US Congress Embraces Both NSA Spying and Endless Wars

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 the entirety of the ongoing and so-called 'war against terror,' includiong the 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)

AyesNoesPRESNV
Republican941346
Democratic111836
Independent
TOTALS20521712




---- 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

Cardenas

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)

Lujan, 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

Sanchez, 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

Velazquez

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

Gutierrez

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

_________________________________________________________________

To End the Authority of the AUMF and Perpetual US War

Schiff of California (Amendment No. 73)

AyesNoesPRESNV
Republican301976
Democratic155396
Independent
TOTALS18523612




---- AYES 185 ---


Amash

Bachmann

Bass

Beatty

Becerra

Benishek

Bishop (NY)

Blumenauer

Bonamici

Brady (PA)

Braley (IA)

Broun (GA)

Brown (FL)

Buchanan

Burgess

Capps

Capuano

Cardenas

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

Gutierrez

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)

Lujan, 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)

Sanchez, 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

Velazquez

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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