Good morning! Here’s how Cascadia’s United States Senators voted on major issues during the legislative week ending Friday, March 26th, 2021.
In the United States Senate
EXTENDING PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM: Voting 92 for and seven against, the Senate on March 25th gave final congressional approval to a bill (H.R. 1799) extending from March 31st to May 31st the deadline for small businesses to apply for COVID-19 rescue funds under the Paycheck Protection Program.
Begun in March 2020, the PPP provides firms with fewer than 500 employees with forgivable loans for meeting payroll and certain overhead costs including rent or mortgage payments. The loans are forgiven if recipients agree to not lay off workers and rehire those already dismissed as a consequence of Covid-19.
To date, the Small Business Administration has approved about eight million loans totaling nearly $704 billion with $93 billion yet to be allocated, including $28.6 billion earmarked for restaurants and additional set-asides for minority- and women-owned businesses.
Susan Collins, R‑Maine, called it “imperative that we act immediately …because we are just days away from the PPP being closed” to new applications.
Rand Paul, R‑Kentucky, objected to the bill’s $15 billion in deficit spending, saying: “In Washington, every day is a good day to spend money.”
A yes vote was to send the bill to President Biden.
 | Voting Nay (2): |
 | Voting Aye (2): |
 | Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
DENYING AID TO CONVICTED RIOTERS: Voting 48 for and 52 against, the Senate on March 25th defeated an amendment that sought to deny aid under H.R. 1799 (above) to any person convicted in the preceding two years of a felony related to a riot at the Capitol or in U.S. cities.
John Kennedy, R‑Louisiana, said senators “either approve of the rioting that happened this summer and at the Capitol or you don’t.”
Ben Cardin, D‑Maryland, said the amendment should be defeated “for the sake of getting this bill to the president…so we can help our small businesses.”
| Voting Aye (2): |
| Voting Nay (2): |
| Voting Nay (2): |
Cascadia total: 2 aye votes, 4 nay votes
MARTIN WALSH, SECRETARY OF LABOR: Voting 68 for and 29 against, the Senate on March 22nd confirmed Martin J. Walsh, fifty-three, the mayor of Boston, as secretary of the Department of Labor, the first union member to head the department since 1977. Walsh had been president of Laborers Local 223 in Boston and head of the city’s Building and Construction Trades Council.
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
VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Voting 57 for and 43 against, the Senate on March 23 confirmed Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, forty-four, as U.S. surgeon general, a post he once held under former President Barack Obama. An adviser to President-elect Joe Biden on COVID-19 issues following the November election, Murthy has been a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
| Voting Nay (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
| Voting Aye (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
SHALANDA YOUNG, DEPUTY BUDGET DIRECTOR: Voting 63–37, the Senate on March 23rd confirmed Shalanda D. Young, a former staff director of the House Appropriations Committee, as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. She also is under consideration to be nominated as OMB director.
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
RACHEL LEVINE, ASSISTANT HEALTH SECRETARY: Voting 52 for and 48 against, the Senate on March 24 confirmed Rachel L. Levine, sixty-three, as assistant secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services. She becomes the first openly transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate.
Levine has been a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine and was physician general for Pennsylvania from 2015 to 2017.
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
LWIC will be on hiatus for two weeks
As is customary at Eastertime, Congress will be in recess for the next two weeks. Last Week In Congress will return in mid-April.
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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