Pete Sessions votes against recognizing AmeriCorps

Pete Sessions likes to talk about his work with the Boy Scouts, and is proud--as he should be--about attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. So you'd think he'd support AmeriCorps, right? Service to the community, and all that?

Well, today, the House voted overwhelmingly to recognize the week of May 11-18 as AmeriCorps Week, honoring "AmeriCorps members for their powerful impact, thank all of AmeriCorps' community partners in our Nation who make the program possible and bring more Americans into service." There were only 69 Republicans who voted against this Resolution. Yep, Pete Sessions voted "no." For the text of H. Res. 1173, recognizing AmeriCorps, go to the Library of Congress website; the list of 69 nay-sayers is available at this link: Roll Call 319.

Pete Sessions co-authors pro-wiretapping article for Human Events

How many right-wingers does it take to write an article justifying warrantless wiretapping? Apparently, it takes 4. Pete Sessions, Jack Kingston (R-GA) Darrell Issa (R-CA), and Chris Cannon (R-UT) co-authored this piece for Human Events Online calling warrants "a waste of valuable time."

For those who are not familiar with Human Events Online, that's the group who compiled a list of the "Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries," which included such "dangerous" books as The Feminine Mystique, by Betty Friedan and The Kinsey Report, by Alfred Kinsey. (Right-wing extremists like Pete Sessions are scared to death of anything that goes on "down there.") Included on the honorable mention list is Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson, and Unsafe at Any Speed, by Ralph Nader.

So when you're wading through this group's argument defending warrantless wiretapping, consider the source.

Pete Sessions votes "no" to neighborhood stabilization, foreclosure prevention

From Congress.Org:

The House passed H.R. 5818, to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make loans to States to acquire foreclosed housing and to make grants to States for related costs, by a recorded vote of 239 ayes to 188 noes, Roll No. 299. Consideration of the measure began on Wednesday, May 7th.

Pete Sessions voted "no." For a complete tally of the votes, see Roll Call 299 at the Library of Congress.

Pete Sessions also voted against the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008. From Congress.org:

On a division of the question, the House agreed to the Senate amendment with amendment No. 1 printed in H. Rept. 110-622 by a yea-and-nay vote of 266 yeas to 154 nays, Roll No. 301.

For a complete tally of the votes, see Roll Call 301, from the Library of Congress.

Pete Sessions casts vote against Mother's Day

At first, Pete Sessions was among the unanimous supporters of H.Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother’s Day." But then, Republican Todd Tiahrt (R-Kansas) rose in protest, moving to "reconsider the vote." Dana Milbank of Washington Post explains that

...Republicans, unhappy with the Democratic majority, have been using such procedural tactics as this all week to bring the House to a standstill, but the assault on mothers may have gone too far.

Kathy Castor (D-Florida) moved to table Tiahrt's request for a revote. Her motion passed 273-178, leaving the original Mother's Day vote intact. Pete Sessions was among the 178 Republicans who voted for the procedural tactic, essentially putting party loyalty over their own mothers.

To be fair, Pete Sessions voted for Mother's Day before he voted against it. The final vote count for House Vote #275 is available at GovTrack.

Sessions to Sheila Jackson Lee: Economy is fine

For Pete Sessions, the economy's pretty good. Unlike the rest of us, he's got taxpayer funded health care and a million-dollar residence in a fashionable Dallas neighborhood. The last thing he needs is uppity colleagues from the other side of the aisle spilling the beans to the voters that we're in a recession--or worse. Check out this spat between Pete Sessions and Sheila Jackson Lee, as reported by Wall Street Journal:

In Congress, Tempers Flare Over the Economy

Damian Paletta reports on Congress.

Before lawmakers even began debating legislation over the government’s involvement in the housing turmoil, tempers flared and led to a shouting match on the floor of the House of Representatives.

The fracas started after Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D., Texas), said lawmakers needed to move aggressively to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. “We’re not in a recession,” she said on the House floor. “We’re moving toward a 1929 Depression.”

Rep. Pete Sessions (R., Texas) took umbrage at her characterization of the economy: “My Gosh! Let’s at least tell the American public the truth… Let’s not make things worse than they already are. Let’s not lie to the American public.”

Lee, who was sitting down at that point, rushed back to the podium.

“Are you calling me a liar?” she yelled. Shouting erupted in the room.

“It is not a true statement,” Sessions yelled back.

The shouting was eventually gaveled down, but the faceoff foreshadows what is expected to be a spirited debate late into the night.

Pete Sessions votes against prevention of combustible dust

Who could say "no" to preventing workers from exposure to combustible dust? Pete Sessions, of course. From Congress.Org:

The House passed H.R. 5522, to require the Secretary of Labor to issue interim and final occupational safety and health standards regarding worker exposure to combustible dust, by a recorded vote of 247 ayes to 165 noes, Roll No. 233.

Would you trust Pete Sessions to bag your groceries?

On April 21, Pete Sessions participated in a celebrity grocery bagging contest. Maybe he's looking for a new career, when he finally gets voted out of office.

The article doesn't say how he did in the contest--I'm guessing he'd be the type of bagger who would put the cans of coffee on top of the loaf of bread.