Thread: Senate OKs Gitmo transfers to U.S.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Senate OKs Gitmo transfers to U.S.

Stephen Dinan

After dropping some popular immigration-enforcement measures, Congress on Tuesday passed the 2010 homeland security spending bill that gives President Obama the authority to transfer terrorism-suspect detainees to the United States for trial, though only after he submits a plan to Congress.

The Senate voted 79-19 to pass the $44.1 billion bill, following the House's approval last week. Mr. Obama is expected to sign it.

"It has been eight years, eight long years since the attacks of 9/11. There are some people in this country who have become complacent about the threat of another attack. Don't count me as one of them," said Sen. Robert C. Byrd, West Virginia Democrat and the lead Senate author of the bill.

The spending bill funds more than 20,000 U.S. Border Patrol agents, pays for more border security technology and extends the E-Verify program, which allows businesses to check a government database to make sure their new workers are legal. But it doesn't require further construction of the U.S.-Mexico border fence.

All but one of the 19 senators who voted against the bill were Republicans. Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana was the sole Democrat. They argued it would give Mr. Obama too much leeway to bring terrorism suspects from the detention facility at the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the United States for trial.

"We have a perfectly good and secure courtroom at Guantanamo Bay to try these individuals," said Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Georgia Republican.

Those Republicans said there is no good process for putting terrorists on trial in the United States. But Democrats said there are many precedents.

"History says otherwise. Over 350 convicted terrorists have been tried in our courts and are being held in our prisons today," said Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat. "Is America less safe because of it? No, we are safer."

Senators on both sides pointed to the hurdles Mr. Obama would have to go through to bring terrorism suspects to the United States, including that they must be brought only if the administration is ready to prosecute them.

Another fight is still pending on another spending bill over an amendment that would prevent those suspected of being directly involved in planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks from being brought to the United States for trial.

The homeland security spending bill also delivers a setback to civil libertarians seeking to force the release of new detainee- abuse photos. The bill allows the defense secretary to prevent the release of the photos if he deems their release harmful to national security.

The bill funds border security and extends the E-Verify program for three years. But Democrats, in hammering out the final bill, dropped Senate-passed measures that would have put E-Verify on permanent footing and allowed businesses to check not only new employees, but their existing work force as well.

"This is the third time this Congress and the leadership in this Congress have either removed, changed or blocked attempts to make this successful program permanent," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, Alabama Republican.

The bill also doesn't include a mandate to continue building the fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. Environmentalists groups cheered the omission, saying it could mark a change in border-security strategy.

Still, senators said the past few years have seen major advances in immigration enforcement, including the resources to allow the Border Patrol to have effective control over 729 miles of the nearly 2,000-mile-long border. In 2005, the Border Patrol claimed control over just 253 miles.

http://washingtontimes.com

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-4611--0-0.html

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/r ... vote=00323

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 111th Congress - 1st Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Conference Report (Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 2892 )

Vote Number: 323

Vote Date: October 20, 2009, 04:25 PM

Required For Majority: 1/2

Vote Result: Conference Report Agreed to

Measure Number: H.R. 2892 (Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010 )

Measure Title: A bill making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.

YEAs 79
NAYs 19
Not Voting 2



Here is a state by state vote. The phones should be ringing off the wall the rest of the week on this and health care


