NPI's Cascadia Advocate

Offering commentary and analysis from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, The Cascadia Advocate provides the Northwest Progressive Institute's uplifting perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Sunday, January 15th, 2023

Last Week In Congress: How Cascadia’s U.S. lawmakers voted (January 9th-13th)

Good morn­ing! Here’s how Cascadia’s U.S. Rep­re­sen­ta­tives vot­ed on major issues dur­ing the leg­isla­tive week end­ing Jan­u­ary 13th, 2023.

The Sen­ate was in recess.

In the United States House of Representatives

Chamber of the United States House of Representatives

The House cham­ber (U.S. Con­gress photo)

HOUSE RULES FOR THE 118TH CONGRESS: The House on Jan­u­ary 9th passed a res­o­lu­tion (H. Res. 5), spon­sored by Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Steve Scalise, R‑Louisiana, to adopt a set of rules gov­ern­ing the House in the 118th Congress.

The rules include end­ing proxy vot­ing for rep­re­sen­ta­tives, time require­ments for leg­is­la­tion to be con­sid­ered before com­ing to a floor vote, and mea­sures to cut spend­ing. Scalise said of the desir­abil­i­ty of a new rules pack­age: “The way that this House has been run­ning for the last few years has not been designed to address the prob­lems of the peo­ple across this country.”

An oppo­nent, Rep­re­sen­ta­tive James P. McGov­ern, D‑Massachusetts, called the rules an attempt “to gut the Office of Con­gres­sion­al Ethics, attack wom­en’s access to abor­tion, make it eas­i­er for big oil com­pa­nies to pol­lute, and inter­fere in ongo­ing crim­i­nal inves­ti­ga­tions into Pres­i­dent Trump.”

The vote was 220 yeas to 213 nays.

The State of Idaho

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson

The State of Oregon

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer

Vot­ing Nay (4):  Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Suzanne Bonam­i­ci, Earl Blu­me­nauer, Val Hoyle, and Andrea Salinas

The State of Washington

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Dan New­house and Cathy McMor­ris Rodgers

Vot­ing Nay (8): Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Suzan Del­Bene, Rick Larsen, Marie Glue­senkamp Perez, Derek Kilmer, Prami­la Jaya­pal, Kim Schri­er, Adam Smith, and Mar­i­lyn Strickland

Cas­ca­dia total: 6 yea votes, 12 nay votes

SLASHING IRS FUNDING AND HELPING WEALTHY TAX CHEATS: The House on Jan­u­ary 9th passed the Repub­li­can-named Fam­i­ly and Small Busi­ness Tax­pay­er Pro­tec­tion Act (H.R. 23), spon­sored by Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Adri­an Smith, R‑Nebraska, to can­cel addi­tion­al fund­ing for the Inter­nal Rev­enue Ser­vice (IRS) that was includ­ed in last year’s Infla­tion Reduc­tion Act signed by Pres­i­dent Biden.

Smith called the IRS “an out-of-con­trol agency that is per­haps most in need of reform” rather than expand­ed fund­ing to con­duct more audits of mid­dle-class fam­i­lies. An oppo­nent, Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Richard E. Neal, D‑Massachusetts, said the cut, by decreas­ing tax col­lec­tions from the wealthy, “is bad for mid­dle-class fam­i­lies, it is bad for small busi­ness­es, who are then asked to pay more when the peo­ple at the top don’t pay their fair share.” Sen­ate Major­i­ty Leader Chuck Schumer declared the bill would be dead on arrival in the oth­er chamber.

The vote was 221 yeas to 210 nays.

The State of Idaho

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson

The State of Oregon

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer

Vot­ing Nay (4):  Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Suzanne Bonam­i­ci, Earl Blu­me­nauer, Val Hoyle, and Andrea Salinas

The State of Washington

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Dan New­house and Cathy McMor­ris Rodgers

Vot­ing Nay (8): Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Suzan Del­Bene, Rick Larsen, Marie Glue­senkamp Perez, Derek Kilmer, Prami­la Jaya­pal, Kim Schri­er, Adam Smith, and Mar­i­lyn Strickland

Cas­ca­dia total: 6 yea votes, 12 nay votes

FORMING A SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMPETITION WITH CHINA: The House on Jan­u­ary 10th passed a res­o­lu­tion (H. Res. 11), spon­sored by House Speak­er Kevin McCarthy, R‑California, to cre­ate a House Select Com­mit­tee on the Strate­gic Com­pe­ti­tion Between the Unit­ed States and the Chi­nese Com­mu­nist Party.

