Along with this week’s roll call votes, the Senate also passed the Fairness For Breastfeeding Mothers Act (H.R. 866), to provide a lactation room in public buildings; and the PROGRESS for Indian Tribes Act (S. 209), to provide further self-governance by Indian tribes.
House votes
House vote 1
CARE FOR VETERANS: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Jared F. Golden, D-Maine, to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 3055). The amendment would increase funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities account by $5 million, to be used to increase bed space at VA facilities providing long-term mental and substance abuse care. Golden said that by increasing treatment services for veterans living in rural and other underserved areas, the funding would improve care. The vote, on June 21, was 418 yeas to 6 nays.
YEAS: Pingree D-ME (1st), Golden D-ME (2nd)
House vote 2
LNG BY RAILROAD: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore., to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 3055). The amount would bar approval of the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail tank cars, and bar the Transportation Department from issuing permits for such transportation. DeFazio said that carrying LNG in rail cars meant the danger of a vast deadly explosion in the event that the tank cars rupture. An opponent, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said there was a long history of flammable gases being safely transported by railroads, and allowing LNG transport would help meet “demand from growing markets for cleaner—again, cleaner—and more affordable energy.” The vote, on June 24, was 221 yeas to 195 nays.
YEAS: Pingree D-ME (1st), Golden D-ME (2nd)
House vote 3
HOMELESS ASSISTANCE GRANTS: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 3055). The amendment would increase funding for homeless assistance grants by $1 million. Jayapal said the grants “have been shown to play key roles in addressing homelessness” and the personal and social problems created by homelessness. The vote, on June 25, was 294 yeas to 127 nays.
YEAS: Pingree D-ME (1st), Golden D-ME (2nd)
House vote 4
APPROPRIATIONS BILL: The House has passed the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 3055), sponsored by Rep. Jose E. Serrano, D-N.Y., to fund $74 billion of fiscal 2020 spending at the Commerce Department, Justice Department, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other science, justice, and commerce agencies. Serrano said it “makes significant investments in justice reform, economic development, and the science agencies. We increased funding for programs and research focused on climate change, as well as for efforts to address gun violence and to implement the 2020 Census.” A bill opponent, Rep. Robert B. Aderholt, R-Ala., said it had billions of dollars of wasteful spending, violated traditional Second Amendment protections, and would not resolve problems with illegal immigration. The vote, on June 25, was 227 yeas to 194 nays.
YEAS: Pingree D-ME (1st), Golden D-ME (2nd)
House vote 5
MOVING AGRICULTURE AGENCIES: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act (H.R. 3351). The amendment would block funding for the Agriculture Department to move its National Institute of Food and Agriculture or Economic Research Service agencies out of the Washington, D.C., area. Norton said the funding block was needed “to protect scientific research and integrity, uphold federal law, and ensure compliance with our real estate procurement process” for the proposed move of the two agencies. An amendment opponent, Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga., said the move could save $300 million and would position the agencies “closer to the farmers, the ranchers, the producers, and the rural economies” that they serve. The vote, on June 25, was 226 yeas to 198 nays.
YEAS: Pingree D-ME (1st), Golden D-ME (2nd)
House vote 6
BORDER SECURITY: The House has passed the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act (H.R. 3401), sponsored by Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-N.Y. The bill would spend $4.5 billion on humanitarian and security measures taken in response to the surge of migrants attempting to enter the U.S. at the Mexico border. Lowey said it “would better protect migrants’ rights and dignity with stronger requirements for care of unaccompanied children, including standards for medical care and medical emergencies; nutrition, hygiene, and facilities; and personnel training.” An opponent, Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, said it did not give Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the military, or immigration courts the funding needed to deal with the immigration crisis. The vote, on June 25, was 230 yeas to 195 nays.
