It was quite a week in Washington this week. First up, the Immigration Bill (S 1348) was defeated, with 45 Senators voting for it and 50 against. The bill needed at least sixty votes to advance. I firmly believe that this bill was defeated due to the massive outcry directed to our elected officials. I feel I should point out that Sen. Tom Harkin voted for this bill, while Sen. Grassley voted against.
Next up – Embryonic Stem Cell research. The bill (S 5) introduced in the House would expand Federal financing for Embryonic Stem Cell research beyond those limits set by President Bush in 2001. The House voted 247 for and 170 against to send the bill to President Bush. Voting for the bill were Iowa Representatives Bruce Braley, David Loebsack and Leonard Boswell. Voting against were our two Republican Representatives, Tom Latham and Steve King.
Finally, The House voted 387 for and 10 against to change it's rules to require automatic ethics investigations of indicted members (H Res 451). This was spurred by the recent indictment of Rep. William Jefferson, D-LA on charges of corruption, racketeering and bribery. All of our Iowa Representatives voted in favor of this new rule.
-Adam Reuter
