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.

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HOUSE

Border enforcement activities. Rejected 199-215, the Transnational Criminal Organization Illicit Spotter Prevention and Elimination Act (H.R. 3602). A two-thirds majority vote was required for approval. The bill would have established criminal penalties for intentionally hindering efforts by government workers to enforce immigration, customs and drug laws at the U.S. border.

Bill sponsor Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz. said: “This bill does not just address a major national security weakness, it solves a crisis that millions of Americans already live with.” Opponent Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., called it “an empty messaging bill that does absolutely nothing to reform our outdated immigration system.”

✔ Rick Crawford (R)

✔ French Hill (R)

✔ Bruce Westerman (R)

✔ Steve Womack (R)

Reviewing sanctions against Iran. Passed 249-167, an amendment to the 21st Century Peace through Strength Act (H.R. 8038) to require the Treasury Department to send Congress reports on exemptions to sanctions levied against Iran. Amendment sponsor Rep. Zachary Nunn, R-Iowa, said: The disclosures would give Congress knowledge required “to effectively ensure oversight and draft targeted legislation to ensure the Iranian regime doesn’t have access to the funds necessary for it to finance terror.” Opponent Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, D-N.Y., said: It could put an onerous burden on Treasury, and also cited “concerns about business confidentiality.”

✔ Crawford (R)

✔ Hill (R)

✔ Westerman (R)

✔ Womack (R)

Sanctions and TikTok divestiture. Passed 360-58, the 21st Century Peace through Strength Act (H.R. 8038) to authorize sanctions against Russia and Iran, as well as restrictions against TikTok, unless the company is sold.

Bill sponsor Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas, said that along with discouraging U.S. adversaries, “this bill also protects Americans, especially our children, from the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party-controlled TikTok. This app is a spy balloon in Americans’ phones.” Opponent Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, said: The sanctions would reward Israel’s government for using “American weapons to kill indiscriminately and to force famine, with over 25,000 women and children dead and tens of thousands of missiles and bombs levied on innocent civilians.”

✔ Crawford (R)

✔ Hill (R)

✔ Westerman (R)

✔ Womack (R)

Aid to Taiwan. Passed 385-34, the Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 8036) to provide $8.12 billion of emergency supplemental spending on support for Taiwan and other U.S. allies in East Asia.

✔ Crawford (R)

✔ Hill (R)

✔ Westerman (R)

✔ Womack (R)

Restricting aid to Ukraine. Rejected 272-154, an amendment to the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 8035) that would have eliminated non-military funding for Ukraine from the bill. Amendment sponsor Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., cited pressing needs to reduce the deficit and respond to domestic U.S. problems in saying that narrowing the bill’s spending would “look out for American national security and American economic security.” Opponent, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said: “We cannot afford to shortchange our oversight funding, our diplomatic security funding and other strategic priorities” by adopting the funding elimination.

✔ Crawford (R)

✖ Hill (R)

✔ Westerman (R)

✖ Womack (R)

Aid to Ukraine. Passed 311-112, the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 8035) to provide about $60 billion of support to Ukraine in its war with Russia, including munitions supplies and loans to Ukraine’s government. Supporter Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said: It “directly supports the national security interests of the United States” by projecting peace through strength against Russia’s anti-democratic invasion of Ukraine.

Opponent Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said: Congress should “be demanding peace in Ukraine, between these countries (Russia and Ukraine), peace for these people so that no more of them have to die.”

✖ Crawford (R)

✔ Hill (R)

✔ Westerman (R)

✔ Womack (R)

Israel aid. Passed 36658, the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 8034) to provide $26.4 billion of aid to Israel in its conflicts with Hamas and Iran, including bolstering its missile defense systems and other forms of military aid.

Supporter Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn., said: The spending would “ensure Israel has the resources it needs to defend itself and that much-needed humanitarian aid can flow to millions of vulnerable people around the world.”

Opponent Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, said: The funds would allow Israel “to purchase the lethality to kill more innocent civilian Palestinian men, women and especially children.”

✔ Crawford (R)

✔ Hill (R)

✔ Westerman (R)

✔ Womack (R)

SENATE

Fourth Amendment surveillance protections. Rejected 61-31, an amendment to the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (H.R. 7888) that would have added the text of the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act to the bill. Amendment sponsor Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said: The measure was needed to provide protections for the privacy of Americans’ electronic records. Opponent Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., cited widespread opposition from law enforcement agencies, as well as various Jewish groups.

✖ John Boozman (R)

✖ Tom Cotton (R)

Defining communications service providers. Rejected 58-34, an amendment to the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (H.R. 7888) that would have eliminated section 25, regarding the definition of an electronic communication service provider, from the bill. Amendment sponsor Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said: Section 25 “dramatically expands warrantless surveillance by authorizing the government, for countless typical Americans and American companies, to secretly assist in their surveillance. If there is one thing we know, expansive surveillance authorities will always be used and abused.” Opponent Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., cited claims by the attorney general that section 25 “could never be used to target any entity inside the United States, including, for example – business, home or place of worship.”

✖ Boozman (R)

✖ Cotton (R)

Surveillance of U.S. residents. Rejected 50-42, an amendment to the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (H.R. 7888). The amendment would have required government officials to obtain a warrant in order to surveil the communications of lawful U.S. residents. Amendment sponsor Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said: “We can protect the Constitutional Bill of Rights and keep our country safe. We have got to be mindful that this requires vigilance” against abuse of rights.

Opponent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said: “If we pass this requirement, it will simply benefit our foreign adversaries — Russia, China, Iran Hamas — just to name a few.”

✖ Boozman (R)

✖ Cotton (R)

FISA court proceedings.

Rejected 53-40, an amendment to the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (H.R. 7888), that would have changed legal procedures in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court, including increased disclosure requirements. Amendment sponsor Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said: It would help “defend the rights of individual Americans.”

Opponent Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said: It would give suspected spies advantages in the courtroom, including possible access to sensitive intelligence information.

✖ Boozman (R)

✖ Cotton (R)

FISA communications

surveillance. Passed 60-34, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (H.R. 7888) to make changes to surveillance practices under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, including new approval requirements for database searches of U.S. legal residents and audit and notification requirements for such searches. Supporter Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., cited reforms to FISA surveillance processes, including the elimination of batch database queries and protections for figures such as politicians, journalists and religious officials. Opponent Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said: It would allow “a huge range of ordinary U.S. businesses and individuals and other organizations” to be forced to submit communications by American citizens to the federal government.

✔ Boozman (R)

✔ Cotton (R)

Supplemental appropriations. Concurred 79-18, in the House amendment to the National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 815). The amendment would provide about $95 billion of supplemental military aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel; require the sale of TikTok; and adopt several measures aimed at reducing fentanyl consumption. Supporter Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said: “Even as our allies take on a greater share of the burden of collective security, our obligation to invest in our own defense is as serious as ever.” Opponent Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said: The amendment advanced “policies that will, in many ways, prolong the suffering that Biden’s weaknesses and appeasement have caused for Americans and our friends and allies around the world each and every day.”

✔ Boozman (R)

✔ Cotton (R)

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