Looking Beyond Today's Win

POGO is going to continue to work throughout the conference and appropriations process to make sure that Congress doesn't fund additional F-22s that the Department of Defense (DoD) doesn't want. But as another indication of how much things may have already changed on the Senate side, it's worth looking at how today's vote may predict the future.

First, let's look at the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. It looks like the vote is close:

Supporting the Department of Defense and voting yay on Levin-McCain (9):
Christopher Bond (R-MO)
Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Arlen Specter (D-PA)

Supporting the F-22 (9):
Robert F. Bennett (R-UT)
Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)
Thad Cochran (Ranking Member) (R-MS)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
Daniel Inouye (Chairman) (D-HI)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Patty Murray (D-WA)

Didn't vote (1):
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)

But the news looks better for taxpayers at the full committee level:

Supporting the Department of Defense and voting yay on Levin-McCain (17):
Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Christopher Bond (R-MO)
Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Ben Nelson (D-NE)
Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Arlen Specter (D-PA)
George Voinovich (R-OH)

Supporting the F-22 (12):
Robert F. Bennett (R-UT)
Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)
Thad Cochran (Ranking Member) (R-MS)
Susan Collins (R-ME)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
Daniel Inouye (Chairman) (D-HI)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Jon Tester (D-MT)

Didn't vote (1):
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)

-- Mandy Smithberger