Published on Wednesday, July 24, 2013 by Common Dreams
Two separate votes in House of Representatives affirm congressional commitment to war that lasts forever and vast domestic spying regime
In two separate votes in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, lawmakers from both parties affirmed their ongoing acceptance of the ever-growing national security state and support for the military authorization that has kept the nation in constant war since 2001.
Though neither was expected to pass, the failure of the two separate amendments introduced as part of the 2013 Defense Authorization Bill offers a window into the bipartisan consensus that permeates Washington when it comes to appeasing the dominant influence of the military-intelligence-industrial complex that has gained unprecedented authority and profited so magnificently in the post-9/11 era.
The first amendment voted down, introduced by Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) and co-sponsored by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), would have severely curtailed the massive collection of US citizens' telephonic and digital communication data by NSA surveillance programs, the existence and extent of which have only recently come to light following disclosures from whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The amendment was defeated by a margin of 217-205, with twelve members not voting (see roll call below).
The second amendment defeated, introduced by Rep. Adam Schiffer (D-Calif.), would have unseated the powers contained in the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), signed in the immediate aftermath of the September 11th attacks of 2001 (and continually renewed since), that underpins almost the ongoing war in Afghanistan and numerous covert and overt military actions around the globe.
The Schiffer amendment—which would have given a New Years Day, 2015 as the final day of the AUMF's authority—lost by an even wider margin than Amash-Conyers, with 236 members of congress voting against it versus the 185 who supported it.
The two roll calls for the amendments follow:
To Curtail NSA Spying and Protect the Fourth Amendment
Amash of Michigan (Amendment No. 100)
| Ayes | Noes | PRES | NV | |
| Republican | 94 | 134 | 6 | |
| Democratic | 111 | 83 | 6 | |
| Independent | ||||
| TOTALS | 205 | 217 | 12 |
—- AYES 205 —
| Amash Amodei Bachus Barton Bass Becerra Bentivolio Bishop (UT) Black Blackburn Blumenauer Bonamici Brady (PA) Braley (IA) Bridenstine Broun (GA) Buchanan Burgess Capps Capuano Cárdenas Carson (IN) Cartwright Cassidy Chabot Chaffetz Chu Cicilline Clarke Clay Cleaver Clyburn Coffman Cohen Connolly Conyers Courtney Cramer Crowley Cummings Daines Davis, Danny Davis, Rodney DeFazio DeGette DeLauro DelBene DeSantis DesJarlais Deutch Dingell Doggett Doyle Duffy Duncan (SC) Duncan (TN) Edwards Ellison Eshoo Farenthold Farr Fattah Fincher Fitzpatrick Fleischmann Fleming Fudge Gabbard Garamendi |
Gardner Garrett Gibson Gohmert Gosar Gowdy Graves (GA) Grayson Green, Gene Griffin (AR) Griffith (VA) Grijalva Hahn Hall Harris Hastings (FL) Holt Honda Huelskamp Huffman Huizenga (MI) Hultgren Jeffries Jenkins Johnson (OH) Jones Jordan Keating Kildee Kingston Labrador LaMalfa Lamborn Larson (CT) Lee (CA) Lewis Loebsack Lofgren Lowenthal Lujan Grisham (NM) Luján, Ben Ray (NM) Lummis Lynch Maffei Maloney, Carolyn Marchant Massie Matsui McClintock McCollum McDermott McGovern McHenry McMorris Rodgers Meadows Mica Michaud Miller, Gary Miller, George Moore Moran Mullin Mulvaney Nadler Napolitano Neal Nolan Nugent O'Rourke |
