The House

Congress’ Budget

By a vote of 291 to 123, the House approved a fiscal 1990 budget of $1.6 billion for itself and congressional support agencies. That is an increase of 14% over the comparable fiscal 1989 bill. After the Senate adds its budget of more than $400 million, the cost of operating the legislative branch in 1990 will top $2 billion. Members’ salaries of nearly $50 million are funded separately.

Among items in the House-passed bill are $188 million for the salaries of House members’ personal staffs (up 5% from comparable 1989 figure), $118 million for committee operations including staff salaries (up 7%) and $123 million for House members’ and senators’ free-mail privileges. The postage sum is open-ended and likely to be increased, despite new language reducing from six to four the number of mass mailings House members can send to constituents each year.

Members voting yes supported the bill.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dornan (R) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Rohrabacher (R) x

Cutting Congress’ Budget

By a vote of 167 to 246, the House rejected an amendment cutting nearly all areas of the 1990 legislative branch budget (above) by 6.25%, for a savings of $97 million. “What used to be called the ‘$1-billion Congress’ has become the ‘$2-billion Congress,’ ” said amendment sponsor Bill Frenzel (R-Minn.) Opponent Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) said the amendment “would cut some items that are very fundamental in terms of the members’ ability to work around this place.”

Members voting yes supported a 6.25% cut in the fiscal 1990 legislative branch budget.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dornan (R) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Rohrabacher (R) x

Debt Limit

The House voted 231 to 185 to raise the national debt ceiling by $70 billion to about $2.87 trillion. The new limit, which was sent to the Senate, will enable the government to pay its bills while awaiting congressional approval of a separate measure putting the federal borrowing limit at $3.123 trillion.

Members voting yes supported the higher debt ceiling.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dornan (R) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Rohrabacher (R) x

Abortion

By a vote of 206 to 219, the House refused to further restrict abortion in the District of Columbia. The defeated amendment sought to renew a ban on the district using its own revenue as well as its federal payment to provide abortions for the poor. It also sought to toughen the ban so that the district’s own money could no longer be spent on abortions deemed necessary because the mother’s life is at stake.

The vote occurred during debate on the D.C. appropriations bill for fiscal 1990, later sent to the Senate. It liberalizes federal abortion law as it is applied to D.C. But the federal city remains severely restricted in using money it gets from the U.S. Treasury for abortions.

Members voting yes wanted to further restrict public funding of abortions in D.C.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dornan (R) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Rohrabacher (R) x

Savings and Loan Rescue

By a vote of 170 to 250, the House rejected a GOP attempt to put the cost of the savings and loan rescue off the federal budget. The vote kept the thrift bailout bill from being sent back to a House-Senate conference committee where the off-budget language was to have been added.

Later, however, the bill was returned to conference, following the Senate’s refusal to waive the Gramm-Rudman deficit-reduction law to permit counting the multibillion-dollar bailout as part of the federal budget.

At issue was how to treat about $50 billion in immediate borrowing needed to close or merge hundreds of insolvent thrifts and meet insurance obligations to depositors. The reworked bill taken up by the House and Senate late Friday put $20 billion of the borrowing on this year’s budget, as most Democrats wanted, and left the remaining $30 billion to be raised by industry bonds as advocated by President Bush.

Members voting yes supported an off-budget financing arrangement for the savings and loan bailout.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dornan (R) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Rohrabacher (R) x