The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 10-7 (1 member voted "Present") yesterday to approve a resolution authorizing the use of military force in Syria. The resolution would allow the President to use the Armed Forces of the United States in Syria "as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in a limited and specified manner" for 60 days with an optional extension for another 30 days.
During the debate, Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., won support for two amendments. The resolution will have to be approved by the full Senate and House before it can be sent to President Obama for his approval.
Data: MapLight analysis of contributions from employees and PACs of defense contractors and other defense industry interests to current members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, from January 1, 2007—December 31, 2012. Contributions data source: OpenSecrets.org
- Senators voting to authorize the use of military force in Syria have received, on average, 83 percent more money from defense contractors and other defense interests than senators voting against the use of military force.
- Senators voting "YES" on authorization received, on average, $72,850 from the defense industry.
- Senators voting "NO" on authorization received, on average, $39,770 from the defense industry.
- Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., has received $176,300 from defense contractors and other defense interests, more than any other member of the committee. He voted "YES" on the resolution.
| Voting "No" | Party | State | Defense Industry Contributions | Voting "Yes" | Party | State | Defense Industry Contributions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Barrasso | R | WY | $86,500 | John McCain | R | AZ | $176,300 | |
| Marco Rubio | R | FL | $62,790 | Dick Durbin | D | IL | $127,350 | |
| Chris Murphy | D | CT | $59,250 | Timothy Kaine | D | VA | $101,025 | |
| Ron Johnson | R | WI | $19,250 | Ben Cardin | D | MD | $80,550 | |
| Tom Udall | D | NM | $18,700 | Bob Corker | R | TN | $70,850 | |
| Rand Paul | R | KY | $17,900 | Bob Menéndez | D | NJ | $60,000 | |
| Jim Risch | R | ID | $14,000 | Jeanne Shaheen | D | NH | $41,872 | |
| - | - | - | - | Jeff Flake | R | AZ | $26,900 | |
| - | - | - | - | Barbara Boxer | D | CA | $24,150 | |
| - | - | - | - | Chris Coons | D | DE | $19,500 | |
| "No" Average | $39,770 | "Yes" Average | $72,850 | |||||
| "No" Total | $278,390 | "Yes" Total | $728,497 |
Image credit: MapLight