Owens Pascrell Pastor (AZ) Pearce Perlmutter Perry Petri Pingree (ME) Pocan Poe (TX) Polis Posey Price (GA) Radel Rahall Rangel Ribble Rice (SC) Richmond Roe (TN) Rohrabacher Ross Rothfus Roybal-Allard Rush Salmon Sánchez, Linda T. Sanchez, Loretta Sanford Sarbanes Scalise Schiff Schrader Schweikert Scott (VA) Sensenbrenner Serrano Shea-Porter Sherman Smith (MO) Smith (NJ) Southerland Speier Stewart Stockman Swalwell (CA) Takano Thompson (MS) Thompson (PA) Tierney Tipton Tonko Tsongas Vela Velázquez Walz Waters Watt Waxman Weber (TX) Welch Williams Wilson (SC) Yarmuth Yoder Yoho Young (AK) |
—- NOES 217 —
| Aderholt Alexander Andrews Bachmann Barber Barr Barrow (GA) Benishek Bera (CA) Bilirakis Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Boehner Bonner Boustany Brady (TX) Brooks (AL) Brooks (IN) Brown (FL) Brownley (CA) Bucshon Butterfield Calvert Camp Cantor Capito Carney Carter Castor (FL) Castro (TX) Cole Collins (GA) Collins (NY) Conaway Cook Cooper Costa Cotton Crawford Crenshaw Cuellar Culberson Davis (CA) Delaney Denham Dent Diaz-Balart Duckworth Ellmers Engel Enyart Esty Flores Forbes Fortenberry Foster Foxx Frankel (FL) Franks (AZ) Frelinghuysen Gallego Garcia Gerlach Gibbs Gingrey (GA) Goodlatte Granger Graves (MO) Green, Al Grimm Guthrie Gutiérrez Hanabusa |
Hanna Harper Hartzler Hastings (WA) Heck (NV) Heck (WA) Hensarling Higgins Himes Hinojosa Holding Hoyer Hudson Hunter Hurt Israel Issa Jackson Lee Johnson (GA) Johnson, E. B. Johnson, Sam Joyce Kaptur Kelly (IL) Kelly (PA) Kennedy Kilmer Kind King (IA) King (NY) Kinzinger (IL) Kirkpatrick Kline Kuster Lance Langevin Lankford Larsen (WA) Latham Latta Levin Lipinski LoBiondo Long Lowey Lucas Luetkemeyer Maloney, Sean Marino Matheson McCarthy (CA) McCaul McIntyre McKeon McKinley McNerney Meehan Meeks Meng Messer Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Murphy (FL) Murphy (PA) Neugebauer Noem Nunes Nunnelee Olson Palazzo Paulsen Payne Pelosi |
Peters (CA) Peters (MI) Peterson Pittenger Pitts Pompeo Price (NC) Quigley Reed Reichert Renacci Rigell Roby Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rooney Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Royce Ruiz Runyan Ruppersberger Ryan (OH) Ryan (WI) Schakowsky Schneider Schwartz Scott, Austin Scott, David Sessions Sewell (AL) Shimkus Shuster Simpson Sinema Sires Slaughter Smith (NE) Smith (TX) Smith (WA) Stivers Stutzman Terry Thompson (CA) Thornberry Tiberi Titus Turner Upton Valadao Van Hollen Vargas Veasey Visclosky Wagner Walberg Walden Walorski Wasserman Schultz Webster (FL) Wenstrup Westmoreland Whitfield Wilson (FL) Wittman Wolf Womack Woodall Young (FL) Young (IN) |
—- NOT VOTING 12 —
| Barletta Beatty Bustos Campbell |
Coble Herrera Beutler Horsford McCarthy (NY) |
Negrete McLeod Pallone Rokita Schock |
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To End the Authority of the AUMF and Perpetual US War
Schiff of California (Amendment No. 73)
| Ayes | Noes | PRES | NV | |
| Republican | 30 | 197 | 6 | |
| Democratic | 155 | 39 | 6 | |
| Independent | ||||
| TOTALS | 185 | 236 | 12 |
—- AYES 185 —
| Amash Bachmann Bass Beatty Becerra Benishek Bishop (NY) Blumenauer Bonamici Brady (PA) Braley (IA) Broun (GA) Brown (FL) Buchanan Burgess Capps Capuano Cárdenas Carney Carson (IN) Castor (FL) Castro (TX) Chu Cicilline Clarke Clay Cleaver Clyburn Coffman Cohen Connolly Conyers Cooper Courtney Crowley Cummings Davis, Danny DeFazio DeGette DeLauro DelBene Deutch Doggett Doyle Duncan (TN) Edwards Ellison Enyart Eshoo Esty Farr Fattah Frankel (FL) Gabbard Garamendi Gibson Gohmert Graves (GA) Grayson Green, Al Green, Gene Griffith (VA) |
