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How They Voted
Voterama in Congress
Here's how area members of Congress voted on major issues last week.
Debt-limit waiver: Voting 285 for and 144 against, the House passed a Republican bill (HB 325) to waive the statutory debt limit until May 19, thus allowing the Treasury to borrow above the current $16.4 trillion limit until then. Joseph Pitts, R-16th District, and Pat Meehan, R-7th District, yes.
Social Security, Medicare benefits: Voting 151 for and 277 against, the House defeated a Democratic motion to prevent any congressional budget resulting from HB 325 (above) from privatizing Social Security; converting Medicare into a voucher plan; reducing Medicaid or home-nursing-care benefits; cutting benefits for veterans or active-duty military personnel and their families or reducing guaranteed health-insurance benefits for disabled persons or senior citizens. Pitts, Meehan, no.
Chemical, biological attacks on U.S.: Voting 395 for and 29 against, the House renewed for five years several post-9/11 programs to develop and deploy vaccines and other medical countermeasures in the event of chemical, biological, radioactive or nuclear attacks on America. Pitts, Meehan, yes.
Filibuster changes: Senators adopted, 86 for and nine against, a rule for the 113th Congress that retains the 60-vote threshold for ending filibusters but takes marginal steps to make filibusters slightly less of an obstacle to nominations and the flow of legislation. Democrat Robert Casey Jr. and Republican Pat Toomey, yes.n
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