How Arkansas’ congressional delegation voted
Here is how Arkansas’ U.S. senators and U.S. representatives voted on major roll call votes during the week that ended Friday.
HOUSE
$36.5 billion for hurricane,
wildfire relief. Passed 353-69, a bill (HR2266) that would appropriate $36.5 billion to fund recovery from Hurricanes Maria, Harvey and Irma, and this months wildfires in California. Because this is emergency spending not offset elsewhere in the budget, it would be added to federal deficits. The bill’s major outlays are $18.7 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster-relief fund; $16 billion to enable the heavily indebted National Flood Insurance Program to pay claims; and $576.6 million for wildfire recovery. The package includes $4.9 billion in loan authority to help Puerto Rico and its municipalities pay their bills as recovery proceeds. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., said Congress “must act quickly to ensure that the federal government fulfills its duty to millions of Americans in need. Whether they are from Texas or whether they are from Florida or whether they are from Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands, they are all citizens.” No member spoke against the bill. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
Rick Crawford (R) French Hill (R)
Steve Womack (R) Bruce Westerman (R)
Floor debate on bill to protect “Dreamers.” Approved 227190, blocking a Democratic bid to force floor consideration of a bill (HR3440) now in committee that would grant permanent legal status to so-called “Dreamers,” who are in the U.S. illegally after being brought here as children. The bill would grant relief to potentially hundreds of thousands of aliens who were younger than 18 when they entered the United States; have been continuously present in the U.S. for at least four years; have clean law enforcement records; and have received high school (or equivalent) degrees and met other conditions. This vote occurred during debate on HRes562. President Donald Trump on Sept. 5 revoked former President Barack Obama’s executive order known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) that temporarily shielded these youths from potential deportation and gave them the right to work legally. Trump allowed six months for Congress to either put protections into law or stand aside as removals go forward. He said he would work with Democrats to enact legislation safeguarding the youths from deportation, but set terms that Democratic lawmakers would not accept. With congressional Republicans also showing little interest in developing a legislative solution, Democrats have begun forcing votes such as this one to keep the issue before the public as the March deadline approaches.
Jared Polis, D-Colo., said polls show “82 percent of American voters, including about 70 percent of Republicans, believe Dreamers should be allowed to stay in the U.S. and apply for citizenship. Yet President Trump has continued to turn his back on these innocent young people.” Opponents did not speak during brief discussion of the motion. A yes vote was to block floor debate on the DACA bill. Crawford (R)
Hill (R)
Womack (R) Westerman (R)
Federal whistleblowing
protections. Passed 420-0, a bill (S585) that would increase protections for whistleblowers in the civil service, with a focus on shielding Department of Veterans Affairs employees who challenge their supervisors’ policies and actions. The bill is named after Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick, a clinical psychologist at the Tomah, Wis., veterans hospital who committed suicide in 2009 after being fired in a dispute with superiors over whether patients were being overmedicated by drugs including opioids. In part, the bill requires the training of all Veterans Affairs Department employees in whistleblower rights; requires the department to inform employees of available mental health services including online counseling; stiffens penalties against supervisors throughout the government who retaliate against defiant employees; and takes government-wide steps to prevent whistleblowers’ medical records from being used against them.
Doug Collins, R-Ga., said: “On behalf of the whistleblowers who have risked their careers and safety to right wrongs in our government, we need to support this strong and timely legislation.” No member spoke against the bill. A yes vote was to send the bill to President Trump. Crawford (R)
Hill (R) Womack (R) Westerman (R)
Blowing whistles on Cabinet travel. Defeated 190-232, a bid by Democrats to extend whistleblower protections in S585 (above) to civil servants who reveal information on improper travel by political appointees in the executive branch including Cabinet members. The vote followed Tom Price’s resignation as secretary of Health and Human Services over disclosures that he had taken charter and military flights costing taxpayers more than $1 million, and amid questions raised over taxpayer-funded travel by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin. Sponsor Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz., said “not one, not two, not three but at least four Cabinet officials are facing scrutiny for irregular and irresponsible use of agency resources for official and nonofficial air travel.”
Opponent Rod Blum, R-Iowa, said: “I support this provision, which I previously co-sponsored myself, but lets not let one good bill get in the way of another.”
A yes vote was to expand the bill to cover whistleblowing on improper cabinet travel. Crawford (R)
Hill (R)
Womack (R) Westerman (R)
SENATE
The Senate was in recess