Votes

The House on Thursday evening rejected most amendments offered to H.R. 3582, the Pro-Growth Budgeting Act. The bill requires the Congressional Budget Office to perform macroeconomic analysis of bills with major budgetary effects.

Democrats cast the bill as an attempt to introduce dynamic scoring that would tilt the process toward favoring tax cuts that could spur economic growth. As such, several Democrats presented amendments that would broaden this CBO analysis.

The House on Thursday rejected a Democratic motion to instruct House conferees to the yearlong payroll tax extension bill to remove language in the House-passed bill that gives states flexibility to use welfare payments for other purposes.

The motion was defeated in a mostly party-line 184-236 vote.

House Democrats on Thursday were resisting two Republican bills that would reform the budget process, and charged that the bills were a backdoor attempt by the GOP to reduce federal spending without having to pass more specific bills that cut the budget.

Republicans on Thursday afternoon called up the rule for H.R. 3578, the Baseline Reform Act, and H.R. 3582, the Pro-Growth Budgeting Act. The first bill would eliminate the assumption that spending on discretionary items will increase with the rate of inflation each year, an assumption that Republicans said fosters budget expansion.

By a 395-27 vote, the House approved legislation that would prevent welfare recipients from accessing their payments in strip clubs, casinos and liquor stores, a proposal Republicans back as a way to reduce waste and abuse of federal payments.

Republicans called up the bill under a suspension of House rules, which required a two-thirds majority vote. While some Democrats grumbled that the bill demeans people who need help, others indicated support for the bill as a common-sense way to reduce waste and ensure that payments go to help families.

The bill is approved with significant Democratic support, which was needed to pass under a suspension of the rules.

The House on Wednesday evening voted to repeal a section of the 2010 health reform law establishing a voluntary, long-term healthcare program that the Obama administration has since said is not financially viable.

Members voted 267-159 in favor of the bill, H.R. 1173, which repeals the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program. While 28 Democrats joined Republicans in support of the bill, House passage sends the bill to a Democratic Senate that is expected to ignore the bill completely.

The House on Wednesday afternoon quickly approved a resolution that would further cut House committee budgets by an average of 6.4 percent in 2012.

Committee on House Administration Chairman Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) argued that the resolution should be supported in light of the federal government's fiscal crisis, and noted that some committees would be spared the 6.4 percent cut because of the heavy work they have in the months ahead.

The House on Tuesday evening approved a rule that will govern debate on a bill that would repeal an element in the 2010 healthcare establishing a voluntary long-term healthcare program that the Obama administration has admitted is not financially viable.

Members approved the rule in a 251-157 vote in which 14 Democrats joined all voting Republicans in support of the rule.

The House on Tuesday afternoon approved a motion to go to conference on legislation that would help fund the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through 2014.

The House quickly approved the motion by a voice vote, then named House conferees to the bill, H.R. 658. The two parties have gotten closer to a final deal for a long-term extension of FAA funding, and are expected to reach a final bill by mid-February.

The House on Tuesday afternoon voted to instruct House conferees to work for a deal with the Senate by Feb. 17 on a bill to extend the payroll tax holiday for the rest of the year. Congress in December approved an extension of the payroll tax holiday through February, in legislation that also temporarily extended unemployment insurance benefits and prevented a planned cut to reimbursements for Medicare physicians.

The House approved the motion, from Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), in a 397-16 vote. All members opposed were Republicans. The vote was the last of the day, and was followed by adjournment in preparation for President Obama's State of the Union address at 9 p.m. tonight.