Along with roll call votes this week, the Senate also passed the FEMA Accountability, Modernization and Transparency Act (H.R. 1679), to ensure that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s current efforts to modernize its grant management system includes applicant accessibility and transparency; the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act (S. 807), to provide anti-retaliation protections for antitrust whistleblowers; the VALOR Act (H.R. 3949), to provide for the designation of state approving agencies for multistate apprenticeship programs for purposes of the educational assistance programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and the VA Prescription Data Accountability Act (H.R. 1545), to clarify the authority of the secretary of Veterans Affairs to disclose certain patient information to state controlled-substance monitoring programs.

The House also passed the Market Data Protection Act (H.R. 3973), to require certain entities to develop internal risk control mechanisms to safeguard and govern the storage of market data; the Presidential Allowance Modernization Act (H.R. 3739), with respect to the monetary allowance payable to a former president; and a bill (H.R. 4374), to authorize additional emergency uses for medical products to reduce deaths and severity of injuries caused by agents of war.

HOUSE VOTES

YEMEN POLICY: The House has passed a bill (H. Res. 599), sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., expressing the sense of the House condemning Iranian interference in Yemen by supporting the Houthi rebels, and urging foreign governments to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Khanna said the resolution, by acknowledging U.S. support of Saudi Arabian forces in Yemen, would enhance congressional oversight of the military and the danger of the U.S. getting entangled in the Yemen conflict without any congressional debate. The vote, on Monday, was 366 yeas to 30 nays.

YEAS: Chellie Pingree, D-1st District; Bruce Poliquin, R-2nd District

RENTING GOVERNMENT EQUIPMENT: The House has passed the Federal Acquisition Savings Act (H.R. 3071), sponsored by Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., which would require federal executive agencies to consider the option of equipment rental in their cost-effectiveness analyses for buying equipment for agency use. Carter said renting rather than buying equipment has saved state governments many millions of dollars, and taking up the rental option could reduce waste and reduce taxpayer expenses. The vote, on Monday, was unanimous with 396 yeas.

YEAS: Pingree, Poliquin

FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM: The House has passed the 21st Century Flood Reform Act (H.R. 2874), sponsored by Rep. Sean P. Duffy, R-Wis. The bill would change the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program by allowing the sale of private flood insurance policies, provide increased funding for housing relocation and flood mitigation efforts, and provide subsidies for low-income families to buy flood insurance. Duffy said the changes would “help the homeowner and our national debt” by reforming an unsustainable program that does not adequately safeguard against flood risks and generates an annual deficit of $1.5 billion. A bill opponent, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said it would make flood insurance more expensive by increasing premiums and surcharges, and would cut coverage for low-value homes with repeated insurance claims. The vote, on Tuesday, was 237 yeas to 189 nays.

NAYS: Pingree

YEAS: Poliquin

2018 MILITARY BUDGET: The House has agreed to the conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2810), which would authorize spending on the Defense Department and military construction programs in fiscal 2018. A supporter, Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, said the report addressed concerns about military readiness, adequate treatment of service members, missile defense, and reforms of various military programs to help it meet the nation’s security challenges. The vote, on Tuesday, was 356 yeas to 70 nays.

YEAS: Pingree, Poliquin

GOVERNMENT WEBSITES AND SMARTPHONES: The House has passed the Connected Government Act (H.R. 2331), sponsored by Rep. Robin L. Kelly, D-Ill. The bill would require federal agencies to have websites that are easily viewed on smartphones and other mobile devices. Kelly said that although mobile devices account for about 40 percent of traffic to federal websites, 40 percent of those sites are not mobile-friendly, and the requirement was necessary for government to be accessible and responsive to the needs of Americans who don’t have ready access to computers. The vote, on Wednesday, was unanimous with 423 yeas.