Grouped by Home State
Alabama: Sessions (R-AL), Nay.... Shelby (R-AL), Yea
Alaska: Begich (D-AK), Yea.... Murkowski (R-AK), Yea
Arizona: Kyl (R-AZ), Nay.... McCain (R-AZ), Nay
Arkansas: Lincoln (D-AR), Yea.... Pryor (D-AR), Yea
California: Boxer (D-CA), Yea..... Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Colorado: Bennet (D-CO), Yea.... Udall (D-CO), Yea
Connecticut: Dodd (D-CT), Yea.... Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea
Delaware: Carper (D-DE), Yea... Kaufman (D-DE), Yea
Florida: LeMieux (R-FL), Yea... Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Georgia: Chambliss (R-GA), Nay.... Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Hawaii: Akaka (D-HI), Yea.... Inouye (D-HI), Yea
Idaho: Crapo (R-ID), Nay.... Risch (R-ID), Nay
Illinois: Burris (D-IL), Yea.... Durbin (D-IL), Yea
Indiana: Bayh (D-IN), Nay.... Lugar (R-IN), Yea
Iowa: Grassley (R-IA), Yea.... Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Kansas: Brownback (R-KS), Yea.... Roberts (R-KS), Yea
Kentucky: Bunning (R-KY), Nay..... McConnell (R-KY), Yea
Louisiana: Landrieu (D-LA), Yea..... Vitter (R-LA), Yea
Maine: Collins (R-ME), Yea..... Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Maryland: Cardin (D-MD), Yea..... Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Massachusetts: Kerry (D-MA), Not Voting..... Kirk (D-MA), Yea
Michigan: Levin (D-MI), Yea..... Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Minnesota: Franken (D-MN), Yea..... Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
Mississippi: Cochran (R-MS), Yea..... Wicker (R-MS), Nay
Missouri: Bond (R-MO), Yea..... McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
Montana: Baucus (D-MT), Yea..... Tester (D-MT), Yea
Nebraska: Johanns (R-NE), Yea..... Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Nevada: Ensign (R-NV), Nay..... Reid (D-NV), Yea
New Hampshire: Gregg (R-NH), Yea..... Shaheen (D-NH), Yea
New Jersey: Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea..... Menendez (D-NJ), Yea
New Mexico: Bingaman (D-NM), Yea..... Udall (D-NM), Yea
New York: Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea..... Schumer (D-NY), Yea
North Carolina: Burr (R-NC), Nay..... Hagan (D-NC), Not Voting
North Dakota: Conrad (D-ND), Yea..... Dorgan (D-ND), Yea
Ohio: Brown (D-OH), Yea..... Voinovich (R-OH), Yea
Oklahoma: Coburn (R-OK), Nay..... Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Oregon: Merkley (D-OR), Yea..... Wyden (D-OR), Yea
Pennsylvania: Casey (D-PA), Yea..... Specter (D-PA), Yea
Rhode Island: Reed (D-RI), Yea..... Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea
South Carolina: DeMint (R-SC), Nay..... Graham (R-SC), Yea
South Dakota: Johnson (D-SD), Yea..... Thune (R-SD), Yea
Tennessee: Alexander (R-TN), Yea..... Corker (R-TN), Nay
Texas: Cornyn (R-TX), Yea..... Hutchison (R-TX), Nay
Utah: Bennett (R-UT), Yea..... Hatch (R-UT), Yea
Vermont: Leahy (D-VT), Yea..... Sanders (I-VT), Yea
Virginia: Warner (D-VA), Yea..... Webb (D-VA), Yea
Washington: Cantwell (D-WA), Yea..... Murray (D-WA), Yea
West Virginia: Byrd (D-WV), Yea..... Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Wisconsin: Feingold (D-WI), Yea..... Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Wyoming: Barrasso (R-WY), Nay..... Enzi (R-WY), Nay

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR2892:
Click amendments for the complete list

5. H.AMDT.250 to H.R.2892 Amendment redirects funds toward removal of the lookout posts that have been established along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Sponsor: Rep King, Steve [IA-5] (introduced 6/24/2009) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 6/24/2009 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the King (IA) amendment (A005) Agreed to by recorded vote: 240 - 187, 1 Present (Roll no. 439).

8. H.AMDT.253 to H.R.2892 Amendment prohibits use of funds for employment of illegal workers as defined in the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Sponsor: Rep King, Steve [IA-5] (introduced 6/24/2009) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 6/24/2009 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the King (IA) amendment (A00 Agreed to by recorded vote: 349 - 84 (Roll no. 442).


16. S.AMDT.1371 to H.R.2892 To make the pilot program for employment eligibility confirmation for aliens permanent and to improve verification of immigration status of employees.
Sponsor: Sen Sessions, Jeff [AL] (introduced 7/7/2009) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 7/8/2009 Senate amendment agreed to. Status: Amendment SA 1371 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.


20. S.AMDT.1375 to H.R.2892 To prohibit amounts made available under this Act from being used to amend the final rule to hold employers accountable if they hire illegal aliens, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Vitter, David [LA] (introduced 7/7/2009) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 7/9/2009 Senate amendment agreed to. Status: Amendment SA 1375 as modified agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

44. S.AMDT.1399 to H.R.2892 To require the completion of at least 700 miles of reinforced fencing along the southwest border by December 31, 2010.
Sponsor: Sen DeMint, Jim [SC] (introduced 7/7/2009) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 7/8/2009 Senate amendment agreed to. Status: Amendment SA 1399 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 54 - 44. Record Vote Number: 220.

60. S.AMDT.1415 to H.R.2892 To authorize employers to voluntarily verify the immigration status of existing employees.
Sponsor: Sen Grassley, Chuck [IA] (introduced 7/8/2009) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 7/9/2009 Senate amendment agreed to. Status: Amendment SA 1415 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.