How they voted: Ryan, Molinaro on troops for Syria, speech on social media
Here’s how area members of Congress were recorded on major votes during the legislative week of March 6019. The House was not in session. Readers can visit www.VoteFacts.com for additional information on top congressional issues and individual voting records.
House
Removing U.S. Troops from Syria: Voting 103-321, the House on March 8 defeated legislation (H Con Res 21) that would require the removal of U.S. troops from Syria, where they have been fighting the Islamic state since 2014. The measure called for departure within six months under the post-Vietnam War Powers Act of 1973, which limits presidential authority to station combat forces abroad for long periods without a congressional declaration of war. The current authority for American actions in the Middle East is the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, which Congress approved in response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Fewer than 1,000 U.S. troops reportedly are based in Syria. A yes vote was to end America’s military presence in Syria.
Voting no: Patrick Ryan, D-18, Marcus Molinaro, R-19
Addressing Speech on Facebook, Twitter: Voting 219-206, the House on March 9 passed a bill (HR 140) that would impose civil penalties on any federal employee who uses their official authority to curb lawful speech on social media platforms. The bill would do so by expanding the Hatch Act, which prohibits civil servants from engaging in political activity during working hours. Debate cited instances of the FBI and intelligence agencies warning social media about malicious foreign postings or seeking to block them or ask for disclaimers. Republicans said such interventions curb the free speech of their constituents, while Democrats said they protect America against the continued spread of anti-democracy Russian and Chinese propaganda. The bill requires security agencies to delay interventions for 72 hours after the apparently dangerous information surfaces, except that postings can be immediately confronted if they contain classified material or information about child pornography and human or drug trafficking. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it was likely to fail.
Voting yes: Molinaro; voting no: Ryan.
Bolstering Law Enforcement and National Security: Voting 204-218, the House on March 9 defeated a Democratic motion that sought to keep HR 140 (above) from taking effect until after law enforcement agency and intelligence agencies certify to Congress it would not impair their lawful mission to combat domestic terrorism or speech that incites violence or is discriminatory. A yes vote was to adopt the motion.
Voting yes: Ryan; voting no, Molinaro.
Repealing Clean Water Rule: The House on March 9 voted, 227-198, to kill a new Biden administration rule stipulating that the 1972 Clean Water Act protects headwaters, wetlands and other waters upstream of the navigable waters directly covered by the halfcentury-old act. The rule would exempt non-navigable waters historically used in farming. Proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers, the “Waters of the United States Rule” is scheduled to take effect March 20, replacing a Trump administration rule that only lightly regulates non-navigable waters. This vote adopted a resolution (HJ Res 27) that would repeal the rule. A yes vote was to send the measure to the Senate, where its fate was uncertain.
Voting yes: Molinaro; voting no: Ryan.
Senate
IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel: Voting 52-42, the Senate on March 9 confirmed Daniel Werfel to a five-year term as commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, where he will oversee an $80 billion, multi-year modernization of the agency financed by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. Werfel’s previous federal posts included serving as acting IRS commissioner and controller of the Office of Management and Budget during the Barack Obama administration and acting OMB controller under President George W. Bush. He began his federal career in 1997 as an OMB policy analyst and was then a trial attorney in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Werfel worked most recently as a public affairs consultant in Washington. A yes vote was to install Werfel as IRS commissioner.
Voting yes: Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats.
Nullifying New D.C. Criminal Code: Voting 8114, the Senate on March 8 adopted a resolution of disapproval (HJ Res 26) that would nullify a District of Columbia law designed bring the city’s 122-year-old criminal code into the 21st Century. The overhaul has drawn its loudest criticism over reductions in mandatory minimum sentencing for certain violent crimes, including a lowering of the carjacking penalty from 40 years to 24 years. But defenders said that under a 1973 law granting D.C. residents limited home rule, the city should be free to modernize its criminal code without congressional interference. The proposed new code was drafted by a nonpartisan commission in a five-year public process and enacted by the city council over the veto of Mayor Muriel Bowser. A yes vote was to send the resolution of disapproval to President Biden for his expected signature.
Voting yes: Schumer, Gillibrand.
Key Votes Ahead: The Senate will vote on judicial nominations in the week of March 13, while the House will be in recess.
VoteFacts.com News Reports is a nonpartisan, factbased news site whose mission is to help civic-minded individuals and organizations track the most consequential and newsworthy issues debated in the U.S. House and Senate. Readers can visit www.VoteFacts. com for additional information on top congressional issues and individual voting records.