Washington D.C. roll call report

WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the week ending Nov. 5.

House

RECOGNIZING INDIAN TRIBE: The House has passed the Lumbee Recognition Act (H.R. 2758), sponsored by Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., to federally recognize the Lumbee Indian tribe in North Carolina, with associated member eligibility for benefits and the potential formation of a tribal reservation. Butterfield said the Lumbee’s case for recognition was not in dispute, so “it is long past time for Congress to give the Lumbee the respect they deserve and to treat them with the fundamental fairness that has been withheld for so many years.” The vote, on Nov. 1, was 357 yeas to 59 nays.

YEAS

Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

CALIFORNIA TRIBAL LAND: The House has passed the Pala Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Act (H.R. 1975), sponsored by Rep. Darrell E. Issa, R-Calif., to have 721 acres in San Diego County, Calif., already owned by the Pala Band designated as part of the band’s reservation. The vote, on Nov. 2, was 397 yeas to 25 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

ARIZONA TRIBAL LAND: The House has passed the Old Pascua Community Land Acquisition Act (H.R. 4881), sponsored by Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz. The bill would assign to the Pascua Yaqui Indian tribal reservation certain lands in Pima County, Ariz. Grijalva said it “will raise the tribal standard of living, improve system coordination and integration of service delivery, and promote the ongoing transmission of Yaqui knowledge, culture, history, and traditions for future generations.” The vote, on Nov. 2, was 375 yeas to 45 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

CHEROKEE TRIBE: The House has passed the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act (H.R. 2088), sponsored by Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., to add 76 acres of land, including two memorials and one museum, to the Eastern Band’s reservation. The vote, on Nov. 2, was 407 yeas to 16 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

SMALL BUSINESS INVESTMENT: The House has passed the Investing in Main Street Act (H.R. 4256), sponsored by Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., to increase the amount of money that banks can invest in small-business investment companies, which fund small companies. Chu said the change “will deliver more investments and more financing to our small businesses for whom even small investments can mean so much.” The vote, on Nov. 2, was 413 yeas to 10 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

CUBAN GOVERNMENT: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 760), sponsored by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., to call for Cuba’s government to release arbitrarily detained citizens and stop repressing the citizenry. Schultz said the resolution would “send a message to the brave Cubans who are desperately yearning for freedom and legitimate self-governance: The American people are firmly by your side.” An opponent, Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said Congress should instead “have an honest debate about a new Cuban policy that talks about and supports what real human rights for the Cuban people mean.” The vote, on Nov. 3, was 382 yeas to 40 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

DIPLOMACY WITH NICARAGUA: The House has passed the Reinforcing Nicaragua’s Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform Act (S. 1064), sponsored by Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. The bill would direct U.S. diplomacy to be used to encourage free, fair elections in Nicaragua on Nov. 7 and uphold human rights in the country. A supporter, Rep. Theodore Deutch, D-Fla., said the bill “makes clear that the United States will not sit by quietly as another country in our hemisphere slides further away from our democratic values.” The vote, on Nov. 3, was 387 yeas to 35 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

AGE AND JOB APPLICATIONS: The House has passed the Protect Older Job Applicants Act (H.R. 3992), sponsored by Rep. Sylvia R. Garcia, D-Texas, to bar potential employers from limiting, segregating, or classifying job applicants based on their age. Garcia said “some hiring practices might seem age-neutral on their face, but they actually impact job applicants that are older disproportionately.” An opponent, Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said the bill “abandons congressional precedence and imprudently allows disparate impact claims by job applicants.” The vote, on Nov. 4, was 224 yeas to 200 nays.

NAYS

Herrera Beutler

ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: The House has passed the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act (H.R. 1339), sponsored by Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., to establish an interagency working group in the Transportation Department that will support advanced air mobility, a term that refers to small airplanes with vertical takeoff and landing capacity and electric propulsion. A supporter, Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., said the new aviation technology could “connect cities, towns, and neighborhoods all across the country in a very safe, quiet, and environmentally friendly way.” The vote, on Nov. 4, was 383 yeas to 41 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

Senate

APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Beth Robinson to serve as a judge on the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. Robinson has been a justice on the Vermont Supreme Court since 2011. A supporter, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., said: “Her unwavering, decadelong dedication as a jurist and her loyalty to the law above all else has made Beth Robinson an outstanding Vermont Supreme Court justice.” The vote, on Nov. 1, was 51 yeas to 45 nays.

YEAS

Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Patty Murray, D-Wash

SECOND APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Toby J. Heytens to serve as a judge on the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Heytens, Virginia’s solicitor general since 2018, was previously a law professor at the University of Virginia and lawyer in the U.S. Solicitor General’s Office. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called Heytens “an accomplished appellate advocate, with a depth of experience and a fair-mindedness that would make him an asset to the 4th Circuit.” The vote, on Nov. 1, was 53 yeas to 43 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

FOREIGN AID OFFICIAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Isobel Coleman to be deputy administrator for policy and programming at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Coleman has been a longtime senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a policy ambassador to the United Nations during President Barack Obama’s second term. A supporter, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., called Coleman “a well-known and trusted foreign affairs professional, and I am confident she will execute her duties with distinction.” The vote, on Nov. 3, was 59 yeas to 39 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

VOTING AND ELECTIONS: The Senate has rejected a cloture motion to end debate on a motion to consider the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (S. 4), sponsored by Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt. The bill would change the criteria for federal review of changes to voting procedures by state and local governments by requiring those governments to seek federal preapproval, before making changes, if they are found to have violated voting rights too many times in the past 25 years. The vote, on Nov. 3, was 50 yeas to 49 nays, with a three-fifths majority required to end debate.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

EPA GENERAL COUNSEL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jeffrey Prieto to serve as general counsel for the Environmental Protection Agency. Prieto was the Agriculture Department’s general counsel in the Obama administration’s second term; currently, he is general counsel for the Los Angeles Community College District. A supporter, Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., said Prieto “has the intellect, temperament, and experience to serve in this important role.” The vote, on Nov. 3, was 54 yeas to 44 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

LABOR POLICY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Rajesh Nayak to serve as assistant secretary for policy at the Labor Department. Nayak, a senior official at the agency during the Obama administration, this year returned to the agency as a senior adviser. A supporter, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said: “As an advocate and a policymaker, he has shown time and again his commitment to empowering workers, supporting families, and advancing equity.” The vote, on Nov. 3, was 52 yeas to 45 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

CENSUS DIRECTOR: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Robert Santos to serve as director of the U.S. Census Bureau for a term ending at the close of 2026. A supporter, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said Santos, currently vice president of the Urban Institute, “brings over 40 years of experience in both the public and private sectors as a manager and expert in the field of survey design and statistical research.” The vote, on Nov. 4, was 58 yeas to 35 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray