Washington, D.C., Roll Call

WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the week ending Dec. 15.

Along with roll call votes this week, the House also passed these measures by voice vote: the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act (H.R. 3315); the Promoting Resilient Buildings Act (H.R. 5473); and the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act (H.R. 1042), to bar the importation into the U.S. of unirradiated low-enriched uranium produced in Russia.

The Senate also passed the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act (H.R. 3315); the Military Personnel Confirmation Restoration Act (S. 3553), to provide a retroactive effective date for the promotion of senior officers of the military whose promotions were delayed as a result of the suspension of Senate confirmation of their promotions; and the Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act (S. 229), to require SelectUSA to coordinate with state-level economic development organizations to increase foreign direct investment in semiconductor-related manufacturing.

House

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION: The House has passed the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Extension Act (H.R. 3224), sponsored by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., to extend by two years authorization for the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office at the Homeland Security Department. D’Esposito said the office was needed “to prevent the use of WMDs against the United States of America and to promote readiness for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.” The vote, on Dec. 11, was unanimous with 394 yeas.

YEAS: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-3rd

HEALTH CARE COSTS: The House has passed the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act (H.R. 5378), sponsored by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, to require health care entities and health insurers to disclose costs for various types of care and drugs, and price audits at health plans. Rodgers said the bill “advances foundational health care reforms for patients, lowers health care costs, and reduces the deficit.” An opponent, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, faulted the bill for failing to address price transparency in the Medicare Advantage program and at facilities owned by private equity firms. The vote, on Dec. 11, was 320 yeas to 71 nays.

YEAS: Perez

FAA AUTHORIZATION: The House has passed the Airport and Airway Extension Act (H.R. 6503), sponsored by Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., to extend into early March authorization for several Federal Aviation Administration programs, including taxes that fund the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. Graves said the extension was needed to “maintain safety in the national airspace system in the absence of a long-term reauthorization.” The vote, on Dec. 11, was 376 yeas to 15 nays.

YEAS: Perez

DUCK HUNTING PERMITS: The House has passed the Duck Stamp Modernization Act (S. 788), sponsored by Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., to make electronic migratory bird hunting stamps, also known as duck stamps, fully valid. A supporter, Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., said that currently, hunters need to carry a signed paper duck stamp, and fully validating electronic stamps would be a commonsense modernization of the duck stamp program. The vote, on Dec. 12, was 403 yeas to 20 nays.

YEAS: Perez

SHARING REPORTS OF SUSPICIOUS FINANCIAL ACTIVITY: The House has passed the Foreign Affiliates Sharing Pilot Program Extension Act (H.R. 5524), sponsored by Rep. Sylvia R. Garcia, D-Texas, to extend by three years the authorization for a Treasury Department pilot program for having a financial firm share reports of possible illegal activity with the firm’s foreign branches. Garcia said that by allowing such information sharing in a pilot program, “the U.S. anti-money laundering and financial counterterrorism efforts would be strengthened, modernized, and streamlined.” The vote, on Dec. 12, was 396 yeas to 28 nays.

YEAS: Perez

OPIOID THERAPIES: The House has passed the Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act (H.R. 4531), sponsored by Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., to reauthorize through fiscal 2028 and modify various government programs related to opioid abuse, and recovery and treatment of such abuse. Guthrie said the programs helped to “make sure those who have this substance use disorder have access to proper care, the opportunity to not just recover, but to have full and productive lives.” The vote, on Dec. 12, was 386 yeas to 37 nays.

YEAS: Perez

GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS: The House has passed the Ensuring Accountability in Agency Rulemaking Act (H.R. 357), sponsored by Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., to require that rules issued by federal government agencies be issued by officials who have been confirmed to their posts by the Senate. Cline said: “The bill will increase political accountability for federal policymaking and restore the right of the American people to choose who governs them.” An opponent, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said the bill “would add unnecessary delay in the creation, promulgation, and implementation of critical new rules, rules that serve to protect the public’s health, safety, and security.” The vote, on Dec. 12, was 218 yeas to 203 nays.

YEAS: Perez

WHOLE MILK IN SCHOOL LUNCHES: The House has passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 1147), sponsored by Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., to authorize public schools enrolled in the federal school lunch program to offer whole milk to their students. Thompson said the authorization “is about choice. When students turn away from milk, they often opt for far less healthy alternatives that are highly caffeinated, sugar-sweetened, or lack key nutrients.” An opponent, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., said “the bill would undermine the Biden administration’s ongoing rulemaking to better align school nutrition standards with the latest science.” The vote, on Dec. 13, was 330 yeas to 99 nays.

