Washington, D.C., Roll Call Report

WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the week ending March 3.

House

TURKEY EARTHQUAKES: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 132), sponsored by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., mourning the more than 40,000 Turks and Syrians killed by the recent earthquakes in Turkey, and condemning Syria’s Assad regime for failing to provide adequate relief to victims. Wilson said: “Syria’s brutal dictator Assad is stealing humanitarian aid, and even worse, has continued bombing the affected areas at least 10 times since the earthquake.” The vote, on Feb. 27, was 414 yeas to 2 nays.

YEAS:

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-3rd

INTERNET-CONNECTED DEVICES: The House had passed the Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act (H.R. 538), sponsored by Rep. John R. Curtis, R-Utah, to require makers of products that are connected to the internet and use a camera or microphone to inform consumers that their products have such features. Curtis said the requirement “will ensure consumers are aware of the capabilities of items they are putting in their homes without hamstringing the technology pioneers” who are making the products. The vote, on Feb. 27, was 406 yeas to 12 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

RETIREMENT PLANS: The House has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 30), sponsored by Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., to disapprove of and void a Labor Department rule issued in December 2022 that authorized fiduciaries of retirement plans to consider environmental, social, and governance issues in their management of the plans. Barr said the rule would put Americans “into less diversified, higher fees, and lower-performing portfolios at precisely the time that we need to maximize financial security for Americans approaching retirement.” A supporter of the rule, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., said: “Allowing ESG considerations can help financial professionals identify investments that will be sustainable in the long term and in the best interest of their clients.” The vote, on Feb. 28, was 216 yeas to 204 nays.

NAYS:

Perez

REDUCING INFLATION: The House has approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., to the Reduce Exacerbated Inflation Negatively Impacting the Nation Act (H.R. 347). The amendment stated that the House, as well as the president, have the task of decreasing inflation and reducing the cost of living by enacting thoughtful legislation. Lee said, “productive, bipartisan legislative action is the best way that we can collectively combat inflation and bring down the cost of living.” The vote, on March 1, was 364 yeas to 56 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

EXECUTIVE ORDERS AND INFLATION: The House has passed the Reduce Exacerbated Inflation Negatively Impacting the Nation Act (H.R. 347), sponsored by Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-N.Y. The bill would require the Council of Economic Advisers and Office of Management and Budget to make estimates of the impact on inflation of each executive order issued by the president expected to have a $1 billion or greater impact on the federal budget. Stefanik said the bill “is about transparency for the American people, and it is long past time for Joe Biden to take into account this harmful impact of his failed, far-left agenda.” An opponent, Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., called the bill “a waste of government resources, and it is a squandering of time that we should be using to rein in corporate greed and support those of our neighbors who need our help the most.” The vote, on March 1, was 272 yeas to 148 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

Senate

VIRGINIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jamar K. Walker to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Walker has been a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the district since 2015, specializing in cases of alleged corruption and white-collar crime. A supporter, Sen. Timothy Kaine, D-Va., said Walker’s “experience in and knowledge of the (Eastern District of Virginia) and his work on cases of that kind will be very critical to his success once he is confirmed.” The vote, on Feb. 28, was 52 yeas to 41 nays.

YEAS:

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

WASHINGTON JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jamal N. Whitehead to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Whitehead has been a private practice lawyer at a Seattle law firm since 2016; he has also been a lawyer at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the district. The vote, on Feb. 28, was 51 yeas to 43 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

CALIFORNIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Araceli Martinez-Olguin to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Currently an attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, Martinez-Olguin has also been an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer and a lawyer at Legal Aid at Work. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cited her “career-long commitment to defending equal justice for all, and a professional background that is historically underrepresented on the bench.” The vote, on Feb. 28, was 48 yeas to 48 nays, with Vice President Harris casting a 49th yea vote.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

MASSACHUSETTS JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Margaret R. Guzman to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts. A state district court judge in Massachusetts since 2009, Guzman had previously been a public defender and lawyer at her own law firm. The vote, on March 1, was 48 yeas to 48 nays, with Vice President Harris casting a 49th yea vote.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

RETIREMENT PLANS: The Senate has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 30), sponsored by Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., to disapprove of and void a Labor Department rule issued in December 2022 that authorized fiduciaries of retirement plans to consider environmental, social, and governance issues in their management of the plans. An opponent, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, called the resolution “only the latest step in a campaign to prevent American financial institutions from making money from the clean energy revolution, and it should offend anyone who supports free markets.” The vote, on March 1, was 50 yeas to 46 nays.

NAYS:

Cantwell, Murray

ILLINOIS JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Colleen R. Lawless to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Lawless, a private practice lawyer in Illinois from 2009 to 2019, then became a judge on an Illinois circuit court. The vote, on March 2, was 51 yeas to 41 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

MICHIGAN JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jonathan James Canada Grey to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. A magistrate judge in the district for the last two years, Grey had previously been a federal prosecutor in the district and in Ohio. The vote, on March 2, was 49 yeas to 42 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray