WASHINGTON, D.C. (TNS) — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week, Feb. 21-27.
Along with roll call votes this week, the House also passed a bill (H.R. 250), to direct the Joint Committee on the Library to procure a statue of Benjamin Franklin for placement in the Capitol; the Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule Act (H.R. 469), to provide for the creation of a Congressional time capsule to commemorate the semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) of the United States; the Successful Entrepreneurship for Reservists and Veterans Act (H.R. 828), to require the Small Business Administration to report on the veterans interagency task force, and require the U.S. Comptroller General to report on access to credit for small businesses owned and controlled by reservists and veterans; and the Investing in Main Street Act (H.R. 754), to increase the amount that may be invested in small business investment companies.
HOUSE VOTES:
House Vote 1:
PUNISHING SMALL BUSINESS FRAUD: The House has passed the Assisting Small Businesses Not Fraudsters Act (H.R. 825), sponsored by Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, to bar people convicted of fraud crimes due to making false claims in order to receive Small Business Administration (SBA) loans during the covid lockdowns from receiving future aid from the agency. Williams said $200 billion of fraudulent aid was issued, and the bill’s prohibition was needed to “support prioritizing honest, hardworking entrepreneurs over those who defrauded the government.” The vote, on Feb. 24, was unanimous with 405 yeas.
YEAS: Davids (KS) D-KS (3rd), Estes R-KS (4th), Schmidt R-KS (2nd), Mann R-KS (1st)
House Vote 2:
TRACKING SMALL BUSINESS CONTRACTING: The House has passed the Small Business Procurement and Utilization Reform Act (H.R. 818), sponsored by Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., to require federal government agencies to track their first awarding of prime contracts to various types of specially designated small businesses in their annual scorecard for contracting that is submitted to the Small Business Administration. Stauber said the reporting change “will ensure that small businesses, especially new and growing ones, have a fair shot at competing” for federal contracts. The vote, on Feb. 24, was 384 yeas to 25 nays.
YEAS: Davids (KS) D-KS (3rd), Estes R-KS (4th), Schmidt R-KS (2nd), Mann R-KS (1st)
House Vote 3:
RURAL BUSINESSES AND DISASTER AID: The House has passed the Rural Small Business Resilience Act (H.R. 804), sponsored by Rep. Kelly Morrison, D-Minn., to require the Small Business Administration to make efforts to ensure that small businesses in rural areas have full access to offered disaster assistance. Morrison said the bill sought to achieve the goal “that every small business owner in this country should have fair access to disaster assistance, regardless of where they live.” The vote, on Feb. 25, was 415 yeas to 8 nays.
YEAS: Davids (KS) D-KS (3rd), Estes R-KS (4th), Schmidt R-KS (2nd), Mann R-KS (1st)
House Vote 4:
BUDGET RESOLUTION: The House has passed a resolution (H. Con. Res. 14), sponsored by Rep. Jodey C. Arrington, R-Texas, to establish a budget for fiscal 2025 and a budget framework for fiscal 2026 through fiscal 2034. Arrington said the resolution “will guide the process for restoring the fiscal health of our nation by reining in reckless spending and reigniting economic growth. In addition, it provides critical resources to our commander in chief to secure our border, strengthen our military, and provide for the common defense.” An opponent, Rep. Brendan F. Boyle, D-Pa., said it would increase the debt, cut spending on Medicaid and other vital social programs, and that most of its $4.5 trillion of tax cuts would benefit the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. The vote, on Feb. 25, was 217 yeas to 215 nays.
NAYS: Davids (KS) D-KS (3rd)
YEAS: Estes R-KS (4th), Schmidt R-KS (2nd), Mann R-KS (1st)
House Vote 5:
MEDAL OF HONOR PAYMENTS: The House has passed the Medal of Honor Act (H.R. 695), sponsored by Rep. Troy E. Nehls, R-Texas, to increase the special pension for veterans who have received the Medal of Honor from about $1,400 monthly to above $5,500 monthly. Nehls called the increase “the very least that Congress can do to recognize and show support for these selfless, courageous heroes.” The vote, on Feb. 26, was unanimous with 424 yeas.
