Here’s how the lawmakers who represent Pennsylvania in Congress voted Sept. 20-26
Here's a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.
Along with roll call votes, this week the House also passed these measures: the Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act (S. 134), to require an annual budget estimate for the initiatives of the National Institutes of Health pursuant to reports and recommendations made under the National Alzheimer's Project Act; the Online Dating Safety Act (H.R. 6125), to require online dating service providers to provide fraud ban notifications to members; the Give Kids a Chance Act (H.R. 3433), to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to molecularly targeted pediatric cancer investigations; and the Stop Campus Hazing Act (H.R. 5646), to require institutions of higher education to disclose hazing incidents.
The Senate also passed the Enhanced Presidential Security Act (H.R. 9106); and the WILD Act (H.R. 5009), to reauthorize wildlife habitat and conservation programs.
The House has passed the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act (H.R. 5717), sponsored by Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y. The bill would bar cities and other governments that provide benefits to unauthorized immigrants from receiving federal funding for those benefits. LaLota said the bill was "about ensuring that cities and states that refuse to enforce federal laws are not rewarded with federal dollars related to their defiance." An opponent, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said it "would simply bankrupt states and localities that have chosen a different path on immigration than the Republican agenda." The vote, on Sept. 20, was 219 yeas to 186 nays.
YEAS: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick R-Bucks; Mike Kelly, R-Butler; Scott Perry, R-York; Matt Cartwright, D-Lackawanna; Lloyd Smucker, R-Lancaster; John Joyce, R-Blair; Guy Reschenthaler, R-Washington; Glenn Thompson, R-Howard, Susan Wild, D-Lehigh
NOT VOTING: Reps. Dwight Evans, D-Philadelphia; Dan Meuser, R-Luzerne
NAYS: Reps. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Chester; Madeleine Dean, D-Montgomery; Brendan Boyle, D-Philadelphia; Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Delaware; Summer Lee, D-Allegheny; Chris Deluzio, D-Allegheny
The House has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 136), sponsored by Rep. John James, R-Mich., to disapprove of and void an Environmental Protection Agency rule restricting greenhouse gas and other emissions from cars and other personal and light industrial vehicles. James said that by requiring at least two-thirds of new cars to be electric by 2032, the rule would drive up costs for commercial and personal transportation, hurting the economy at large. A resolution opponent, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., called it a move to "roll back commonsense air pollution protections" that "puts the profits of corporate polluters over the health and safety of the American people." The vote, on Sept. 20, was 215 yeas to 191 nays.
NAYS: Fitzpatrick, Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio
YEAS: Kelly, Perry, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler,
NOT VOTING: Evans, Meuser
The House has passed the Enhanced Presidential Security Act (H.R. 9106), sponsored by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. The bill would direct the Secret Service to use a uniform standard for providing agents to protect the sitting president and vice president, and major candidates for president and vice president. Lawler said: "The idea that our election could be decided by an assassin's bullet should shake the conscience of our nation, and it requires swift action by the federal government." The vote, on Sept. 20, was unanimous with 405 yeas.
YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Dean, Perry, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, , Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio
NOT VOTING: Evans, Meuser
The House has passed the Building Chips in America Act (S. 2228), sponsored by Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., to reduce regulations under the National Environmental Policy Act for the construction of semiconductor chip factories. A supporter, Rep. Jennifer A. Kiggans, R-Va., said: "We cannot allow federal bureaucracy to hold up critical CHIPS Act projects while the Chinese Communist Party spends billions of dollars to become the world's leading producer of advanced semiconductors." An opponent, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said the bill was "attacking one of the most important environmental laws that protects all of our communities from corporate malfeasance." The vote, on Sept. 23, was 257 yeas to 125 nays.
YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Perry, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Meuser, Wild, Deluzio
NOT VOTING: Evans,
: Dean, Boyle, Scanlon, Lee
NASA PROGRAMS: The House has passed the NASA Reauthorization Act (H.R. 8958), sponsored by Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., to authorize $25.2 billion of funding for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in fiscal 2025. Lucas said it "ensures NASA continues making progress toward returning humans to the Moon, developing the best strategy for NASA's future operations in LEO [low-Earth orbit], and promotes a range of scientific research and technological development activities." The vote, on Sept. 23, was 366 yeas to 21 nays, with 1 voting present.
YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Meuser, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio
NOT VOTING: Evans,
NAYS:
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: The House has passed the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act (S. 3764), sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to reauthorize the Commission through fiscal 2026. A bill supporter, Rep. Kathy E. Manning, D-N.C., said it "will ensure the Commission will be able to continue to defend and promote religious freedom by conducting research, publishing reports and analysis for the public, and offering recommendations to policymakers on religious freedom violations around the world." The vote, on Sept. 23, was 365 yeas to 20 nays.
YEAS:Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Dean, Perry, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Meuser, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio
NOT VOTING: Evans,
The House has passed the DHS Cybersecurity On-the-Job Training Program Act (H.R. 3208), sponsored by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, to establish a cybersecurity training program for Homeland Security Department (DHS) employees. A supporter, Rep. J. Luis Correa, D-Calif., said "there are nearly 2,000 cybersecurity vacancies at DHS today. With cybersecurity threats from adversaries like Russia and China only further increasing, filling these vacancies is a national security imperative." The vote, on Sept. 24, was 377 yeas to 43 nays.
YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, , Meuser, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio
NOT VOTING:
NAYS:
: The House has passed the Next Generation Pipelines Research and Development Act (H.R. 7073), sponsored by Rep. Randy K. Weber Sr., R-Texas, to establish a demonstration project at the Energy Department for funding research on new pipeline technologies. Weber said: "Through the technological innovation directed by this legislation, the American energy sector will actually see a strengthened focus on material behavior, leak detection capabilities, and multifuel transportation." The vote, on Sept. 24, was 373 yeas to 41 nays.
YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, , Meuser, Wild, Scanlon, Deluzio
NOT VOTING:
NAYS: Perry, Lee
FOREST MANAGEMENT: The House has passed the Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 8790), sponsored by Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., to change forest management practices on federal government and tribal lands. Changes would include speeding regulatory reviews of forest management plans, promoting public-private partnerships, and establishing procedures for prioritizing forests with the highest fire hazards. Westerman said "reducing the risk of wildfires will lower wildfire suppression costs, allowing us to invest more in proactive, preventative forest management." An opponent, Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., said: "If we genuinely want to protect our communities and environment from devastating wildfires, we must prioritize people, ecosystems, and the economy. This bill fails to do each of those things." The vote, on Sept. 24, was 268 yeas to 151 nays.
YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Perry, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, , Meuser
NOT VOTING:
NAYS: Dean, Boyle, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio
The House has passed the Senate amendment to the Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act (H.R. 6513), sponsored by Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio. The bill would authorize Congress to have its employees observe state administration of Congressional elections. Carey said the bill, by authorizing an existing observation program, created an "added layer of accountability for the American people" in ensuring the integrity of elections. The vote, on Sept. 25, was 413 yeas to 1 nay.
YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Dean, Perry, Boyle, Cartwright, Joyce, Reschenthaler, , Meuser, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio
NOT VOTING: Evans, Smucker
The House has passed the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act (H.R. 9747), sponsored by Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., to fund federal programs through Dec. 20, as well as increased funding for the Secret Service and extended authorizations for a variety of programs. Cole said: "This path ensures Americans aren't needlessly punished with a costly shutdown and allows the people, and, importantly, the next president, to have a say in the appropriations process." An opponent, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said a short-term extension would mean a lame-duck Congress hastily working on an ill-considered and wasteful omnibus spending bill just before Christmas. The vote, on Sept. 25, was 341 yeas to 82 nays.
YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Reschenthaler, , Meuser, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio
NOT VOTING:
NAYS: Perry, Joyce
The House has passed the Sanctioning Tyrannical and Oppressive People within the Chinese Communist Party Act (H.R. 3334), sponsored by Rep. Lisa C. McClain, R-Mich., to require sanctions on Chinese officials who have violated the rights of people in Hong Kong, Taiwan, or China. McClain said sanctions would send the message to China "that the deliberate disregard for human rights, international norms, and blatant bullying will no longer be tolerated." A bill opponent, Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, D-N.Y., said unilateral sanctions "would undermine the United States' interests, divide us from our partners and allies, and endanger our national security by making a conflict more likely in the Indo-Pacific." The vote, on Sept. 25, was 243 yeas to 174 nays.
YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Perry, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, , Meuser, Wild
NOT VOTING:
NAYS: Houlahan, Dean, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio
The House has passed the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act (H.R. 8205), sponsored by Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., to define bail bonds as an insurance product, thereby authorize local government agencies to use federal Byrne grant funds for crime reporting systems to regulate bonds and charitable bail funds. Fitzgerald said expanded oversight would work toward "ensuring accountability of these funds by subjecting them to federal insurance fraud statutes if they misappropriate funds or misrepresent the use of these funds in any financial reports." An opponent, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said the bill "targets nonprofit bail funds that try to address the clear inequities that result when people without financial means are held pending trial simply because they can't afford to pay the bail amounts set by the courts." The vote, on Sept. 25, was 255 yeas to 161 nays.
YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Houlahan, Perry, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, , Meuser, Wild
NOT VOTING:
NAYS: Dean, Boyle, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio
The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 1469), sponsored by Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas, to criticize President Biden and 14 other Biden administration officials for failures during the spring and summer 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. McCaul said: "The administration prioritized the optics and the politics of the withdrawal over the security of U.S. personnel and diplomats on the ground." An opponent, Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, D-N.Y., called the resolution a Republican effort intended "solely to attack the Biden administration in an election year and deflect the scrutiny of their own partisan claims." The vote, on Sept. 25, was 219 yeas to 194 nays.
YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Perry, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, , Meuser
NOT VOTING:
NAYS: Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio
TAX COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Rose E. Jenkins to be a judge on the U.S. Tax Court for a 15-year term. Currently an Internal Revenue Service attorney, Jenkins has also been an advisor on tax law at New York University, a tax executive at the KPMG consultancy, and a private practice lawyer. A supporter, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said: "She is a qualified nominee and will make an excellent judge." The vote, on Sept. 23, was 69 yeas to 17 nays.
YEAS: Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.
NOT VOTING: Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.
The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Michael Sfraga to be the U.S. Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs. Sfraga has chaired the U.S. Arctic Research Commission for 3 years; he founded the Polar Institute, and was a geography professor and administrator at the University of Alaska. A supporter, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Sfraga "is known widely throughout Arctic circles as our Arctic expert and the expert in everything from research to policy, to national security." An opponent, Sen. James E. Risch, R-Idaho, said Sfraga's ties with Chinese academic institutions, together with his lack of transparency to the Senate about his experiences with Russia and China, meant Sfraga "could pose a counterintelligence and foreign malign influence threat to our nation." The vote, on Sept. 24, was 55 yeas to 36 nays.
YEAS: Casey, Fetterman
BUDGET PLAN: The Senate has rejected a motion to consider a resolution (S. Con. Res. 41), sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., that would have established a fiscal 2025 budget and outlined budgets for fiscal 2026 through 2034. The resolution sought to eliminate the deficit by fiscal 2030 by decreasing annual spending to about $4 trillion while annual revenue increased to above $4.5 trillion. Paul said of the need for a balanced budget: "If we continue down this unsustainable path, American families will be forced to deal with even higher inflation, confiscatory tax rates, rising interest rates, and a weak economy." An opponent, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said: "What we should do, in bipartisan fashion, is decorrupt the tax code so that big corporations and billionaires are no longer a favored, free-riding elite." The vote, on Sept. 25, was 39 yeas to 56 nays.
NAYS: Casey, Fetterman
WISCONSIN JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Byron B. Conway to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Conway has been a lawyer, at Milwaukee and then Green Bay law firms, for the past two decades, specializing in personal injury cases. A supporter, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said Conway "has both the experience and the temperament necessary to serve Wisconsin's Eastern District with fairness and impartiality." The vote, on Sept. 25, was 58 yeas to 37 nays.
YEAS: Casey, Fetterman
The Senate has passed the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act (H.R. 9747), sponsored by Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., to fund federal programs through Dec. 20, as well as increased funding for the Secret Service and extended authorizations for a variety of programs. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the bill "will prevent vital government services from needlessly coming to a halt. We will give appropriators more time to fully fund the government before the end of the year." An opponent, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said continued deficit spending without an annual budget was weakening the U.S. The vote, on Sept. 26, was 78 yeas to 18 nays.
