HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES : Troops in Somalia

The House rejected an amendment to bring U.S. military forces home from Somalia by June 30. The House then passed a measure (SJ Res 45) authorizing American troops in Somalia for at leastanother year under the War Powers Act. About 5,000 GIs remain there under United Nations command, down from a peak deployment of 25,000 in 1992.

“The price tag for our involvement, so far, has been $1 billion. I think the American people have done their share,” said sponsor Toby Roth (R-Wis.).

Opponent Bill Richardson (D-N.M.) said “people in Mogadishu are no longer starving or dying because of our presence. If we were to leave, the dying would begin once again.”

The vote was 127 for and 299 against the amendment. A yes vote was to withdraw American troops from the U.N. force in Somalia by June 30.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Harman (D) x Rep. Horn (R) x Rep. Tucker (D) x Rep. Waters (D) x

Amendment on Deficit Defense Spending

The House rejected an amendment that would have deleted $1.2 billion in deficit military spending from a $1.8-billion appropriations bill (HR 2118) for fiscal 1993. The amendment sought to force the Pentagon to get the money from other defense accounts instead of borrowing. The funding consists mainly of $750 million for operations in Somalia, $295 million for civilian medical insurance claims and $100 million for Air Force patrols over southern Iraq. The House sent the appropriations bill to the Senate.

Sponsor Elizabeth Furse (D-Ore.) said the issue “represents exactly what makes people angry about Congress: spending taxpayers’ money unnecessarily and adding to the deficit.”

Opponent C. W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) said, “Every time we reduce our defense budget, we are making it harder and harder to provide the things that are necessary . . . for our national security.”

The vote was 188 for and 244 against. A yes vote was to require the disputed military spending to be put on a pay-as-you-go basis.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Harman (D) x Rep. Horn (R) x Rep. Tucker (D) x Rep. Waters (D) x

Spending on Youth Jobs, Public Works, Police

The House passed a bill to spend $920 million immediately on creating summer jobs for city youths, launching public works projects and hiring more police at the state and local levels. The “son-of-stimulus” measure (HR 2244) was a reduced version of the $19-billion White House-sponsored jobs measure that filibustering Republicans recently killed in the Senate. This stimulus bill does not worsen the deficit because it is paid for by cuts elsewhere in the budget.

Supporter Martin Frost (D-Tex.) said Democrats “happen to feel that the time has come to take care of the pressing problems in our cities and our environment. If (Republicans) disagree . . . they can vote against” the bill.

Opponent Dan Burton (R-Ind.) objected that the rule for debating the bill, set by Democrats, would prevent a full airing of the measure. “Most of the people in the body do not know what all of this means,” he said.

The vote was 287 for and 140 against. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Harman (D) x Rep. Horn (R) x Rep. Tucker (D) x Rep. Waters (D) x

New Program on Job Training

The House refused to strip the jobs and infrastructure bill (above) of $80 million for piloting a new program to qualify people ages 17 to 30 for the job market. Participants would learn skills, receive classroom instruction and get a $100 weekly stipend for meals, transportation and attending to personal needs. Sponsor Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) said “the great enemies in our cities are hopelessness and lack of opportunity,” adding that her program “will be breaking the cycle of welfare by giving people job skills and life skills.”

John Porter (R-Ill.) complained that the program was not cleared by any committee and represented special treatment for Waters who represents South-Central Los Angeles. “By what right does any member become entitled to circumvent the processes that every other member must follow?” he asked.

The vote was 176 for and 251 against. A yes vote opposed the new program.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Harman (D) x Rep. Horn (R) x Rep. Tucker (D) x Rep. Waters (D) x

Source: Roll Call Report Syndicate