Good morning! Here’s how Cascadia’s Members of Congress voted on major issues during the legislative week ending February 10th, 2023.
In the United States House of Representatives
ENERGY AND INFORMATION NETWORKS: The House on February 6th passed the Energy Cybersecurity University Leadership Act (H.R. 302), sponsored by Representative Deborah K. Ross, D‑North Carolina, to have the Energy Department establish an Energy Cybersecurity University Leadership Program for funding research into energy infrastructure and cybersecurity by graduate students and post-doctorate researchers.
Ross said the program “will confront growing cyber threats against our country’s critical energy infrastructure by making real investments in a strong and diverse workforce that is ready to meet the challenges we face.”
The vote was 357 yeas to 56 nays.
 | Voting Yea (1): Republican Representative Mike Simpson Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Russ Fulcher |
 | Voting Yea (6): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Earl Blumenauer, and Andrea Salinas; Republican Representatives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer |
 | Voting Yea (9): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers Not Voting (1): Democratic Representative Derek Kilmer |
Cascadia total: 16 yea votes, 1 nay vote, 1 not voting
ENDING COVID-19 VACCINE REQUIREMENT FOR FOREIGN VISITORS: The House on February 8th passed a bill (H.R. 185), sponsored by Representative Thomas Massie, R‑Kentucky, to end the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement for foreigners visiting the U.S. by air. (The requirement does not apply to returning U.S. citizens.) Massie referenced the “tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of people who have been separated at our border because of this ridiculous, illogical, unscientific policy.”
A bill opponent, Representative Frank Pallone Jr., D‑New Jersey, said if the mandate ended, “I would be very concerned about people coming from places like Russia, China, and Cuba not being vaccinated because of the lack of attention to public health in those countries.” The vote was 227 yeas to 201 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
IMPACT OF COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATE: The House on February 8th approved an amendment sponsored by Representative Lauren Boebert, R‑Colorado, to a bill (H.R. 185, above) that would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to send both chambers of Congress a report on the number of foreigners denied entry to the U.S. because of the CDC’s COVID vaccine requirement for foreign tourists.
Boebert said the report would require the CDC to account for those “who have felt the negative ramifications of this rule. It will also provide transparency and allow congressional oversight of the consequences of this vaccine mandate.”
An opponent, Representative Frank Pallone Jr., D‑New Jersey, said the requirement was a public health measure, therefore the proposed report was irrelevant. The vote was 253 yeas to 168 nays.
| Voting Yea (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
| Voting Yea (3): Republican Representatives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer; Democratic Representative Andrea Salinas Voting Nay (3): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, and Val Hoyle |
| Voting Yea (4): Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers; Democratic Representatives Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Kim Schrier Voting Nay (6): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland |
Cascadia total: 9 yea votes, 9 nay votes
COVID TESTING AND CHINA: The House on February 8th approved an amendment sponsored by Representative John W. Rose, R‑Tennesee, to a bill (H.R. 185, above) that would state that it does not impact a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rule requiring visitors to the U.S. from China to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test or recent recovery from COVID-19.
Rose said: “We cannot fall asleep at the wheel when it comes to protecting our nation, its people, and our safety with respect to the adversarial and all-too-often nefarious actions and intentions of the People’s Republic of China.”
The vote was 426 yeas to 8 nays.
| Voting Yea (1): Republican Representative Russ Fulcher Voting Nay (1): Republican Representative Mike Simpson |
| Voting Yea (6): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Earl Blumenauer, and Andrea Salinas; Republican Representatives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer |
| Voting Yea (10): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 17 yea votes, 1 nay vote
DENOUNCING CHINA’S BALLOON SURVEILLANCE: The House on February 9th passed a resolution (H. Res. 104), sponsored by Representative Michael T. McCaul, R‑Texas, to condemn China for sending a high-altitude surveillance balloon across the U.S. last week as a violation of U.S. sovereignty. McCaul said the resolution “sends a clear, bipartisan signal to the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] and our adversaries around the world that this action will not be tolerated.”
The vote was unanimous with 419 yeas.
| Voting Yea (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
| Voting Yea (6): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Earl Blumenauer, and Andrea Salinas; Republican Representatives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer |
| Voting Yea (10): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 18 yea votes
VOIDING D.C. VOTING LAW: The House on February 9th passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 24), sponsored by Representative James Comer, R‑Kentucky, to disapprove of and void a District of Columbia city law adopted by its council allowing non-citizens living in the District to vote in local elections.
A supporter, Representative Nicholas A. Langworthy, R‑New York, said “D.C.‘s new law potentially allows foreign agents from China, Russia, and other adversaries to participate in local elections held within this nation’s capital city.”
A resolution opponent, Representative Jamie Raskin, D‑Maryland, said it “violates the principle of local, democratic self-government, which is at the heart of the home rule charter for Washington, D.C., and also violates the equal protection and democratic principles that animate our Constitution.”
The vote was 260 yeas to 162 nays.
| Voting Yea (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
| Voting Yea (3): Republican Representatives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer; Democratic Representative Andrea Salinas Voting Nay (3): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, and Val Hoyle |
| Voting Yea (6): Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers; Democratic Representatives Rick Larsen, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Derek Kilmer, and Kim Schrier Voting Nay (4): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Pramila Jayapal, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland |
Cascadia total: 11 yea votes, 7 nay votes
VOIDING D.C. CRIMINAL CODE CHANGE: The House on February 9th passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 26), sponsored by Representative Andrew S. Clyde, R‑Ga., to disapprove of and void a Washington, D.C., Council law that made various changes to the District’s criminal laws, including reducing punishments and expanding the right to a jury trial for misdemeanor cases. Clyde said the law, by “eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for all crimes except first-degree murder, eliminating life sentences, and reducing maximum penalties for violent crimes including burglary, carjacking, and robberies will undoubtedly embolden criminals and threaten the safety of both residents and visitors.”
A resolution opponent, Representative Jamie Raskin, D‑Maryland, said Congress “should leave democratic self-government and local self-government of Washington to the people of Washington, D.C.”
The vote was 250 yeas to 173 nays.
| Voting Yea (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson |
| Voting Yea (3): Republican Representatives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer; Democratic Representative Andrea Salinas Voting Nay (3): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, and Val Hoyle |
| Voting Yea (5): Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers; Democratic Representatives Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Derek Kilmer, and Kim Schrier Voting Nay (5): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Pramila Jayapal, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland |
Cascadia total: 10 yea votes, 8 nay votes
In the United States Senate
DEANDREA GIST BENJAMIN, APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate on February 9th confirmed the nomination of DeAndrea Gist Benjamin to be a judge on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Benjamin was a private practice lawyer with her own law firm in Columbia, South Carolina, from 2001 to 2011, and since 2011 has been a circuit court judge in the state.
The vote was 53 yeas to 44 nays.
| Voting Nay (2): |
| Voting Yea (2): |
| Voting Yea (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 yea votes, 2 nay votes
Key votes ahead
The House is in recess and no votes are expected next week.
The Senate plans to consider the nomination of Cindy K. Chung, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, and the nomination of Gina R. Mendez-Miro to be United States District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico.
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