How they voted
Advertiser Staff
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How Hawai'i Sens. Daniel Akaka and Daniel K. Inouye and Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Mazie K. Hirono voted in key legislation last week.
KEY SENATE VOTES
1. Farm Bill
By a vote of 55-42, the Senate fell five votes short of advancing the $286 billion farm bill to the floor for a final vote Friday. The bill, which includes farm subsidies and nutrition programs, stalled over unrelated amendments Republicans wanted to add. The White House has issued a veto threat saying the bill is too expensive. The bill's future for passage this year, or next, is uncertain.
Hawai'i Votes:
Daniel Akaka (D) YEA
Daniel K. Inouye (D) YEA
2. War Spending Supplemental
By a vote of 53-45, the Senate failed on Friday to bring to the floor legislation to pay for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The vote was seven short of the 60 needed to advance the bill to the floor for a vote. The spending is tied to conditions requiring troops begin returning home.
Hawai'i Votes:
Daniel Akaka (D) NAY
Daniel K. Inouye (D) NAY
KEY HOUSE VOTES
1. Iraq War Spending
The House voted 218-203 Wednesday to pass a partial-year $50 billion war funding measure for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill also would require President Bush to start withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq within 30 days of the bill's passage with the goal of bringing most troops home by December of next year. The White House has vowed to veto the bill if the troop withdrawal language remains.
Hawai'i votes:
Neil Abercrombie (D) YEA
Mazie K. Hirono (D) YEA
2. Responsible Electronic Surveillance
The House voted 227-189 Thursday to pass changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act despite objections from the Senate and a veto threat from the White House. The legislation would not provide immunity for telecommunications companies from lawsuits over alleged cooperation in surveillance without a warrant, which the Senate version provides. Lawmakers are also split over the extent of spying power the executive branch should have.
Hawai'i votes:
Neil Abercrombie (D) YEA
Mazie K. Hirono (D) YEA
3. Mortgage and Anti-Predatory Lending Reform
The House voted 291-127 Thursday to pass legislation to overhaul mortgage lending laws in the wake of the subprime mortgage market crisis. The bill would bring all lenders under one nationwide registry instead of being regulated state by state. It also would establish minimum standards for home loans and bar brokers from predatory lending practices. The bill now goes to the Senate.
Hawai'i votes:
Neil Abercrombie (D) YEA
Mazie K. Hirono (D) YEA
WHAT'S AHEAD
Both chambers are adjourned for the Thanksgiving recess and will return Dec. 4.
Correction: An item in a previous version of this story was incorrect. The U.S. Senate voted Friday on two war spending supplemental bills. The Republican version would have provided $70 billion to the president for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with no timeline for withdrawal or other conditions. Hawai'i's senators, Daniel Akaka and Daniel K. Inouye, both Democrats, each voted no. The bill failed to pass. The Democratic version of the bill would have provided $50 billion and required that troops begin redeploying within 30 days, with a goal to have U.S. troops out of a combat role by December 2008, among other conditions. Akaka and Inouye both voted yes on this version. The vote was 53-45, seven short of the 60 needed to advance the bill to a floor vote.
