Good morning! Here’s how Cascadia’s Members of Congress voted on major issues during the legislative week ending December 8th, 2023.
NEW JERSEY TRANSIT OPTIONS: The House on December 5th passed the One Seat Ride Act (H.R. 1547), sponsored by Representative Thomas H. Kean, R‑N.J., to require the Transportation Department to study commuter rail services, including an analysis of the costs and benefits of establishing single-seat trips on the New Jersey Transit Raritan Valley line that don’t require a transfer.
Keane said that currently, New Jersey residents commuting to and from Manhattan by using multiple rail lines “are regularly frustrated with unnecessary delays mainly due to the aged infrastructure, often making weekly commutes hours longer than they need to be.” The vote was 356 yeas to 61 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 (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
PAYMENTS TO HOMELESS VETERANS: The House on December 5th passed the Housing our Military Veterans Effectively Act (H.R. 3848), sponsored by Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R‑Oregon, to authorize the Veterans Affairs Department to provide added funding for homeless military veterans to receive housing and supportive services and products. Chavez-DeRemer said with the bill, “we can empower our nation’s heroes and ensure they all have a place to call home.” The vote was 408 yeas to 10 nays.
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
CHANGING VETERANS CAREGIVER PROGRAMS: The House on December 5th passed the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act (H.R. 542), sponsored by Representative Julia Brownley, D‑California, to make various changes to Veterans Affairs Department home and community care programs for disabled and elderly veterans, including increased funding for alternatives to nursing home care, and higher payments to caregivers. Brownley said: “The bill will significantly expand access to the programs disabled and aging veterans need to live their lives at home and with their families.” The vote was 414 yeas to 5 nays.
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
CONDEMNING ANTI-SEMITISM AND REPUDIATING ANTI-ZIONISM: The House on December 5th passed a resolution (H. Res. 894), sponsored by Representative David Kustoff, R‑Tennessee, strongly condemning and denouncing the drastic rise of anti-Semitism in the United States and abroad, and stating that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism.
Kustoff said “it is absolutely important that we send a clear and firm message to the world that the United States House of Representatives stands shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish community here in the United States and abroad.”
An opponent, Representative Jerrold Nadler, D‑New York, called the resolution “another attempt in a long series of veiled efforts by the GOP to weaponize Jewish lives for political gains.”
The vote was 311 yeas to 14 nays, with 92 voting present.
Voting Yea (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson | |
Voting Yea (2): Republican Representatives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer Voting Present (4): Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Earl Blumenauer, and Andrea Salinas; | |
Voting Yea (6): Democratic Representatives Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Derek Kilmer, Kim Schrier, and Adam Smith; Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers Voting Present (3): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Marilyn Strickland Voting Nay (1): Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal |
Cascadia total: 10 yea votes, 7 present votes, 1 nay vote
REQUIRING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO REPORT FOREIGN GIFTS: The House on December 6th passed the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act (H.R. 5933), sponsored by Representative Michelle Steel, R‑California, to require colleges and universities to inform the Education Department when they receive gifts from countries deemed to be of concern, including Russia and China, and adopt other measures restricting contracts and gifts with foreign sources generally.
Steel said the bill, by imposing stricter reporting requirements, paired with fines for noncompliance, took “meaningful steps to protect our students, research, and national security.” An opponent, Representative Bobby Scott, D‑Virginia, said the reporting requirements were “excessive and burdensome — to say nothing about the potential discriminatory effect — and would disincentivize universities from conducting critical research using collaborative partners from around the world.”
The vote was 246 yeas to 170 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 (4): Democratic Representatives Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Kim Schrier; Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers Voting Nay (6): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland |
Cascadia total: 8 yea votes, 10 nay votes
DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT FOR FOREIGN DONORS TO HIGHER EDUCATION: The House on December 6th passed an amendment sponsored by Representative Marcus J. Molinaro, R‑N.Y., to the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act (H.R. 5933, above). The amendment would require foreign entities contributing to U.S. colleges and universities to disclose any ties to a terrorist organization, such as Hamas and al-Qaeda.
Molinaro said the amendment was needed “in light of the disgustingly callous and vile pro-Hamas demonstration seen on college campuses across the country” recently. An opponent, Representative Bobby Scott, D‑Virgina, said: “It is hard to imagine how a college could always know exactly who has an affiliation with what” group designated as terrorist by the government.
The vote was 372 yeas to 39 nays.
Voting Yea (2): Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson | |
Voting Yea (5): Republican Representatives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer; Democratic Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, and Andrea Salinas Voting Nay (1): Democratic Representative Earl Blumenauer | |
Voting Yea (9): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Derek Kilmer, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland; Republican Representatives Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers Voting Nay (1): Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal |
Cascadia total: 16 yea votes, 2 nay votes
BARRING EPA FROM EFFORTS TO REQUIRE CLEAN VEHICLES: The House on December 6th passed the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act (H.R. 4468), sponsored by Representative Tim Walberg, R‑Michigan, to bar the Environmental Protection Agency from finalizing a proposed rule restricting emissions from passenger vehicles made from 2027 onward.
Walberg called the rule an electric vehicle mandate that was both breathtaking federal regulation of the auto industry and “unaffordable, unattainable, and unrealistic for American consumers.”
