The House remained in its August recess last week. Along with roll call votes, the Senate also agreed to a resolution (S. Res. 619), relative to the death of Sen. John McCain.
There were no key votes in the House this week.
SENATE VOTES
FAMILY SUPPORT OFFICIAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Lynn A. Johnson to serve as the assistant secretary for family support at the Department of Health and Human Services. Johnson has worked as an official in the federal courts and Colorado’s government, and as a consultant specializing in the juvenile justice system, mental health, developmental disabilities, child welfare and early childhood education. A supporter, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said that as the head of the agency that oversees the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Johnson would have “the daunting and critically important task of overseeing the ongoing reunification of hundreds of children and parents who were forcibly and cruelly separated by this administration at the southern border.” The vote, on Aug. 28, was 67 yeas to 28 nays.
YEAS: Susan Collins, R-Maine; Angus King, I-Maine
FEDERAL RESERVE OFFICIAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Richard Clarida to serve as vice chairman of the Federal Reserve’s board of governors for a four-year term. Clarida, a Columbia University economics professor for the past 30 years, has also, since 2006, been managing director and global strategic advisor at the PIMCO investment firm, and previously was an economics official in the federal government. A supporter, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said Clarida’s expertise in monetary policy “will be especially important as the Fed continues to wind down its balance sheet and raise interest rates after years at the zero lower bound.” The vote, on Aug. 28, was 69 yeas to 26 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Joseph H. Hunt to serve as assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, which has primary responsibility for litigating federal government court cases. Hunt has been a Justice Department official for 19 years, including 15 years as head of federal programs in the Civil Division, and recently as chief of staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The vote, on Aug. 28, was 72 yeas to 23 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King
ASSISTANT TREASURY SECRETARY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Isabel Marie Keenan Patelunas to serve as the Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for intelligence and analysis. Patelunas has been in the Central Intelligence Agency since 1989, and in management positions at the CIA for the past 15 years. The vote, on Aug. 28, was 75 yeas to 20 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King
DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Charles Barnes Goodwin to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. Goodwin has been a magistrate judge on the district court for the past five years, and previously a private practice lawyer and law clerk to Oklahoma district court judges. A supporter, Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., said Goodwin’s “experience, expertise, and stature in the Oklahoma legal community” showed him to be amply qualified for the new role. The vote, on Aug. 28, was 52 yeas to 42 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
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