Good morning! Here’s how Cascadia’s Members of Congress voted on major issues during the legislative week ending Friday, December 20th.
(For a recap of Wednesday’s impeachment votes, please see this special report.)
In the United States House of Representatives
SETTING NEW RULES FOR NORTH AMERICAN TRADE: Voting 385 for and 41 against, the House on December 19th passed a bill (H.R. 5430) giving congressional approval to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which would replace the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as the framework for commerce among the three countries.
The agreement:
- requires Mexico to guarantee workers the right to join unions and engage in collective bargaining;
- authorizes fast-track probes of labor violations in Mexico and factory-specific penalties when transgressions are found;
- gives U.S. dairy and poultry farmers and to a lesser extent winemakers more access to Canadian markets;
- raises environmental standards but does not address climate change;
- reduces patent protections for certain pharmaceuticals;
- expands domestic-content rules to benefit automakers and parts manufacturers in the three countries;
- sets wage requirements that benefit U.S. and Canadian auto factories over those in Mexico;
- prohibits duties on digital products including music and e‑books;
- … and protects Internet companies against liability for their users’ content.
Kevin Brady, R‑Texas, said the agreement “will set the stage for billions more in economic activity. It creates, for the first time, rules for competing in the digital economy…. ends the race to the bottom created by what had been Mexico’s poor labor laws…[and] “best of all, is enforceable, allowing us to challenge violations and to stop countries from blocking these challenges, holding Mexico and Canada accountable for these new rules.”
Andy Levin, D‑Michigan, said the agreement “will not be enough to overhaul the entrenched system in Mexico that denies workers their rights, keeps wages unconscionably low, and, consequently, incentivizes companies to ship jobs to Mexico.”
A yes vote was to approve the trade agreement.
 | Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher |
 | Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, and Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Greg Walden Voting Nay (1): Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio |
 | Voting Aye (9): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Denny Heck; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera-Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers Voting Nay (1): Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal |
Cascadia total: 15 aye votes, 2 nay votes
RAISING CAP ON STATE AND LOCAL TAX DEDUCTIONS: Voting 218 for and 206 against, the House on December 19th passed a bill (H.R. 5377) that would temporarily lift the 2017 tax law’s cap on deductions for state and local taxes (SALT). To offset the resulting loss in Treasury revenue, the bill would raise the top income-tax rate for individuals from 37% to 39.6% for the 2020–2025 tax years and lower income thresholds at which the top rate takes effect.
The bill would raise the state and local tax cap in 2019 from $10,000 to $20,000 for married couples filing jointly and from $5,000 to $10,000 for married taxpayers filing separately, and eliminate it for all taxpayers in 2020 and 2021.
(The cap would, however, be allowed to return in 2023.)
In addition, the bill would permanently increase from $250 to $500 the tax deduction for teachers buying school supplies and index the deduction for inflation. The bill also would create a permanent $500 deduction indexed for inflation for work-related expenses by first responders including firefighters, police officers, paramedics and emergency technicians. The bill is projected to increase federal revenue by $2.4 billion between 2020–2029.
Norma Torres, D‑California, said: “In 2017, the Republicans gave away almost $2 trillion in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy. They paid for this tax scam on the backs of hardworking American families. Thirty-six million middle-class families saw their taxes increase” as a result of the cap on SALT deductions.
Tom Cole, R‑Oklahoma, said: “This is not a middle-class bill. This is not even an upper-middle-class bill. This is a bill for pretty wealthy people. Ninety-six percent of the benefits go to households that make more than $200,000 a year.”
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
| Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
| Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Greg Walden |
| Voting Aye (7): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Denny Heck Voting Nay (3): Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera-Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 11 aye votes, 6 nay votes
RETAINING DEDUCTION CAP FOR THE ULTRA-RICH: Voting 388 for and 36 against, the House on December 19th approved a Republican amendment to H.R. 5377 (above) that would retain the $10,000 cap on deductions for state and local taxes for taxpayers earning $100 million or more per year and use the revenue to fund work-related tax deductions for teachers and first responders.