YEAS: Pingree, Poliquin

TAX REFORM BILL: The House has passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1), sponsored by Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas. The bill would introduce a variety of changes to the federal tax code, including adopting four tax brackets in place of the current seven, increasing the standard individual deduction, and cutting the corporate tax rate to 20 percent. Brady said the changes would allow 9 out of 10 taxpayers to use a postcard system to file their taxes, would cut taxes for the average family by more than $1,000, and would result in “better jobs and bigger paychecks” across the country by creating a simpler, fairer tax system. A bill opponent, Rep. Eliot L. Engel, D-N.Y., said it would increase the debt by trillions of dollars by giving “tax cuts to America’s wealthy families and corporations while stripping credits and deductions from middle-class families.” The vote, on Thursday, was 227 yeas to 205 nays.

NAYS: Pingree

YEAS: Poliquin

SENATE VOTES

TRANSPORTATION POLICY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Derek Kan to serve as policy undersecretary at the Transportation Department. Kan, currently an executive at the ride-share company Lyft and member of the Amtrak board, previously served as a Senate and White House staffer. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Kan’s “career in both the private and public sectors will serve him well as he works to develop important policies related to our nation’s infrastructure.” An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., cited “the lack of focus on infrastructure investment by the current administration and the continued roadblocks” it has put up against the Gateway Project to build a new railway tunnel under the Hudson River in New York City. The vote, on Monday, was 90 yeas to 7 nays.

YEAS: Susan Collins, R-Maine; Angus King, I-Maine

TRANSPORTATION COUNSEL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Steven Gill Bradbury to serve as general counsel for the Transportation Department. Bradbury, currently a partner at the Dechert law firm, was previously a Justice Department official from 2005 to 2009 and a private practice lawyer. A supporter, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., called Bradbury “well prepared to address the many challenging legal questions that will come before the department.” An opponent, Sen. Margaret Wood Hassan, D-N.H., said that at Justice, Bradbury worked to “find legal loopholes that were an affront to our American values” when he devised memos to support the Bush administration’s defense of torture practices against suspected terrorists, which showed “a lack of sound legal judgment” on Bradbury’s part. The vote, on Tuesday, was 50 yeas to 47 nays.

YEAS: Collins

NAYS: King

ARMY SECRETARY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Mark T. Esper to serve as Army secretary. Esper, an Army veteran who most recently was vice president for government relations at Raytheon, has also served as a senior staffer in the House and Senate. A supporter, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., stated his belief that Esper will provide “commitment, courage, skill, and determination” for the Army and help it reform to meet its readiness crisis and modernization needs. The vote, on Wednesday, was 89 yeas to 6 nays.

YEAS: Collins, King

OVERSIGHT OF COAL MINING: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of David G. Zatezalo to serve as assistant secretary for mine safety and health at the Labor Department. Zatezalo is a former coal miner and executive at the Rhino Resources coal company. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Zatezalo’s career in the industry gave him “a keen understanding of the challenges and risks sometimes associated with mining.” An opponent, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., called Zatezalo “one of the industry’s worst health and safety offenders” and a nominee who would prioritize coal corporations over workers’ safety. The vote, on Wednesday, was 52 yeas to 46 nays.

YEAS: Collins R-ME

NAYS: King I-ME

CURRENCY COMPTROLLER: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Joseph Otting to serve as comptroller of the currency for a five-year term. Otting had been CEO of OneWest Bank and an executive at various regional banks. A supporter, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said Otting had over three decades of experience in diverse roles across the banking industry, and voiced confidence that Otting “will bring strong leadership” to the job of supervising financial institutions and identifying emerging threats in the U.S. financial system. The vote, on Thursday, was 54 yeas to 43 nays.

YEAS: Collins

NAYS: King

SOUTH CAROLINA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Donald C. Coggins Jr. to serve as a judge on the U.S. court for the South Carolina district. Coggins, who was previously nominated by President Barack Obama in 2016, had been a private practice lawyer at a South Carolina law firm for several decades. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Coggins had stellar legal credentials and “a serious commitment to the law.” The vote, on Nov. 16, was unanimous with 96 yeas.

YEAS: Collins, King

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