Along with roll call votes this week, the Senate also passed the Ebola Eradication Act (S. 1340), to authorize activities to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The House also passed the Southeast Asia Strategy Act (H.R. 1632), to require a strategy for engagement with Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; a resolution (H. Res. 127), expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on the importance and vitality of the United States alliances with Japan and the Republic of Korea, and our trilateral cooperation in the pursuit of shared interests; and a resolution (H. Res. 444), reaffirming the importance of the United States to promote the safety, health and well-being of refugees and displaced persons.

HOUSE VOTES

FORCED ARBITRATION: The House has passed the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act (H.R. 1423), sponsored by Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., to void predispute arbitration agreements between companies and their customers or employees if the agreements require arbitration of an employment, consumer, antitrust or civil rights dispute. Johnson said: “Forced arbitration clauses hidden in the fine print deprive victims of their day in court before a jury of their peers. A bill opponent, Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Ca., said arbitration agreements often provide advantages to both parties by creating in arbitration a simpler, faster and cheaper resolution of disputes than the courts can offer. The vote, on Sept. 20, was 225 yeas to 186 nays.
YEAS: Chellie Pingree, D-1st District; Jared Golden, D-2nd District

BURMA SANCTIONS: The House has passed the Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act (H.R. 3190), sponsored by Rep. Eliot L. Engel, D-N.Y., to impose sanctions on officials found responsible for human rights abuses in Burma, authorize humanitarian aid for Burma and Burma’s neighboring countries and block U.S. assistance to Burma’s military and security forces. A supporter, Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas, said the bill’s measures appropriately responded to injustices perpetrated by Burma’s military government with sanctions that “reimpose costs on the toxic influence of the Burmese military.” The vote, on Sept. 24, was 394 yeas to 21 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden

MARIJUANA AND BANKS: The House has passed the Secure And Fair Enforcement Banking Act (H.R. 1595), sponsored by Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., to prohibit federal banking regulators from penalizing banks for providing services to legitimate marijuana-related business. Perlmutter said the change, by allowing marijuana business to use electronic banking services, “will improve transparency and accountability and help law enforcement root out illegal transactions to prevent tax evasion, money laundering and other white-collar crime.” A bill opponent, Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-N.C., said it ran counter to the continued illegality of marijuana sales under federal law and questioned whether it could help drug cartels more easily access the U.S. banking system. The vote, on Sept. 25, was 321 yeas to 103 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden

BORDER SECURITY: The House has passed the Homeland Security Improvement Act (H.R. 2203), sponsored by Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, to bar border security officials from separating a child from a parent or legal guardian unless special circumstances apply and block Homeland Security from implementing various rules limiting migrant’s requests for asylum. Escobar said the bill’s provisions “will be invaluable tools to make sure that we address our nation’s immigration challenges in a common sense and humane way.” An opponent, Rep. John H. Rutherford, R-Fla., said it would make the various aspects of the border crisis worse. The vote, on Sept. 25, was 230 yeas to 194 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden

UKRAINE WHISTLEBLOWER: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 576), sponsored by Rep. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., expressing the sense of the House that the whistleblower complaint regarding President Trump’s July phone call with the Ukraine president should be sent to congressional intelligence committees, and calling on the Trump administration to preserve documents related to the complaint and the administration’s decision to withhold it from the committees. Schiff said the resolution was needed to “validate the whistleblower process” and protect whistleblowers who attempt to contact Congress with their concerns from potential presidential retaliation. The vote, on Sept. 25, was unanimous with 421 yeas, and 2 voting present.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden

MEDICAL SCREENING OF MIGRANTS: The House has passed the U.S. Border Patrol Medical Screening Standards Act (H.R. 3525), sponsored by Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., to require the Customs and Border Protection agency to conduct, within 12 hours of initial detention, medical screenings of migrants who are detained between ports of entry, establish an electronic health records system covering detained migrants and place a pediatric medical expert on staff at each border patrol sector. Underwood called the screenings “a sensible step forward to make sure that both migrants and border officials are not placed in situations that are unsafe.” An opponent, Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said the electronic records system could cost billions of dollars and take years to develop, and “we should be devoting our resources to reducing border crossings between ports of entry” rather than medical care for detained migrants. The vote, on Sept. 26, was 230 yeas to 184 nays.
YEAS: Pingree, Golden

SENATE VOTES

TREASURY OFFICIAL: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Brian McGuire to serve as the Treasury Department’s deputy under secretary for legislative affairs. McGuire, a former chief of staff and communications aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, had been a legislative affairs counselor at the Treasury. The vote, on Sept. 24, was 88 yeas to 6 nays.
YEAS: Susan Collins, R-Maine; Angus King, I-Maine

