Area Votes in Congress

WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area House members voted on major issues last week. (The Senate is to begin its legislative year Monday.)

House

Debt limit revisited. Voting 239-176, the House on Wednesday disapproved of a $1.2 trillion rise in Treasury borrowing authority that will be needed Friday to keep the United States from shirking debts already incurred. On that date, the current statutory debt limit of $15.2 trillion will have to be raised to a ceiling of $16.4 trillion to avert default.

This resolution of disapproval (HJ Res 98) is now before the Senate, where it appears certain to fail. The measure would roll back borrowing authority Congress originally approved in August in the bipartisan Budget Control Act. Scores of members who voted for more borrowing at that time reversed their stand and supported this measure.

A yes vote was to block an increase in the national debt limit.

Voting yes: Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Michael Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Pat Meehan (R., Pa.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), Jon Runyan (R., N.J.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Voting no: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), John Carney (D., Del.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), and Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.).

This week. House and Senate legislative schedules were to be announced.