House votes

Democratic Reps. Tom Allen and Michael Michaud

Vote 1: Rejecting Additional Funding For Veterans Extended Care Facilities: The House rejected an amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2009 (HR 6599), sponsored by Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., that would have provided $18 million of funding for extended care facilities for veterans across the U.S. Supporters said the amendment would aid ailing veterans while using the offset of cutting administrative expenses to prevent a spending increase. Opponents said the offset would mean delays in processing veteran benefits claims that were already facing a large backlog. The vote, on Aug. 1, was 185 yeas to 227 nays.

NAYS: Allen, Michaud

Vote 2: Barring Military Programs Named After Members of Congress: The House passed an amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2009 (HR 6599), sponsored by Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, to bar the funding of military programs named after politicians who are now serving in Congress. Supporters said the amendment would block politicians from supporting programs out of their own vanity rather than to serve U.S. citizens. The vote, on Aug. 1, was 329 yeas to 86 nays.

YEAS: Allen, Michaud

Vote 3: Rejecting Ban on Earmarks In Military Construction Bill: The House rejected an amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2009 (HR 6599) sponsored by Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., that would have barred any earmarked funds from military construction programs. Supporters of the rejection said the earmarks process misallocated funds to the districts of certain representatives and enabled wasteful spending. Opponents to the rejection said the nature of the bill required earmarks that were legitimately authorized by Congress and gave needed support to the military. The vote, on Aug. 1, was 63 yeas to 350 nays.

NAYS: Allen, Michaud

Vote 4: Retaining Wage Scales for Military Construction Programs: The House rejected an amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2009 (HR 6599) sponsored by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, that would have barred the use of funds to enforce the Davis-Bacon Act of employee wage scales in military construction programs. Supporters claimed the Davis-Bacon Act inflated the cost of construction programs by overcompensating employees and requiring burdensome paperwork. Opponents argued that the amendment would cut the quality of construction programs and harm the middle class. The vote, on Aug. 1, was 143 yeas to 275 nays.

NAYS: Allen, Michaud

Vote 5: Funding Veterans And Military Construction Programs: The House passed the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2009 (HR 6599), sponsored by Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, to provide funding for the Department of Veteran Affairs and military construction programs in fiscal 2009. Supporters said the funding would specifically help care for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and provide health care to greater numbers of veterans, particularly those in outlying areas. Opponents said the bill would establish ill-advised military bases overseas and excessively funded the construction programs. The vote, on Aug. 1, was 409 yeas to 4 nays.

YEAS: Allen, Michaud

There were no key votes in the Senate Aug. 1-7.

Compiled by Targeted News Service for the Bangor Daily News.