Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week (Dec. 3-9):
House votes
Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act (S. 610) — Sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) this bill’s provisions include a change in procedural rules to make it easier to approve an increase in the federal government’s debt ceiling, changes in Medicare’s conversion factor formula for payments to health care providers, and reducing the size of cuts to Medicare payments. A supporter, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), said: “This bill is about important and responsible measures to deliver for the American people.” An opponent, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), said it was a mistake to tie a debt ceiling increase to changes in Medicare policies. The vote passed on Dec. 7, 222-212.
Kilmer D-WA (D-WA, Sixth) Yes
National Defense Authorization Act (S 1605) — Sponsored by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), this bill authorizes fiscal 2022 spending on the military, military construction projects and military-related programs at the Energy Department. A supporter, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), said the bill “will adequately fund our defense needs and set clear priorities for our armed forces,” including a 2.7 percent pay increase for service members and spending on new ships and weapons systems. The vote passed on Dec. 7, 363-70.
Kilmer Yes
Ocean Shipping Reform Act (HR 4996) — Sponsored by Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), this bill would change the regulation of U.S. and foreign-flagged ocean shippers by the Federal Maritime Commission. Garamendi said: “This legislation would ensure reciprocal trade to help reduce the United States’ longstanding trade imbalance with export-driven countries like China.” The vote passed on Dec. 8, 364-60.
Kilmer Yes
Cattle Contract Library Act (HR 5609) — Sponsored by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), this legislation would require the Agriculture Department to develop a catalog of the various types of purchase contracts offered by packers to ranchers of beef cattle. Johnson said that with fewer cattle sales taking place on the open market, the catalog would help ranchers keep track of market changes and increase price transparency. The vote passed on Dec. 8, 411-13.
Kilmer Yes
National Forest Restoration and Remediation Act (HR 4489) — Sponsored by Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA), this bill requires the U.S. Forest Service to place the proceeds from enforcement settlements into interest-bearing accounts. Schrier said the bill “will ensure that when we hold bad actors accountable for negligent behavior, the Forest Service can fully use the fines and the interest to rehabilitate the land.” The vote passed on Dec. 8, 385-42.
Kilmer Yes
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (HR 1155) — Sponsored by Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Mass. this bill would bar importation into the U.S. of various goods produced in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region. McGovern said an import ban would “take a clear moral position to stand with those who are suffering from forced labor and not with the Chinese government.” The vote passed on Dec. 8, 428-1.
Kilmer Yes
The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 837) sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.), stating that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has failed to adhere to its own human rights commitments by failing to rebuke China for its mistreatment of tennis player and former Olympian Peng Shuai. Wexton said the IOC has been complicit in China’s cover-up of Peng’s allegations of sexual misconduct by a senior government official. The vote passed on Dec. 8, 428-0.
Kilmer Yes
Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act (HR 3537) — Sponsored by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), this bill would direct the Food and Drug Administration to issue grants in order to increase access to clinical drug trials for patients with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Quigley said that currently, most ALS patients cannot enroll in trials, and “for people with such an aggressive disease to have neither an effective FDA-approached treatment nor access to promising drugs is a tragedy.” The vote passed on Dec. 8, 423-3.
Kilmer Yes
Improving the Health of Children Act (HR 5551) — Sponsored by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), this legislation would authorize for five years the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. Carter said that with the Center’s previous authorization having ended in 2007, a re-authorization was needed to enhance its ability to improve the health of disabled children. The vote passed on Dec. 8, 405-20.
Kilmer Yes
Opioid Prescription Verification Act (HR 2355) — Sponsored by Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), this bill would require the Health and Human Services Department to, in its grant program and pharmacist training efforts, emphasize the prevention of opioid addiction and overdoses. Davis said the measures should reduce fraudulent opioid prescriptions and the resulting harm from illegal sales of opioids. The vote passed on Dec. 8, 410-15.
Kilmer Yes
Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act (HR 3531) — Sponsored by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, this bill would authorize the construction on federal government land in Washington, D.C., of a memorial to women who worked in war-related industries during World War II. Norton said: “The work done by women on the home front opened the doors for women in the workplace widely and has had a profound and lasting effect on the job market ever since.” The vote passed on Dec. 8, 425-1.
