The consequential Congress
Part 2: Obama will need congressional allies to advance a working family agenda.

by Ron Ennis, Lehigh Valley Postal Workers
Editor, Lehigh Valley Labor Council

Behind the historic presidential race between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain looms an equally important contest: the battle for control of the U.S. Congress. With the House and Senate so evenly divided, a single congressional race could make all the difference.

The party that emerges victorious on November 4th must quickly calm the financial storms that have overwhelmed working families. Their decisions will set the tone for the nation’s economy for years to come.

To help sort things out, the News & Views examined last month the 2005-2007 voting records of our area House representatives on economic and labor issues. We continue with that examination as well as a review of their voting patterns on the Iraq War and energy policy.

PA AFL-CIO Congressional Endorsements

Bold type indicates endorsed candidate.

Incumbent Incumbent’s cumulative Challenger
AFL-CIO Voting Record

6th Jim Gerlach (R) 41% Bob Roggio (D)
8th Patrick Murphy (D) 92 Tom Manion (R)
10th Chris Carney (D) 92 Chris Hackett (R)
11th Paul Kanjorski (D) 92 Louis Barletta (R)
13th Allyson Schwartz (D) 96 Marina Kats (R)
15th Charles Dent (R) 42 Sam Bennett(D)
17th Tim Holden (D) 92 Toni Gilhooley(R)

LABOR & THE ECONOMY

HR 5522 (Roll Call #233): Combustible-Dust Rules – April 30, 2008.

The House passed legislation directing OSHA to adopt rules for controlling combustible dust at factories. The regulations would override any state rules that do less to protect workers from dust explosions and fires. The bill required interim rules within 90 days of passage and final rules within 18 months. A yes vote supported the bill, which passed the House 247-165, but faces an uncertain future because President Bush has threatened to veto the bill should it arrive on his desk.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 6049 (Roll Call #343): Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act motion to recommit with instructions – May 21, 2008.

The House passed a bill providing tax breaks for purposes such as spurring the production of non-fossil fuels, promoting energy conservation, stimulating business activity and helping homeowners and the working poor make ends meet. The $55.5 billion price tag was offset by tightening accounting rules on multinational corporations and closing offshore tax shelters used by some U.S. hedge fund mangers. In a failed attempt, Republicans sought to remove the tax increases on multinational firms and wealthy fund managers and, in effect, add the bill’s cost to the national debt. A yes vote favored the amendment, which was defeated 201-220.

Gerlach (R-6th) Yes
Murphy (D-8th) No
Carney (D-10th) No
Kanjorski (D-11th) No
Schwartz (D-13th) No
Dent (R-15th) Yes
Holden (D-17th) No

S Con. Res. 70 (Roll Call #382): 2013 Federal Budget – June 5, 2008.

Both the House and Senate adopted a conference report on a $3.03 trillion budget outline. The budget resolution is an advisory document that lays out total taxes and spending targets. Although the blueprint fully funds Bush’s defense and national security requests for the next five years, it projected a federal debt $67 billion less than the president’s and allowed the tax breaks for the wealthiest individuals to expire after 2010. The House approved the resolution 214-210. A yes vote advanced the proposal.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) No
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR5749 (Roll Call #410): Unemployment extension – June 12, 2008.

With news of the biggest surge in the nation’s jobless rate in 20 years, the House considered legislation providing 13 additional weeks of jobless checks for those who have used up their initial allotments, or 26 more weeks in states with at least a six percent unemployment rate. Since the 1950s, jobless benefits have been extended in every recession except one. The cost is modest by Washington standards, and the benefit is minimal – an average of just $300 a week. That’s $7.50 an hour for a 40-hour week. According to the Congressional Budget Office, roughly 3 million workers will exhaust their benefits this year. Others estimate that only about 36 percent of today’s jobless received unemployment. The bill’s projected $6.2 billion fiscal 2008 cost would be added to the national debt. House Republicans pointed out that the cost of the legislation did not comply with pay-as-you-go rules. Supporters of HR5749 tabled the objections and moved the legislation toward a vote. A yes vote tabled the GOP-protest 217-185. It should be noted that Gerlach and Dent supported a revised bill (Roll Call #412), which advanced to the Senate.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 6275 (Roll Call #454): Republican Alternative Minimum Tax Plan motion to recommit – June 25, 2008.

Republicans attempted to pass a motion to recommit HR 6275 to the Ways and Means Committee with instructions to strike language that would increase taxes on certain equity managers and corporations. Opponents of the motion reminded their colleagues that money from taxes was needed to pay for the AMT patch. The amendment also sought to raise the mileage deduction for the use of personal vehicles for charitable purposes. A yes vote supported the recommit, which failed 199-222.

Gerlach (R-6th) Yes
Murphy (D-8th) No
Carney (D-10th) No
Kanjorski (D-11th) No
Schwartz (D-13th) No
Dent (R-15th) Yes
Holden (D-17th) No

HR 6275 (Roll Call #455): Alternative Minimum Tax – June 25, 2008.

The House advanced a bill, 233-189, to exempt 22 million middle-income households from the Alternative Minimum Tax this year. The loss in revenue, estimated at $61.5 billion, would be offset, in part, by repealing certain tax breaks for oil and gas companies and close tax loopholes that benefit hedge fund managers and allow foreign multinational firms to avoid taxes on income earned in the U.S. A yes vote favored the bill, which moved to the Senate for consideration.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

WAR & NATIONAL SECURITY (12)

The sunny predictions of Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney in the years following the Iraq invasion, were eventually replaced with an admittance that U.S. troops had to remain to stem the escalating violence. Today, Bush and his congressional allies maintain that, although things are going well, U.S. troops must remain to avoid a return of violence. Whatever the conditions, supporters of the Iraq War have the same response: the troops cannot be brought home. The current Congress, supported by a majority of Americans, attempted to change the direction of the conflict during the past two years but was rebuffed by Bush veto threats and congressional filibusters.

HR 4939 (Roll Call #53, Amdt. #719): Port Security spending – March 16, 2006.

The House defeated an amendment to increase port security spending by $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2006. In part, the measure sought to expand overseas container inspections to all 140 ports that ship directly to the United States, more than tripling the number of ports doing such inspections. The bill to increase domestic port security spending was nixed 208-210.

Gerlach (R-6th) Yes
Fitzpatrick (R-8th) Yes
Sherwood (R-10th) No
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

H Res. 63 (Roll Call #99): Iraq Troop Build-Up – February 16, 2007.

On January 10, 2007, President Bush announced the decision to deploy additional troops to Iraq. Voting 246-182, the House passed a nonbinding resolution opposing the president’s decision to deploy 21,500 additional combat service personnel to Iraq, expanding the U.S. force there to at least 150,000 troops. The measure stated that Congress “will continue to support and protect” current and former U.S. troops in Iraq. While the 95-word resolution had no legal authority, it marked the first showdown between the president and Congress. Seventeen Republicans voted for the resolution and two Democrats voted against it. A yes vote sent the resolution to the Senate.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 1591 (Roll Call #186): War Funding, Withdrawal – March 23, 2007.

Voting 218-212, the House passed an appropriations bill that earmarked an additional $100 billion for war in Iraq and Afghanistan while requiring the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq to begin by March 2008. The bill’s troop pullout schedule would depend on the degree to which President Bush certifies progress by the Iraqi government in areas such as disarming militias and fair distribution of oil revenues. The withdrawal of all but a residual U.S. force could begin as early as July 2007, but no later than March 2008 and would last an estimated 180 days. Finally, the measure required that each federal agency that awarded at least $1 billion to contractors in the preceding fiscal year, establish and implement a plan to minimize the use of no-bid Halliburton-style contracts.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) did not vote
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR1591 (Roll Call #265): War Funding, Withdrawal - April 25, 2007.

Voting 218-208, the House approved the conference report on a bill that requires the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq to start by October 1, 2007, but sets no mandatory date for completing the pullout of all but a residual force. The bill appropriates about $90 billion through September for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, $5.1 billion for military health care, including veterans care, $3.1 billion for base closures and $1.7 billion for military construction. Additionally, the bill provides nearly $25 billion for non-war programs. Bush vetoed the legislation on May 1, 2007.

Gerlach (R-6th ) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 1591 (Roll Call #276): Bush Iraq Veto – May 2, 2007.