The select com­mit­tee would inves­ti­gate tech­no­log­i­cal and mil­i­tary com­pe­ti­tion with Chi­na, and offer pol­i­cy rec­om­men­da­tions on the matter.

McCarthy called the threat posed by Chi­na “an issue that tran­scends our polit­i­cal par­ties, and cre­at­ing the select com­mit­tee on Chi­na is our best avenue for address­ing it.” An oppo­nent, Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Hank John­son, D‑Georgia, said he feared the com­mit­tee would be “a plat­form to unleash anti-Asian hate and divi­sion.” The vote was 365 yeas to 65 nays.

The State of Idaho

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson

The State of Oregon

Vot­ing Yea (5): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRe­mer; Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Earl Blu­me­naue, Val Hoyle, and Andrea Salinas

Vot­ing Nay (1): Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Suzanne Bonamici

The State of Washington

Vot­ing Yea (9): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Dan New­house and Cathy McMor­ris Rodgers; Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Suzan Del­Bene, Rick Larsen, Marie Glue­senkamp Perez, Derek Kilmer, Kim Schri­er, Adam Smith, and Mar­i­lyn Strickland

Vot­ing Nay (1): Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Prami­la Jayapal

Cas­ca­dia total: 16 yea votes, 2 nay votes

FORMING A SELECT COMMITTEE TO ADVANCE HOUSE REPUBLICANS’ AGENDA: The House on Jan­u­ary 10th passed a res­o­lu­tion (H. Res. 12), spon­sored by Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Jim Jor­dan, R‑Ohio, to cre­ate a Select Sub­com­mit­tee on the Weaponiza­tion of the Fed­er­al Gov­ern­ment on the House Judi­cia­ry Com­mit­tee. The sub­com­mit­tee would inves­ti­gate the col­lec­tion of and use of infor­ma­tion on cit­i­zens by the CIA, FBI, and oth­er exec­u­tive branch agencies.

Jor­dan said the sub­com­mit­tee’s goal would be to “respect the First Amend­ment” and the right to free speech and protest and prac­tice religion.

An oppo­nent, Rep­re­sen­ta­tive James P. McGov­ern, D‑Massachusetts, called it “a deranged ploy by the MAGA extrem­ists who have hijacked the Repub­li­can Par­ty and now want to use tax­pay­er mon­ey to push their far-right con­spir­a­cy non­sense.” The vote was 221 yeas to 211 nays.

The State of Idaho

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson

The State of Oregon

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer

Vot­ing Nay (4):  Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Suzanne Bonam­i­ci, Earl Blu­me­nauer, Val Hoyle, and Andrea Salinas

The State of Washington

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Dan New­house and Cathy McMor­ris Rodgers

Vot­ing Nay (8): Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Suzan Del­Bene, Rick Larsen, Marie Glue­senkamp Perez, Derek Kilmer, Prami­la Jaya­pal, Kim Schri­er, Adam Smith, and Mar­i­lyn Strickland

Cas­ca­dia total: 6 yea votes, 12 nay votes

CRIMINALIZING ABORTION CARE: The House has passed the Repub­li­can-named “Born-Alive Abor­tion Sur­vivors Pro­tec­tion Act” (H.R. 26), spon­sored by Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Ann Wag­n­er, R‑Missouri, to require health­care work­ers to attempt to pre­serve the life of an infant who has sur­vived an attempt­ed abortion.

Wag­n­er said the require­ment was need­ed “to ensure that every sin­gle baby born in the Unit­ed States receives life­sav­ing med­ical care at their most vul­ner­a­ble moment.” An oppo­nent, Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Hakeem Jef­fries, D‑New York, the Demo­c­ra­t­ic Leader, called the bill part of a Repub­li­can effort “to crim­i­nal­ize abor­tion care, to impose a nation­wide ban, to set into motion gov­ern­ment-man­dat­ed preg­nan­cies.” The vote was 220 yeas to 210 nays.

The State of Idaho

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson

The State of Oregon

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer

Vot­ing Nay (4):  Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Suzanne Bonam­i­ci, Earl Blu­me­nauer, Val Hoyle, and Andrea Salinas

The State of Washington

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Dan New­house and Cathy McMor­ris Rodgers

Vot­ing Nay (8): Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Suzan Del­Bene, Rick Larsen, Marie Glue­senkamp Perez, Derek Kilmer, Prami­la Jaya­pal, Kim Schri­er, Adam Smith, and Mar­i­lyn Strickland

Cas­ca­dia total: 6 yea votes, 12 nay votes

CONDEMNING ATTACKS ON ANTIABORTION GROUPS AND FACILITIES: The House on Jan­u­ary 11th passed a res­o­lu­tion (H. Con. Res. 3), spon­sored by Rep. Mike John­son, R‑Louisiana, to con­demn recent attacks on anti-abor­tion groups and facil­i­ties and ask the Biden admin­is­tra­tion to deploy law enforce­ment agen­cies to com­bat such attacks.

John­son said: “We con­demn vio­lence, prop­er­ty dam­age, threats, and intim­i­da­tion tac­tics, and these clear vio­la­tions of fed­er­al and state laws must be prosecuted.”

An oppo­nent, Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Jer­rold Nadler, D‑N.Y., said the res­o­lu­tion is “a par­ti­san polit­i­cal ploy designed to advance an extreme anti-abor­tion agen­da and is not a seri­ous effort to con­demn polit­i­cal violence.”

The vote was 222 yeas to 209 nays.

The State of Idaho

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson

The State of Oregon

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer

Vot­ing Nay (4):  Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Suzanne Bonam­i­ci, Earl Blu­me­nauer, Val Hoyle, and Andrea Salinas

The State of Washington

Vot­ing Yea (3): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Dan New­house and Cathy McMor­ris Rodgers; Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Marie Glue­senkamp Perez

Vot­ing Nay (7): Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Suzan Del­Bene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Prami­la Jaya­pal, Kim Schri­er, Adam Smith, and Mar­i­lyn Strickland

Cas­ca­dia total: 7 yea votes, 11 nay votes

BARRING STRATEGIC RESERVE OIL FROM BEING SOLD TO CHINA: The House on Jan­u­ary 12th passed the Pro­tect­ing Amer­i­c­as Strate­gic Petro­le­um Reserve from Chi­na Act (H.R. 22), spon­sored by Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Cathy McMor­ris Rodgers, R‑Washington, to bar the Ener­gy Depart­ment from sell­ing crude oil stored in the Strate­gic Petro­le­um Reserve to China.

Rodgers said: “Drain­ing our strate­gic reserves for polit­i­cal pur­pos­es and sell­ing por­tions of it to Chi­na is a sig­nif­i­cant threat to our nation­al security.”

An oppo­nent, Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Frank Pal­lone Jr., D‑New Jer­sey., fault­ed the bill for not also block­ing petro­le­um reserve oil sales to Rus­sia, North Korea, and oth­er adver­saries of the U.S. The vote was 331 yeas to 97 nays.

The State of Idaho

Vot­ing Yea (2): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson

The State of Oregon

Vot­ing Yea (4): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRe­mer; Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Val Hoyle and Andrea Salinas

Vot­ing Nay (2):  Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Suzanne Bonam­i­ci and Earl Blumenauer

The State of Washington

Vot­ing Yea (6): Repub­li­can Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Dan New­house and Cathy McMor­ris Rodgers; Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Marie Glue­senkamp Perez, Derek Kilmer, Rick Larsen, and Kim Schrier

Vot­ing Nay (4): Demo­c­ra­t­ic Rep­re­sen­ta­tives Suzan Del­Bene, Prami­la Jaya­pal, Adam Smith, and Mar­i­lyn Strickland

Cas­ca­dia total: 12 yea votes, 6 nay votes

LWIC will be on hiatus next weekend

The House has joined the Sen­ate in recess and no votes are expect­ed next week. The House is expect­ed to recon­vene for votes on Jan­u­ary 24th, 2023.

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. 

Adjacent posts

  • 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.

    Become an NPI mem­ber Make a one-time donation

  • NPI’s essential research and advocacy is sponsored by: