Feb. 2, 2011 - When the Senate on Wednesday failed to adopt an amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill (S 223) that would have repealed health care overhaul legislation passed in the 111th Congress, the chamber collectively voted in alignment with their monied interests as much as along party lines. The amendment failed by a vote of (47-51), well short of the 60 votes needed for adoption. The amendment mirrors language in H.R. 2, which was passed by the House on Jan. 19, 2011.
- Interest groups that supported this amendment gave 50% more to senators that voted YES than to senators that voted NO
- Interest groups that opposed this amendment gave 3.1 times more to senators that voted NO than to senators that voted YES
- Only nine senators, seven Democrats and two Republicans, did not vote with the money
- Two senators, Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Mark Warner (D-Va), did not vote
Based on support and opposition research conducted by MAPLight.org, contributions by interest group established by the Center for Responsive Politics. Includes reported contributions to congressional campaigns of senators voting on day of vote, from interest groups invested in the vote according to MAPLight.org, November 23, 2004 – November 22, 2010. Contributions data source: OpenSecrets.org
Average contributions given to Senators from interest groups that…
supported this amendment
Average received by Senators who
| voted YES | voted NO | |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance companies, brokers & agents | $103,653 | $64,464 |
| Hospitals | $57,039 | $58,314 |
| Restaurants & drinking establishments | $52,579 | $21,576 |
| Accident & health insurance | $39,418 | $26,088 |
| Management consultants & services | $24,568 | $28,534 |
| Retail trade | $10,412 | $7,272 |
| Construction equipment | $9,367 | $1,618 |
| General business associations | $7,804 | $909 |
| Small business associations | $6,793 | $1,524 |
| Plumbing, heating & air conditioning | $6,299 | $3,793 |
| Commercial printing & typesetting | $6,069 | $5,253 |
| Chambers of commerce | $3,582 | $1,300 |
| Pro-business associations | $1,712 | $337 |
| Abortion policy/Pro-Life | $1,302 | $171 |
| Christian Conservative | $811 | $0 |
| Fiscal & tax policy | $625 | $5 |
| $332,032 | $221,157 |
Interest groups that supported this amendment gave 50% more to Senators that voted YES than to Senators that voted NO
opposed this amendment
Average received by Senators who
| voted NO | voted YES | |
|---|---|---|
| Women's issues | $136,477 | $3,207 |
| Schools & colleges | $88,974 | $32,209 |
| Physicians | $78,910 | $98,530 |
| Building trades unions | $64,233 | $3,721 |
| Teachers unions | $20,100 | $1,434 |
| Children's rights | $15,376 | $543 |
| Minority/Ethnic Groups | $15,074 | $3,516 |
| Nurses | $10,820 | $6,713 |
| State & local govt employee unions | $10,097 | $133 |
| Commercial service unions | $8,641 | $532 |
| Teamsters union | $8,238 | $27 |
| Welfare & Social Work | $7,082 | $560 |
| Labor Unions | $6,112 | $64 |
| Health & welfare policy | $5,868 | $1,630 |
| Elderly issues/Social Security | $5,387 | $186 |
| Churches, clergy & religious organizations | $3,898 | $2,784 |
| $485,287 | $155,787 |
Interest groups that opposed this amendment gave 3.1 times as much to Senators that voted NO than to Senators that voted YES