Voting 222-203, the House failed to reach a two-thirds majority for overriding President Bush’s veto of a bill requiring the withdrawal of most U.S. troops from Iraq to start by October 1, 2007. “The vote showed clearly,” stated the Congressional Quarterly, “that House Democrats would not be able to override any veto of legislation that included language dictating a change in Iraq war policy.” The bill, which sets no mandatory date for completing the pullout, would appropriate $100 billion for combat operations and other military purposes and nearly $25 billion for non-war programs. It takes two-thirds majority vote in both chambers to override a veto. When one chamber fails to override, the other chamber – the Senate in this case – does not vote.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 2638 (Roll Call #454): Homeland Security Budget Amendment – June 12, 2007.

The House refused to freeze administrative costs in support of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff at the fiscal 2007 level. The amendment, which was defeated 201-221, sought to cut the proposed 2008 budget for Chertoff’s executive operations by $9.97 million, or 11 percent. A no vote opposed the clause.

Gerlach (R-6th) Yes
Murphy (D-8th) No
Carney (D-10th) No
Kanjorski (D-11th) No
Schwartz (D-13th) No
Dent (R-15th) Yes
Holden (D-17th) No

HR 2956 (Roll Call #624): Iraq Withdrawal Timetable – July 12, 2007.

The legislation stated that the 2002 authorization for war was to confront an Iraqi government that posed a threat to the United States. Since the current regime was now an ally, it “has to be responsible for (its) future course.” Therefore, the House, voting 223-201, sent the Senate a bill requiring the administration to begin reducing U.S. troop levels in Iraq within 120 days and complete the redeployment of all but a residual force by April 2008. The residual force would protect U.S. interests, train Iraqi forces and conduct strikes on terrorists. This bill received the most votes for a change in course in Iraq, far below the 284 needed to override an expected Bush veto.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) No
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 3159 (Roll Call #796): Rest & Recuperation from War – August 2, 2007.

Voting 229-194, the House sent the Senate a bill setting minimum periods of rest and recuperation for units and members of the regular and reserve components of the armed forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. For example, the bill requires that active duty troops receive at least as much time back home as they served in the war zone. It also allowed the president and military service chiefs to waive these requirements in response to unforeseen circumstances.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) No
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 4156 (Roll Call #1108): War Funds and Iraq Pullout – November 14, 2007.

By a slim 218 -203 margin, the House sent the Senate a bill that attached $50 billion in war appropriations to a non-binding call for most U.S. troops to be removed from Iraq by December 15, 2008. The bill required U.S. civilian as well as military interrogators to obey the Army Field Manual’s ban on the torture of prisoners. The money was the first payment on Bush’s $196 billion request for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through 2008. A yes vote moved the measure to the Senate.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 2082 (Roll Call #1160): 2008 Intelligence Report – December 13, 2007.

Voting 222-199, the House agreed to a conference report on a $48 billion fiscal 2008 budget for the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies. The bill required civilian as well as military interrogators to obey the Army Field Manual’s ban on torture, and the United States to adhere to Geneva Conventions rules for handling any individual in the custody of the intelligence community. A yes vote supported HR 2082.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

When the measure reached President Bush on February 29, 2008, he promptly vetoed it. The House failed, 225-188, to reach the two-thirds necessary for override. While Gerlach supported Bush’s veto and Schwartz and Dent did not vote, the remainder of area legislators voted for the override.

HR2642 (Roll Call #329): Iraq Troop Withdrawals amendment – May 15, 2008.

The House adopted, 227-196, an amendment to HR 2642 requiring the Bush Administration to start withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq within 30 days of enactment with a goal of completing the withdrawal of combat troops by December 2009. It also prohibited establishing a permanent base in Iraq. The measure also required the CIA to obey the Army Field Manual’s ban on the torture of prisoners, sets longer leaves between Iraq-Afghanistan combat deployments, and requires Iraqis to start paying a large share of U.S. military fuel costs and their country’s reconstruction costs. The bill is now before the Senate.

Gerlach (R-6th) did not vote
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) No
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 5658 (House Amdt. #1062, Roll Call #362): Interrogation Videotapes – May 22, 2008.

