Along with last week’s roll call votes, the Senate also passed the PROSWIFT Act (S. 881), to improve understanding and forecasting of space weather events; a resolution (H. Con. Res. 105), permitting the remains of Representative John Lewis of Georgia to lie in state in the rotunda of the Capitol; the Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act (S. 2638), to require small hub airports to construct areas for nursing mothers; and the Traveling Parents Screening Consistency Act (S. 2381), to require a review by the Government Accountability Office of screening protocols of the Transportation Security Administration relating to breast milk and formula.
The House also passed the National Museum of the American Latino Act (H.R. 2420), to establish within the Smithsonian Institution the National Museum of the American Latino.
HOUSE VOTES
AIR QUALITY STANDARDS: The House has approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., to the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act (H.R. 7608). The amendment would block funding for implementation of an Environmental Protection Agency rule concerning particulate emissions and air quality. Tonko said allowing the rule to be implemented would “put tens of thousands of lives at risk” by enabling dangerous levels of pollution. An opponent, Rep. David P. Joyce, R-Ohio, said the rule would “protect our environment and the health of the American citizens without placing additional burdens on communities.” The vote, on July 24, was 233 yeas to 176 nays.
YEAS: Chellie Pingree, D-1st District; Jared Golden, D-2nd District
2021 SPENDING: The House has passed the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act (H.R. 7608), sponsored by Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-N.Y., to fund the State Department, Agriculture Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Veterans Affairs, and military construction programs in fiscal 2021. Lowey said it “reflects our common belief in the absolute necessity of effective diplomacy, global engagement, and robust development assistance to protect our own national security even as we address moral imperatives beyond our own borders.” A bill opponent, Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, cited several objections, including excessive spending, a lack of response to the crisis on the border with Mexico, and the absence of measures to reform the United Nations. The vote, on July 24, was 224 yeas to 189 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
COMMISSION ON BLACK MALES: The House has passed the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act (S. 2163), sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to establish the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. A supporter, Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., said: “By creating a bipartisan commission to study inequality in government programs, we take the necessary steps to identify and address disparities for Black American men and boys.” The vote, on July 27, was 368 yeas to 1 nay.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
CHILD CARE AND COVID-19: The House has passed the Child Care Is Essential Act (H.R. 7027), sponsored by Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn., to provide $50 billion of funding in the form of grants to child care providers during and after the coronavirus health emergency. DeLauro said the $50 billion was needed to support providers facing loss of revenue due to COVID-19, and thereby help economic recovery. A bill opponent, Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, said the level of funding was excessive, and would involve regulatory confusion and delays as providers attempt to comply with the bill’s requirements for receiving aid. The vote, on July 29, was 249 yeas to 163 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
FUNDING CHILD CARE: The House has passed the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act (H.R. 7327), sponsored by Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-N.Y., to provide about $100 billion of funding and tax subsidies for various child care programs. Lowey said of the funding need: “Every single industry counts on childcare. In order to save our economy, we need to save childcare.” A bill opponent, Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, said it lacked budgetary safeguards. The vote, on July 29, was 250 yeas to 161 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
MILITARY RECRUITING: The House has rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 7617), that would have barred funding of military efforts to recruit new member on electronic sports platforms, including Twitch. The platforms host live streams of people playing video games. The vote, on July 30, was 126 yeas to 292 nays.
YEAS: Pingree
NAYS: Golden
MARIJUANA LAWS: The House has approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 7617), to bar the Justice Department from interfering with marijuana laws at the state and tribal level. The vote, on July 30, was 254 yeas to 163 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
LITIGATING HEALTH CARE REFORM: The House has approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 7617), to block funding of Justice Department litigation efforts that undermine the 2010 health care reform law (Obamacare). The vote, on July 30, was 234 yeas to 181 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden
SENATE VOTES
PENNSYLVANIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of William Scott Hardy to serve as a judge on the U.S. district court for the western district of Pennsylvania. Hardy has been a lawyer in Pittsburgh since the late 1990s, specializing in labor and employment law. The vote, on July 27, was 65 yeas to 30 nays.
YEAS: Susan Collins, R-Maine; Angus King, I-Maine
LOUISIANA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of David Cleveland Joseph to serve as a judge on the U.S. district court for the western district of Louisiana. Joseph had been the U.S. attorney in the district since March 2018, and before that was an assistant criminal attorney in the district. The vote, on July 28, was 55 yeas to 42 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
HOUSING COMMISSIONER: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Dana T. Wade to serve as Federal Housing Commissioner and Assistant Secretary for Housing. Wade had served in the role on an acting basis from July 2017 to June 2018, then was an associate director at the Office of Management and Budget for a year. An opponent, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said as associate director, Wade proposed various measures that would hurt low-income renters and mortgagees, and that if confirmed, she would diminish civil rights protections in the housing market. The vote, on July 28, was 57 yeas to 40 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
LABOR RELATIONS: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Marvin Kaplan to serve on the National Labor Relations Board for a five-year term ending in August 2025. Kaplan has been a board member for three years; he was previously a counsel for the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission and for two House education and oversight committees. An opponent, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Kaplan has “spent his career working to further corporations’ interests and gut workers’ rights instead of protecting them.” The vote, on July 29, was 52 yeas to 46 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King
LABOR RELATIONS: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Lauren McGarity McFerran to serve on the National Labor Relations Board for a five-year term ending in December 2024. McFerran has been on the Board since December 2014. A supporter, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., called McFerran “a dedicated, qualified, and well-respected public servant who had a proven track record of fighting for workers before she joined the Board and has stood by workers in enforcing these fundamental protections during her time on the NLRB.” The vote, on July 29, was 53 yeas to 42 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King
BUDGET OFFICIAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Derek Kan to serve as deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget. Kan has been a senior official in the White House since July 2019, and before that a policy under secretary at the Transportation Department starting in November 2017. The vote, on July 30, was 71 yeas to 21 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King
Send questions/comments to the editors.
