Legislators Split Over Funding for Iraq, Afghanistan
Jewish Democrats in Congress were deeply divided by President Bush’s call for $87 billion in emergency funding for military operations and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Emergency supplementary appropriation bills for Iraq and Afghanistan passed the House of Representatives October 17 by a vote of 303-125 and the Senate the same day by a margin of 87-12.
The appropriation enjoyed overwhelming support from Republicans in both houses of Congress, but was opposed by many House Democrats. A total of 118 House Democrats voted against the measure and only 83 in favor.
Jewish House Democrats were somewhat more supportive of the appropriation than their party caucus, voting 13-11 in favor. In the Senate, Democrats voted solidly in support of the appropriation 37-11, as did Jewish Democrats by a vote of 7-2.
The three Jewish Republicans in Congress — Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman and Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor — all backed the appropriation. Vermont independent Rep. Bernard Sanders voted against it.
U.S. SENATE – S1689
| Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) | nay |
| Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) | yea | |
| Russell Feingold (D-Wisc.) | yea | |
| Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) | yea | |
| Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) | yea | |
| Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) | nay | |
| Carl Levin (D-Mich.) | yea | |
| Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) | yea | |
| Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) | yea | |
| Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) | yea | |
| Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) | yea |
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES – HR3289
| Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) | yea | |
| Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) | yea | |
| Howard Berman (D-Calif.) | yea | |
| Eric Cantor (R-Va.) | yea | |
| Ben Cardin (D-Md.) | yea | |
| Susan Davis (D-Calif.) | yea | |
| Peter Deutsch (D-Fla.) | nay | |
| Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) | yea | |
| Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) | yea | |
| Bob Filner (D-Calif.) | nay | |
| Barney Frank (D-Mass.) | nay | |
| Martin Frost (D-Texas) | yea | |
| Jane Harman (D-Calif.) | nay | |
| Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) | yea | |
| Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) | yea | |
| Sander Levin (D-Mich.) | yea |
| Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) | yea |
| Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) | nay |
| Steve Rothman (D-N.J.) | yea |
| Bernard Sanders (Ind-Vt.) | nay |
| Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) | nay |
| Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) | nay |
| Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) | nay |
| Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) | nay |
| Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) | nay |
| Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) | nay |
Emergency Supplementary Appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan Security and Reconstruction Act 2004
