Washington, D.C., roll call report

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

Along with roll call votes this week, the House also, early on Jan. 7, chose its speaker for the 118th Congress. The vote was 216 for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, 212 for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, and 6 voting present.

House

HOUSE RULES: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 5), sponsored by Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., to adopt a set of rules governing the House in the 118th Congress. The rules include ending proxy voting for representatives, time requirements for legislation to be considered before coming to a floor vote, and measures to cut spending. Scalise said of the desirability of a new rules package: “The way that this House has been running for the last few years has not been designed to address the problems of the people across this country.” An opponent, Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Mass., called the rules an attempt “to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics, attack women’s access to abortion, make it easier for big oil companies to pollute, and interfere in ongoing criminal investigations into President Trump.” The vote, on Jan. 9, was 220 yeas to 213 nays.

NAYS: Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-3rd

CUTTING IRS FUNDING: The House has passed the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act (H.R. 23), sponsored by Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., to cancel additional funding for the Internal Revenue Service that was included in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. Smith called the IRS “an out-of-control agency that is perhaps most in need of reform” rather than expanded funding to conduct more audits of middle-class families. An opponent, Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., said the cut, by decreasing tax collections from the wealthy, “is bad for middle-class families, it is bad for small businesses, who are then asked to pay more when the people at the top don’t pay their fair share.” The vote, on Jan. 9, was 221 yeas to 210 nays.

NAYS: Perez

SUBCOMMITTEE ON CHINA: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 11), sponsored by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to create a House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. The select committee would investigate technological and military competition with China, and offer policy recommendations on the matter. McCarthy called the threat posed by China “an issue that transcends our political parties, and creating the select committee on China is our best avenue for addressing it.” An opponent, Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., said he feared the committee would be “a platform to unleash anti-Asian hate and division.” The vote, on Jan. 10, was 365 yeas to 65 nays.

YEAS: Perez

INTELLIGENCE SUBCOMMITTEE: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 12), sponsored by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to create a Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government on the House Judiciary Committee. The subcommittee would investigate the collection and use of information on citizens by the CIA, FBI, and other executive branch agencies. Jordan said the subcommittee’s goal would be to “respect the First Amendment” and the right to free speech and protest and practice religion. An opponent, Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Mass., called it “a deranged ploy by the MAGA extremists who have hijacked the Republican Party and now want to use taxpayer money to push their far-right conspiracy nonsense.” The vote, on Jan. 10, was 221 yeas to 211 nays.

NAYS: Perez

ABORTION SURVIVORS: The House has passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (H.R. 26), sponsored by Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., to require health care workers to attempt to preserve the life of an infant who has survived an attempted abortion. Wagner said the requirement was needed “to ensure that every single baby born in the United States receives lifesaving medical care at their most vulnerable moment.” An opponent, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called the bill part of a Republican effort “to criminalize abortion care, to impose a nationwide ban, to set into motion government-mandated pregnancies.” The vote, on Jan. 11, was 220 yeas to 210 nays.

NAYS: Perez D-WA (3rd)

ABORTION PROTESTERS: The House has passed a resolution (H. Con. Res. 3), sponsored by Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., to condemn recent attacks on pro-life groups and facilities and ask the Biden administration to deploy law enforcement agencies to combat such attacks. Johnson said: “We condemn violence, property damage, threats, and intimidation tactics, and these clear violations of federal and state laws must be prosecuted.” An opponent, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said the resolution is “a partisan political ploy designed to advance an extreme anti-abortion agenda and is not a serious effort to condemn political violence.” The vote, on Jan. 11, was 222 yeas to 209 nays.

YEAS: Perez

SELLING OIL TO CHINA: The House has passed the Protecting Americas Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act (H.R. 22), sponsored by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, to bar the Energy Department from selling crude oil stored in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China. Rodgers said: “Draining our strategic reserves for political purposes and selling portions of it to China is a significant threat to our national security.” An opponent, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., faulted the bill for not also blocking petroleum reserve oil sales to Russia, North Korea, and other adversaries of the U.S. The vote, on Jan. 12, was 331 yeas to 97 nays.

YEAS: Perez

There were no key votes in the Senate this week.