Washington, D.C., Roll Call Report

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

House

VA ONLINE RECORDS REQUESTS: The House has passed the Wounded Warrior Access Act (H.R. 1226), sponsored by Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., to require the Veterans Affairs Department to make a tool on its website for veterans to make requests for records related to their claims and benefits status at the VA. Aguilar said the current claims-filing process is cumbersome and time-consuming, and the website tool would be “a commonsense solution that cuts this red tape and will help American veterans.” The vote, on March 7, was unanimous with 422 yeas.

YEAS:

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-3rd

MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND CYBERSECURITY: The House has passed the Understanding Cybersecurity of Mobile Networks Act (H.R. 1123), sponsored by Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., to require a report on the cybersecurity of mobile telecommunications networks from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Eshoo said the report was needed because “we lack a comprehensive assessment of what vulnerabilities exist on these networks, what issues have been resolved, and where mobile cybersecurity policymaking should be focused.” The vote, on March 7, was 393 yeas to 22 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

SYRIA WAR: The House has rejected a resolution (H. Con. Res. 21), sponsored by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., that would have required the withdrawal of all U.S. soldiers from Syria. Gaetz said: “We have tried this time and again to build a democracy out of sand, blood, and Arab militias, and time and again the work we do does not reduce chaos. Oftentimes it causes chaos, the very chaos that then subsequently leads to terrorism.” An opponent, Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas, said: “Our small deployment of U.S. service members is remarkably effective at working with local partner forces to achieve results and ensure the enduring and complete defeat of ISIS.” The vote, on March 8, was 103 yeas to 321 nays.

NAYS:

Perez

TREATING VA MEDICAL WASTE: The House has passed the VA COST SAVINGS Enhancements Act (H.R. 753), sponsored by Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., to require the Veterans Affairs Department to put regulated medical waste treatment systems at VA health care facilities. Bost said installing on-site waste incinerators could save the VA tens of millions of dollars per year and “create a safer and cleaner environment at our VA hospitals.” The vote, on March 8, was unanimous with 426 yeas.

YEAS:

Perez

GOVERNMENT AND CENSORSHIP: The House has passed the Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act (H.R. 140), sponsored by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., to bar employees in the executive branch of the federal government from directly or indirectly censoring speech, with penalties imposed if employees censor speech. Comer said: “Federal officials, no matter their rank or resources, must be prohibited from coercing the private sector to suppress certain information or limit the ability of citizens to freely express their own views on a private-sector internet platform.” A bill opponent, Rep. Daniel S. Goldman, D-N.Y., said it would allow Russia, China, and other countries adversarial to the U.S. “to continue using social media platforms unfettered to wreak havoc on our democratic institutions, including the integrity of our elections.” The vote, on March 9, was 219 yeas to 206 nays.

NAYS:

Perez

REGULATING WATERWAYS: The House has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 27), sponsored by Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., to disapprove of and void an Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency rule issued in January that defines Waters of the United States. Such waters would be subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act. Graves said: “Returning to a more costly, burdensome, and broad WOTUS definition could have a massive impact on local communities and Americans’ ability to do their jobs and manage their own private property.” A resolution opponent, Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., said: “This resolution represents a giant step backward for clean water, increases uncertainty for farmers, homebuilders, roadbuilders, and all American families.” The vote, on March 9, was 227 yeas to 198 nays.

NAYS:

Perez

Senate

VIRGINIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Robert Stewart Ballou to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. A magistrate judge in the district since 2011, for the previous two decades Ballou had been a private practice lawyer in Virginia. A supporter, Sen. Timothy Kaine, D-Va., said: “Judge Ballou enjoys broad and deep support across the Virginia legal community.” The vote, on March 7, was 59 yeas to 37 nays.

YEAS:

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

CALIFORNIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Andrew G. Schopler to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Schopler was a federal prosecutor in the district from 2004 to 2016, then assumed his current role as a magistrate judge in the district. The vote, on March 7, was 56 yeas to 39 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

NEW YORK JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Arun Subramanian to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Subramanian has been a lawyer at a New York City law firm since 2008, specializing in commercial litigation. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Subramanian “an expert in consumer protection, with years of experience defending those injured by unfair, illegal practices. He also defended victims of child trafficking and pornography.” The vote, on March 7, was 59 yeas to 37 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

D.C. CRIMINAL LAWS: The Senate 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. A supporter, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the D.C. law was “going even softer on crime and putting violent convicts back on the streets even more rapidly” even as crime rates have climbed to high levels. An opponent, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said: “The Congress should not be overriding the will of the people of D.C. as reflected in their elected representatives.” The vote, on March 8, was 81 yeas to 14 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

IRS COMMISSIONER: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Daniel Werfel to be Internal Revenue Service Commissioner for a term ending in late 2027. Werfel was the IRS’s acting commissioner late in the Obama administration, and previously was the Office of Management and Budget’s controller. For the last nine years he has been at the Boston Consulting Group. A supporter, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Werfel would “bring transparency to the job. That includes how the IRS will spend funding to improve taxpayer services, upgrade information technology, and crack down on those wealthy tax cheats.” An opponent, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said Werfel’s answers to inquiries about his nomination “did little to inspire confidence in his willingness to take back control of this agency” and stop what Blackburn called harassing audits of taxpayers. The vote, on March 9, was 54 yeas to 42 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

SECOND CALIFORNIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of James Simmons to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Southern California. A county court judge in San Diego since 2017, Simmons was previously a prosecutor for the California government there. The vote, on March 9, was 51 yeas to 43 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Maria Araujo Kahn to be a judge on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Since 2006, Kahn has successively been a county superior court, state appeals court, and state supreme court judge in Connecticut; previously, she was an assistant U.S. attorney in the state. The vote, on March 9, was 51 yeas to 42 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray