Senate roll call 388 · 96th Congress · Nov 6, 1979
To amend H.R. 5359, defense appropriations, by providing that no funds be appropriated for the performance of abortions except where the life of the mother woul
On Nov 6, 1979, the Senate voted 38–47 (HR 5359). Result: failed. By party: Democrats 15–34, Republicans 22–13, Independents 1–0. It was a split vote: the parties took opposite sides, with some members crossing over. 28 members voted against their own party.
During the 96th Congress (1979–1980), Jimmy Carter was president, and Democrats held majorities in both the House and Senate.
- Yes
- 38
- No
- 47
- Did not vote
- 16
- Date
- Nov 6, 1979
By party
- Democrats15 yes · 34 no · 10 didn’t vote
- Republicans22 yes · 13 no · 6 didn’t vote
- Independents1 yes · 0 no
Who broke with their party
- Theodore Fulton (Ted) Stevens R-AK voted no
- Dennis Webster Deconcini D-AZ voted yes
- Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa R-CA voted no
- Lowell Palmer Weicker Jr. R-CT voted no
- Joseph Robinette (Joe) Biden Jr. D-DE voted yes
- Richard Bernard Stone D-FL voted yes
- Frank Forrester Church D-ID voted yes
- Nancy Landon Kassebaum R-KS voted no
- Walter Darlington Huddleston D-KY voted yes
- Wendell Hampton Ford D-KY voted yes
- John Bennett Johnston Jr. D-LA voted yes
- Russell Billiu Long D-LA voted yes
- Thomas Francis Eagleton D-MO voted yes
- John Cornelius Stennis D-MS voted yes
- John Melcher D-MT voted yes
- Edward Zorinsky D-NE voted yes
- J. James Exon D-NE voted yes
- Harrison Hagan Schmitt R-NM voted no
- Jacob Koppel Javits R-NY voted no
- Henry Louis Bellmon R-OK voted no
- Henry John Heinz III R-PA voted no
- John Hubbard Chafee R-RI voted no
- John Goodwin Tower R-TX voted no
- Robert Theodore Stafford R-VT voted no
- William Proxmire D-WI voted yes
- Jennings Randolph D-WV voted yes
- Alan Kooi Simpson R-WY voted no
- Malcolm Wallop R-WY voted no
The bill
How each senator voted: Yes
- Barry Morris Goldwater R-AZ
- Dennis Webster Deconcini D-AZ
- William Lester Armstrong R-CO
- Joseph Robinette (Joe) Biden Jr. D-DE
- William Victor Roth Jr. R-DE
- Richard Bernard Stone D-FL
- Roger William Jepsen R-IA
- Frank Forrester Church D-ID
- James Albertus Mcclure R-ID
- Richard Green Lugar R-IN
- Robert Joseph (Bob) Dole R-KS
- Walter Darlington Huddleston D-KY
- Wendell Hampton Ford D-KY
- John Bennett Johnston Jr. D-LA
- Russell Billiu Long D-LA
- William Sebastian Cohen R-ME
- David Ferdinand Durenberger R-MN
- Rudolph Eli (Rudy) Boschwitz R-MN
- John Claggett Danforth R-MO
- Thomas Francis Eagleton D-MO
- John Cornelius Stennis D-MS
- John Melcher D-MT
- Jesse Helms R-NC
- Milton Ruben Young R-ND
- Edward Zorinsky D-NE
- J. James Exon D-NE
- Gordon John Humphrey R-NH
- Pete Vichi Domenici R-NM
- Paul Dominique Laxalt R-NV
- Mark Odom Hatfield R-OR
- Richard Schultz Schweiker R-PA
- James Strom Thurmond R-SC
- Edwin Jacob (Jake) Garn R-UT
- Orrin Grant Hatch R-UT
- Harry Flood Byrd Jr. I-VA
- John William Warner R-VA
- William Proxmire D-WI
- Jennings Randolph D-WV
How each senator voted: No
- Theodore Fulton (Ted) Stevens R-AK
- Donald Wilbur Stewart D-AL
- Howell Thomas Heflin D-AL
- David Hampton Pryor D-AR
- Alan Cranston D-CA
- Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa R-CA
- Gary Warren Hart D-CO
- Abraham Alexander Ribicoff D-CT
- Lowell Palmer Weicker Jr. R-CT
- Herman Eugene Talmadge D-GA
- Samuel Augustus Nunn D-GA
- Spark Masayuki Matsunaga D-HI
- John Chester Culver D-IA
- Birch Evans Bayh D-IN
- Nancy Landon Kassebaum R-KS
- Paul Efthemios Tsongas D-MA
- Edmund Sixtus Muskie D-ME
- Carl Levin D-MI
- Donald Wayne Riegle Jr. D-MI
- Max Sieben Baucus D-MT
- Robert Burren Morgan D-NC
- Quentin Northrup Burdick D-ND
- Harrison Arlington Williams Jr. D-NJ
- William Warren (Bill) Bradley D-NJ
- Harrison Hagan Schmitt R-NM
- Howard Walter Cannon D-NV
- Daniel Patrick Moynihan D-NY
- Jacob Koppel Javits R-NY
- Howard Morton Metzenbaum D-OH
- John Herschel Glenn Jr. D-OH
- Henry Louis Bellmon R-OK
- Henry John Heinz III R-PA
- Claiborne de Borda Pell D-RI
- John Hubbard Chafee R-RI
- Ernest Frederick (Fritz) Hollings D-SC
- George Stanley Mcgovern D-SD
- James Ralph Sasser D-TN
- John Goodwin Tower R-TX
- Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. D-TX
- Patrick Joseph Leahy D-VT
- Robert Theodore Stafford R-VT
- Henry Martin (Scoop) Jackson D-WA
- Warren Grant Magnuson D-WA
- Gaylord Anton Nelson D-WI
- Robert Carlyle Byrd D-WV
- Alan Kooi Simpson R-WY
- Malcolm Wallop R-WY
Did not vote
- Maurice Robert (Mike) Gravel D-AK
- Dale Bumpers D-AR
- Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. D-FL
- Daniel Ken Inouye D-HI
- Adlai Ewing III Stevenson D-IL
- Charles Harting Percy R-IL
- Edward Moore (Ted) Kennedy D-MA
- Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr. R-MD
- Paul Spyros Sarbanes D-MD
- George John Mitchell D-ME
- William Thad Cochran R-MS
- John Anthony Durkin D-NH
- David Lyle Boren D-OK
- Robert William Packwood R-OR
- Larry Lee Pressler R-SD
- Howard Henry Baker Jr. R-TN
Other votes
From Voteview roll call records.
Cite or embed this page
Capitol Receipts, “To amend H.R. 5359, defense appropriations…: Senate Vote, Nov 6, 1979,” https://www.capitolreceipts.com/vote/96-S-388/to-amend-h-r-5359-defense-appropriations-by-providing (accessed 2026-10-17).