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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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