Washington, D.C., Roll Call

WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the week ending Feb. 10.

House

ENERGY AND INFORMATION NETWORKS: The House has passed the Energy Cybersecurity University Leadership Act (H.R. 302), sponsored by Rep. Deborah K. Ross, D-N.C., to have the Energy Department establish an Energy Cybersecurity University Leadership Program for funding research into energy infrastructure and cybersecurity by graduate students and post-doctorate researchers. Ross said the program “will confront growing cyberthreats against our country’s critical energy infrastructure by making real investments in a strong and diverse workforce that is ready to meet the challenges we face.” The vote, on Feb. 6, was 357 yeas to 56 nays.

YEAS: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-3rd

IMPACT OF VACCINE MANDATE: The House has approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., to a bill (H.R. 185) that would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to send Congress a report on the number of foreigners denied entry to the U.S. because of the CDC’s Covid vaccine requirement for foreign tourists. Boebert said the report would require the CDC to account for those “who have felt the negative ramifications of this rule. It will also provide transparency and allow congressional oversight of the consequences of this vaccine mandate.” An opponent, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said the requirement was a public health measure, therefore the proposed report was irrelevant. The vote, on Feb. 8, was 253 yeas to 168 nays.

YEAS: Gluesenkamp Perez

COVID TESTING AND CHINA: The House has approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. John W. Rose, R-Tenn., to a bill (H.R. 185) that would state that H.R. 185 does not impact a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rule requiring visitors to the U.S. from China to show proof of a negative Covid test or recent recovery from Covid. Rose said: “We cannot fall asleep at the wheel when it comes to protecting our nation, its people, and our safety with respect to the adversarial and all-too-often nefarious actions and intentions of the People’s Republic of China.” The vote, on Feb. 8, was 426 yeas to 8 nays.

YEAS: Gluesenkamp Perez

COVID VACCINES AND FOREIGNERS: The House has passed a bill (H.R. 185), sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., to end the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covid vaccine requirement for foreigners visiting the U.S. by air. Massie referenced the “tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of people who have been separated at our border because of this ridiculous, illogical, unscientific policy.” A bill opponent, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said if the mandate ended, “I would be very concerned about people coming from places like Russia, China, and Cuba not being vaccinated because of the lack of attention to public health in those countries.” The vote, on Feb. 8, was 227 yeas to 201 nays.

NAYS: Gluesenkamp Perez

CHINA BALLOON FLIGHT: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 104), sponsored by Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas, to condemn China sending a high-altitude surveillance balloon across the U.S. last week as a violation of U.S. sovereignty. McCaul said the resolution “sends a clear, bipartisan signal to the CCP and our adversaries around the world that this action will not be tolerated.” The vote, on Feb. 9, was unanimous with 419 yeas.

YEAS: Gluesenkamp Perez

D.C. ELECTIONS: The House has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 24), sponsored by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., to disapprove of and void a Washington, D.C., Council law allowing noncitizens living in the District to vote in local elections. A supporter, Rep. Nicholas A. Langworthy, R-N.Y., said, “D.C.’s new law potentially allows foreign agents from China, Russia, and other adversaries to participate in local elections held within this nation’s capital city.” A resolution opponent, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said it “violates the principle of local, democratic self-government, which is at the heart of the home rule charter for Washington, D.C., and also violates the equal protection and democratic principles that animate our Constitution.” The vote, on Feb. 9, was 260 yeas to 162 nays.

YEAS: Gluesenkamp Perez

D.C. CRIMINAL LAWS: The House has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 26), sponsored by Rep. Andrew S. Clyde, R-Ga., to disapprove of and void a Washington, D.C., Council law that made various changes to the District’s criminal laws, including reducing punishments and expanding the right to a jury trial for misdemeanor cases. Clyde said the law, by “eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for all crimes except first-degree murder, eliminating life sentences, and reducing maximum penalties for violent crimes including burglary, carjacking, and robberies will undoubtedly embolden criminals and threaten the safety of both residents and visitors.” A resolution opponent, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said Congress “should leave democratic self-government and local self-government of Washington to the people of Washington, D.C.” The vote, on Feb. 9, was 250 yeas to 173 nays.

YEAS: Gluesenkamp Perez

Senate

APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of DeAndrea Gist Benjamin to be a judge on the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Benjamin was a private practice lawyer with her own law firm in Columbia, S.C., from 2001 to 2011, and since 2011 has been a circuit court judge in the state. The vote, on Feb. 9, was 53 yeas to 44 nays.

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