A yes vote supported the amendment.
| Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher |
| Voting Aye (5): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Greg Walden |
| Voting Aye (9): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Denny Heck; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera-Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers Voting Nay (1): Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal |
Cascadia total: 16 aye votes, 1 nay vote
APPROVING 2020 DOMESTIC SPENDING: Voting 297 for and 120 against, the House on December 17th approved a package of eight appropriations bills (H.R. 1865) that would fund non-defense agencies and departments for the remaining nine months of fiscal 2020 at an annualized level of $632 billion.
The bill would raise the minimum age for buying tobacco products from 18 to 21 years, fund federal gun-violence research for the first time since 1996 and repeal the Patient Protection Act’s tax on high-end insurance plans and excise tax on sales of medical devices. In addition, the bill would:
- preserve coal miners’ healthcare and pension benefits;
- provide election-security grants to states;
- reauthorize the Export-Import Bank and Terrorism Risk Insurance Program for seven years each;
- prohibit pay raises for members of Congress while increasing House members’ staff budgets;
- grant federal civilian workers a 3.1 percent pay raise;
- … and fund two carbon-free nuclear-energy reactors by the mid-2020s while boosting outlays for renewable energy development and climate research.
Kay Granger, R‑Texas, said the bill “provides funding to the National Institutes of Health to continue their groundbreaking research in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease and cancer research. It combats the opioid and methamphetamine epidemic by providing funds for prevention, treatment, recovery, and research into alternative therapies for pain management.”
Chip Roy, R‑Texas, said the bill “changes the tobacco age nationwide, turning federalism on its head, with nary a whimper from Republicans who like to talk about the 10th Amendment in speeches back home. The bill funds bureaucrats who wish to target your Second Amendment rights. It funds abortion through [Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act] plans.”
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
| Voting Aye (1): Republican Representative Mike Simpson Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Russ Fulcher |
| Voting Aye (5): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Greg Walden |
| Voting Aye (9): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Denny Heck; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera-Beutler, and Dan Newhouse Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 15 aye votes, 2 nay votes
In the United States Senate
APPROVING $738 BILLION FOR MILITARY IN 2020: Voting eighty-six for and eight against, the Senate on December 17th gave final congressional approval to a $738 billion military policy budget (S. 1790) for fiscal 2020, up $23 billion from 2019. The budget, also known as a National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, received a vote in the House of Representatives last week.
The bill:
- authorizes $71.5 billion for combat operations and at least $57 billion for active-duty and retiree health care;
- sets a 3.1 percent pay raise for uniformed personnel;
- creates the U.S. Space Force as the sixth branch of the military;
- ends the “widow’s tax” on Pentagon death benefits received by an estimated 65,000 survivors who also receive veterans’ survivor benefits;
- establishes 12 weeks’ paid family and medical leave for the federal civilian workforce;
- confronts global warming as a national-security threat;
- requires Pentagon strategies for countering Russian interference in U.S. elections;
- … and funds programs for military victims of sexual assault.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R‑Kentucky, said: “For the third consecutive year, President Trump and Republicans in Congress will deliver on our commitment to continue rebuilding America’s military after nearly a decade of forced belt-tightening,” while neglecting to mention Republicans’ role in sequestration.
Rand Paul, R‑Kentucky (McConnell’s seatmate) said: “We spend more on our military than the next seven largest militaries combined. Over the past six years, military spending has risen over $120 billion. Many so-called conservatives will hail this bloated military spending, but in truth, there is nothing fiscally conservative about borrowing money from China to pay for our military.”
A yes vote was to approve the fiscal 2020 military budget.
| Voting Aye (2): |
| Voting Nay (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
That’s it for 2019!
Congress has completed its legislative year and will reconvene on Monday, January 6th, 2020 for the second session of the 116th Congress.
Last Week In Congress will return on January 12th.
Editor’s Note: The information in NPI’s weekly How Cascadia’s U.S. lawmakers voted feature is provided by Voterama in Congress, a service of Thomas Voting Reports. All rights are reserved. Reproduction of this post is not permitted, not even with attribution. Use the permanent link to this post to share it… thanks!
© 2019 Thomas Voting Reports.