How they voted: Ryan, Molinaro on COVID rules, Chinese balloon
WASHINGTON, D.C. >> Here’s how area members of Congress were recorded on major votes during the legislative week of Feb. 6-10. Readers can visit www.VoteFacts. com for additional information on top congressional issues and individual voting records. The House will be in recess in the week of Feb. 13, while the Senate will conduct confirmation votes on judicial nominees.
House
Ending Vaccine Mandate for Foreign Travelers: Voting 227-201, the House on Feb. 8 passed a bill (HR 185) that would immediately terminate a Centers for Disease Prevention and Control requirement that airline travelers from abroad show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to enter the United States. The bill would prevent any similar mandates in the future. The Biden administration plans to lift national COVID emergency declarations on May 11 while retaining the foreign travelers’ vaccine requirement. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Democratic-led Senate, where it was likely to fail.
Voting yes: Marcus Molinaro, R-19; Voting no: Patrick Ryan, D-18.
Protecting Hospitals from COVID Overloads: Voting 208-220, the House on Feb. 8 defeated a Democratic motion that sought to prevent HR 185 (above) from becoming law until after the Department of Health and Human Services certifies it would not contribute to U.S. healthcare staffing shortages, diminish bed capacity in American hospitals or otherwise reduce national healthcare resources. A yes vote was to adopt the Democratic motion.
Voting yes, Ryan; voting no, Molinaro.
Affirming Non-COVID Vaccination of Foreign Travelers: Voting 210-220, the House on Feb. 8 refused to stipulate that none of the provisions of HR 185 (above) would limit the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to impose vaccination requirements against diseases other than COVID-19 on foreigners seeking to enter the United States by air travel. The CDC now has such requirements in place and its authority to do so is facing court challenges. A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.
Voting yes, Ryan; voting no, Molinaro.
Pre-Departure COVID Testing in China: The House on Feb. 8 voted, 426 for and eight against, to stipulate that none of the provisions of HR 185 (above) would change a Centers for Disease Prevention and Control requirement that aircraft travelers from the People’s Republic of China receive a negative pre-departure COVID-19 test or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before flying to or entering the United States. A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.
Voting yes: Molinaro, Ryan
Nullifying D.C. Law on Voting Rights: Voting 260182, the House on Feb. 9 adopted a resolution of disapproval (HJ Res 24) that would nullify a 2022 District of Columbia law that qualifies non-citizens including undocumented immigrants to vote in the local elections if they have lived in D.C. for at least 30 days. Under the 1973 District of Columbia Home Rule Act, the federal territory has limited authority to run its own affairs but must receive congressional approval of laws passed by the city council such as this one. A yes vote was to send the measure to the Senate, where its prospects were uncertain.
Voting yes: Molinaro, Ryan
Nullifying Revised D.C. Criminal Code: Voting 250173, the House on Feb. 9 adopted a resolution of disapproval (HJ Res 26) that would nullify a District of Columbia law designed to bring the city’s 122-year-old criminal code into the 21st Century. The overhaul has drawn criticism over provisions that scale back mandatory minimum sentencing requirements for violent crimes and grant the right to a jury trial for a range of misdemeanor offenses. Scheduled to take effect in 2025, the proposed new code was drafted by a nonpartisan commission of legal experts over five years in a public process. The revision was enacted by the city council over the veto of Mayor Muriel Bowser. A yes vote was to send the measure to the Senate, where its prospects were uncertain.
Voting yes: Molinaro, Ryan
Condemning Chinese Balloon Incursion: On a unanimous vote of 4190, the House on Feb. 9 adopted a non-binding resolution (H Res 104) denouncing “the Chinese Communist Party’s use of a high-altitude surveillance balloon over United States territory as a brazen violation of United States sovereignty.” The spy balloon traversed several states from west to east for a week or longer before being downed on Feb. 4 by an Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jet off the South Carolina coast. A yes vote was to adopt the resolution.
Voting yes: Molinaro, Ryan
Senate
Cindy K. Chung, Federal Appeals Court Nominee: Voting 52 for and 46 against, the Senate on Feb 9 advanced the nomination of Cindy K. Chung for a seat on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A final vote on Chung was expected within days. The Philadelphiabased court hears appeals from lower federal courts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and the Virgin Islands. Chung, 47, has been the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania since 2021, and her resume also includes work in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and the office of the Manhattan District Attorney. A native of Omaha, Neb., she received her undergraduate degree from Yale University and a juris doctor degree from Columbia Law School.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, D, did not vote and Kirsten Gillibrand, D, voted yes.
VoteFacts.com News Reports is a nonpartisan, fact-based news site whose mission is to help civicminded individuals and organizations track the most consequential and newsworthy issues debated in the U.S. House and Senate. Readers can visit www.VoteFacts.com for additional information on top congressional issues and individual voting records.