Grijalva Gutiérrez Hahn Hanabusa Hastings (FL) Heck (WA) Higgins Himes Hinojosa Holt Honda Huelskamp Huffman Israel Jackson Lee Jeffries Johnson (GA) Johnson, E. B. Jones Kaptur Keating Kelly (IL) Kennedy Kildee Kilmer Kind Kuster Labrador Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Lee (CA) Levin Lewis Loebsack Lofgren Lowenthal Lowey Lujan Grisham (NM) Luján, Ben Ray (NM) Lynch Maffei Maloney, Carolyn Maloney, Sean Massie Matsui McClintock McCollum McDermott McGovern McIntyre McNerney Meeks Michaud Miller, George Moore Moran Mulvaney Murphy (FL) Nadler Napolitano Negrete McLeod Nolan |
Nugent O'Rourke Pascrell Pastor (AZ) Payne Pelosi Perlmutter Peters (MI) Peterson Petri Pingree (ME) Pocan Poe (TX) Polis Posey Price (GA) Price (NC) Quigley Rahall Rangel Rohrabacher Rooney Roybal-Allard Ruiz Rush Ryan (OH) Sánchez, Linda T. Sanchez, Loretta Sanford Sarbanes Schakowsky Schiff Schrader Schweikert Scott (VA) Sensenbrenner Serrano Sires Slaughter Speier Stockman Swalwell (CA) Takano Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Tierney Titus Tonko Tsongas Van Hollen Veasey Velázquez Visclosky Wasserman Schultz Waters Watt Waxman Welch Wilson (FL) Woodall Yarmuth |
—- NOES 236 —
| Aderholt Alexander Amodei Andrews Bachus Barber Barr Barrow (GA) Barton Bentivolio Bera (CA) Bilirakis Bishop (GA) Bishop (UT) Black Blackburn Bonner Boustany Brady (TX) Bridenstine Brooks (AL) Brooks (IN) Brownley (CA) Bucshon Butterfield Calvert Camp Cantor Capito Carter Cartwright Cassidy Chabot Chaffetz Cole Collins (GA) Collins (NY) Conaway Cook Costa Cotton Cramer Crawford Crenshaw Cuellar Culberson Daines Davis (CA) Davis, Rodney Delaney Denham Dent DeSantis DesJarlais Diaz-Balart Dingell Duckworth Duffy Duncan (SC) Ellmers Engel Farenthold Fincher Fitzpatrick Fleischmann Fleming Flores Forbes Fortenberry Foster Foxx Franks (AZ) Frelinghuysen Fudge Gallego Garcia Gardner Garrett Gerlach |
Gibbs Gingrey (GA) Goodlatte Gosar Gowdy Granger Graves (MO) Griffin (AR) Grimm Guthrie Hall Hanna Harper Harris Hartzler Hastings (WA) Heck (NV) Hensarling Holding Hoyer Hudson Huizenga (MI) Hultgren Hunter Hurt Issa Jenkins Johnson (OH) Johnson, Sam Jordan Joyce Kelly (PA) King (IA) King (NY) Kingston Kinzinger (IL) Kirkpatrick Kline LaMalfa Lamborn Lance Langevin Lankford Latham Latta Lipinski LoBiondo Long Lucas Luetkemeyer Lummis Marchant Marino Matheson McCarthy (CA) McCaul McHenry McKeon McKinley McMorris Rodgers Meadows Meehan Messer Mica Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Miller, Gary Mullin Murphy (PA) Neugebauer Noem Nunes Nunnelee Olson Owens Palazzo Paulsen Pearce Perry |
Peters (CA) Pittenger Pitts Pompeo Radel Reed Reichert Renacci Ribble Rice (SC) Richmond Rigell Roby Roe (TN) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Ross Rothfus Royce Runyan Ruppersberger Ryan (WI) Salmon Scalise Schneider Schock Schwartz Scott, Austin Scott, David Sessions Sewell (AL) Shea-Porter Sherman Shimkus Shuster Simpson Sinema Smith (MO) Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Smith (WA) Southerland Stewart Stivers Stutzman Terry Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiberi Tipton Turner Upton Valadao Vargas Vela Wagner Walberg Walden Walorski Walz Weber (TX) Webster (FL) Wenstrup Westmoreland Whitfield Williams Wilson (SC) Wittman Wolf Womack Yoder Yoho Young (FL) Young (IN) |
—- NOT VOTING 12 —
| Barletta Bustos Campbell Coble |
Herrera Beutler Horsford McCarthy (NY) Meng |
Neal Pallone Rokita Young (AK) |
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