This was a vote on House passage of H.R. 3081, the fiscal year 2010 State Department appropriation bill. H.R. 3081provided $48.4 billion to fund what Rep. Lowey (D-NY), the chair of the Appropriations Committee subcommittee that developed H.R. 3081, called “our foreign policy and national security interests.” The total figure was $3.2 billion below the amount requested by the Obama administration and $1.2 billion below the fiscal year 2009 level. Among its major expenditures was $4.7 billion to help stabilize, strengthen, and rebuild Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq.

During the debate on the rule setting the terms for the consideration of the bill, Rep Cardoza (D-CA), said the bill was designed to protect national security, combat terrorism, provide resources to meet global health and development problems, ensure adequate oversight and accountability of foreign assistance programs, and reform and rebuild America's diplomatic and development capacity.

Rep. Lowey described the support for the bill in her subcommittee as “bipartisan”. However, a number of Republican Members had tried to amend the measure on the House floor to reduce its level of funding. Among these was Rep. Buyer (R-IN), who opposed passage of H.R. 3081. He repeated the argument he and other Republicans had made during the debate on a number of spending bills that Congress would be jeopardizing “America's economy if we do not get our fiscal house in order.” Buyer said in his statement opposing the measure: “(T)his isn't my quote; this is the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB). In May, OMB projected that if we continue this type of spending, the Federal debt will grow to $23.3 trillion in 2019 . . . .” Buyer added that “the plea here is that all Members should weep and cry about the challenges that are all around the world. Well, what about the challenges in America? . . . Will (Congress) be fiscally responsible . . .?”

The legislation passed on a vote of 318-106. Two hundred forty-two Democrats and seventy-six Republicans voted “aye”. Ninety-seven Republicans and nine Democrats voted “nay”. As a result, the House approved and sent to the Senate the bill providing fiscal year 2010 for the State Department.