Democrats inserted an amendment in the $601.4 billion Fiscal 2009 Defense Authorization bill that required the Department of Defense to make and retain videotapes of its prisoner interrogations. Furthermore, the various military services were directed to develop guidelines on interrogation and present them to Congress. Although the amendment passed, 218-192, the final House bill had other features that the White House considered as veto targets.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) No
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

ENERGY

HR 6 (House Amendment #376, Roll Call #129): MTBE Liability exemption – April 21, 2005.

Section 1503 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 gave corporations that manufacture MTBE, a lead substitute in gasoline, liability immunity. The fuel additive is a known carcinogen to animals and has contaminated nearly 1900 water systems in 29 states because of surface spills, storm water run-off, chemical precipitation and leaking underground fuel tanks. Opponents of Section 1503 drafted an amendment to the Energy Policy Act that removed the MTBE liability waiver. A yes vote supported the amendment, which failed 213-219.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Fitzpatrick (R-8th) Yes
Sherwood (R-10th) No
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 5386 (Roll Call #167): Fiscal 2007 Interior-Environment Appropriations/Royalty relief – May 18, 2006.

The House banned new leases for Outer Continental drilling for any company exempted from paying royalties to the Treasury under existing leases. The bill passed 252-165 to end OCS royalty relief.

Gerlach (R-6th) Yes
Fitzpatrick (R-8th) Yes
Sherwood (R-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 3221 (Roll Call # 827): New Direction for Energy Independence amendment – August 4, 2007.

The House amended HR 3221 to require electric utilities to produce at least 15 percent of their energy by 2020 from renewable sources such as the wind, sun, tides, crops and geo-thermal forces. After resolving differences with the Senate’s version, the bill was sent to the president who signed it in July. A yes vote supported the amendment which passed 220-190.

Gerlach (R-6th) Yes
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 2776: Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007 – August 4, 2007.

The House on August 4, 2007 passed a bill increasing taxes on oil and gas companies by up to $16 billion over several years and using the proceeds to finance renewable-energy measures in HR 3221. A yes vote supported the bill, which passed the House 221-189.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 6: Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation Act – December 6, 2007.

After nearly a year of partisan finger pointing, the House advanced, 235-181, an energy bill to the Senate that would raise vehicle mileage requirements by 40 percent by 2020, the first mileage increase in 32 years. Among other provisions, it required utilities to produce between 11 and 15 percent of their energy by 2020 from renewable sources such as the wind, sun and crops. To pay for its efficiency programs, the bill added $21 billion in new taxes, including a $13.5 billion rollback of breaks granted in recent years to the oil and gas industry. The Senate eventually cleared the bill for Bush’s signature on December 19, 2007.

Gerlach (R-6th) Yes
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 5351 (Roll Call #84): Energy Tax changes – February 27, 2008.

The House voted 236-182 to send the Senate a bill to rescind tax breaks that ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Chevron and ConocoPhillips received in 2004 as an incentive to not export U.S. jobs. This would raise taxes by $13.6 billion over ten years and use the revenue to fund tax breaks that would promote the development of renewable fuels and energy efficiencies. A yes vote supported the measure.

Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

HR 6251 (Roll Call #469): Use it or Lose it – June 26, 2008.

The House passed legislation mandating oil companies to either drill on federal land they have leased or relinquish the right to do so. The “use it or lose it” bill was directed at dormant leases covering 68 million acres in the West and Alaska. The bill would prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from granting any new federal leases to companies not drilling on acreage already leased. Unlike coal operators, oil companies are currently not required to diligently develop their leases. It has been estimated that if these firms would drill on land already loaned to them, it would cut imported oil by one-third and provide six times the supply of the Artic National Wildness Reserve. Although the provision was passed, 223-195, it failed to receive the two-thirds majority vote required for passage under an expedited procedure that bypassed regular House rules.
Gerlach (R-6th) No
Murphy (D-8th) Yes
Carney (D-10th) Yes
Kanjorski (D-11th) Yes
Schwartz (D-13th) Yes
Dent (R-15th) No
Holden (D-17th) Yes

Data: AFL-CIO, Congressional Quarterly, Morning Call, Washington Post.com, thomas.loc.gov