Many of you have probably heard about the Amash-Conyers amendment (to curtail the NSA) that will come to a vote later today. I wrote a diary on it last night, and I know a few others did as well. However, the amendment process to the defense appropriations bill is much longer than one amendment, and there are many more worth our attention.
Here are a few from last night.
Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) proposed an amendment to restore funding for environmental restoration (cleanup and remediation of former defense sites) to fiscal year 2013 levels. It failed on a vote of 176 to 242.
172 Democrats and 4 Republicans supported it. 23 Democrats and 219 Republicans opposed it.
The four Republican supporters were Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08), Michael Grimm (NY-11), Richard Hanna (NY-22), and Kevin McCarthy (CA-22)
Which Democrats showed no love for a clean environment?
Rob Andrews (NJ-01)
Ron Barber (AZ-02)
John Barrow (GA-12)
Cheri Bustos (IL-17)
G. K. Butterfield (NC-01)
John Carney (DE-AL)
Lacy Clay (MO-01)
Joe Crowley (NY-14)
John Dingell (MI-12)
Bill Foster (IL-11)
Dan Kildee (MI-05)
Sander Levin (MI-09)
Dan Maffei (NY-24)
Sean Maloney (NY-18)
Betty McCollum (MN-04)
Jim Moran (VA-08)
Ed Pastor (AZ-07)
Ed Perlmutter (CO-07)
Gary Peters (MI-14)
Charlie Rangel (NY-13)
David Scott (GA-13)
Krysten Sinema (AZ-09)
Adam Smith (WA-09)
Democrat Jim Moran (VA-08) offered an amendment to eliminate all language in the bill that prohibits the release or transfer of detainees at Guantanamo. In a travesty of justice, 86 detainees are cleared for release, but the government keeps them imprisoned. Last month, the House rejected an amendment by Rep. Adam Smith to facilitate the closure of Gitmo. 2 Republicans had voted for it, and 21 Democrats had voted against it.
Moran’s amendment failed on a vote of 175 to 247. 171 Democrats and 4 Republicans voted for it, and 222 Republicans and 25 Democrats voted against it.
The four Republican supporters were Justin Amash (MI-03), Mike Coffman (CO-06), Jimmy Duncan (TN-02), and Mark Sanford (SC-01). Amash and Duncan were supporters last time as well.
Which 25 Democrats just can’t stand those pesky things like the Constitution, international law, and human rights?
Ron Barber (AZ-02)
John Barrow (GA-12)
Julia Brownley (CA-26)
Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
Pete Gallego (TX-23)
Joe Garcia (FL-26)
Gene Green (TX-29)
Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01)
Daniel Lipinski (IL-03)
Dan Maffei (NY-24)
Carolyn Maloney (NY-12)
Sean Maloney (NY-18)
Jim Matheson (UT-02)
Mike McIntyre (NC-07)
Jerry McNerney (CA-09)
Patrick Murphy (FL-18)
Bill Owens (NY-21)
Gary Peters (MI-14)
Nick Rahall (WV-03)
Raul Ruiz (CA-36)
Loretta Sanchez (CA-46)
David Scott (GA-13)
Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01)
Krysten Sinema (AZ-09)
Filemon Vela (TX-34)
Bill Foster (IL-11) and Brad Schneider (IL-10) voted against closing Gitmo last month but now voted for Moran’s amendment. Good for them.
Five of the Democrats above—Brownley, Green, Maloney, McNerney, and Scott—changed their votes for the worse. Shame on them.
The House also voted on an amendment by Republican John Fleming (LA-04) that would prevent the Department of Defense (DOD) from adding non-religious chaplains to the military's chaplain corps. The House rejected an amendment by Democrat Jared Polis (CO-02) last month that would have added such chaplains. I wrote a diary on it back then as well.
Currently, a number of universities have Humanist chaplains. For instance, I can think of Greg Epstein and Chris Stedman at Harvard and Anne Klaesyen (the Leader of the New York Society for Ethical Culture) at Columbia. A quick online search reveals that Stanford, Rutgers, and American have Humanist chaplains as well.
According to the Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers, more members of the military self-identify as atheist than 88 different religious preferences, including 73 Christian denominations, but they have endorsed chaplains.
The House passed Fleming’s amendment 253 to 173. 227 Republicans and 26 Democrats voted for it. 171 Democrats and 2 Republicans voted against it. On a positive note, 21 Democrats who voted against Polis’s amendment last month have since changed their mind. However, I think the bipartisan refusal to accept the equal dignity of the non-religious is a depressing testament to how slowness of this front in the march of moral progress in this country.
The two Republican opponents to the amendment were Justin Amash (MI-03) and Tom Cotton (AR-04). No Republicans had supported Polis’s amendment when it came to a vote last month.
Which 26 Democrats have no respect for their non-religious and humanist constituents?
Ron Barber (AZ-02)
John Barrow (GA-12)
Cheri Bustos (IL-17)
Jim Cooper (TN-05)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
Danny Davis (IL-07)
Bill Enyart (IL-12)
Pete Gallego (TX-23)
Joe Garcia (FL-26)
Gene Green (TX-29)
Hank Johnson (GA-04)
Derek Kilmer (WA-06)
Daniel Lipinski (IL-03)
Dan Maffei (NY-24)
Jim Matheson (UT-02)
Mike McIntyre (NC-07)
Mike Michaud (ME-02)
Patrick Murphy (FL-18)
Bill Owens (NY-21)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Nick Rahall (WV-03)
Raul Ruiz (CA-36)
Terri Sewell (AL-07)
Juan Vargas (CA-51)
Filemon Vela (TX-34)
23 of the 26 Democrats there voted against Jared Polis’s amendment last month as well. Three of them---Barber, Bustos, and Davis—voted last month to allow non-theistic chaplains but now voted against. What gives?
21 Democrats who voted against allowing non-theistic chaplains last month have since reconsidered. Good for them. I’m glad to see that Capuano, Grayson, and Waters especially have changed their votes before because I was disappointed with them last time.
Sanford Bishop (GA-02)
Timothy Bishop (NY-01)
Mike Capuano (MA-07) – Progressive Caucus
Tony Cárdenas (CA-29)
Kathy Castor (FL-20)
Joaquin Castro (TX-20)
Ted Deutch (FL-21)
Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02)
John Garamendi (CA-03)
Alan Grayson (FL-09) – Progressive Caucus
Denny Heck (WA-10)
Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15)
Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) – Progressive Caucus
Bill Keating (MA-09)
Stephen Lynch (MA-08)
Jerry McNerney (CA-09)
Ed Perlmutter (CO-07)
Gary Peters (MI-14)
Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-02)
Marc Veasey (TX-33)
Maxine Waters (CA-43) –Progressive Caucus
Good for all of them.
Despite how awful the House is, at least they don’t hate puppies. Carol Shea-Porter’s amendment to designate funding for the study the Therapeutic Service Dog Training Program passed by voice vote. Steve King, though, certainly does hate puppies.