Congressional roll call HOUSE SENATE

Voterama in Congress

Here’s how area members of Congress voted on major issues during the week ending July 28.

CLASS-ACTION SUITS:

Voting 231-190, the House on July 25 nullified a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that would enable individuals with similar grievances to band together in class-action lawsuits against credit card issuers, banks, payday lenders and other retail financial firms regulated by the bureau. Consumers entering into contracts with financial firms are now required to agree to use mandatory arbitration to resolve disputes, thus signing away their right to pursue claims in court. The rule scheduled to take effect in mid-September would prohibit the use of arbitration clauses to bar customers from participating in class-action suits. Mandatory arbitration is conducted by company-approved mediators under rules that limit discovery, bar disclosure of the outcome and prohibit meaningful appeals. A yes vote was to send the measure (HJ Res 111) to the Senate.

John Faso, R-Kinderhook: Yes

Sean Maloney, D-Cold Spring: No

RUSSIA SANCTIONS:

Voting 419-3, the House on July 25 passed a bill (HR 3364) that would establish a process for Congress to block any U.S. president from softening or removing U.S. economic sanctions on Russia. The bill also would place a range of new sanctions on the Russian economy while putting into law several Obama-era executive orders penalizing the Kremlin for its interventions in the United States and other countries. Both the new and existing penalties are responses to Russia’s cyber interference in U.S. elections, annexation of Crimea, aggression in Ukraine and support of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The bill also would add new U.S. economic sanctions on Iran and North Korea. The measure would apply to Russian economic sectors such as mining, metals, shipping and railways. It is intended to address corruption and human rights abuses in Russia, impose financial penalties on non-Russian entities and individuals that provide the Kremlin with certain types of commercial support, and penalize entities that supply weapons to the Syrian regime. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

Faso: Yes

Maloney: Yes

2018 SPENDING:

Voting 235-192t, the House on July 27 approved a package of four appropriations bills for fiscal 2018 (HR 3219) totaling nearly $800 billion, including $1.6 billion for construction of President Trump’s proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall; $584.2 billion for basic military operations; $73.9 billion for operations in war zones; $88.8 billion for veterans’ programs and military construction; $37.6 billion for water projects and Department of Energy operations; and $3.6 billion for running the legislative branch other than the Senate. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

Faso: Yes

Maloney: No

OBAMACARE REPEAL:

Voting 49 in favor and 51 opposed, the Senate on July 28 defeated a GOP-sponsored measure to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, ending the latest attempt by congressional Republicans to take down the 2010 law that’s commonly called Obamacare. This amendment to HR 1628 sought to eliminate the law’s individual and employer mandates; scale back Medicaid; delay an excise tax on medical devices; expand Health Savings Accounts; weaken the Obamacare’s minimal coverage standards; and put a one-year hold on patients using Medicaid for Planned Parenthood care, among other provisions. The Congressional Budget Office said the measure would increase the number of uninsured Americans by 15 million next year while sharply raising the cost of premiums in the individual insurance market. A yes vote was to repeal the core of the 2010 health law. Kirsten Gillibrand,

D-N.Y.: No

Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.: No

HEALTH CARE DEBATE:

Voting 51-50, with Vice President Mike Pence casting the decisive vote, the Senate on July 25 agreed to start debate on a House-passed bill (HR 1628, above) that was the legislative vehicle for later votes (below) to repeal, replace or overhaul the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Had Republicans lost this crucial vote, they would have faced a choice of either pausing their seven-year fight against the 2010 act or inviting Democrats to work with them to draft a bipartisan replacement law. A yes vote was to start debate on a not-yet-written GOP plan to dismantle the Obama-era health law.

Gillibrand: No

Schumer: No

MEDICAID EXPANSION:

Voting 48 in favor and 52 opposed, the Senate on July 26 rejected a Democratic motion to strip HR 1628 (above) of provisions that would curtail Medicaid benefits for those currently eligible, prevent or discourage additional states from expanding Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act or shift additional Medicaid costs to state governments. A yes vote was to protect the current health law’s expansion of Medicaid.

Gillibrand: Yes

Schumer: Yes

RAND PAUL’S REPEAL:

Voting 45 in favor and 55 opposed, the Senate on July 26 rejected a proposal by Rand Paul, R-Ky., that would partially repeal the Affordable Care Act over two years. The amendment to HR 1628 (above) would scrap the current requirement that individuals carry health insurance or pay a tax penalty, the mandate that larger employers provide workers with health coverage, and tax provisions that help fund the health care law. Two years later, the law’s federal subsidies for Americans buying individual coverage through public exchanges would end, as would the ACA’s expansion of Medicaid in 31 states. The amendment would leave in place coverage standards for health policies and protections for persons with preexisting medical conditions. A yes vote was to adopt the most extensive repeal measure before the Senate.

Gillibrand: No

Schumer: No

CRUZ, PORTMAN PLANS:

Voting 43 in favor and 57 opposed, the Senate on July 25 failed to reach 60 votes needed to advance a pair of changes that GOP Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rob Portman of Ohio proposed to HR 1628(above). Cruz sought to allow insurers to sell low-cost, bare-bones policies in states where they also offer at least one policy compliant with the Affordable Care Act. Portman sought a $100 billion authorization over 10 years for defraying out-ofpocket costs faced by individuals compelled by the GOP bill to transfer from Medicaid to private insurance. A yes vote was to adopt the Cruz-Portman healthcare package.

Gillibrand: No

Schumer: No

RUSSIA SANCTIONS:

Voting 98-2, the Senate on July 27 passed and sent to the White House a Housepassed bill (HR 3364, above) intended to prevent any U.S. president from softening or removing U.S. economic sanctions on Russia without congressional approval. A yes vote was to send the bill to President Trump. Gillibrand: Yes Schumer: Yes

COMING UP

The Senate this week will debate the fiscal 2018 military budget. The House will be in recess.