Kilmer Yes
Protecting Our Democracy Act (HR 5314) — Sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), this bill provisions include restrictions on presidential pardon powers, limits on presidential declarations of emergencies, various measures to increase oversight of the president, and measures to limit foreign interference in political campaigns for federal office. Schiff said the bill “will prevent presidential abuses of power, ensure the independence of our justice system, and reinforce the system of checks and balances.” An opponent, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), said: “This bill unconstitutionally disrupts the separation of powers among the branches of government by diminishing the executive branch and ignoring the judicial branch.” The vote passed on Dec. 9, 220-208.
Kilmer Yes
Senate votes
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Jessica Rosenworcel to serve as chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission for a five-year term ending in mid-2025. Rosenworcel has chaired the FCC since this January on an acting basis, and previously was an FCC commissioner. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), said Rosenworcel “has set herself apart as one of the nation’s leading champions for more affordable and accessible Internet.” The vote passed on Dec. 7, 68-31.
Maria Cantwell (D-WA) Yes
Patty Murray (D-WA) Yes
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Deirdre Hamilton to serve as a commissioner on the National Mediation Board for a term ending in mid-2022. The Board resolves employment and other disputes in the railroad and airline industries. Hamilton, a staff attorney at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union since 2014, was previously a staff attorney at the Association of Flight Attendants. The vote passed on Dec. 7, 52-48.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Chris Magnus to be commissioner of the Customs and Border Protection agency at the Homeland Security Department. Magnus, a longtime law enforcement officer, is currently the police chief for Tucson, Ariz. A supporter, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), said Magnus “has over 40 years of exemplary public service in communities that span across this country. He has a strong track record of collaborative leadership.” The vote passed on Dec. 7, 50-47.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SJ Res. 31) — The Senate has rejected a motion to discharge from the Senate a resolution sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), to disapprove of the potential sale of military weapons to Saudi Arabia. Paul said weapons exports have facilitated Saudi Arabia’s air and naval blockade of Yemen, with the resulting death of thousands of Yemenis for lack of food and medicine, “and continuing arms sales means continued death and destruction in Yemen.” An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), said blocking the exports “would give the world yet another reason to doubt the resolve of the United States, and it would give our biggest adversaries” more opportunity to influence the Middle East. The vote to discharge failed on Dec. 7, 30-67.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Rachael Rollins to serve as the U.S. attorney for the Massachusetts district. Rollins has been an attorney at various government agencies in Massachusetts since 2007. An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Rollins “has spent years in her current job as a DA (district attorney) pushing the idea that the state should wipe entire categories of crimes off the list of things worth prosecuting.” The vote on Dec. 8, was 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting a 51st yea vote.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Michael D. Smith to be the CEO of AmeriCorps. Smith is currently executive director of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance and the director of youth opportunity programs at the Obama Foundation. The vote passed on Dec. 8, 58-41.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
The Senate has passed a resolution (SJ Res. 29) sponsored by Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) that would disapprove of and void a Labor Department emergency rule for requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for employees at companies with 100 or more workers. Braun said: “Getting vaccinated should be a decision between an individual and his or her doctor. It shouldn’t be up to any politician.” An opponent, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), said: “There should be one message, and one message only, coming from this chamber to the American people: Get vaccinated. Get boosted. Stay safe yourself.” The vote passed on Dec. 8, 52-48.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act (S 610) — The Senate has concurred in the House amendment to this legislation sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). The amended bill would change procedural rules to make it easier to approve an increase in the federal government’s debt ceiling, make changes in Medicare’s conversion factor formula for payments to health care providers, and reduce the size of upcoming cuts to Medicare payments to the providers. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), said the debt ceiling change meant “no brinksmanship, no default on the debt, no risk of another recession.” An opponent, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said: “This debt ceiling increase is a blank check for the Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spending bill.” The vote passed on Dec. 9, 59-35.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
