WASHINGTON — Here’s how area members of Congress voted on major issues in the week that ended Dec. 2.
HOUSE
BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH, FDA DRUG APPROVAL: Voting 392 for and 26 against, the House on Nov. 30 passed a bipartisan bill (HR 34) that would expand the National Institutes of Health budget for biomedical research; speed Food and Drug Administration procedures for bringing new drugs and devices to the market; expand Medicare and Medicaid coverage of mental-health care and fund state and local programs to deal with opioid addiction. The bill authorizes more than $6 billion over 10 years in discretionary spending and raises spending for entitlement programs.
In addition to boosting agencies such as the NIH, FDA and Centers for Disease Control, the bill would extend the patent life of drugs that treat rare diseases or conditions while increasing Medicare payments to hospitals for anti-microbial drugs, among scores of other provisions.
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Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., said that in his state, “the NIH is funding research into new therapeutic avenues to combat cancer, heart disease and illness borne by pollution. It is time to streamline the path for critically needed medical devices and pharmaceuticals for vulnerable populations that can’t afford to wait.”
Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said the bill “reduces the already weak regulation on medical devices, allows drugs to be approved with only limited evidence of safety...rushes the use of new and unproven antibiotics (and) does nothing to combat excessive (prescription drug) prices.”
A yes vote was to send the 21st Century Cures Act to the Senate, where prompt approval was expected.
Voting yes: Martha McSally, R-2, Matt Salmon, R-5, David Schweikert, R-6, Ruben Gallego, D-7, Trent Franks, R-8, Kyrsten Sinema, D-9.
Voting no: Raul Grijalva, D-3, Paul Gosar, R-4.
Not voting: Ann Kirkpatrick, D-1.
DONALD TRUMP’S TAX RETURNS: Voting 235 for and 180 against, the House on Dec. 1 blocked a parliamentary tactic by Democrats that sought to advance legislation requiring major-party presidential candidates to publicly release their personal tax returns for the three preceding years. It was noted in debate that in the campaign just ended, Republican Donald Trump refused to disclose his returns and Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders released only a summary of one year’s return. The vote occurred during consideration of the 2017 military budget (S 2943).
Bradley Byrne, R-Ala, said the measure was “totally irrelevant” to the 2017 military budget then before the House and had “nothing to do with the defense of the United States of America”
Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said the bid for disclosure “does relate to national defense” because, in the case of president-elect Trump, “Does he have investments in Russia?”
A yes vote was to quash a Democratic bid to require public disclosure of presidential candidates’ tax returns.
Voting yes: McSally, Gosar, Salmon, Schweikert, Franks.
Voting no: Grijalva, Gallego, Sinema.
Not voting: Kirkpatrick.
2017 INTELLIGENCE BUDGET: Voting 390 for and 30 against, the House on Nov. 30 adopted the conference report on a fiscal 2017 budget (HR 6393) of more than $80 billion for the 16 U.S. civilian and military intelligence agencies, with the actual figure classified. Among its many provisions, the bill would fund cyber warfare and space- and sea-based assets along with counter-terrorism operations against ISIS and spycraft to counter nations such as Russia, China and Iran.
Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said U.S. intelligence must “continue to focus on...ISIS and its followers, but we must not disregard the growing threat posed by Russia, whose global efforts at disruption must be checked, particularly against our allies and our alliances.”
No member spoke against the bill.
A yes vote was to approve the 2017 intelligence budget.
Voting yes: McSally, Gosar, Salmon, Schweikert, Gallego, Franks, Sinema.
Voting no: Grijalva.
Not voting: Kirkpatrick.
WEAKENED REGULATION OF MEGA BANKS: The House on Dec. 1 voted, 254 for and 161 against, to weaken rules that subject the nation’s largest financial institutions to increased Federal Reserve oversight and enhanced capital standards aimed at ensuring their solvency. At present, these extra layers of regulation are applied to bank holding companies with at least $50 billion in assets. Under this GOP-sponsored bill (HR 6392), a five-part formula — focusing only partly on assets — would be used to determine which large institutions receive special scrutiny by federal regulators. This is the 13th bill the House has passed this year to block or repeal financial regulations, none of which has cleared the Senate.
Mega banks are more intensely regulated because of their potential to bring down the entire financial system if they were to collapse. The $50 billion threshold was set by the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, which was enacted in response to the 2008 global meltdown in which several large Wall Street firms either failed or needed federal intervention or taxpayer bailouts to survive.
Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, said the bill would “fix a generally recognized mistake in Dodd-Frank.” He said the $50 billion threshold “is not based on any evidence (and was) pulled out of thin air.”
Maxine Waters, D-Calif., called the bill “the first step in the Trump agenda to deregulate Wall Street despite his pledges to hold elite bankers accountable. In fact, as we debate this bill, (his) revolving door in midtown Manhattan is spinning with Wall Street insiders.”
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it was dead on arrival.
Voting yes: McSally, Gosar, Schweikert, Franks, Sinema.
Voting no: Grijalva, Gallego.
Not voting: Kirkpatrick, Salmon.
$611 BILLION FOR U.S. MILITARY: The House on Dec. 2 approved, 375 for and 34 against, the conference report on a $611 billion military budget for fiscal 2017. In part, the bill (S 2943) would authorize $67.8 billion in emergency spending for combat operations overseas; more than $50 billion for active-duty and retiree health care; $3.4 billion for Afghanistan Security Forces; $1.3 billion for efforts targeted at ISIS and $500 million in security assistance including arms for Ukraine. The bill would authorize a 2.1 percent pay raise for uniformed personnel and prohibit another round of base closings and require the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison to remain open.
A yes vote was to adopt the conference report, which is now before the Senate.
Voting yes: McSally, Gosar, Salmon, Schweikert, Gallego, Franks, Sinema.
Voting no: Grijalva.
Not voting: Kirkpatrick.
FETAL-TISSUE RESEARCH: The House on Dec. 1 voted, 234 for and 181 against, to add $800,000 to the budget of a special House committee now investigating any nefarious associations between legal abortions and fetal-tissue research. A yes vote was to increase spending for the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives.
A yes vote was to increase the budget of Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives.
Voting yes: McSally, Gosar, Salmon, Schweikert, Franks.
Voting no: Grijalva, Gallego, Sinema.
Not voting: Kirkpatrick.
SENATE
SANCTIONS ON IRAN: Voting 99 for and none against, the Senate on Dec. 1 sent the White House a bill (HR 6297) that would extend for 10 years, until Dec. 31, 2026, the legal foundation for any number of American economic sanctions on Iran. In part, the bill authorizes present and future Congresses and administrations to take steps to block foreign investment in Iran’s energy sector, denying Iran revenue for funding international terrorism. The bill also renews authority for the U.S. to “snap back” sanctions on Iran if Tehran were to violate the nuclear-disarmament agreement it signed last year with the U.S. and four other world powers.
A yes vote was to send the bill to President Obama for his signature.
Voting yes: John McCain, R, Jeff Flake, R.
