HOW YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATES VOTED
For the week ending February 7
OPPOSING BLOCK GRANTS FOR MEDICAID: The House on Feb. 6 voted, 223 for and 190 against, to condemn a Trump administration plan to scale back Medicaid’s traditional status as an entitlement program in which all individuals who meet certain income or disability criteria receive guaranteed access to defined standards of health care. The measure (H Res 826) was non-binding. Under proposed Department of Health and Human Services regulations, states could choose to shift some of their Medicaid offerings to a block-grant program with caps put on funding levels and access to care determined by discretionary state policies rather than federally set requirements. The proposed conversion would mainly affect the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion. Pre-ACA Medicaid programs in all states would continue to function on an entitlement basis featuring guaranteed access to care and unfettered state-federal funding levels.
A yes vote was in opposition to funding part of Medicaid with block grants.
YES: Deb Haaland, D-1, Xochitl Torres Small, D-2, Ben Ray Luján, D-3
EXPANDING LABOR LAWS AND WORKER RIGHTS: Voting 224 for and 194 against, the House on Feb. 6 passed a Democratic-sponsored bill (HR 2474) that would amend U.S. labor laws and regulations in order to expand union membership and strengthen employee rights to bargain for better pay, benefits and working conditions. In part, the bill would establish the right to organize as a civil right enforceable in federal court; make it difficult for employers to classify “gig economy” workers as independent contractors to prevent them from joining unions; establish penalties of up to $50,000 per violation for employers who break the law to discourage workers from organizing; enable employees to file class-action lawsuits over working conditions; establish a mediation and arbitration process to guide initial contract negotiations between newly formed unions and companies; ease the prohibition on unions conducting secondary boycotts; effectively void state right-to-work laws; require employers to provide detailed employee information to union organizers; and ensure that workers with multiple employers can negotiate directly with the one exercising the most direct control over their conditions of employment.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: Haaland, Torres Small, Luján
PRESERVING STATE RIGHT-TO-WORK LAWS: Voting 187 for and 232 against, the House on Feb. 6 defeated a GOP-sponsored amendment that sought to strip HR 2474 (above) of language that would effectively void the right-to-work laws now operative in 27 states. Under those laws, employees are entitled to receive all the benefits of a union contract without having to pay fees or dues to the bargaining unit that negotiated on their behalf. The bill would compel these non-union members to pay union dues.
A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.
NO: Haaland, Torres Small, Luján
BLOCKING REBUKE OF SPEAKER PELOSI: Voting 224 for and 193 against, the House on Feb. 6 blocked an attempt by Republicans to rebuke Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for having torn apart on national television a copy of President Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress on Feb. 4. As a privileged motion, this measure (H Res 832) was not debatable.
A yes vote was in opposition to rebuking the speaker.
YES: Haaland, Torres Small, Luján
PROVIDING DISASTER AID TO PUERTO RICO: Voting 237 for and 161 against, the House on Feb. 7 passed a bill (HR 5687) that would provide Puerto Rico with about $5 billion in disaster aid, including $18 million for electrical-grid repairs, to help it recover from earthquakes this year and hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The bill also delivers $16 billion in tax breaks over 10 years centered on child tax credits and earned income tax credits for individuals and households on the island and excise taxes on rum sales.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
YES: Haaland, Torres Small, Luján
ACQUITTING TRUMP ON ARTICLE I — ABUSE OF POWER: Voting 48 for and 52 against, the Senate on Feb. 5 failed to convict President Trump on the first of two articles of impeachment articles approved by the House. Article I charged Trump with having abused the power of the presidency by withholding military aid and an Oval Office visit from Ukraine as pressure to obtain personal political favors from Ukrainian officials aimed at boosting his 2020 re-election prospects.
A yes vote was in favor of removing the president from office.
YES: Tom Udall, D, Martin Heinrich, D
ACQUITTING TRUMP ON ARTICLE II — OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESS: By a vote of 47 for and 53 against, the Senate on Feb. 5 failed to convict President Trump on the second article of impeachment approved by the House. Article II charged Trump with having unlawfully obstructed Congress by directing executive branch officials and agencies to not comply with subpoenas for witnesses and documents submitted by the House in its impeachment inquiry.
A yes vote was in favor of removing the president from office.
YES: Udall, Heinrich
HOUSE Deb Haaland (D) Ben Ray Luján (D) Xochitl Torres Small (D)
SENATE Martin Heinrich (D) Tom Udall (D)
Contact your legislators at the U.S. Capitol
Zip codes: House 20515, Senate 20510
Capitol operator: (202) 224-3121
Courtesy of Voterama In Congress © 2019 Thomas Reports Inc.
