For the week ending Sept. 27
PROVIDING WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT TO CONGRESS: Voting 421 for and none against, the House on Sept. 25 called upon Joseph Maguire, the acting director of national intelligence, to provide the appropriate congressional committees with a whistleblower’s complaint alleging misconduct by President Trump centered on his interactions this year with the Ukrainian government. When this vote occurred, adopting H Res 576, the administration already had sent the complaint to Capitol Hill after having sequestered it from lawmakers since late August. The Senate adopted an identical disclosure resolution on a non-record vote.
A yes vote backed release of the whistleblower’s complaint to Congress.
YES: HAALAND, TORRES SMALL, LUJÁN
BLOCKING GOP MEASURE ON IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: Voting 232 for and 193 against, the House on Sept. 25 blocked a Republican attempt to force consideration of a resolution (H Res 590) disapproving of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to begin a formal impeachment inquiry against President Trump. Pelosi, D-Calif., had announced the inquiry the day before, basing it, in part, on Trump having asked the Ukrainian government to produce damaging information about former Vice President Joe Biden, a potential Democratic opponent of his in the 2020 presidential election. This resolution was quashed by a parliamentary ruling that it did not qualify as a “privileged question” entitled to floor action under House rules. On the vote being reported here, Democrats upheld that ruling after it was appealed by Republicans. As a privileged resolution, the measure was not debatable.
A yes vote was in opposition to allowing debate on the GOP resolution.
YES: HAALAND, TORRES SMALL, LUJÁN
LIMITING SEPARATION OF MIGRANT CHILDREN AND PARENTS: Voting 230 for and 194 against, the House on Sept. 25 passed a bill (HR 2203) that would impose stricter requirements for the Department of Homeland Security’s treatment of migrant families, including a ban on removing children from parents or guardians within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border except by court order. When a separation is ordered, DHS must electronically track of the location of the dislocated family members. The bill would create a DHS ombudsman’s office for receiving and acting on complaints related to immigration practices including the abuse of migrants; improve the training of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers for dealing with vulnerable populations; provide Congress with a plan for requiring immigration officers to wear body cameras and establish an independent commission to investigate and make a public accounting of the Trump administration’s treatment of migrant families at and near the border since January 2017. In addition, the bill would reverse Trump administration policies designed to dissuade immigrants from Mexico and the Northern Triangle counties of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras from seeking asylum in the United States.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: HAALAND, TORRES SMALL, LUJÁN
REPORTING CRIME IN SANCTUARY CITIES: Voting 207 for and 216 against, the House on Sept. 25 defeated a bid by Republicans to allow victims of crimes by undocumented immigrants in sanctuary cities to report the incident to the Department of Homeland Security ombudsman’s office that would be created by HR 2203 (above). More than 400 municipalities nationwide are known as sanctuary cities because they decline to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement on grounds it would disrupt their community policing efforts.
A yes vote was to adopt the GOP motion.
NO: HAALAND, TORRES SMALL, LUJAN
NULLIFYING TRUMP BORDER EMERGENCY: Voting 236 for and 174 against, the House on Sept. 27 adopted a measure (SJ Res 54) that would nullify a national emergency President Trump declared on the southwest border over immigration concerns. The president has used the Feb. 15 declaration as authority for diverting $3.6 billion appropriated for military construction at bases domestically and overseas to a non-military account for building 175 miles of border barriers. If the president vetoes the measure as he is expected to do, two-thirds majority votes in both chambers would be required for an override.
A yes vote was to send the resolution to the president.
YES: HAALAND, TORRES SMALL, LUJÁN
MEDICAL SCREENING OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS: Voting 230 for and 184 against, the House on Sept. 26 passed a bill (HR 3525) that would require U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to conduct medical screenings within 12 hours of undocumented immigrants apprehended on the southwest border and establish an electronic database that all relevant Department of Homeland Security departments could use to track their medical histories. These requirements do not apply to migrants legally seeking U.S. asylum at ports of entry because their medical care is mainly handled by other agencies. Under this bill, vulnerable groups including children would receive priority care and pediatric medical experts would be assigned to each of the nine CBP sectors in the southwest.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: HAALAND, TORRES SMALL, LUJÁN
GIVING HEALTH-RECORDS PREFERENCE TO VETERANS: Voting 202 for and 213 against, the House on Sept. 26 defeated a Republican motion that sought to give veterans preferred access to an electronic health records system that would be established by HR 3525 (above) in the Department of Homeland Security for tracking medical histories of newly arrived undocumented immigrants, particularly children and those with serious illnesses.
A yes vote was to adopt the GOP motion.
YES: TORRES SMALL, NO: HAALAND, LUJÁN
OPENING FEDERAL BANKING SYSTEM TO MARIJUANA FIRMS: Voting 321 for and 103 against, the House on Sept. 25 passed a bill (HR 1595) that would permit cannabis-related businesses to use federally regulated banks and credit unions in states where marijuana usage has been legalized. Marijuana, a product of cannabis, is a prohibited substance under federal law but allowed for recreational or medicinal use in a majority of the states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories. Cannabis related firms usually are forced to deal in cash because the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the National Credit Union Administration prohibit financial institutions from accepting their deposits. The bill also would allow the industrial hemp industry and firms that support cannabis-based businesses to use the federal banking system without fear of reprisal.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: HAALAND, TORRES SMALL, LUJÁN
PASSING STOPGAP FUNDING THRU NOV. 21: Voting 81 for and 16 against, the Senate on Sept. 26 passed a continuing resolution (HR 4378) to provide stopgap appropriations for the first seven weeks of fiscal 2020, which starts Oct. 1. Averting a government shutdown, the bill would fund agencies at 2019 levels while giving negotiators time to reach an agreement on regular appropriations bills for the 2020 budget year.
A yes vote was to send the bill to President Trump.
YES: UDALL, HEINRICH
NULLIFYING TRUMP BORDER EMERGENCY: Voting 54 for and 41 against, the Senate on Sept. 25 sent the House a measure (SJ Res 54) that would nullify a national emergency President Trump declared Feb. 15 on the U.S.- Mexico border (see House issue above) as a backdoor means of obtaining funds for wall construction that Congress has declined to appropriate. The president has used the emergency declaration to divert $3.6 billion from military-construction projects to his wall project.
A yes vote was to send the resolution to the House, where it was approved and sent to Trump.
YES: UDALL, HEINRICH
EUGENE SCALIA, SECRETARY OF LABOR: Voting 53 for and 44 against, the Senate on Sept. 26 confirmed Eugene Scalia to be secretary of the Department of Labor. Scalia, the son of deceased Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, has been employed in a Washington law firm with a specialty of representing corporations in labor management disputes. Backers said he occasionally took the side of unions while serving as the department’s chief attorney under President George W. Bush.
A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.
NO: UDALL, HEINRICH
HOUSE Deb Haaland (D) Ben Ray Luján (D) Xochitl Torres Small (D)
SENATE Martin Heinrich (D) Tom Udall (D)
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