Good morning! Here’s how Cascadia’s Members of Congress voted on major issues during the legislative week ending Friday, March 19th, 2021.
In the United States House of Representatives
REMOVING EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT DEADLINE: Voting 222 for and 204 against, the House on March 17th adopted a resolution (H.J. Res 17) that would remove June 30th, 1982, as the deadline for states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. When Congress sent the ERA to the states in 1972, it set a 1979 deadline that it later moved to 1982. As many as thirty-eight states have voted for ratification. But five rescinded their approval and Virginia’s ratification last year is undercut by a Department of Justice ruling that the 1982 deadline must be obeyed. The ERA states: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
Judy Chu, D‑California, said: “It was not an accident that women were left out of the Constitution. The founders very much believed us to be unequal, and as such, we could not own property, vote, hold certain jobs or even serve on a jury… This is our chance to fix [that] by doing what they refused to do — assert in the Constitution that women, too, have rights. The ERA will not end discrimination, but it will empower us to fight it in court.”
Michelle Fischbach, R‑Minnesota, said men and women “are already equal under law. The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution require as much, guaranteeing equal protection for all under the laws of this country. To me, the ERA is unnecessary, redundant and divisive. The only thing it will do is empower the far left’s special interest groups to [pursue] activist litigation.…”
A yes vote was to send the resolution to the Senate.
 | Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
 | Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Cliff Bentz |
 | Voting Aye (7): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland Voting Nay (3): Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 11 aye votes, 6 nay votes
RENEWING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT: Voting 244 for and 172 against, the House on March 17th approved a five-year extension of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, which uses federal grants and laws to reduce crimes directed primarily at women. In part, the bill (H.R. 1620) would:
- prohibit persons convicted of domestic abuse, misdemeanor stalking or dating violence from possessing firearms;
- ensure that those losing work because of domestic violence qualify for unemployment benefits;
- require shelters to admit transgender individuals;
- strengthen tribal jurisdiction over outsiders charged with committing crimes on reservations;
- improve the care of children exposed to domestic violence;
- expand rape prevention and education programs;
- and step up efforts to address sexual violence on campuses.
Lucy McBath, D‑Georgia, said domestic violence is “especially deadly when it occurs in the household with a gun… Closing the ‘boyfriend loophole’ is a critical step to prevent abusers from obtaining a weapon that will likely be used to escalate abuse…”
Michelle Fischbach, R‑Minnesota, said the bill would “force women’s domestic-violence shelters to take in men who identify as women, strip away protections for religious organizations and eliminate Second Amendment rights without due process.”
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
| Voting Aye (1): Republican Representative Mike Simpson Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Russ Fulcher |
| Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Cliff Bentz |
| Voting Aye (7): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland Voting Nay (3): Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 12 aye votes, 5 nay votes
PROTECTING DREAMERS, OTHER IMMIGRANTS: Voting 228 for and 197 against, the House on March 18th passed a bill (H.R. 6) that would grant permanent legal status and a path to citizenship to as many as 2.1 million “dreamers” who were brought illegally to the United States as children and face potential deportation. The bill would grant relief to dreamers who were younger than eighteen when they entered the United States and meet other qualifications.
In addition, the bill would provide the same deportation protection and citizenship path to hundreds of thousands of aliens now the United States under a humanitarian program known as Temporary Protected Status.
Zoe Lofgren, D‑California, said the bill allows Dreamers “to get right with the law… and go on and become the full Americans that they are except for their paperwork.”
Buddy Carter, R‑Georgia, said the bill “does nothing to solve the problem” of a humanitarian crisis on the southern border and even encourages more illegal immigration.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
| Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
| Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Cliff Bentz |
| Voting Aye (8): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representative Dan Newhouse Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 12 aye votes, 5 nay votes
REJECTING REPUBLICAN AMENDMENT TARGETING IMMIGRANT GANG MEMBERS: Voting 203 for and 216 against, the House on March 18th defeated a Republican motion that sought to prevent members of criminal gangs from using a law designed to protect dreamers (H.R. 6, above) as a subterfuge for acquiring legal status. Democrats said the bill already has safeguards to prohibit undocumented people who are a threat to national security, including gang members, from obtaining green cards and path to citizenship.
A yes vote was to adopt the motion.
| Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher |
| Voting Aye (1): Republican Representative Cliff Bentz Voting Nay (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader |
| Voting Aye (3): Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers Voting Nay (7): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland |
Cascadia total: 6 aye votes, 11 nay votes
OVERHAULING FARM-WORKER VISAS: Voting 247 for and 174 against, the House on March 18th passed a bill (H.R. 1603) that would overhaul the H‑2A visa program, which admits undocumented migrants for temporary U.S. agricultural jobs the domestic workforce is unable or unwilling to fill.
Over time, the bill could enable hundreds of thousands of these workers to apply for legal residency for themselves, spouses and minor children.
In addition to meeting labor shortages, the bill would establish a mandatory federal E‑Verify system by which agricultural employers could determine workers’ immigration status.
Under the bill, undocumented migrants employed in U.S. farm work (including at dairies) for at least one hundred and eighty days over the two preceding years would qualify for Certified Agricultural Worker status, which they could continually renew by working at least one hundred days annually in farm jobs.
In addition, undocumented immigrants (and spouses and minor children) employed in U.S. agriculture before the law takes effect would qualify to pursue legal status. All applicants would have to clear several hurdles including criminal and national-security background checks.
The Pacific Northwest’s own Dan Newhouse, R‑Washington, who represents Central Washington, said the bill a creates a “merit-based program for foreign workers to legally work in agriculture, eliminating incentives for illegal migration and strengthening both our national security and our national food supply chain.”
Tom McClintock, R‑California, said “this certainly is an amnesty bill” because “it says if you’re here illegally and you have a friend vouch for you and you worked 2,000 hours in agriculture — the equivalent of thirteen forty hour weeks — you get legal status.”
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
| 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, and Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Cliff Bentz |
| Voting Aye (10): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 16 aye votes, 1 nay vote
APPROVING MEDALS FOR CAPITOL POLICE: The House on March 17th voted, 413 for and 12 against, to award three Congressional Gold Medals in honor of U.S. Capitol and District of Columbia police who defended the Capitol against an armed insurrection on January 6. Those voting against the bill (HR 1085) were Republicans Andy Biggs of Arizona; Matt Gaetz and Greg Steube of Florida; Marjorie Taylor Greene and Andrew Clyde of Georgia; Thomas Massie of Kentucky; Andy Harris of Maryland; John Rose of Tennessee; Bob Good of Virginia; and Louie Gohmert, Michael Cloud and Lance Gooden of Texas.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
| Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher |
| Voting Aye (5): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Cliff Bentz |
| Voting Aye (10): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 17 aye votes
In the United States Senate
CONFIRMING DEB HAALAND AS INTERIOR SECRETARY: The Senate on March 15th confirmed, 51–40, Deb Haaland, D‑New Mexico, as secretary of the Department of the Interior. Haaland, sixty, is the first native American appointed to a Cabinet position, and in 2018, she and Sharice Davids, D‑Kansas, became the first Native American women elected to Congress. A member of the Laguna Pueblo Nation, she identifies herself as a thirty-fifth-generation New Mexican.
A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.
| Voting Nay (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
CONFIRMING XAVIER BECERRA AS HEALTH SECRETARY: Voting 50 for and 49 against, the Senate on March 18th confirmed Xavier Becerra, the attorney general of California, as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the first Latino to hold that position. Becerra, sixty-two, was a Democratic congressman from California between 1993–2018.
A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.
| Voting Nay (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
CONFIRMING ISABEL GUZMAN AS SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR: Voting 81 for and 17 against, the Senate on March 16th confirmed Isabel C. Guzman, forty-nine, as administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBS). She was a top official at the SBA during the Obama administration and worked most recently as director of the Office of the Small Business Advocate in California. A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.
| Voting Nay (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
Key votes ahead
The Senate will vote on Biden administration nominees during the week of March 22nd, while the House of Representatives will be in recess.
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!
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