An opponent, Representative Haley M. Stevens, D‑Michigan, called the bill “dangerous legislation, particularly because the EPA serves as a critical partner to our automakers during this very transformative time” of transitioning away from internal combustion engines. The vote was 221 yeas to 197 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 (7): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, arie Gluesenkamp Perez, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland |
Cascadia total: 6 yea votes, 12 nay votes
CENSURING REPRESENTATIVE BOWMAN: The House on December 7th passed a resolution (H. Res. 914), sponsored by Representative Lisa C. McClain, R‑Michigan, to censure Representative Jamaal Bowman, D‑New York, for pulling a fire alarm in the Capitol building in late September and thereby disrupting a House vote, and violating Washington, D.C., law as well.
McClain said: “As conviction demonstrates, Representative Bowman sought to cause panic to delay official proceedings of this House.”
Bowman said: “The legal process on this matter has played out. In no way did I obstruct official proceedings.”
The vote was 214 yeas to 191 nays, with 5 voting present.
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): Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez; Republican Representative Dan Newhouse Voting Nay (7): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland Not Voting (1): Republican Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 6 yea votes, 11 nay votes, 1 not voting
VOIDING REVISED STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS PLAN: The House on December 7th passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 88), sponsored by Representative Lisa C. McClain, R‑Michigan, to disapprove of and void an Education Department rule issued this summer that created an income-based plan, Saving on a Valuable Education, for repaying higher education loans.
McClain said the rule is “the most expensive regulation in our nation’s history and is a backdoor attempt to ram the administration’s socialist free college fantasy down the throats of hardworking taxpayers.” An opponent, Representative Bobby Scott, D‑Virginia, said: “House Republicans are trying to saddle millions of Americans and future borrowers with more debt by repealing the SAVE Plan.”
The vote was 210 yeas to 189 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): Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez; Republican Representative Dan Newhouse Voting Nay (7): Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland Not Voting (1): Republican Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Cascadia total: 6 yea votes, 11 nay votes, 1 not voting
In the United States Senate
IRMA CARRILLO RAMIREZ, U.S. APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate on December 4th confirmed the nomination of Irma Carrillo Ramirez to be a judge on the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ramirez has been a U.S. district court judge in north Texas for two decades, after having been an assistant U.S. attorney in Dallas for 7 years. The vote was 80 yeas to 12 nays.
Voting Nay (1): Republican Senator Mike Crapo Not Voting (1): Republican Senator Jim Risch | |
Voting Yea (2): | |
Voting Yea (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 yea votes, 1 nay vote, 1 not voting
LOREN K. ALIKHAN, U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: The Senate on December 5th confirmed the nomination of Loren L. AliKhan to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C. AliKhan has been a judge on the D.C. Court of Appeals for just under 2 years; previously, she was the District’s solicitor general, a private practice lawyer in the District, and a Justice Department lawyer. The vote was 50 yeas to 50 nays, with Vice President Harris casting a 51st yea vote.
Voting Nay (2): | |
Voting Yea (2): | |
Voting Yea (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 yea votes, 2 nay votes
NATHALIE RAYES, AMBASSADOR TO CROATIA: The Senate on December 6th confirmed the nomination of Nathalie Rayes to be the U.S. ambassador to Croatia. Rayes has been a senior official at numerous Hispanic groups, and is currently a board member on the U.S. Institute of Peace.
The vote was 53 yeas to 47 nays.
Voting Nay (2): | |
Voting Yea (2): | |
Voting Yea (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 yea votes, 2 nay votes
REJECTING MOTION TO CONSIDER SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS: The Senate on December 6th rejected a motion to invoke cloture and proceed to a bill (H.R. 815) that would provide supplemental appropriations for federal government spending, including further aid to Ukraine for its war with Russia. A supporter, Senator Dick Durbin, D‑Illinois, said the bill offered “critical military assistance to keep Ukraine from falling to Russian tyranny.”
An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R‑Kentucky, said it “fails to address America’s top national security priorities in a serious way,” including the lack of measures to secure the border with Mexico.
The vote to proceed was 49 yeas to 51 nays.
Voting Nay (2): | |
Voting Yea (2): | |
Voting Yea (2): |
Cascadia total: 4 yea votes, 2 nay votes
INTERVENTION IN SYRIA: The Senate on December 7th rejected a motion to discharge from committee a resolution (S.J. Res. 51), sponsored by Senator Rand Paul, R‑Kentucky, to order the removal from Syria of U.S. soldiers absent Congressional authorization for their presence there. Paul said the War Powers Act required a vote in Congress “on whether or not troops should be put into harm’s way or into a conflict without the approval of this body.”
The vote to discharge was 13 yeas to 84 nays.
Voting Nay (2): | |
Voting Nay (2): | |
Voting Yea (2): |
Cascadia total: 2 yea votes, 4 nay votes
ADDITIONAL VOTES BY VOICE: The Senate also confirmed several hundred senior officer nominations in the military’s various branches.
Key votes ahead
The House will consider the Airport and Airway Extension Act (H.R. 6503), legislation to extend authorization for several FAA programs, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 1147), and join the Senate in giving final consideration to the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2670).
The Senate will work on judicial nominations in addition to the NDAA.
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