Washington D.C. Roll Call Report

WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the week ending May 20.

House

CYBERSECURITY CONTESTS: The House has passed the Presidents Cup Cybersecurity Competition Act (H.R. 6824), sponsored by Rep. Elaine G. Luria, D-Va., to authorize annual cybersecurity competitions, with prizes awarded, for groups of government employees. Luria said: “By passing this legislation, we demonstrate our commitment to further developing a competitive and highly skilled federal cybersecurity workforce.” The vote, on May 16, was 386 yeas to 31 nays.

YEAS

Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-3rd

SECURITY GRANTS TO NONPROFITS: The House has passed the Nonprofit Security Grant Program Improvement Act (H.R. 6825), sponsored by Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., to modify and reauthorize, through fiscal 2028, the Homeland Security Department’s program for issuing security grants to nonprofit groups believed to be at a higher risk of being attacked by terrorists. Thompson said of the need for the grants: “Even with funding for the program increasing roughly three-fold in just a few short years, the demand for funding is still outpacing available funding.” The vote, on May 16, was 288 yeas to 129 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

CYBERATTACKS AND GOVERNMENT: The House has passed the DHS Roles and Responsibilities in Cyber Space Act (H.R. 5658), sponsored by Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., to require the Homeland Security Department to send Congress a report on the agency’s responsibilities for responding to cybersecurity incidents. The vote, on May 16, was 313 yeas to 105 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

WORKER TRAINING: The House has passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (H.R. 7309), sponsored by Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., to authorize, through fiscal 2028, about $80 billion of spending on a variety of worker training programs, and create a Labor Department program for career training for ex-convicts. Scott said the bill, by increasing program funding, would “finally meet the needs of workers and businesses, fill job openings with qualified workers, reduce supply chain shortages, and lower costs for families.” A bill opponent, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said that giving the federal government greater control of worker training would decrease the ability to develop labor skills that meet the needs of a changing economy. The vote, on May 17, was 220 yeas to 196 nays.

NAYS

Herrera Beutler

BOMB PREVENTION: The House has passed the Bombing Prevention Act (H.R. 6873), sponsored by Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., to authorize the Office for Bombing Prevention at the Homeland Security Department. Malinowski said the authorization “would bring needed permanence and predictability to the operations of this office and position it to build capacity to meet growing demands for its services.” The vote, on May 17, was 388 yeas to 26 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION: The House has passed the Cybersecurity Grants for Schools Act (H.R. 6868), sponsored by Rep. Andrew R. Garbarino, R-N.Y., to authorize the issuance of cybersecurity education grants to public schools by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The vote, on May 17, was 383 yeas to 30 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

VA MEDICAL BUILDINGS: The House has passed the Fiscal Year 2022 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act (H.R. 7500), sponsored by Rep. Colin Z. Allred, D-Texas. The bill would authorize 12 major medical facility projects by the VA in fiscal 2022. A supporter, Rep. David J. Trone, D-Md., said: “If we are going to build back veterans’ trust in the VA, we have to start making serious investments in the outdated infrastructure meant to serve them.” The vote, on May 17, was 402 yeas to 2 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

VA SUBPOENAS: The House has passed the Strengthening Oversight for Veterans Act (S. 2687), sponsored by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., to grant witness subpoena authority to the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Veterans Affairs, through May 2025. A supporter, Rep. David J. Trone, D-Md., said remedying the inspector general’s current lack of subpoena power over former VA employees “could shed light on wrongdoing or mismanagement that puts the care and safety of our veterans and their families at risk.” The vote, on May 17, was 404 yeas to 6 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

VA WORK-STUDY FUNDING: The House has passed the Student Veteran Work Study Modernization Act (H.R. 6376), sponsored by Rep. Cynthia Axne, D-Iowa, to expand eligibility for work-study allowances granted by the Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans who are in rehabilitation or education programs on a half-time basis or more. The expanded eligibility would last for the duration of a five-year pilot program at the VA. The vote, on May 17, was 370 yeas to 43 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

IMPOVERISHED AREAS: The House has passed the Targeting Resources to Communities in Need Act (H.R. 6531), sponsored by Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., to require several government agencies to take measures aimed at identifying and increasing spending on U.S. areas with persistent poverty. A supporter, Rep. Shontel M. Brown, D-Ohio, called the bill “an important and commonsense step to addressing persistent poverty.” An opponent, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said that increasing spending would not resolve poverty in the areas. The vote, on May 18, was 258 yeas to 165 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

BABY FORMULA ACCESS: The House has passed the Access to Baby Formula Act (H.R. 7791), sponsored by Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., to grant the Agriculture Department expanded powers to waive rules at the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children as deemed necessary, in response to public health emergencies and food supply chain disruptions. Hayes called the bill “swift action to help these families feed their babies by safely getting more baby formula onto store shelves in the face of manufacturer recalls.” The vote, on May 18, was 414 yeas to 9 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

BABY FORMULA SPENDING: The House has passed the Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 7790), sponsored by Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn., to spend $28 million of emergency supplemental appropriations on measures to resolve the current shortage of baby formula and avoid similar future shortages. DeLauro said the spending would “quickly and safely address the infant formula shortage in this country and help prevent this from happening again.” An opponent, Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, said “the bill gives the FDA an additional $28 million, when funds are already available to address this issue.” The vote, on May 18, was 231 yeas to 192 nays.