YEAS: Perez

IMPEACHMENT PROBE: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 918), sponsored by Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., directing three House committees to continue investigating whether sufficient grounds exist to merit the House impeaching President Joe Biden. Armstrong said: “This inquiry is warranted. It would put the House of Representatives in the best legal position possible to uncover the facts, and the American people deserve nothing less.” An opponent, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called Biden “a good, honorable, and decent man who dedicated his life to public service and to making a difference for the American people.” The vote, on Dec. 13, was 220 yeas to 212 nays.

NAYS: Perez

ANTISEMITISM ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 927), sponsored by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., condemning the rise of antisemitism on American college campuses and condemn the recent failure of three presidents of prestigious universities to clearly state that calls for the genocide of Jews violate their institutions’ codes of conduct. Stefanik said the resolution would help “address this rot of antisemitism that is now rooted in our once-premier higher education institutions.” An opponent, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said: “Are we prepared to become the national academic appeals panel for college presidents, coaches, and professors, or is that perhaps best left to the universities themselves?” The vote, on Dec. 13, was 303 yeas to 126 nays, with 3 voting present.

YEAS: Perez

MILITARY SPENDING: The House has agreed to the conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2670), sponsored by Rep. Mike D. Rogers, R-Ala., to authorize fiscal 2024 Defense Department spending, and spending on military construction programs and military-related programs at the Energy Department. Rogers said the report “includes critical new authorities to ensure our warfighters have what they need to deter our adversaries and to prevail in future battles. It goes a long way toward ending woke policies being forced on our service members by left-wing bureaucrats.” An opponent, Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., criticized its extension of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which he said “has allowed the FBI to spy on U.S. citizens more than 278,000 times without a warrant.” The vote, on Dec. 14, was 310 yeas to 118 nays.

YEAS: Perez

PARKINSON’S DISEASE: The House has passed the Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act (H.R. 2365), sponsored by Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis, R-Fla., to have the Health and Human Services Department carry out a project for treating and potentially curing Parkinson’s. Bilirakis said the project “will provide an integrated strategy to support and coordinate research efforts, collaborate to prevent duplication, encourage development of safe and effective treatments, and review the impact on patients and their caregivers and families.” The vote, on Dec. 14, was 407 yeas to 9 nays.

YEAS: Perez

Senate

APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Richard E.N. Federico to be a judge on the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Federico was a lawyer in the Navy from 2003 to 2017, and more recently has been a federal public defender in Oregon and Kansas. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Federico had “a brilliant legal mind.” The vote, on Dec. 11, was 61 yeas to 29 nays.

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

CYBERSECURITY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Harry Coker to be National Cyber Director. Coker was executive director of the National Security Agency from 2017 to 2019, and was a security official in the Navy, Central Intelligence Agency, and NSA for more than four decades. The vote, on Dec. 12, was 59 yeas to 40 nays.

YEAS: Cantwell, Murray

MILITARY SPENDING: The Senate has agreed to the conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2670), sponsored by Rep. Mike D. Rogers, R-Ala., to authorize fiscal 2024 Defense Department spending, and spending on military construction programs and military-related programs at the Energy Department. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said with the legislation “we will give our service members the pay raise they deserve; we will strengthen our resources in the Indo-Pacific to deter aggression by the Chinese government and give critical resources for training, advising, and capacity-building for the military and Taiwan.” The vote, on Dec. 13, was 87 yeas to 13 nays.

YEAS: Cantwell, Murray

LOUISIANA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jerry Edwards Jr. to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Edwards, an official in the attorney’s office for the district starting in 2019, was previously a private practice lawyer at a Shreveport law firm. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cited Edwards’ “character, strong ties to the Western District of Louisiana, and extensive legal experience.” The vote, on Dec. 14, was 66 yeas to 24 nays.

YEAS: Cantwell, Murray

SECOND LOUISIANA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Brandon S. Long to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Long has been a prosecutor, specializing in drug crimes, in the attorney’s office for the district since 2014. The vote, on Dec. 14, was 64 yeas to 22 nays.

YEAS: Cantwell, Murray