By Targeted News Service
Along with late week’s roll call votes, the U.S. Senate also passed by voice vote HR 6256, a bill to ensure that goods made with forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China do not enter the United States market. Also by voice vote, the Senate passed the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act (HR 3537), directing the Health and Human Services Department to support research on, and expanded access to, investigational drugs for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week (Dec. 10-16):
House votes
The House has passed a resolution (H Res. 851) sponsored by Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) to find Mark Meadows, President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, in contempt of Congress for not complying with a subpoena from the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Thompson said: “This is about Mr. Meadows refusing to comply with a subpoena to discuss the records he himself turned over. Now he is hiding behind excuses.” An opponent, Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said the select committee had no legal authority because it had failed to meet the House charter that required it to have 13 members rather than its actual nine. The vote passed on Dec. 14, 222-208.
Derek Kilmer (D-WA, Sixth) Yes
Combating International Islamophobia Act (HR 5665) — Sponsored by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) this legislation establishes the Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia at the State Department. Omar said: “Islamophobia is global in scope and we must lead the global effort to address it.” An opponent, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), said, “This legislation is dangerously vague and unnecessarily duplicative. It doesn’t frame things in terms of anti-Muslim persecution.” The vote passed on Dec. 14, 219-212.
Kilmer Yes
The House has passed a resolution (SJ Res. 33) sponsored by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to increase the federal government’s debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion. A supporter, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), said the increase was needed to “preserve the sanctity of the full faith and credit of the United States, protect American jobs and businesses of all sizes, and ensure the continued growth of the economy.” An opponent, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), said the increase was “about making room for new wasteful spending, trillions that will pour more fuel on the inflation fire that marks Joe Biden’s presidency, the highest rate in decades.” The vote passed on Dec. 15, 221-209.
Kilmer Yes
Senate votes
The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Lucy Koh to serve as a judge on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Koh, currently a federal district judge for northern California, was previously a private practice attorney and a federal prosecutor. A supporter, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), said Koh “is well known, not only in her district but across the country as talented, thoughtful, smart, and fair.” An opponent, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), criticized the White House for failing to afford him the chance to meet with Koh to evaluate her before the confirmation vote, and said Koh lacked familiarity with the unique laws that apply to Alaska’s native tribes. The vote, on Dec. 13, was 50 yeas to 45 nays.
Maria Cantwell (D-WA) Yes
Patty Murray (D-WA) Yes
The Senate has passed a resolution (SJ Res. 33) sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (-N.Y.) to increase the federal government’s debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion. Schumer said the increase was needed to prevent default on the debt. An opponent, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), said the increase was excessive and, by requiring only a bare majority rather than a 60-vote majority, would damage the Senate’s use of the filibuster going forward. The vote passed on Dec. 15, 50-49.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
National Defense Authorization Act (S 1605) — Sponsored by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), this legislation authorizes fiscal 2022 spending on the military, military construction projects, and military-related programs at the Energy Department. A supporter, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), said the bill “authorizes significant increases in military construction projects, modernizing our nuclear triad and missile defense systems, and investing in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, microelectronics, advanced materials, 5G, and biotechnology.” The vote passed on Dec. 15, 88-11.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Jennifer Sung to serve as a judge on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Since 2007, Sung has been a private practice lawyer specializing in labor law and workers’ rights. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), called Sung “a distinguished jurist who will bring a vital, and underrepresented, perspective to the federal bench.” The vote passed on Dec. 15, 50-49.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Samantha Elliott to serve as a judge on the U.S. district court for New Hampshire. Elliott has been a private practice lawyer since 2006, focusing on commercial and employment law. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), said: “With her deep knowledge of the state’s legal system and her evenhanded approach to the law, she will make an outstanding federal judge.” The vote passed on Dec. 15, 62-37.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Nicholas Burns to serve as the U.S. ambassador to China. Burns, a longtime diplomat in the State Department, has been an ambassador to NATO and to Greece. A supporter, Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho), said Burns “has done an outstanding job, has an outstanding reputation amongst the cadre of ambassadors,” and could handle a difficult assignment in China. The vote passed on Dec. 16, 75-18.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Ramin Toloui to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs. Toloui, currently an economics professor at Stanford University, was previously an investment manager at PIMCO and a Treasury Department official during the Obama administration. A supporter, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), said Toloui would help the government “reinvigorate the instruments of our economic diplomacy.” The vote passed on Dec. 16, 76-13.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Rashad Hussain to serve as the State Department’s Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. Hussain was a senior official in several roles during the Obama administration, including Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. A supporter, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), said: “Throughout his impressive public service, Mr. Hussain has demonstrated his strong commitment to protecting the rights of religious and ethnic minorities.” The vote passed on Dec. 16, 85-5.
Cantwell Yes
Murray Yes
