This was a vote on an amendment by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) eliminating approximately $34 million in funding for the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), which provides information to law enforcement relating to drug consumption, production, and trafficking. This amendment was offered to legislation funding the federal government (such bills are known as “continuing resolutions, or “CRs”) through September 2011, and cutting $61 billion in federal funding for many government programs.

Flake urged support for his amendment: “I think everybody admits that there is no reason for this facility to exist anymore and to keep sucking millions and millions of dollars every year from the taxpayer. The White House, successive White Houses, Republican and Democrat alike, have said this is inefficient. It is not filling its mission. So it is up to Congress now, when we're running a $1.5 trillion deficit that stacks up against a $14 trillion debt, to look at programs like this and say, All right. Enough is enough. It's time that we close them down.…If we can't do this, where can we save money? If we can't close down a center that's received hundreds of millions of dollars that the White House, successive administrations, Republican and Democrat, have said it is duplicative, it is not fulfilling its mission; if we can't close these kind of things down, when are we going to save money?”

Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA) opposed the amendment: “I appreciate the gentleman's usual zeal for finding savings in the budget, but I believe his amendment goes too far to achieve savings without considering the impacts. NDIC plays an important role in analyzing and disseminating information to law enforcement and the intelligence community about the production, trafficking, and consumption of illegal drugs. It produces the annual drug threat assessments, as well as local and regional assessments.”

The House agreed to this amendment by a vote of 262-169. Voting “yea” were 217 Republicans and 45 Democrats. 147 Democrats—including a majority of progressives—and 22 Republicans voted “nay.” As a result, the House agreed to an amendment eliminating approximately $34 million in funding for the National Drug Intelligence Center.