HOW TEXAS VOTED

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

Senate

1. Arms to Bahrain,

war in Yemen: Voted, 77-21, to table (kill) a measure (SJ Res 65) that would block the administration’s planned sale of $300 million in U.S. arms to Bahrain. The package consists mainly of surface-to-surface missiles and mobile rocket launching units along with American technical support. Bahrain, part of a Saudi-led coalition waging war in Yemen, is host to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Backers called this a proxy vote against American involvement in Yemen’s civil war, while advocates of the arms sale it would benefit a key U.S. ally in the Middle East.

A yes vote was to support a planned arms sale to Bahrain.

2. Invasive species, Coast Guard budget: Passed, 94-6, a bill (S 140) that would combat the problem of vessels discharging ballast water that introduces invasive aquatic species into the Great Lakes and Atlantic and Pacific ports. The bill authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate such discharges under the Clean Water Act while giving the Coast Guard power to enforce compliance and allowing Great Lakes states to set stronger regional standards.

In addition, the bill requires the Coast Guard to assess its mission in the Arctic, where climate change is melting ice formations and opening navigable waterways. The bill authorizes $20.7 billion for the Coast Guard in fiscal 2018-2019, up 14 percent from 2016-2017. The bill also gives the Coast Guard more legal authority and equipment for combatting maritime crimes including drug trafficking, expands its jurisdiction over recreational boating and funds a modernization of aircraft and cutter fleets.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the House.

3. Michelle Bowman, Federal Reserve governor: Confirmed, 64-34, Michelle Bowman, the top banking regulator in Kansas and a former community bank executive, to the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System. Bowman also was employed at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security in the George W. Bush administration. The term for her seat expires in 2020. Five of the Fed’s seven board seats are now filled.

A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.

House

1. Gray wolves as endangered species: Passed, 196-180, a bill (HR 6784) that would require the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove gray wolves from Endangered Species Act protection in the lower 48 states, prohibit judicial review of the action and shift authority for managing the species to the states. The bill responds to the concerns of livestock producers and others in Western communities where the increased wolf population is viewed as a threat. But opponents said that even with federal protection, the wolves occupy only five percent of their historic range and 36 percent of their suitable habitat.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

2. U.S. military tole in

Yemen: Adopted, 201-187, a parliamentary rule for debating HR 6784 (above). Drafted by the Republican majority, the rule drew opposition because it barred debate on a resolution backed by many Democrats that would require U.S. military operations in Yemen to receive congressional authorization under the 1976 War Powers Act. The resolution (H Con Res 138) addressed the Pentagon’s support of Saudi-led air attacks on Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen. That support, which until recently included aerial refueling of Saudi war- planes, began about 2015 but has never received congressional authorization or more than fleeting debate in the House and Senate chambers.

A yes vote backed a rule that prohibited debate on a measure spotlighting U.S. military involvement in Yemen.