WASHINGTON – Here’s how Maine’s members of the U.S. Senate were recorded on major roll call votes in the week ending Nov. 14.

Brown nomination

Voting 53 for and 43 against, the Senate on Nov. 14 failed to reach the 60 votes needed to end a Democratic filibuster against the nomination of California Supreme Court Associate Justice Janice R. Brown, 54, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Democrats characterized Brown’s judicial record as too far to the right, while Republicans defended her as a mainstream conservative who is the victim of an ideological attack.

The vote followed a marathon session organized by Republicans to protest ongoing Democratic filibusters against five of Bush’s federal court selections. Democrats noted that they have joined Republicans in confirming 168 of Bush’s 174 nominees.

A yes vote supported Brown.

Sen. Susan Collins, R, voted yes. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R, voted yes.

Syria sanctions

Voting 89 for and four against, the Senate on Nov. 11 passed a bill (HR 1828) imposing economic and diplomatic sanctions on Syria over its policies such as occupying Lebanon, developing chemical and biological weapons, deploying surface-to-air missiles and harboring terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. This sent the bill to conference with a more punitive House measure. Both bills give U.S. presidents discretion to waive the sanctions to protect U.S. security.

Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said that in addition to reportedly stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, Syria has failed to stop terrorist groups from using its territory “as a base for training and planning suicide bombings in Israel….”

Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., said: “If we are to promote peace in the region and move Syria in a more positive direction, the United States must pursue an approach that is more nuanced and flexible than what is called for in this legislation.”

A yes vote was to sanction Syria.

Collins and Snowe voted yes.

2004 Defense budget

Senators on Nov. 12 approved, 95 for and three against, the conference report on a $400.5 billion defense authorization bill (HR 1588) for fiscal 2004, a 4.5 percent increase over the comparable 2003 bill. The figure is in addition to $65 billion in new emergency spending for military actions mainly in Iraq.

The bill funds pay hikes averaging 4.1 percent, ends a ban on the underground testing of nuclear weapons under five kilotons, increases combat pay and family separation allowances, extends a ban on privately financed abortions at U.S. military hospitals abroad and advances a new round of base closings in 2005.

It partially repeals a requirement that disabled veterans deduct disability benefits from their military pensions and allows the Air Force to proceed with a disputed plan to lease Boeing aircraft for mid-air refueling.

The bill reduces civil service protections for some civilian Pentagon employees, exempts bases from environmental laws such as the Endangered Species Act and allows the Navy to conduct deepwater operations harmful to marine mammals.

Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is moving to “transform our military for the future. People have different ideas as to precisely how to achieve that goal. But…this Congress and this secretary of defense and I believe this president…are committed to making sure we succeed.”

Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., objected to the bill’s environmental exemptions, saying “when an endangered species becomes extinct, it is lost forever….National security is more tightly tied to environmental security than many in the Pentagon would acknowledge.”

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Collins and Snowe voted yes.

Military construction

Voting 98 for and none against, the Senate on Nov. 12 approved the conference report on a bill (HR 2559) appropriating $9.3 billion for military construction in fiscal 2004, down $1.4 billion from the 2003 level. The measure funds projects such as the building of barracks, schools, family housing and hospitals at U.S. bases at home and abroad.

Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said the bill funds “a myriad of mission-critical and quality-of-life construction projects….That is the good news. The bad news is that (it) is more than $1 billion below the previous year’s bill.”

No senator spoke against the bill.

A yes vote backed the conference report.

Collins and Snowe voted yes.