Four of Iowa’s five U.S. House Representatives voted today for a bill to fund the federal government through November 18. The continuing spending resolution passed by 352 votes to 66 (roll call). Representative Steve King (IA-05) again stood with conservative Republicans who support deeper domestic spending cuts.
Today’s vote in the House was on the continuing resolution that passed the U.S. Senate last week, shortly before the end of the 2011 fiscal year. Both Republican Chuck Grassley and Democrat Tom Harkin voted for that resolution.
The main difference between today’s legislation and the resolution the House approved on September 23 was that today’s bill did not cut funding for a government loan program that supported the now-bankrupt Solyndra company. House leaders had to add language cutting that program after 48 Republicans helped sink an earlier version of the continuing resolution. Tom Latham (IA-04), a close friend of House Speaker John Boehner, has voted yes on all the spending measures leaders brought to the House floor in the past couple of weeks.
Today’s resolution passed despite no votes from 53 House Republicans. That’s because most House Democrats supported the measure. Bruce Braley (IA-01), Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Leonard Boswell (IA-03) all voted against the House leaders’ continuing resolution the last week of September but all voted for today’s version.
Braley’s office released the following statement today:
Washington, DC – Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today released the following statement after voting for a temporary budget bill that funds government operations through November 18th with a 1.5 percent across-the-board cut in government spending. The bill includes continued funding for Iowa flood recovery and disaster relief nationwide.
“I support this bipartisan bill because it ensures Iowa families hurt by flooding will keep getting the help they need to recover. Getting people back on their feet after a disaster is one of the basic responsibilities of government, and this bill allows the federal government to follow through on its commitment to thousands of Iowans affected by floods in recent years.
“I sincerely hope that the brief ray of bipartisanship that allowed this bill to pass will continue, because the solutions to our nation’s problems won’t be found in partisan bickering.”
Loebsack’s office released these comments:
Loebsack Statement on the Passage of Short Term FEMA Funding
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after he voted in favor of legislation that funds the federal government through November 18th and included funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide disaster relief.
“Unfortunately, the bipartisanship that has always been a hallmark of our flood recovery work in Iowa has not been seen in Washington over the last two months. I voted for the bill today because Iowans trying to rebuild their lives can’t wait on Congress to stop its bickering. But, disaster victims deserve better,” said Loebsack. “While others were playing politics, I joined with 77 of my colleagues to call on Speaker Boehner to approve $6.9 billion, which had already passed the Senate on a bipartisan basis, to ensure FEMA has the resources it needs to provide still struggling Iowa communities the support they need to continue to rebuild and respond to recent and future disasters. In the end, the same House leadership that in a shameful political ploy misled Iowans about who was fighting for flood relief showed their true colors, that they were for less funding all along.”
Last month, Loebsack joined 77 members on a letter to Speaker Boehner to call for a vote on the legislation that originally passed the Senate. The bipartisan Senate legislation included $6.9 billion for disaster relief, while the legislation that passed the House today included $2.65 billion. A copy of the letter can be found here.
I will update this post if I see additional comments from Iowa’s representatives in Congress.