Adjacent posts
Ideas for what to read next
Enjoyed what you just read? Make a donation
Thank you for reading The Cascadia Advocate, the Northwest Progressive Institute’s journal of world, national, and local politics.
Founded in March of 2004, The Cascadia Advocate has been helping people throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond make sense of current events with rigorous analysis and thought-provoking commentary for more than fifteen years. The Cascadia Advocate is funded by readers like you and trusted sponsors. We don’t run ads or publish content in exchange for money.
Help us keep The Cascadia Advocate editorially independent and freely available to all by becoming a member of the Northwest Progressive Institute today. Or make a donation to sustain our essential research and advocacy journalism.
Your contribution will allow us to continue bringing you features like Last Week In Congress, live coverage of events like Netroots Nation or the Democratic National Convention, and reviews of books and documentary films.
Sunday, August 7th, 2022
Last Week In Congress: How Cascadia’s U.S. lawmakers voted (August 1st-5th)
Good morning! Here’s how Cascadia’s Members of Congress voted on major issues on July 29th and during the legislative week ending August 5th, 2022.
In the United States House of Representatives (July 29th)
The House chamber (U.S. Congress photo)
The House was in recess last week, but before it recessed the week before, it took several votes that were not in last Sunday’s report.
These Friday, July 29th votes are shown below.
WILDFIRES AND WATER MANAGEMENT: The House on July 29th passed the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act (H.R. 5118), sponsored by Representative Joe Neguse, D‑Colorado, to authorize various water management projects and change federal wildlife programs, including increasing firefighter wages. Neguse called the bill “another major effort to act on climate by responding to record-setting wildfires and drought that are impacting communities across our country.” An opponent, Representative Bruce Westerman, R‑Arkansas, said it “does absolutely nothing to prevent wildfires or significantly improve our resiliency to drought.” The vote was 218 yeas to 199 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
REGULATING BIG CATS: The House on July 29th passed the Big Cat Public Safety Act (H.R. 263), sponsored by Representative Mike Quigley, D‑Illinois, to tighten federal restrictions on the trade and use of large feline species, such as lions, tigers, cheetahs, and mountain lions. Quigley said the stricter regulations were needed “to protect our neighborhoods from the threat of wild animals being held captive in dangerous conditions.” An opponent, Representative Doug LaMalfa, R‑Calif., said there were already adequate federal regulations for big cats, and the bill would also override state authority to legislate on the matter.
The vote was 278 yeas to 134 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
RESTORING COAL MINE SITES: The House on July 29th passed the Safeguarding Treatment for the Restoration of Ecosystems from Abandoned Mines Act (H.R. 7283), sponsored by Representative Matt Cartwright, D‑Pennsylvania, to allow states to reserve up to 30 percent of their federal grants for reclamation of abandoned coal mines to fund the treatment and abatement of drainage of acidic water from the mines. Cartwright said: “Cleaning up acid mine drainage always creates jobs, brings back recreation opportunities, boosts local economies, and makes communities healthier and stronger and much more attractive to visitors and new investments.” The vote was 391 yeas to 9 nays.
Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson
Voting Aye (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, and Kurt Schrader; Republican Representative Cliff Bentz
Not Voting (1): Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio
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 not voting
COMPUTING INFRASTRUCTURE REVIEWS: The House on July 29th passed a Republican bill (S. 3451), sponsored by Senator Bill Hagerty, R‑Tennessee, to speed regulatory reviews of computer and networking manufacturing infrastructure projects. A supporter, Representative Bruce Westerman, R‑Arkansas, said streamlined reviews would support a “robust domestic manufacturing sector for semiconductors and other high-tech applications.”
The vote was 303 yeas to 89 nays.
Voting Aye (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson
Voting Aye (2): Democratic Representative Kurt Schrader and Republican Representative Cliff Bentz
Voting Nay (2): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer
Not Voting (1): Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio
Voting Aye (8): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Kim Schrier, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Voting Nay (2): Democratic Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Adam Smith
Cascadia total: 12 aye votes, 4 nay votes, 1 not voting
In the United States Senate
The Senate chamber (U.S. Congress photo)
FINAL PASSAGE OF THE HONORING OUR PACT ACT: The Senate on August 2nd agreed to the House amendments to the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act (S. 3373), to increase medical benefits and treatments for military veterans who were exposed to toxins in Iraq and Afghanistan. A supporter, Senator Jon Tester, D‑Montana, said of the need for the bill: “The longer we delay, the longer we are going to deny healthcare for our veterans and veterans are going to continue to be in crisis and they are going to continue to die.”
