Congressional votes for the week of Feb. 2 to 8

Targeted News Service

 Targeted News Service

Published: 02-12-2024 4:10 PM

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

In addition to roll call votes this week, the House also passed these bills by voice vote: the Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through Research Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue Act (H.R. 4051), to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a task force regarding shark depredation; the Drought Preparedness Act (H.R. 4385), to extend authorization of the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991; the Wildlife Innovation and Longevity Driver Reauthorization Act (H.R. 5009), to reauthorize wildlife habitat and conservation programs.

HOUSE

TRUST FUND FOR AID TO INDIANS: The House has passed the Udall Foundation Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2882), sponsored by Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., to reauthorize for 5 years, through fiscal 2028, the trust fund for the Udall Foundation, which awards college scholarships and provides other aid to American Indian and environmental causes. Ciscomani said that since being founded by Congress in 1992, the Udall Foundation has been “committed to the values of civility, integrity, and consensus.” The vote, on Feb. 5, was 350 yeas to 58 nays.

YEAS: Pappas D-NH (1st), Kuster D-NH (2nd)

LABOR TRAFFICKING: The House has passed the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act (H.R. 443), sponsored by Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., to require the Labor Department to train agency employees on ways to detect and help law enforcement agencies detect human trafficking. Walberg said Labor employees “often have a frontline opportunity to identify patterns of forced labor,” and training them would aid the effort to eradicate trafficking in human labor. The vote, on Feb. 5, was unanimous with 407 yeas.

YEAS: Pappas D-NH (1st), Kuster D-NH (2nd)

IMPEACHING HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The House has rejected a resolution (H. Res. 863), sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., that would have impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for willfully violating federal laws regarding immigration and border security, with resulting harms from an increase in illegal immigration and fentanyl imports into the U.S. Taylor Greene said: “His willful refusal to secure the border has bankrupted communities, closed down U.S. schools that our children attend, drowned hospitals, and incapacitated law enforcement, while empowering criminal cartels and illegal aliens.” A resolution opponent, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., called it “an affront to the United States Constitution, it will do nothing to solve challenges at our border, and it is a baseless attack on a dedicated public servant.” The vote, on Feb. 6, was 214 yeas to 216 nays.

NAYS: Pappas D-NH (1st), Kuster D-NH (2nd)

FUNDING FOR ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR: The House has rejected the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 7217), sponsored by Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif. The bill would have provided $17.6 billion to support Israel in its ongoing war following the Hamas attacks last October, including both aid to Israel and funding for U.S. military forces in the Middle East. Calvert said it “resupplies Israel’s defensive capabilities, restores America’s defense industry to replenish our stocks, funds necessary operations for our forces in the region, and sends a strong signal that the United States will not back down.” An opponent, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said the funding would aid the continuation of what he called a brutal war that has harmed thousands of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. The vote, on Feb. 6, was 250 yeas to 180 nays, with a two-thirds majority required for approval.

YEAS: Pappas D-NH (1st)

NAYS: Kuster D-NH (2nd)

HEALTH CARE SERVICES: The House has passed the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act (H.R. 485), sponsored by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. The bill would bar Medicaid, Medicare, and other federal government and federally funded health care programs from pricing products and services based on a quality-adjusted life years standard (QALYs) that accounts for factors such as a patient’s age, disability, and life expectancy. Rodgers said: “Measurements like QALYs remove the consideration of unique circumstances and health conditions of a patient and their doctor’s judgment from deciding what is best for the patient.” An opponent, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., criticized the use of a cut in funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund to offset higher costs due to the bill, and also claimed that the bill’s language “will be used to bar the use of any value measures by the federal government” to negotiate prices for prescription drugs. The vote, on Feb. 7, was 211 yeas to 208 nays.

NAYS: Pappas D-NH (1st), Kuster D-NH (2nd)

SENATE

JUDGING TRADE DISPUTES: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Joseph Laroski to be a judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade. Laroski was an assistant secretary in the International Trade Commission at the Commerce Department from 2017 to 2021; since then, and before 2016, his career has been as a private practice lawyer. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cited “his extensive experience in international trade litigation, both in private practice and the federal government.” The vote, on Feb. 5, was unanimous with 76 yeas.

YEAS: Hassan D-NH, Shaheen D-NH

DEPUTY STATE SECRETARY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Kurt Campbell to be Deputy Secretary of State. Campbell has been an official on the National Security Council, specializing in Indo-Pacific affairs, since January 2021, and previously was a diplomat, military official, and consultant on Asia. A supporter, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., said Campbell was “among the most experienced and most capable officials to be nominated to this position.” The vote, on Feb. 6, was 92 yeas to 5 nays.

YEAS: Hassan D-NH, Shaheen D-NH

OREGON JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Amy Baggio to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Oregon. A federal public defender in the district from 2002 to 2013, Baggio then went into private practice with her own law firm, then, in 2019, became a judge on the Multnomah County court. A supporter, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said: “In addition to being fair, she has consistently demonstrated an ability to make thoughtful decisions that protect communities and their values.” The vote, on Feb. 6, was 54 yeas to 44 nays.

YEAS: Hassan D-NH, Shaheen D-NH

IMMIGRATION POLICIES AND FOREIGN AID: The Senate has rejected a cloture motion to proceed to consideration of a bill (H.R. 815) that would have made numerous changes to U.S. immigration policy, including increased funding for personnel, facilities, and equipment, and changes to screening procedures for immigrants who make asylum claims, and provided military aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel. A supporter, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said it “strengthens our asylum laws, so we can get to actual asylees faster, and those who are gaming the system are turned around” rather than admitted into the U.S. An opponent, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said the bill failed to end the catch-and-release practice for illegal immigrants, meaning “additional or continued incentives for people to come to the country illegally, knowing they will be released into the interior.” The vote, on Feb. 7, was 49 yeas to 50 nays, with a three-fifths majority required for approval. A revised version of the bill, without immigration provisions, was later taken up by the Senate.

YEAS: Hassan D-NH, Shaheen D-NH

SUPPLEMENTAL MILITARY SPENDING: The Senate has approved cloture to end debate on the motion to proceed to consideration of a bill (H.R. 815) that would provide about $95 billion for military spending and humanitarian assistance, including aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel. A bill supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called it “essential for our national security; for the security of our friends in Ukraine, in Israel; for humanitarian aid for innocent civilians in Gaza; and for Taiwan.” The vote, on Feb. 8, was 67 yeas to 32 nays.

YEAS: Hassan D-NH, Shaheen D-NH