YEAS: Davids (KS) D-KS (3rd), Estes R-KS (4th), Schmidt R-KS (2nd), Mann R-KS (1st)
House Vote 6:
OIL AND NATURAL GAS GHG EMISSIONS: The House has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 35), sponsored by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, to disapprove of and void an Environmental Protection Agency rule penalizing excessive waste greenhouse gas emissions, including methane, from oil and natural gas operations. Pfluger said: “It is critical to negate these punitive regulatory requirements now to ensure that the United States can reclaim its place as the world leader in energy for generations to come.” An opponent, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., called the resolution “another giveaway that saddles Americans with higher energy bills, plain and simple, all to help Republicans’ corporate polluter friends.” The vote, on Feb. 26, was 220 yeas to 206 nays, with 1 voting present.
NAYS: Davids (KS) D-KS (3rd)
YEAS: Estes R-KS (4th), Schmidt R-KS (2nd), Mann R-KS (1st)
House Vote 7:
WATER HEATER EFFICIENCY: The House has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 20), sponsored by Rep. Gary J. Palmer, R-Ala., to disapprove of and void a December 2024 rule issued by the Energy Department imposing an energy efficiency standard for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters. Palmer said: “If this rule is not stopped, a substantial number of Americans would be forced to purchase more expensive and less-efficient models of water heaters.” A resolution opponent, Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., called it a move “to force to working families to spend more money, to use more energy, and to sell out American manufacturers.” The vote, on Feb. 27, was 221 yeas to 198 nays, with 2 voting present.
NAYS: Davids (KS) D-KS (3rd)
YEAS: Estes R-KS (4th), Schmidt R-KS (2nd), Mann R-KS (1st)
SENATE VOTES:
Senate Vote 1:
ARMY SECRETARY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Daniel Driscoll to be Army Secretary. Driscoll was an Army soldier during the war in Iraq before becoming a lawyer, taking on venture capital and private equity roles in business, and most recently being a senior advisor to JD Vance. The vote, on Feb. 25, was 66 yeas to 28 nays.
YEAS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KS
Senate Vote 2:
MARINE ARCHAEOLOGY: The Senate has passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 11), sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., that would disapprove of and void a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management rule issued last September to require energy companies to identify archeological sites in the ocean as part of their project application process. Kennedy said the rule was unnecessary because oil and natural gas companies have already extensively surveyed the Gulf of Mexico, so requiring repetitive surveys would only increase fossil fuel production costs. A resolution opponent, Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., said: “It is entirely reasonable to require energy developers to identify archeological sites and other cultural resources on the ocean floor, just as they do when they produce energy on land.” The vote, on Feb. 25, was 54 yeas to 44 nays.
YEAS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KS
Senate Vote 3:
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jamieson Greer to be United States Trade Representative. Greer, currently a law firm partner, specializing in trade, in Washington, D.C., was chief of staff to the trade representative in the first Trump administration, and is a former lawyer in the Air Force. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., cited Greer’s experience in international trade, and said he had made a “commitment to communication and collaboration” with Congress if confirmed. The vote, on Feb. 26, was 56 yeas to 43 nays.
YEAS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KS
Senate Vote 4:
DECLARED ENERGY EMERGENCY: The Senate has rejected a resolution (S.J. Res. 10), sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., that would have ended the national emergency for energy declared by President Trump in January. Kaine said the emergency declaration “set a horrible precedent, a precedent that a president of either party can invent a sham emergency and then grab away from Congress powers that Congress has under article I” of the Constitution. A resolution opponent, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said presidential emergency powers were needed to ensure that in two years “we are not running out and we are not having brownouts all across the entire nation in our electric grid.” The vote, on Feb. 26, was 47 yeas to 52 nays.
NAYS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KS
Senate Vote 5:
OIL AND NATURAL GAS GHG EMISSIONS: The Senate has passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 35), sponsored by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, to disapprove of and void an Environmental Protection Agency rule penalizing excessive waste greenhouse gas emissions, including methane, from oil and natural gas operations. A supporter, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said: “Instead of new taxes and regulations designed to stifle production, we should be supporting innovation to maximize the use of our abundant and affordable oil and gas reserves.” An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the rule “a reasonable, commonsense, and a carefully tailored safeguard to prevent consumers from footing the bill of Big Oil’s methane waste, paired with federal funding to help big oil companies reduce their waste.” The vote, on Feb. 27, was 52 yeas to 47 nays.
YEAS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KS
