Washington, D.C., Roll Call

WASHINGTON— Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.

House

MEDICARE, DEBT CEILING: The House has passed the Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act (S. 610), sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. Bill provisions include a change in procedural rules to make it easier to approve an increase in the federal government’s debt ceiling, changes in Medicare’s conversion factor formula for payments to health care providers, and reducing the size of cuts to Medicare payments. The vote, on Dec. 7, was 222 yeas to 212 nays.

NAYS

Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

MILITARY SPENDING: The House has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1605), sponsored by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to authorize fiscal 2022 spending on the military, military construction projects, and military-related programs at the Energy Department. The vote, on Dec. 7, was 363 yeas to 70 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

OCEAN SHIPPING: The House has passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (H.R. 4996), sponsored by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., to change the regulation of U.S. and foreign-flagged ocean shippers by the Federal Maritime Commission. The vote, on Dec. 8, was 364 yeas to 60 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

CATTLE SALES: The House has passed the Cattle Contract Library Act (H.R. 5609), sponsored by Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., to require the Agriculture Department to develop a catalog of the various types of purchase contracts offered by packers to ranchers of beef cattle. The vote, on Dec. 8, was 411 yeas to 13 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

FOREST MANAGEMENT: The House has passed the National Forest Restoration and Remediation Act (H.R. 4489), sponsored by Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., to require the U.S. Forest Service to place the proceeds from enforcement settlements into interest-bearing accounts. The vote, on Dec. 8, was 385 yeas to 42 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

XINJIANG IMPORT BAN: The House has passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (H.R. 1155), sponsored by Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Mass., to bar importation into the U.S. of various goods produced in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region. The vote, on Dec. 8, was 428 yeas to 1 nay.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

CHINA AND THE OLYMPICS: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 837), sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., stating that the International Olympic Committee has failed to adhere to its own human rights commitments by failing to rebuke China for its mistreatment of tennis player and former Olympian Peng Shuai. The vote, on Dec. 8, was unanimous with 428 yeas.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

TREATING ALS: The House has passed the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act (H.R. 3537), sponsored by Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill. The bill would direct the Food and Drug Administration to issue grants in order to increase access to clinical drug trials for patients with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The vote, on Dec. 8, was 423 yeas to 3 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

CHILDHOOD DISABILITIES: The House has passed the Improving the Health of Children Act (H.R. 5551), sponsored by Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., to reauthorize for five years the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. The vote, on Dec. 8, was 405 yeas to 20 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS: The House has passed the Opioid Prescription Verification Act (H.R. 2355), sponsored by Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., to require the Health and Human Services Department to, in its grant program and pharmacist training efforts, emphasize the prevention of opioid addiction and overdoses. The vote, on Dec. 8, was 410 yeas to 15 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

FEMALE WARTIME WORKERS: The House has passed the Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act (H.R. 3531), sponsored by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C. The bill would authorize the construction on federal government land in Washington, D.C., of a memorial to women who worked in war-related industries during World War II. The vote, on Dec. 8, was 425 yeas to 1 nay.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

FEDERAL GOVERNANCE: The House has passed the Protecting Our Democracy Act (H.R. 5314), sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Bill provisions include restrictions on presidential pardon powers, limits on presidential declarations of emergencies, various measures to increase oversight of the president, and measures to limit foreign interference in political campaigns for federal office. The vote, on Dec. 9, was 220 yeas to 208 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

Senate

FCC CHAIR: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jessica Rosenworcel to serve as chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission for a five-year term ending in mid-2025. Rosenworcel has chaired the FCC since this January on an acting basis, and previously was an FCC commissioner. The vote, on Dec. 7, was 68 yeas to 31 nays.

YEAS

Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Patty Murray, D-Wash.

MEDIATION BOARD: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Deirdre Hamilton to serve as a commissioner on the National Mediation Board for a term ending in mid-2022. The board resolves employment and other disputes in the railroad and airline industries. The vote, on Dec. 7, was 52 yeas to 48 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, D-Wash., Murray, D-Wash.

CUSTOMS AND BORDER SECURITY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Chris Magnus to be commissioner of the Customs and Border Protection agency at the Homeland Security Department. Magnus, a longtime law enforcement officer, is currently the police chief for Tucson, Ariz. The vote, on Dec. 7, was 50 yeas to 47 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, D-Wash., Murray, D-Wash.

MILITARY EXPORTS TO SAUDI ARABIA: The Senate has rejected a motion to discharge from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a resolution (S.J. Res. 31), sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to disapprove of the potential sale of military weapons to Saudi Arabia. Paul said weapons exports have facilitated Saudi Arabia’s air and naval blockade of Yemen, with the resulting death of thousands of Yemenis for lack of food and medicine, “and continuing arms sales means continued death and destruction in Yemen.” An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said blocking the exports “would give the world yet another reason to doubt the resolve of the United States, and it would give our biggest adversaries” more opportunity to influence the Middle East. The vote to discharge, on Dec. 7, was 30 yeas to 67 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, D-Wash., Murray, D-Wash.

MASSACHUSETTS DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Rachael Rollins to serve as the U.S. attorney for the Massachusetts district. Rollins has been an attorney at various government agencies in Massachusetts since 2007. The vote, on Dec. 8, was 50 yeas to 50 nays, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting a 51st yea vote.

YEAS

Cantwell, D-Wash., Murray, D-Wash.

COMMUNITY SERVICE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Michael D. Smith to be the CEO of AmeriCorps. Smith is currently executive director of the My BrotherâEUR(tm)s Keeper Alliance and the director of youth opportunity programs at the Obama Foundation. The vote, on Dec. 8, was 58 yeas to 41 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, D-Wash., Murray, D-Wash.

COVID-19 VACCINATION RULE: The Senate has passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 29), sponsored by Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., that would disapprove of and void a Labor Department emergency rule for requiring Covid-19 vaccinations for employees at companies with 100 or more workers. Braun said: “Getting vaccinated should be a decision between an individual and his or her doctor. It shouldn’t be up to any politician.” An opponent, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said: “There should be one message, and one message only, coming from this chamber to the American people: Get vaccinated. Get boosted. Stay safe yourself.” The vote, on Dec. 8, was 52 yeas to 48 nays.

NAYS

Cantwell, D-Wash., Murray, D-Wash.

MEDICARE, DEBT CEILING: The Senate has concurred in the House amendment to the Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act (S. 610), sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. The amended bill would change procedural rules to make it easier to approve an increase in the federal government’s debt ceiling, make changes in Medicare’s conversion factor formula for payments to health care providers, and reduce the size of upcoming cuts to Medicare payments to the providers. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the debt ceiling change meant “no brinksmanship, no default on the debt, no risk of another recession.” An opponent, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said: “This debt ceiling increase is a blank check for the Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spending bill.” The vote, on Dec. 9, was 59 yeas to 35 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, D-Wash., Murray, D-Wash.