How they voted: Ryan, Molinaro on debt ceiling deal
WASHINGTON >> Here’s how area members of Congress voted on major issues during the legislative week of May 29-June 2. Readers can visit www.VoteFacts. com to research other top issues and individual voting records in the current 118th Congress and recent 117th Congress.
HOUSE Biden-McCarthy debt and budget deal
Voting 314-117, the House on May 31 passed a bill (HR 3746) negotiated by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that would suspend the Treasury’s statutory borrowing limit until January 2025; clamp down on nondefense discretionary spending over the next two fiscal years; allow the military budget and veterans’ health care spending to rise at normal rates; require further cuts in discretionary spending if Congress fails to pass all 12 annual appropriations bills on time; reduce Internal Revenue Service spending; expand work requirements for receiving food stamps; rescind $28 billion in unspent appropriations for Covid relief; scale back environmental reviews by federal agencies, and expedite construction of a 300-mile natural gas pipeline between northern West Virginia and southern Virginia. The accumulated national debt is now $31.4 trillion. Congressional action is required to permit additional borrowing needed for the government to pay its bills.
In more detail, the bill would:
• Essentially freeze fiscal 2024 nondefense discretionary spending at current (fiscal 2023) levels and allow a 1 percent increase in fiscal 2025. These steps would reduce budget deficits by $1.5 trillion over 10 years.
• Transfer $20 billion from the Internal Revenue Service to other agencies in fiscal 2024-2025, reducing the $80 billion recently added to IRS budgets over 10 years for modernizing computer systems, improving customer service and increasing audits of wealthy individuals and corporations.
• Increase from 49 to 54 the age cutoff for work requirements imposed on adults without dependents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (food stamps); waive the work requirement for veterans, the homeless and individuals 18-24 raised in foster care, and tweak eligibility rules for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the state-federal welfare program for indigent families with children.
• Weaken the authority of the National Environmental Policy Act to regulate the environmental, health and economic impacts of actions by federal agencies, a step intended to speed the permitting of energy and infrastructure projects.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it was passed and sent to the president for his signature.
Voting yes: U.S. Reps. Pat Ryan, D-Gardiner, and Marc Molinaro, R-Red Hook.
SENATE Biden-McCarthy debt and budget deal
Voting 63-36, the Senate on June 1 joined the House in passing a bill (HR 3746) negotiated by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that would suspend the statutory debt limit until January 2025, averting a default on U.S. debt expected to occur in about three days. See the House summary above for details on the legislation.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the president for his signature.
Voting yes: Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Spending cuts to balance the budget
Voting 21-75, the Senate on May 31 defeated a bid to replace HR 3746 (above) with a bill that would slash spending on entitlement programs including Social Security and Medicare as well as on discretionary spending including the military budget over five fiscal years. The amendment would impose 5 percent across-the-board annual cuts until the federal budget comes into balance in fiscal 2028, and it would raise the statutory debt ceiling by $500 billion over its current level of $31.4 trillion in accumulated deficits. The amendment excluded tax increases to help balance the budget.
A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.
Schumer and Gillibrand voted no.
Mountain Valley Pipeline
Voting 30-69, the Senate on June 1 defeated an amendment that sought to remove authority for building the Mountain Valley Pipeline from HR 3746 (above). The bill would expedite approval of permits needed to complete construction of the 300mile pipeline from northern West Virginia to southern Virginia, with an extension into North Carolina planned for later construction. With a diameter of 42 inches and transporting natural gas from fracking, the pipeline is routed under hundreds of rivers, streams and wetlands areas, cutting through active seismic zones and public lands including Jefferson National Forest and the Appalachian Trail.
A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.
Schumer voted no and Gillibrand voted yes.
Repealing studentloan forgiveness
Voting 52-46 against, the Senate on May 31 adopted a resolution (HJ Res 45) that would repeal a Biden administration policy of forgiving up to $20,000 of debt for an estimated 43 million low- to middle-income individuals who received student loans from the federal government for undergraduate education. The executive order does not affect student loans by private lenders. Legal challenges have prevented the nine-month-old order from taking effect, and the Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on its constitutionality.
Under the policy, recipients of Pell grants for lowincome students could receive up to $20,000 in forgiveness, and other eligible borrowers could receive up to $10,000 in relief. No individual making more than $125,000 or who has household income above $250,000 is eligible for forgiveness.
A yes vote was to repeal student-loan forgiveness.
Schumer and Gillibrand voted no.
KEY VOTES AHEAD: The House schedule for the week of June 5 was to be announced. The Senate will vote on executive branch and judicial nominations.
VoteFacts.com News Reports is a nonpartisan, fact-based news service whose mission is to help civically engaged individuals and organizations track major actions in the U.S. House and Senate. Readers can visit www.VoteFacts. com to research other top issues and individual voting records in the current 118th Congress and recent 117th Congress.