THE HOUSE

Debt Ceiling Increase

The House voted 221 to 205 to raise the federal debt limit by $332 billion, from $3.122 trillion to $3.444 trillion. The new ceiling (HR 5355) is expected to give the government borrowing authority to pay its bills through the end of fiscal 1991 on Sept. 30, 1991.

Supporter Robert H. Michel (R-Ill.) said Congress “could cause a governmental disaster” by rejecting the bill. Opponent Robert T. Matsui (D-Sacramento) said President Bush now knows “the actual deficit of this country is $300 billion a year, not the $64 billion that in January he talked about” in his 1991 budget.

A yes vote was to hike federal borrowing by $332 billion.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dornan (R) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Rohrabacher (R) x

Dealing With Iraq

By a vote of 208 to 191, during debate on a farm bill (HR 3950), the House approved the softer of two approaches for using American farm policy to penalize Iraq for its militarism abroad and mistreatment of citizens at home.

This occurred six days before Iraq invaded Kuwait. After the invasion, the House voted 416 to 0 to endorse President Bush’s economic sanctions against Iraq.

The vote empowered the secretary of agriculture to continue U.S. credit guarantees that help Iraq buy American farm exports such as wheat, rice and cattle. Its effect was to gut tougher language, approved earlier the same day, that denied Commodity Credit Corp. loan guarantees to Iraq. The Senate approved the stricter language.

Doug Bereuter (R-Neb.), who sponsored the softening language, said his amendment “provides protection to the American farmer.”

Opponent Sam Gejdenson (D-Conn.) said: “We do not want . . . to subsidize Iraq.”

A yes vote was to soften a House rebuke of Iraq.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dornan (R) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Rohrabacher (R) x

Civil Rights Bill

By a vote of 272 to 154, the House sent to conference with the Senate a bill (HR 4000) designed to overcome recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have made it more difficult for employees to prove claims of job discrimination.

The Civil Rights Act of 1990 puts on employers the burden of proving that allegedly discriminatory personnel decisions were based on business necessity, a requirement that critics said would lead them to use the equivalent of quotas based on a worker’s race or gender. Another disputed provision enables all bias victims to collect compensatory and in some cases punitive damages. Presently only victims of racial discrimination can receive such damages in cases of job bias.

The bill was supported by organizations such as the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the AFL-CIO, and opposed by the National Assn. of Manufacturers and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

How They Voted Yea Nay No vote Rep. Anderson (D) x Rep. Dornan (R) x Rep. Dymally (D) x Rep. Rohrabacher (R) x