HOW YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATES VOTED
For the week ending January 27
Contact your legislators at the U.S. Capitol Zip codes: House 20515, Senate 20510 Capitol operator: (202) 224-3121
ABORTIONS, AFFORDABLE CARE ACT: Voting 238 for and 183 against, the House on Jan. 24 passed a GOP-sponsored bill (HR 7) that would prevent taxpayersubsidized insurance policies in Affordable Care Act marketplaces from covering abortions, which are legal in the U.S. under conditions set by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade. Because the ACA already requires policyholders to personally pay the share of their premium applicable to reproductive care, there was dispute over whether this bill would change anything.
In other provisions, the bill would prohibit the use of tax credits to subsidize premiums for ACA policies that cover abortions, prevent the District of Columbia from using locally raised funds to pay for abortions and add the socalled Hyde Amendment to permanent law. A standard part of appropriations bills since 1976, the Hyde measure prohibits the spending of federal funds for abortions except in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of the mother.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it is likely to face a Democratic filibuster.
YES: PEARCE NO: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN
GENDER BIAS, AFFORDABLE CARE ACT: Voting 187 for and 235 against, the House on Jan. 24 defeated a Democratic motion that sought to ensure that HR 7 (above) would not result in women paying higher premiums than men for the same policies in Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Under an ACA provision that took effect in 2014, insurance companies are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of policyholders’ gender or health status. The anti-abortion provisions of the underlying bill would apply to any law that replaces the Affordable Care Act.
A yes vote was to adopt the Democratic motion. YES: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN NO: PEARCE
DISCLOSURE OF DONALD TRUMP’S TAX RETURNS: Voting 233 for and 187 against, the House on Jan. 24 blocked a parliamentary move by Democrats that sought to force debate on a bill now in committee that would require sitting presidents and presidential candidates to publicly release personal tax returns for the preceding three years. Democrats took this procedural step after the Republican majority denied them a chance to offer amendments to HR 7 (above). As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump said he would release his tax returns at the conclusion of what he said was an ongoing IRS audit. But Trump as president will not disclose his returns, a spokeswoman said days before this vote.
A yes vote was to quash a Democratic bid for disclosure of President Trump’s tax returns.
YES: PEARCE NO: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN
MIKE POMPEO, CIA DIRECTOR: The Senate on Jan. 23 voted, 66 for and 32 against, to confirm Mike Pompeo, 53, a Republican congressman from Kansas, as director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Pompeo becomes the sixth CIA director since the spy agency was restructured in 2005 as part of a revamp of U.S. intelligence operations in response to global terrorist threats.
According to his supporters, Pompeo firmly opposes any resumption of abandoned U.S. security practices such as collecting bulk data on Americans’ telecommunications or torturing terrorist suspects. But critics say Pompeo’s statements and writings call into question his true feelings about several post-9/11 policies that were stopped by acts of Congress or executive orders.
A yes vote was to confirm Pompeo as CIA director.
NO: UDALL, HEINRICH
NIKKI HALEY, UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADOR: The Senate on Jan. 24 voted, 96 for and four against, to confirm South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a Republican, as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Haley, 45, served in the state House of Representatives for six years before becoming South Carolina’s first female governor in 2011. A yes vote was to confirm Haley as U.N. ambassador. NO: UDALL, HEINRICH
JAMES MATTIS, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The Senate on Jan. 20 voted, 98 for and one against, to confirm retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis, 66, as the 26th secretary of defense since the office was established in 1947. When Mattis retired from active duty in 2013, he was commander of the U.S. Central Command, which directs American military operations in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. Mattis became the first member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet to receive confirmation. The negative vote was cast by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
A yes vote was to confirm Mattis to head the Department of Defense.
YES: UDALL, HEINRICH
JOHN KELLY, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The Senate on Jan. 20 voted, 88 for and 11 against, to confirm retired Marine Gen. John F. Kelly as the fifth secretary of homeland security since the department was established in 2002. Kelly, 66, was commander of the U.S. Southern Command (spanning South and Central America, and most of the Caribbean) when he retired in January 2016. He is the highest-ranking military official to have lost a child in Iraq or Afghanistan; his son, Marine 1st Lt. Robert Kelly, died in combat in Afghanistan in November 2010. A yes vote was to confirm Kelly to head the Department of Homeland Security.
NO: UDALL, HEINRICH