Good morning! Here’s how Cascadia’s Members of Congress voted on major issues during the legislative week ending Friday, July 29th, 2022.
In the United States House of Representatives

The House chamber (U.S. Congress photo)
ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN: The House on July 29th passed legislation (H.R. 1808) enacting a ban on military-grade assault weapons. Sponsored by Representative David Cicilline, D‑Rhode Island, the bill revives a ban originally passed in the 1990s that expired during the Bush years. It would make it a crime “to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD).”
“House Democrats are for People Over Politics,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “And [we] say to our friends in this body, and down the hall, and wherever they are, your political survival is insignificant compared to the survival of children who are at the mercy of these guns. We believe that every American deserves to live in a safe community, where they and their families can thrive.”
Five Democrats voted against the bill, while two Republicans voted for it.
The vote was 217 yeas to 213 nays.
![]() | Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
![]() | Voting Aye (3): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, and Peter DeFazio Voting Nay (2): Republican Representative Cliff Bentz and Democratic Representative Kurt Schrader |
![]() | 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: 10 aye votes, 7 nay votes
CHIPS AND SCIENCE ACT: The House on July 28th concurred in the Senate amendments to the CHIPS and Science Act (H.R. 4346).
The legislation would provide about $76 billion of various types of subsidies for domestic production of microchips, and another $204 billion of spending on scientific research and development programs. A supporter, Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, D‑Texas, called the bill “vital to ensuring a bold and prosperous future for American science and innovation, maintaining our international competitiveness, and bolstering our economic and national security.”
An opponent, Representative Frank Lucas, R‑Okla., cited moves to tie the bill to “a massive tax hike and spending spree,” amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars, in the budget reconciliation bill currently being negotiated.
The vote was 243 yeas to 187 nays.
![]() | 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
COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING: The House on July 26th passed the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act (H.R. 6552), sponsored by Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R‑New Jersey.
The bill would reauthorize, through fiscal 2026, a set of programs addressing human trafficking, and change some aspects of the programs.
Smith said of the need for the bill: “Every human life is of infinite value. We as lawmakers have a duty to protect the weakest and most vulnerable from harm.”
The vote was 401 yeas to 20 nays.
![]() | Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
![]() | 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
STUDYING PFAS CHEMICALS: The House on July 26th passed the Federal PFAS Research Evaluation Act (H.R. 7289), sponsored by Representative Lizzie Fletcher, D‑Texas. The bill would direct the National Academies to report to Congress on how to develop a federal government plan for researching impacts of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are unregulated chemicals used in a variety of products and thought to possibly cause serious health effects. The vote was 359 yeas to 62 nays.
![]() | Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
![]() | Voting Aye (5): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, and Peter DeFazio; Republican Representative Cliff Bentz Voting Nay (1): Democratic Representative Kurt Schrader |
![]() | 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
MODELING IN MATH EDUCATION: The House on July 26th passed the Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act (H.R. 3588), sponsored by Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D‑Pennsylvania, to provide $10 million of annual funding, through 2027, to the National Science Foundation for coordinating efforts to improve math education by using mathematical and statistical modeling.
Houlahan said the funding would “provide tangible critical thinking skills to the next generation that will enable them to succeed in the workplace and beyond.”
The vote was 323 yeas to 92 nays.
![]() | Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
![]() | 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
FUNDING RESEARCH TO STUDY THE LINK BETWEEN COVID AND BRAIN DAMAGE: The House on July 26th passed the Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Cognitive Research Act (H.R. 7180), sponsored by Representative Anthony Gonzalez, R‑Ohio, to authorize $10 million of National Science Foundation grants for research into the possibility that Covid impairs brain processes.
Gonzalez said: “Despite the significant progress made by researchers to improve our understanding of COVID-19, it remains unclear how the virus alters brain function, who is most at risk, and what can be done to quickly diagnose and treat impacted patients.” The vote, on July 26, was 350 yeas to 69 nays.
![]() | Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
![]() | 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: 15 aye votes, 2 nay votes
MEDICAL MARIJUANA RESEARCH: The House on July 26th passed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act (H.R. 8454), sponsored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D‑Oregon, to establish a new process at the Drug Enforcement Administration for overseeing research into medical marijuana and cannabidiol substances. Blumenauer said the process “would remove barriers for research into cannabis and facilitate access to an increased supply of cannabis for research purposes.” The vote was 325 yeas to 95 nays.
![]() | Voting Nay (2): Republican Representative Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher |
![]() | Voting Aye (5): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and Kurt Schrader Voting Nay (1): 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: 14 aye votes, 3 nay votes
BANK ACTIVITY REPORTS: The House on July 26th passed the Timely Delivery of Bank Secrecy Act Reports Act (H.R. 7734), sponsored by Rep. Maxine Waters, D‑Calif., to require the Treasury Department to deliver to Congressional staff, within 30 days, suspicious activity reports that relate to banks.
Waters called the requirement a needed response to Treasury’s recent refusal to allow staffers to copy the reports, which she said has left staff unable “to effectively capture and analyze needed information in such complex documents.”
An opponent, Representative John Rose, R‑Tenn., cited the hazard of the requirement increasing the number of people who can access hard copies of the reports, and therefore increasing leaks of a bank’s sensitive information.
The vote, on July 26, was 349 yeas to 70 nays.
![]() | Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
![]() | 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
AUTOWORKER PENSION BENEFITS: The House on July 27th passed the Susan Muffley Act (H.R. 6929), sponsored by Representative Daniel T. Kildee, D‑Michigan, to fully restore pension benefits for retired workers at the Delphi auto parts company who lost their benefits following the 2009 GM bankruptcy.
Kildee said the roughly 20,000 retirees were wrongly treated in the aftermath of the bankruptcy, and the federal government, through Congress, had “the responsibility to fix the mess that itself created” when it slashed benefits in 2009. An opponent, Representative Virginia Foxx, R‑North Carolina, said Delphi’s pension plans were already badly underfunded before the bankruptcy, and granting payments to the Delphi retirees could pressure Congress to act similarly to bail out other underfunded private pension plans.
The vote was 254 yeas to 175 nays.
![]() | Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
![]() | Voting Aye (3): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, and Peter DeFazio Voting Nay (2): Republican Representative Cliff Bentz and Democratic Representative Kurt Schrader |
![]() | 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: 10 aye votes, 7 nay votes
HEART HEALTH GRANTS: The House on July 27th passed the South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act (H.R. 3771), sponsored by Representative Pramila Jayapal, D‑Washington, to direct the Health and Human Services Department to create grant programs for funding work to resolve diabetes and cardiovascular health problems in the South Asian population.
Jayapal said the grants would not only “prevent deaths within the South Asian community, but we will also increase awareness and understanding of cardiovascular disease that will benefit the health and well-being of every American.”
An opponent, Representative Buddy Carter, R‑Georgia, said: “The ever-expanding portfolio of public health issues is simply not sustainable. We don’t need another duplicative public health prevention initiative that further erodes the CDC’s focus.”
The vote was 237 yeas to 192 nays.
![]() | 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 Jaime Herrera Beutler Voting Nay (2): Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 12 aye votes, 5 nay votes
TELEHEALTH AND MEDICARE: The House on July 27th passed the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act (H.R. 4040), sponsored by Representative Liz Cheney, R‑Wyoming, to extend through 2024 authorization for the expanded use of telehealth remote technologies under Medicare by patients and health care providers. Cheney said the extension “will expand freedom for patients by giving them more flexibility and more capability to use telehealth services.”
The vote was 416 yeas to 12 nays.
![]() | Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
![]() | 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
TWELVE-BILL PACKAGE: The House on July 27th passed a motion sponsored by Rep. Daniel T. Kildee, D‑Michigan, to pass twelve different bills at once, en bloc. Issues addressed by the bills included pediatric cancer research, safety standards for small batteries, and weather alert messaging systems.
The vote was 336 yeas to 90 nays.
![]() | 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
In the United States Senate

The Senate chamber (U.S. Congress photo)
CHIPS AND SCIENCE ACT: The Senate on July 27th passed an amendment sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D‑New York, to the CHIPS and Science Act (H.R. 4346, above).
The amendment would provide about $76 billion of various types of subsidies for domestic production of microchips, and another $204 billion of spending on scientific research and development programs.
Schumer said the amendment “is going to create good-paying jobs. It will alleviate supply chains; it will help lower costs; and it will protect America’s national security interests.”
An opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders, I‑Vermont, questioned whether microchip manufacturers needed the subsidies given that they “are making tens of billions of dollars in profit right now and paying the head of Intel some $170 million a year in compensation.” The vote was 64 yeas to 33 nays.
![]() | Voting Nay (2): |
![]() | Voting Aye (2): |
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Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
WATER IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS: The Senate on July 28th passed the Water Resources Development Act (H.R. 7776), sponsored by Representative Peter A. DeFazio, D‑Oregon, to authorize an array of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water management projects over the next two years.
A supporter, Senator Benjamin Cardin, D‑Maryland, said it “provides crucial authority for projects and guidance for the Army Corps of Engineers to engineer better solutions to our nation’s toughest water infrastructure supply and quality challenges.” The vote was 93 yeas to 1 nay.
![]() | Voting Aye (2): |
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Cascadia total: 6 aye votes
DAVID PRESSMAN, AMBASSADOR TO HUNGARY: The Senate on July 28th confirmed the nomination of David Pressman to be the U.S. ambassador to Hungary. Pressman, currently a partner at the Jenner & Block law firm, has been a national security and human rights official in various federal government agencies, including as ambassador to the United Nations for special political affairs. The vote was 61 yeas to 30 nays.
![]() | Voting Aye (2): |
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Cascadia total: 6 aye votes
Key votes ahead
The House of Representatives is scheduled to be in recess next week.
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the nomination of Elizabeth Wilson Hanes to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia. The Senate could also vote on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, depending on whether Majority Leader Chuck Schumer can secure commitments from the entirety of his caucus to support the bill he negotiated with Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Vice President Harris’ tiebreaking vote could also be needed to win passage.
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