Washington D.C. Roll Call Report

WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the week ending July 12.

Along with roll call votes this week, the House also passed, by voice vote, a bill (H.R. 6062), to restore the ability of the people of American Samoa to approve amendments to their territorial constitution.

The Senate also confirmed the nomination of Danny Lam Hoan Nguyen to be a judge on the Superior Court of Washington, D.C.; and passed the Federal Prison Oversight Act (H.R. 3019), to establish an inspections regime for the Bureau of Prisons; the Mining Schools Act (S. 912), to require the Energy Department to provide technology grants to strengthen domestic mining education; the SHIELD Act (S. 412), to provide that it is unlawful to knowingly distribute private intimate visual depictions of an individual with reckless disregard for the individual’s lack of consent; and the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act (S. 150).

House

ALABAMA UNDERWATER FOREST: The House has passed the Alabama Underwater Forest National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act (H.R. 897), sponsored by Rep. Jerry L. Carl, R-Ala. The bill would establish a federal marine sanctuary off the Alabama coast to preserve a cypress forest that was preserved intact when it was inundated by saltwater roughly 60,000 years ago. Carl said: “This legislation ensures the underwater cypress forest remains a source of pride, wonder, and economic opportunity for generations to come.” The vote, on July 8, was 349 yeas to 19 nays.

YEAS:

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez D-3rd

LONG ISLAND WATER QUALITY: The House has passed the Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Reauthorization Act (H.R. 5441), sponsored by Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., to reauthorize, through fiscal 2028, the Environmental Protection Agency’s water management efforts for Long Island Sound. LaLota said the bill “provides the tools and resources necessary to continue the important work of restoring and preserving this vital ecosystem.” The vote, on July 8, was 333 yeas to 51 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

ENERGY USE BY REFRIGERATORS: The House has passed the Refrigerator Freedom Act (H.R. 7637), sponsored by Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, to restrict the Energy Department’s authority to issue energy conservation rules for refrigerators and freezers. Miller-Meeks said a rule governing the appliances issued in January had dubious cost-benefit impacts, and said the bill was needed to stop Energy from “manipulating the market to push an environmental agenda and eliminate consumer choice.” An opponent, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said the bill “robs Americans of savings on the monthly home energy bills and ignores that even the appliance manufacturing industry supports these efficiency standards.” The vote, on July 9, was 212 yeas to 192 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

DISHWASHER ENERGY EFFICIENCY: The House has passed the Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act (H.R. 7700), sponsored by Rep. Nicholas A. Langworthy, R-N.Y., to restrict the Energy Department’s authority to issue energy conservation rules for home dishwashers. Langworthy said it “will put the brakes on the Biden administration’s relentless assault on efficient, affordable, and reliable appliances for everyday Americans through overbearing regulations.” A bill opponent, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said it “will increase home energy costs for American families and undermine our ongoing efforts to combat the worsening climate crisis.” The vote, on July 9, was 214 yeas to 192 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS: The House has passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (H.R. 8281), sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, to stipulate that individuals must provide documented proof of their U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote in federal elections for Congress and the presidency. Roy called the bill a critical way “to ensure that only American citizens will vote in American elections.” An opponent, Rep. Joseph D. Morelle, D-N.Y., said the bill’s documentation provisions “will disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans,” including soldiers stationed overseas. The vote, on July 10, was 221 yeas to 198 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

SEX, GENDER, AND FEDERAL EDUCATION AID: The House has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 165), sponsored by Rep. Mary E. Miller, R-Ill., that would void and nullify an Education Department rule issued in April that modified sex and gender-based discrimination requirements for education programs that receive federal funding. Miller said: “Biden wants to force biological men into our girls’ showers and bathrooms, and the Biden Title IX rule will be the end of girls’ sports.” An opponent, Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, said: “Every student deserves an education free from harassment, discrimination, and violence, and as Americans, we should not stand for this kind of intolerance.” The vote, on July 11, was 210 yeas to 205 nays.

NAYS:

Perez

SEC ACCOUNTING RULE: The House has failed to override President Biden’s veto of a resolution (H.J. Res. 109), sponsored by Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., to disapprove of and void a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rule that issued accounting guidance requiring banks to place digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies, that they hold in custody on their own balance sheets. Flood said the rule extended beyond SEC authority by regulating banks. A resolution opponent, Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., said: “If you vote today for no disclosure in the financial statements, then that is a repudiation of all modern accounting theory.” The vote, on July 11, was 228 yeas to 184 nays, with a two-thirds majority required to override the veto.

NAYS:

Perez

GARLAND RESOLUTION: The House has rejected a resolution (H.R. 1344), sponsored by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., that would have held Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of the House and fined Garland for not obeying a subpoena requiring him to deliver audio recordings of President Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur, regarding Biden’s handling of classified documents. The vote, on July 11, was 204 yeas to 210 nays.

NAYS:

Perez

2025 LEGISLATIVE BRANCH SPENDING: The House has rejected the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act (H.R. 8772), sponsored by Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif. The bill would have provided $7.125 billion of fiscal 2025 funding for Congress and the federal government’s legislative branch, including $830 million for the Capitol Police, $1.933 billion for House programs, and $896.7 million for the Government Accountability Office. The vote, on July 11, was 205 yeas to 213 nays.

YEAS:

Perez

Senate

APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Nancy C. Maldonado to be a judge on the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Maldonado was a private practice lawyer in Chicago, specializing in employment law, for about two decades; for the past two years, she has been a U.S. district court judge in Illinois. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cited “her integrity, professional competence, and judicial temperament. She has broad support across the legal community, from law enforcement to labor unions representing millions of members.” The vote, on July 8, was 47 yeas to 43 nays.

YEAS:

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

NUCLEAR FACILITIES: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Patricia L. Lee to be a member of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board for a term ending in fall 2027. Lee has, for more than three decades, been a radiation and nuclear safety specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Energy Department’s Savannah River National Laboratory. The vote, on July 9, was 54 yeas to 41 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

WASHINGTON, D.C., JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Charles Willoughby Jr. to be a judge on the Washington, D.C., Superior Court. Willoughby has been an attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. for a decade. The vote, on July 10, was 50 yeas to 43 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

LABOR RELATIONS: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Anne Wagner to be a commissioner on the Federal Labor Relations Authority for a five-year term ending in mid-2029. Wagner has been a lawyer in the federal government’s Office of Special Counsel for nine years; previously, she was a lawyer in several other federal roles, and for close to two decades was a lawyer at the American Federation of Government Employees. The vote, on July 10, was 55 yeas to 37 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray

FEDERAL CLAIMS JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Robin Meriweather to be a judge on the U.S. Federal Claims Court for a 15-year term. Meriweather became an attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Washington, D.C., in 2007, then was named a U.S. magistrate judge for D.C. in 2017. The vote, on July 11, was 52 yeas to 39 nays.

YEAS:

Cantwell, Murray