This was a vote on an amendment by Rep. Barbara Lee that would have reduced funding for the Defense Department back to 2008 levels (which would have cut more than $50 billion in Defense spending). This amendment was offered to a “continuing resolution” which funded federal programs, departments, and agencies through September 2011--and cut $61 billion in federal funding for many government programs.

Lee urged support for her amendment: “If you want to cut domestic spending to 2008 levels [as Republicans favored], you can't exempt defense….This amendment gives us a chance to put our money where our mouths are. It simply says that defense spending should be reduced to 2008 levels. If we are serious about getting our fiscal house in order, then we need to apply the same rules, mind you, to defense as non-defense discretionary spending.”

Rep. Bill Young (R-FL) opposed the amendment: “Now, if you want to reduce or cancel training for our troops that are coming home from the war, then you would vote for this amendment. If you want to cancel Navy training exercises, then you would vote for it. If you want to reduce Air Force flight training hours, you would vote for this. If you want to delay or cancel maintenance of aircraft, ships and vehicles, then you would vote for this. If you want to delay important safety and quality-of-life repairs to facilities and barracks, then you would vote for this. But I don't support any of that. And I don't think most of our colleagues support any of that. And a time of war is not the time to be withdrawing from our national defense capability, the readiness and security of our nation.”

The House rejected this amendment by a vote of 76-344. Voting “yea” were 70 Democrats—including a majority of progressives—and 6 Republicans. 230 Republicans and 114 Democrats voted “nay.” As a result, the House rejected an amendment to a continuing resolution that would have reduced funding for the Defense Department back to 2008 levels--which would have cut more than $50 billion in Defense spending.