Washington, D.C., Roll Call report

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

The House approved these bills without roll call votes this week: the Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act (H.R. 1912), to improve the repayment by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of benefits misused by a fiduciary; the Falun Gong Protection Act (H.R. 1540), to provide for the imposition of sanctions with respect to forced organ harvesting within China; the Solidify Iran Sanctions Act (H.R. 1800), to repeal the sunset provision of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996; and the Economic Espionage Prevention Act (H.R. 1486), to impose sanctions with respect to economic or industrial espionage by foreign adversarial companies.

HOUSE

MILITARY PILOTS AND CANCER: The House has passed the ACES Act (H.R. 530), sponsored by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, to require a study of cancer incidence in the military’s pilots of fixed-wing aircraft. Pfluger said of the potential benefits of the study: “By identifying specific risk factors unique to aviation environments, we can develop targeted screening protocols for early detection when treatment is most effective.” The vote, on May 5, was 376 yeas to 5 nays.

YEAS:

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania

SANCTIONS AND GEORGIA: The House has passed the Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence Act (H.R. 36), sponsored by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., to impose sanctions on foreigners deemed to be undermining Georgia’s peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity, or the country’s attempts to join the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Wilson said the sanctions would support “the freedom-loving people of Georgia” in their protests against what Wilson said was “the illegal regime of corrupt Bidzina Ivanishvili.” The vote, on May 5, was 349 yeas to 42 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

ORGAN HARVESTING AND SANCTIONS: The House has passed the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act (H.R. 1503), sponsored by Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J. The bill would require sanctions, including revoked passports, on individuals and groups convicted of human organ trafficking crimes. Smith said: “State-sponsored forced organ harvesting is big business for Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party, and we will not and cannot rest until we stop it.” The vote, on May 7, was 406 yeas to 1 nay.

YEAS:

Perez

COLLEGES AND CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES: The House has passed the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act (H.R. 881), sponsored by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas. The bill would direct the Homeland Security Department not to fund any college or university that has received contributions from one of China’s Confucius Institutes, or any other deemed entity of concern in China. Pfluger said the funding ban was needed because “while Confucius Institutes are presented as centers for promoting Chinese language and culture, it is proven that they have been used to steal critical research, recruit talent for military-civil fusion enterprises, conduct espionage, commit transnational repression, and influence academic institutions.” A bill opponent, Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., objected to the bill’s entity of concern provision, which Chu said would unreasonably require colleges and universities to verify that their Chinese counterparts do not fall under that label. The vote, on May 7, was 266 yeas to 153 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

RENAMING GULF OF MEXICO: The House has passed the Gulf of America Act (H.R. 276), sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. The bill would rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Greene said: “The American people deserve pride in their country, and they deserve pride in the waters that we own.” An opponent, Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr., D-Calif., said: “The Gulf has been known as the Gulf of Mexico since the 16th century. Why are they [Republicans] making a big deal out of this now? It is because they want to stroke the ego of Donald Trump.” The vote, on May 8, was 211 to 206 nays.

NAYS:

Perez

SENATE

EMISSIONS AND VEHICLE TIRES: The Senate has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 61), sponsored by Rep. Morgan H. Griffith, R-Va., to disapprove of and void an Environmental Protection Agency rule imposing a hazardous air pollutants emissions standard for makers of rubber vehicle tires. A resolution supporter, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., pointed to an EPA study finding its rule would increase CO2 emissions without benefiting the public’s health. Scott also said the rule would impose “millions of dollars in compliance fees” on the tire makers. A resolution opponent, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said it “would deny clean air protections to the American people, with particular harm to American children.” The vote, on May 6, was 55 yeas to 45 nays.

NAYS:

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

SOCIAL SECURITY HEAD: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Frank Bisignano to be Commissioner of the Social Security Administration for a term ending in early 2031. Bisignano has been CEO of the Fiserv financial company since 2020; previously, he was the CEO of payment processor First Data and a senior executive at JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup. A supporter, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said that if confirmed, Bisignano “would bring his decadeslong focus on customer service and operational excellence to the Social Security Administration.” An opponent, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said: “If Frank Bisignano is confirmed, he is going to bring more of the chaos, lies, and callous disregard for Americans who count on Social Security that the Trump administration has brought to the agency through DOGE.” The vote, on May 6, was 53 yeas to 47 nays.

NAYS:

Cantwell, Murray

REVIEWING BANK MERGERS: The Senate has passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 13), sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., that would disapprove of and void a 2024 Treasury Department rule that increased regulatory scrutiny of proposed mergers by small banks. Kennedy said the rule, by significantly complicating the system for reviewing the mergers, “made the whole process more expensive, less efficient, and more expensive for consumers because the costs are passed on.” An opponent, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., called the rule “a commonsense step to revitalize the bank merger framework after decades of lax review.” The vote, on May 7, was 52 yeas to 47 nays.

NAYS:

Cantwell, Murray

SCHOOL WI-FI SUBSIDIES: The Senate has passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 7), sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to disapprove of and void a Federal Communications Commission rule issued last August that offered subsidies for schools and libraries developing Wi-Fi hotspots for public use. An opponent, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said: “A vote to repeal this rule is a vote to limit the FCC’s ability to address a critical need for students and to put a stop to good work being done by schools and libraries to support learning.” The vote, on May 8, was 50 yeas to 38 nays.

NAYS:

Cantwell, Murray

MOTOR VEHICLES IN GLEN CANYON: The Senate has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 60), sponsored by Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, to disapprove of and void a National Park Service rule, issued in January, restricting the use of motor vehicles in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona and Utah. The vote, on May 8, was 50 yeas to 43 nays.

NAYS:

Cantwell, Murray

DIGITAL STABLECOINS: The Senate has rejected a motion to invoke cloture and end debate on a motion to proceed to consideration of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (S. 1582), sponsored by Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn. The bill would establish procedures for federal regulation of stablecoins, which are digital cryptocurrencies intended to have a relatively static value by tying them to another asset, such as gold or the dollar. A bill supporter, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said it established “a framework that protects consumers and safeguards national security while promoting that innovation right here in the United States.” An opponent, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said it failed to “apply basic consumer protection rules” to protect against fraud and other illegal uses of stablecoins. The vote to end debate, on May 8, was 48 yeas to 49 nays.

NAYS:

Cantwell, Murray