INTERIOR DEPARTMENT: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Daniel Habib Jorjani to serve as the Interior Department’s solicitor. Jorjani had been Interior’s principal deputy solicitor since 2017 and before that was an Interior official during the George W. Bush administration. An opponent, Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, cited an ongoing investigation of Jorjani for possible misconduct and said Jorjani has been “pursuing policies that help his former employers in a manner that is fundamentally hostile” to Interior’s mission. The vote, on Sept. 24, was 51 yeas to 43 nays.
NAYS: Collins, King

SOCIAL SECURITY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of David Fabian Black to serve as Deputy Commissioner of Social Security for a term ending in early 2025. Black had been White House senior adviser at the Social Security Administration and previously was the Administration’s general counsel from 2007 to 2015. An opponent, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., questioned whether Black helped implement at the Social Security Administration what Van Hollen called “anti-union executive orders that President Trump issued on May 25, 2018.” The vote, on Sept. 24, was 68 yeas to 26 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King

BORDER SECURITY EMERGENCY: The Senate has passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 54), sponsored by Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., that would end the national emergency related to the U.S.-Mexico border that was declared by President Trump on February 15. Udall said the resolution was needed to assert Congress’s constitutional prerogative to control government spending and stop the illegitimate diversion of military funds for other uses. An opponent, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the emergency was legitimately declared under a 40-plus-year-old authority granted to the president by Congress and that the declaration was justified by an unprecedented humanitarian and security crisis. The vote, on Sept. 25, was 54 yeas to 41 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King

HUAWEI: The Senate has passed a resolution (S. Res. 331), sponsored by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., instructing managers of the conference with the House to negotiate the two chambers’ versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1790) to insist that the final bill include provisions blocking the use of telecommunications equipment made by China’s Huawei company. Cotton called Huawei “the eyes and ears of the Chinese Communist Party,” a company that would use its exports to the U.S. to undermine national security. The vote, on Sept. 25, was 91 yeas to 4 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King

MILITARY CONSTRUCTION FUNDS: The Senate has passed a resolution (S. Res. 335), sponsored by Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., instructing managers of the conference with the House to negotiate the two chambers’ versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1790) to insist that the final bill include provisions that replenish military construction funds. An opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the provisions would do nothing to ensure that President Trump “can’t steal from our military again” by using the military funds that would be replenished to fund building of the wall on the Mexico border. The vote, on Sept. 25, was 52 yeas to 42 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King

PAID FAMILY LEAVE: The Senate has passed a resolution (S. Res. 336), sponsored by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, instructing managers of the conference with the House to negotiate the two chambers’ versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1790) to insist that the conferees consider legislation to provide paid family leave. Ernst said: “Affording all moms and dads the flexibility to spend time with their new baby is something Americans want to see happen.” An opponent, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said the resolution “will leave most American workers without basic access to leave.” The vote, on Sept. 25, was 55 yeas to 39 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King

CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS: The Senate has passed the Continuing Appropriations Act and Health Extenders Act (H.R. 4378), sponsored by Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-N.Y., to provide continuing appropriations through Nov. 21 for numerous federal government agencies, as well as funding extensions for health care, immigration and other programs. A supporter, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the extensions vital “to keep the government open through the end of November and give appropriators time to complete the 12 appropriations bills” for fiscal 2020. An opponent, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the bill continued a trend of excessive spending that was endangering the country’s future. The vote, on Sept. 26, was 81 yeas to 16 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King

JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of John E. Hyten to serve as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hyten has served in the military since 1981, specializing in space acquisition and operations, and most recently was Commander of U.S. Strategic Command. A supporter, Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., cited Hyten’s reputation for discipline, integrity and honor, and said Hyten had a “shrewd and decisive understanding of our national security objectives.” The vote, on Sept. 26, was 75 yeas to 22 nays.
YEAS: Collins, King

LABOR SECRETARY: The Senate has approved the nomination of Eugene Scalia to serve as Labor Secretary. Scalia, the Labor Department’s solicitor during the George W. Bush administration, has also been a lawyer at the Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher law firm in Washington, D.C., specializing in labor and employment law. An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Scalia “a corporate lawyer who has spent his entire career protecting the interests of CEOs, big corporations and the wealthy elite – not workers, not labor.” The vote, on Sept. 26, was 53 yeas to 44 nays.
YEAS: Collins
NAYS: King

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