YEAS: Pingree D-ME (1st), Golden D-ME (2nd)
House vote 7
OPIOID RESPONSE FUNDING: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act (H.R. 3351), to add $1 million of funding for the Drug-Free Communities Support Program, to be used for local opioid addiction response efforts. Lee said the funds were needed because “local governments often have the fewest drug prevention resources and funds, even though it is the local communities on the front lines of this crisis.” The vote, on June 26, was 400 yeas to 27 nays.
YEAS: Pingree D-ME (1st), Golden D-ME (2nd)
House vote 8
FUNDING GOVERNMENT AGENCIES: The House has passed the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act (H.R. 3351), sponsored by Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., to provide $24.95 billion of fiscal 2020 funding for the judiciary branch, Treasury Department, government of Washington, D.C., the executive office of the presidency, and an array of independent federal agencies, including the postal service. Quigley cited the $12 billion of funding for the Internal Revenue Service as both improving services to taxpayers and increasing government revenue, as well as $600 million for the Election Assistance Commission, which helps state and local governments ensure the security and integrity of elections. A bill opponent, Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga., criticized its 8 percent spending increase and its inadequate response to the need to secure the Mexico border. The vote, on June 26, was 224 yeas to 196 nays.
YEAS: Pingree D-ME (1st), Golden D-ME (2nd)
House vote 9
FEDERAL ELECTIONS STANDARDS: The House has passed the Securing America’s Federal Elections Act (H.R. 2722), sponsored by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., to establish paper ballot requirements for elections for federal office and require the Election Assistance Commission to issue grants to states for improving and protecting the integrity of their voting systems. Lofgren called it “critical legislation to invest in and upgrade the machinery of American democracy” by combating what she called the national emergency of Russia and other countries attempting to manipulate the 2020 elections. A bill opponent, Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., said it interfered in “states’ authority to determine and maintain their own elections.” The vote, on June 27, was 225 yeas to 184 nays.
YEAS: Pingree D-ME (1st), Golden D-ME (2nd)
House vote 10
FINALIZING BORDER SECURITY BILL: The House has approved the Senate amendment to the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act (H.R. 3401). The bill would spend $4.5 billion on humanitarian and security measures taken in response to the surge of migrants attempting to enter the U.S. at the Mexico border. A supporter, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said that although she disagreed with portions of the Senate amendment, “at the end of the day, we have to make sure that the resources needed to protect the children are available.” The vote, on June 27, was 305 yeas to 102 nays.
YEAS: Pingree D-ME (1st), Golden D-ME (2nd)
Senate votes
Senate vote 1
BORDER SECURITY: The Senate has passed the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act (H.R. 3401), sponsored by Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-N.Y. The bill would spend $4.5 billion on humanitarian and security measures taken in response to the surge of migrants attempting to enter the U.S. at the Mexico border. A supporter, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said the spending was a needed attempt to resolve a dire situation and supply law enforcement with needed support on the Mexico border. The vote, on June 26, was 84 yeas to 8 nays.
YEAS: Collins R-ME, King I-ME
Senate vote 2
RESPONDING TO FOREIGN ATTACKS: The Senate has passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, to the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1790), stating that the bill authorizes military spending that counters attacks by foreign hostile forces. Romney said the amendment, by reaffirming the principle of self-defense against foreign attack, would maintain for the executive branch “the option of responding to attacks by Iran or anyone else at a time and place of our choosing—today and in the future.” The vote, on June 27, was 90 yeas to 4 nays.
YEAS: Collins R-ME, King I-ME
Senate vote 3
2020 MILITARY BUDGET: The Senate has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1790), sponsored by Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., to authorize fiscal 2020 Defense Department appropriations, military construction spending, and military programs at the Energy Department. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called the authorization “a target to guide the modernization of our all-volunteer force; a supply line to restore readiness and keep U.S. personnel equipped with the most cutting-edge, lethal capabilities; a promise of critical support services to military families; and a declaration to both our allies and adversaries of America’s strategic resolve.” The vote, on June 27, was 86 yeas to 8 nays.
YEAS: Collins R-ME, King I-ME