An opponent, Senator Rand Paul, R‑Kentucky, questioned whether all the treatments provided under the bill were actually caused by a given veteran’s time in the military, and said it “would cost hundreds of billions of dollars at a time when the national debt is climbing over $30 trillion and inflation is at a 40-year high.”
The vote was 86 yeas to 11 nays.
Voting Nay (2):
Republican Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo
Voting Aye (1): Democratic Senator Ron Wyden
Not Voting (1): Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley
Voting Aye (2):
Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray
Cascadia total: 3 aye votes, 2 nay votes, 1 not voting
ADMITTING SWEDEN AND FINLAND TO NATO: The Senate on August 3rd agreed to a resolution to have the U.S. ratify the proposal for Finland and Sweden to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
A supporter of ratification, Senator Chris Van Hollen, D‑Maryland, said of the two Nordic countries: “Their membership at this moment is critical to countering Putin’s threats to global security — and especially to nearby, vulnerable nations.” The vote was 95 yeas to 1 nay.
Voting Aye (2):
Republican Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo
Voting Aye (1): Democratic Senator Ron Wyden
Not Voting (1): Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley
Voting Aye (2):
Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray
Cascadia total: 5 aye votes, 1 not voting
ELIZABETH HANES, U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: The Senate on August 2nd confirmed the nomination of Elizabeth Hanes to be a judge on the U.S. district court for the eastern district of Virginia. Hanes has been a magistrate judge in the district for two years, and previously was a private practice lawyer, and an assistant public defender in the district for seven years.
The vote was 59 yeas to 37 nays.
Voting Nay (2):
Republican Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo
Voting Aye (2):
Democratic Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley
Voting Aye (2):
Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray
Cascadia total: 4 aye votes, 2 nay votes
ATTEMPTING TO CANCEL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS: The Senate on August 4th passed a Republican joint resolution (S.J. Res. 55) sponsored by Senator Dan Sullivan, R‑Alaska, to disapprove of and cancel a Council on Environmental Quality rule, issued this April, changing procedures for the development of regulations issued under the National Environmental Policy Act.
The April rule expanded the allowable scope of such regulations by, for example, requiring regulators to consider the reasonably foreseeable indirect and cumulative effects of a given regulation. Sullivan said the rule “will clearly have the effect of slowing down the permitting of infrastructure, inviting endless litigation and putting people out of work.”
An opponent of canceling the rule, Senator Tom Carper, D‑Delaware, said it “would ensure that agencies conduct environmental review processes in a commonsense, holistic manner, one that neither sacrifices efficiency for environmental protection nor the other way around.”
The vote to cancel the rule was 50 yeas to 47 nays.
Voting Aye (2):
Republican Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo
Voting Nay (1): Democratic Senator Ron Wyden
Not Voting (1): Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley
Voting Nay (2):
Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray
Cascadia total: 2 aye votes, 3 nay votes, 1 not voting
ROOPALI DESAI, U.S. NINTH CIRCUIT APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate on August 4th confirmed the nomination of Roopali Desai to be a judge on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Desai has been a private practice lawyer in Phoenix, specializing in elections and voting law, since 2007.
The vote was 67 yeas to 29 nays.
Voting Aye (2):
Republican Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo
Voting Aye (1): Democratic Senator Ron Wyden
Not Voting (1): Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley
Voting Aye (2):
Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray
Cascadia total: 5 aye votes, 1 not voting
Key votes ahead
The Senate is currently working on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which was negotiated by Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Joe Manchin.
The Senate Democratic majority is using Congress’ reconciliation procedures to move the bill through the legislative process without Republican votes. It would lower healthcare costs for Americans and invest billions towards climate action. During an overnight “vote-a-rama” session, Republicans tried to attach poison pill amendments to bring the bill down, but those efforts have so far failed.
The House of Representatives is slated to return on Friday, August 12th to vote on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, presuming the Senate passes it today.
Editor’s Note: The information in NPI’s weekly How Cascadia’s U.S. lawmakers voted feature is provided by Targeted News Service. 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!
© 2022 Targeted News Service, LLC.
# Written by Targeted News Service :: 7:30 AM
Categories: Legislative Advocacy, Series & Special Reports
Tags: Last Week In Congress, U.S. House Roll Call Votes, U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes
Comments and pings are currently closed.