31% of Republican Reps Supported Pelosi's First 100 Hours

by phil on Sunday Jan 21, 2007 7:27 PM

In the 2006 Congressional elections, Democrat Nancy Pelosi promised a bold "first hundred hours" agenda. Six of the main bills supporting this agenda have already passed in the Democrat-controlled House. Let's see how bipartisan this new Congress is.

On average, of the 201 Republicans in the House, 62 voted for these bills, 133 voted against, and 7 did not vote (or 31% of Republican Representatives crossing the aisle). By comparison, the Republican-dominated 104th House, elected in 1994, presented the Contract with America agenda. 29% of Democratic Representatives crossed the aisle to vote for bills in the 'Contract.'

Below is the individual break-down of six new bills presented by the Democrats in 2007:

H.R. 1: Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007

A bevy of new laws to implement the rest of the 9/11 Commission Report recommendations.

H.R. 2: Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007

Boost the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour over two years.

H.R. 3: Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007

Expand the number of human embryonic stem cell (ES) lines available to federally funded researchers.

H.R. 4: Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007

Requires the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate with drug makers for lower prices for Medicare patients.

H.R. 5: College Student Relief Act of 2007

Cut the interest rates of subsidized federal student college loans from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent over a five-year period.

H.R. 6: CLEAN Energy Act of 2007

A $15 billion package of fees, taxes and royalties on oil and gas companies, with the money used to promote renewable fuels such as wind and solar energy and biomass.