Mike Thompson Votes to Send Impeachment Charges to
Judiciary Committee

(June 17, 2008)

On June 11 a vote to send 35 articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush to the House Judiciary Committee passed. Mike Thompson voted Yes. The vote was 251 yes, 166 no, with 16 members not voting. The articles are expected to die in Committee, so voting for or against the measure to send them there does not necessarily imply support or opposition to trying President Bush on impeachment charges. The articles of impeachment were prepared by Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat.

In other news on June 11 the House of Representatives passed the Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008 [H.R. 5749] by a 274 to 137 vote, with 23 members not voting. Mike Thompson voted Yes. President Bush has threatened to veto the Act if it is presented to him in its current form. Apparently the Act extends unemployment benefits to 1 year even in states that have low unemployment rates. The Republicans and Bush are willing to extend unemployment compensation beyond the usual 6 month limit only in areas of high unemployment.

The House also passed the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act [H.R. 6003] by a vote of 311 to 104, with 18 not voting, also on June 11th. This authorized $14.4 billion in subsidies to Amtrack over the next 5 years. Mike Thompson voted for it.