This repudiates the medical standard in the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling, which holds that abortion is legal up to when the fetus reaches viability -- usually after 24-to-28 weeks of pregnancy -- and after viability if it is necessary to protect the health or life of the mother. Under Roe, viability occurs when the fetus can potentially survive outside the womb with or without artificial aid. This bill allows exemptions for victims of rape or incest and to save the mother’s life. Rape victims must receive counseling and medical care at least 48 hours before the procedure to be exempted. Doctors who violate this law could be criminally prosecuted.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it faces a 60-vote hurdle.
YES: PEARCE NO: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN
HOUSE Ben Ray Luján (D) Steve Pearce (R) Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)
WOMEN’S HEALTH EXEMPTION: Voting 187 for and 238 against, the House on Oct. 3 defeated a Democratic attempt to add a broad health exemption to HR 36 enabling women to legally have an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy if it is necessary to protect their short- or long-term health. This went beyond the underlying bill’s narrowly drawn exemptions for instances of rape and incest or to save the life of the mother.
A yes vote backed the motion, which, had it prevailed, would have immediately amended the bill.
YES: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN NO: PEARCE
10-YEAR REPUBLICAN BUDGET: Voting 219 for and 206 against, the House on Oct. 5 approved a 10-year, largely non-binding budget blueprint (H Con Res 71) that would set the stage for later legislative action to reduce corporate and individual taxes by $5.4 trillion; cut non-defense spending by $5.8 trillion; change Medicare to a voucher program; convert Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and food stamps to state-run block-grant programs; repeal much of the Dodd-Frank financial-regulation law and devolve many K-12 education programs to state and local governments.
The fiscal plan sets ground rules allowing the Senate to pass a tax-cut bill by a simple-majority vote. It aims to produce a budget surplus by 2027 but offers few specifics.
For fiscal 2018, which began Oct. 1, the budget would cap discretionary spending at $1.132 trillion, including $621 billion in non-emergency military outlays and $511 billion in non-military spending. Entitlement programs including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans’ benefits account for the remainder of the year’s $4.024 trillion budget, which includes a $472 billion deficit.
A yes vote was to adopt the Republican budget.
YES: PEARCE NO: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN
REPUBLICAN STUDY COMMITTEE BUDGET: Voting 139 for and 281 against, the House on Oct. 5 defeated the most fiscally harsh of several 10-year budget plans pending before the House. Drafted by the conservative Republican Study Committee and aiming for balance in six years, this budget called for slashing trillions from federal spending, inflicting its deepest cuts on domestic and foreign-affairs programs and entitlements including Medicare and Medicaid. This plan, which also called for changing Social Security and repealing the Affordable Care Act, was similar to the underlying GOP budget (H Con Res 71, above) in its proposed levels of tax cuts and military spending.
A yes vote was to adopt the Republican Study Committee budget.
NO: LUJAN GRISHAM, PEARCE, LUJÁN
BLACK CAUCUS BUDGET: Voting 130 for and 292 against, the House on Oct. 4 defeated an alternative 10-year budget proposal by the Congressional Black Caucus. In contrast to the Republican budget (H Con Res 71, above), this plan would raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans by $3.9 trillion and curtail tax provisions that favor the rich, using the new revenue to fund programs in areas including K-12 and higher education, infrastructure, employment and health care. The Black Caucus budget also called for adding a public option to the Affordable Care Act, expanding Pell Grants, boosting historically black colleges and universities and reducing interest rates on student loans. The Black Caucus budget proposed a $497 billion fiscal 2018 deficit. A yes vote was to adopt the Black Caucus budget.
YES: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN NO: PEARCE
PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS BUDGET: Voting 108 for and 314 against, the House on Oct. 4 defeated a 10-year budget proposed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus as an alternative to H Con Res 71 (above). In part, the plan would use deficit spending and tax increases on wealthy Americans to finance an expansion of domestic programs. It called for investing $2 trillion in infrastructure and $1 trillion in early-childhood education and universal child care; increasing the minimum wage and narrowing the pay-equity gap; improving the Affordable Care Act while allowing states to adopt single-payer systems; implementing comprehensive immigration reform; public financing of federal campaigns; providing $200 billion in hurricane aid and funding for student-loan refinancing. The caucus said its plan would produce a fiscal 2018 deficit of $520 billion.
A yes vote was to adopt the Progressive Caucus budget.
YES: LUJÁN NO: LUJAN GRISHAM, PEARCE
CONFIRMATION ROW OVER “NET NEUTRALITY:”
Voting 52 for and 41 against, the Senate on Oct. 2 confirmed the nomination of Ajit V. Pai, 44, for a second five-year term on the Federal Communications Commission. He will continue to chair the five-member panel that regulates interstate communications ranging from radio to broadband. Pai drew opposition, in part, over his plan to repeal the FCC’s ”net neutrality” rule, which requires service providers such as Verizon and ComCast to treat all Internet traffic equally. Critics say repeal would lead to the creation of a tiered system including fast lanes for web sites and apps willing to pay more for speedier delivery of their content.
A yes vote was to confirm Pai.
NO: UDALL, HEINRICH
SENATE Martin Heinrich (D) Tom Udall (D)