NAYS

Herrera Beutler

DOMESTIC TERRORISM: The House has passed the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (H.R. 350), sponsored by Rep. Bradley Scott Schneider, D-Ill., to authorize actions against domestic terrorism by the Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Department. Schneider said: “We must give federal law enforcement the resources and the tools they need to actively identify threats and to preemptively act to stop violence before it happens.” An opponent, Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., said the bill would “conflate the egregious evil of domestic terrorism with some kind of a political smear of your political opposition.” The vote, on May 18, was 222 yeas to 203 nays.

NAYS

Herrera Beutler

BRAIN INJURIES: The House has passed the Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Law Enforcement Training Act (H.R. 2992), sponsored by Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J. The bill would require the Justice Department to create crisis intervention training programs for first responders to treat people with traumatic brain injuries, acquired brain injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The vote, on May 18, was 400 yeas to 21 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

POLICE BENEFITS: The House has passed the Public Safety Officer Support Act (H.R. 6943), sponsored by Rep. David J. Trone, D-Md., to provide death and disability benefits to police and other public safety officers who have job-related post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder. Trone said: “This bill will address the issue of stigma and provide the overdue parity between physical and mental injuries.” The vote, on May 18, was 402 yeas to 17 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

VA WHISTLEBLOWERS: The House has passed the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Training Act (H.R. 6052), sponsored by Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill. The bill would require worker training at the VA on how to report wrongdoing at the agency to its Office of Inspector General. Underwood called training “a critical step to promote accountability at VA and ensure our veterans are receiving the world-class care and benefits that they have earned.” The vote, on May 18, was 407 yeas to 11 nays.

YEAS

Herrera Beutler

FUEL PRICE GOUGING: The House has passed the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act (H.R. 7688), sponsored by Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash. The bill would make illegal, under civil law, the wholesale or retail sale of consumer fuels, such as gasoline and jet fuel, at price levels deemed unconscionably excessive and exploitative of an energy emergency declared by the president. The vote, on May 19, was 217 yeas to 207 nays.

NAYS

Herrera Beutler

Senate

NEW YORK JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jennifer Rochon to be a judge on the U.S. district court for the southern district of New York. Rochon was a private practice lawyer in New York City from 2000 to 2013, and has been general counsel for Girl Scouts of the USA since 2013. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cited Rochon’s depth of experience “and her demonstrated prowess in the law.” The vote, on May 18, was 51 yeas to 47 nays.

YEAS

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

MIDEAST DIPLOMACY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Barbara A. Leaf to be the State Department’s assistant secretary for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Leaf has been a senior official on the National Security Council specializing in the Middle East and North Africa, and a longtime diplomat serving in Iraq, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, among other countries. An opponent, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, criticized Leaf for failing to give the Senate enough information about Biden administration policies in the Middle East. The vote, on May 18, was 54 yeas to 44 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

LABOR OFFICIAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Elizabeth Watson to the Labor Department’s assistant secretary for congressional and intergovernmental affairs. Watson has been a senior aide on the House Education and Labor Committee and a law professor at Indiana University and Georgetown University. The vote, on May 18, was 50 yeas to 45 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

CALIFORNIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Trina Thompson to be a judge on the U.S. district court for the northern district of California. Thompson has been a superior court judge in Alameda County since 2002. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said “the decades of trial litigation and judicial experience that Judge Thomas has accumulated will be an immense asset” for the district court. The vote, on May 18, was 51 yeas to 44 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

SECOND CALIFORNIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Sunshine Sykes to be a judge on the U.S. district court for the central district of California. Sykes has been a superior court judge in Riverside County since 2013, and before that was a lawyer for the county’s government. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said: “Her record on the bench is deeply impressive, and she will continue to administer justice in a thoughtful, evenhanded manner as a district court judge.” The vote, on May 18, was 51 yeas to 45 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

MILITARY LOGISTICS: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Christopher Lowman to be the Defense Department’s assistant secretary for sustainment. Lowman, a Marine and Army officer since 1984, has specialized in logistics and procurement and administration. The vote, on May 18, was 94 yeas to 1 nay.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray

UKRAINE SPENDING: The Senate has passed the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 7691), sponsored by Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, to spend $40.1 billion across a range of government agencies in response to the war in Ukraine. A supporter, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said: “This military and humanitarian support is not strictly an act of altruism on our part. We are doing this also because allowing Ukraine to defend itself is in our best interest.” An opponent, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Ukraine’s fight against Russian invasion was “a cause for which I have great sympathy and support but a cause for which the Constitution does not sanction or approve of.” The vote, on May 19, was 86 yeas to 11 nays.

YEAS

Cantwell, Murray