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. KEY: ☑ FOR ☒ AGAINST ❑ NOT VOTING ⇧ PASSED ⇩ DEFEATED
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HOUSE
⇧ Nuclear power. Passed 365-36, the Atomic Energy Advancement Act (H.R. 6544) to make a variety of changes to federal policies, including easing Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations, with the goal of speeding the development of advanced nuclear energy technologies.
Bill sponsor Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., said: The bill “contains numerous sensible regulatory reforms and market incentives that will empower the nuclear industry to provide affordable, resilient, reliable and responsible power for Americans.”
☑ Rick Crawford (R)
☑ French Hill (R)
☑ Bruce Westerman (R)
☑ Steve Womack (R)
⇧ Continuing appropria- tions. Passed 320-99, the Ex- tension of Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act (H.R. 7463) to provide funding, through March 8, for one group of federal agencies – including agriculture, energy and military construction – and funding through March 22 for most other federal agencies.
Bill sponsor Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, said: The extensions were needed to give Congress enough time to finish drafting and reviewing legislation for full-year appropriations. Opponent Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said: Rather than continuing to fund excessive levels of government spending, “we ought to pass single-subject spending bills. We ought to vote for the spending cuts that this country desperately needs.”
☑ Crawford (R)
☑ Hill (R)
☒ Westerman (R)
☑ Womack (R)
⇧ Tribal small businesses. Passed 402-16, the Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act (H.R. 7102) to authorize creation of an Office of Native American Affairs at the Small Business Administration. Bill sponsor Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., said: The Office would aid “successful entrepreneurship in tribal communities.”
☑ Crawford (R)
☑ Hill (R)
☑ Westerman (R)
☑ Womack (R)
⇧ Funding for airports. Passed 401-19, the Airport and Airway Extension Act (H.R. 7454) to extend authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration’s airport improvement program through May 10. Bill sponsor Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., said: “Failure to enact this extension is going to jeopardize aviation safety and will directly and immediately increase our national debt by more than $50 million a day.”
☑ Crawford (R)
☑ Hill (R)
☑ Westerman (R)
☑ Womack (R)
SENATE
⇧ Florida judge. Confirmed 56-40, the nomination of Jacqueline Becerra to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Becerra was a federal government attorney for a decade, then, from 2004 to 2019, was a private practice lawyer in Miami; she has been a magistrate judge in the Southern District since 2019. Supporter Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said: Becerra’s “experience in both criminal and civil matters has prepared her to serve with distinction.”
☒ John Boozman (R)
☒ Tom Cotton (R)
⇧ Second Florida judge. Confirmed 64-33, the nomination of David Seymour Leibowitz to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. After being a government attorney for a decade, in 2012 Leibowitz took on his current role as a senior lawyer at the Braman Management holding company in Florida. Supporter Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said: Leibowitz’s “significant litigation background in both civil and criminal matters ensure that he will be an asset to the district court.”
☒ Boozman (R)
☒ Cotton (R)
⇧ Government lawyer. Confirmed 49-47, nomination of Hampton Y. Dellinger to be Special Counsel for the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) for a 5-year term. Dellinger was a senior attorney in North Carolina’s government until fall 2021, when he became an assistant attorney general in the Justice Department. Supporter Sen. Gary C. Peters, D-Mich., said: Dellinger “has demonstrated the utmost integrity throughout his career. He is willing to take on powerful interests for the public good and will lead OSC in an independent, nonpartisan way.”
☒ Boozman (R)
☒ Cotton (R)
⇧ Third Florida judge. Confirmed 54-44, the nomination of Julie S. Sneed to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Sneed was a private practice lawyer for most of the years between 1995 and 2015, when she was appointed to her current role as a magistrate judge on the Middle District. Supporter Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., cited Sneed’s “deep ties to the Florida legal community, combined with her courtroom experience on and off the bench.”
☒ Boozman (R)
☒ Cotton (R)
⇧ Fourth Florida judge. Confirmed 77-20, the nomination of Melissa Damian to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Damian became a magistrate judge on the district court in 2021; previously, she was a federal prosecutor in the district and a private practice lawyer in Florida.
☑ Boozman (R)
☑ Cotton (R)
⇧ IRS lawyer. Confirmed 5641, the nomination of Marjorie A. Rollinson to be the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) chief counsel. Rollinson worked for Ernst & Young as a tax lawyer for most of the time from 1987 to 2023; from 2013 to 2019, she was an official at the Office of Chief Counsel at the IRS. Supporter Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., cited her “decades of tax and management experience in both the private sector and the public sector.”
☒ Boozman (R)
☒ Cotton (R)
⇩ Electric vehicle chargers. Failed 50-47, to override President Biden’s veto of a resolution (S.J. Res. 38) that would have disapproved of and voided a 2023 Federal Highway Administration (FHA) rule temporarily waiving Buy America requirements for materials used in EV chargers. A two-thirds majority vote was required to override the veto. Opponent Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., said: Voiding the rule “would result in more EV charging projects being built overseas, not less. It would undermine American workers and our nation’s ability to be global leaders in electric vehicles.”
☑ Boozman (R)
☑ Cotton (R)
⇩ Military sales to Turkey. Rejected 79-13, a motion to discharge from committee a resolution (S.J. Res. 60) that would have disapproved of the planned $23 billion sale to Turkey of F-16 military fighter airplanes. Paul cited various examples of Turkey violating its citizens’ rights, and said the U.S. “cannot proudly proclaim human rights to be at the center of our foreign policy while it arms a country that commits gross violations of human rights.” Resolution opponent Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, cited an agreement with Turkey that it would be supplied with the F-16s if it supported Sweden and Finland joining NATO, and said “it is imperative to the United States, when we give our word on something, that we keep our word.”
☒ Boozman (R)
☒ Cotton (R)
⇧ Continuing appropriations. Passed 77-13, the Extension of Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act (H.R. 7463) to provide funding, through March 8, for one group of federal agencies – including agriculture, energy, and military construction – and funding through March 22 for most other federal agencies.
Bill supporter Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said: The bill “would keep the lights on while appropriators complete their work and put annual appropriations bills on a glide path to becoming law.”
☑ Boozman (R)
☑ Cotton (R)
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