HOW TEXAS VOTED

WASHINGTON — How the Texas congressional delegation voted on major issues last week:

Senate

1. U.S. withdrawal from Yemen war: Voted, 63-37, to discharge from the Committee on Foreign Relations a measure (SJ Res 54) that would end U.S. military support of a Saudiled coalition conducting war against Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen. That support, which until recently included U.S. aerial refueling of Saudi warplanes, began about 2015 but has never received congressional authorization or substantive debate in the Senate or House. The policy could receive a full airing when this measure reaches the Senate floor this month.

Mike Lee, R-Utah, said: “U.S. intervention in Yemen is unauthorized, unconstitutional and immoral. We must not — we cannot — delay voting to end our involvement and our support of Saudi Arabia any further.”

No senator spoke in defense of the military involvement.

A yes vote was to advance a Yemen-withdrawal measure to the Senate floor.

2. Thomas Farr judicial nomination: Voted to advance the nomination of Thomas Farr to become a federal judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The tally was 51-50, with Vice President Mike Pence casting the deciding vote. But Tim Scott, R-S.C., said later that he would ultimately vote against Farr, effectively sinking the nomination. Farr drew mainly Democratic opposition because of his legal work defending Republican-sponsored voting restrictions and gerrymanders in North Carolina that courts found to be discriminatory toward African-Americans.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Farr’s nomination “an absolute disgrace” because he “has been chief cook and bottle washer with North Carolina’s invidious and despicable efforts to prevent people, particularly minorities, from voting.”

No senator spoke in support of Farr.

A yes vote was to advance a nomination that was later shelved by the GOP leadership.

House

1. National flood insurance: The House on Nov. 29 voted, 350 for and 46 against, to extend the National Flood Insurance Program through Dec. 7, averting a closure set to occur at the end of November without this bill. The House last year passed a long-term extension that was disputed over its partial privatization of the federally run program. That measure is stalled in the Senate. Already more than $20 billion in debt despite a recent taxpayer bailout of $16 billion, the program — without reforms — is expected to take on red ink at an accelerated pace as hurricanes and flooding become increasingly destructive as a result of global warming, which the GOP-led Congress has declined to address with legislation. Nearly 5 million residential and commercial properties located in flood plains in 22,000 communities are covered by national flood insurance.

Charlie Crist, D-Fla., said: “Congress cannot allow this program to expire. A lapse would leave countless families unable to renew their policies, putting them in financial peril if disaster were to strike. It would also upend the housing market, with closings coming to a full stop due to the inability to secure required coverage.”

Roger Williams, R-Texas, said: “Enough is enough. We can’t continue to pass our problems along to those in the future. The time to fix this problem is now. I will oppose extensions of the NFIP as long as this body continues to ignore meaningful reforms.”

A yes vote was to send the bill (HR 7187) to the Senate, where it was passed and forwarded to President Donald Trump for his signature.