Here’s how area House and Senate members voted on major issues during the legislative week ending Sept. 22. See the nonpartisan VoteFacts.com for more information on top congressional issues and individual voting records. Click here for previous votes.
Because of disagreements between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and a far-right faction of his Republican caucus, the House cancelled its plan to debate the fiscal 2024 military budget. As a result, the chamber conducted only one major vote during the week, which is presented here. The Senate also conducted only one key vote, due to an intra-party GOP dispute over federal spending levels.
Michael Lawler (R), District 17 (including Philipstown)
Lawler, 36, was elected to Congress in 2022. From 2021 to 2022, he was a Republican member of the state Assembly from the 97th district in Rockland County. A graduate of Suffern High School, he holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Manhattan College. He is a former director of the state Republican Party and former deputy town supervisor of Orangetown.
Pat Ryan (D), District 18 (including Beacon)
Ryan, 41, was elected to Congress in 2022. Formerly the county executive of Ulster, he grew up in Kingston and holds a bachelor’s degree in international politics from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a master’s degree in security studies from Georgetown. Ryan served in the U.S. Army as a combat intelligence officer from 2004 to 2009, including two tours in Iraq. He is also a former technology executive.
Speaker McCarthy Fails to Advance Military Budget
Voting 212 for and 214 against, the House on Sept. 19 defeated a procedural measure allowing consideration of a bill (HR 4365) that would appropriate $826.5 billion for the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. Five far-right Republicans voted to block the bill, demanding spending cuts in 2024 budget bills including this one. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) could not afford that many defections because Democrats voted unanimously against the measure, objecting to the GOP-written spending bill’s abortion, climate and culture-war provisions.
Two days later, McCarthy brought the procedural measure up for another vote but again suffered defeat when several members of his fractured caucus voted to prevent the spending bill from reaching the House floor.
Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said the defense bill “ensures that the Biden administration cannot continue to put politics ahead of national security. It preserves … longstanding bipartisan bans on taxpayer funding for abortions. It also ensures that federal dollars cannot be used to indoctrinate our troops with progressive ideology like critical race theory training, and instead ensures that the Pentagon’s focus is … on military readiness and preparedness so that our warfighters can defeat aggression and defend freedom anywhere in the world.”
Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.) said: “Extreme MAGA Republicans are weakening our military readiness. In the Senate, Republicans are refusing to allow votes on flag officers, so we don’t have the generals, admirals and top military officers we need to lead our troops. Here in the House, instead of passing what should be and has historically been a bipartisan defense appropriations bill, extreme Republicans are inserting the kitchen sink of culture war issues that we have seen too often.”
Rep. Michael Lawler (R-N.Y.), in several interviews, referred to the efforts by Republican colleagues to block funding bills as a “clown show.” He said: “These folks don’t have a plan. They don’t know how to take ‘yes’ for an answer. They don’t know what it is to work as a team. They don’t know how to define a win.” He also told CNN: “This is stupidity. You keep running lunatics, you’re going to be in this position.”
A yes vote was to bring the military spending bill up for debate.
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
SENATE
Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Joint Chiefs Chairman
Voting 83 for and 11 against, the Senate on Sept. 20 confirmed the appointment of Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. to a four-year term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a panel of top brass from all services that advises the president on national security policies and strategies. The first African-American to head a branch of the U.S. military, Brown, born in 1962, was most recently Air Force chief of staff. He has logged over 3,000 flight hours including 130 hours in combat.
This vote temporarily lifted a six-month blockade by Tommy Turberville (R-Ala.) of promotions of 300 or more military officers. The Senate then confirmed Army and Marine Corps leaders (below). Tuberville said he would continue to obstruct military appointments to protest a Pentagon policy that enables servicewoman and family members to go out-of-state for abortions if the state where they are based has virtually or totally outlawed the procedure. One senator’s ability to freeze military promotions is rooted in a Senate rule requiring the consent of all senators for business to proceed without time-consuming debate and votes.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said: “We cannot allow Sen. Tuberville to set us on a path that no senator wants to travel. We cannot allow Sen. Tuberville to decide which of our dedicated and brave servicemembers get promoted and which get to languish, which military families are able to settle in their new posts and which must remain in limbo. We cannot and we should not allow that to be the case.”
Tuberville said: “So to be clear, my hold is still in place. The hold will remain in place as long as the Pentagon’s illegal abortion policy remains in place. If the Pentagon lifts the policy, then I will lift my hold — easy as that. That has been my position from the very beginning.”
A yes vote was to confirm Gen. Brown as the nation’s top military adviser.
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Gen. Eric Smith, Marine Corps Commandant
Voting 96 for and none against, the Senate on Sept. 21 confirmed the appointment of Gen. Eric M. Smith, 58, as Marine Corps commandant. The four-star general had combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq and participated in operations in Liberia and Venezuela, among other overseas duty. A Marine for 36 years, Smith served most recently as assistant and then acting commandant of the corps. He has held top positions with the Marine Corps Combat Development Command and III Marine Expeditionary Force.
There was no debate on the appointment. A yes vote was to confirm Gen. Smith to lead the Marines.
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Gen. Randy George, Army Chief of Staff
Voting 96 for and one against, the Senate on Sept. 21 confirmed the appointment of Gen. Randy George, 57, as chief of staff of the Army. The negative vote was cast by Mike Lee (R-Utah). George served most recently as Army vice chief of staff, and among earlier career assignments, he commanded the 4th Infantry Division. Twice awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, George served in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
There was no debate on the appointment. A yes vote was to confirm Gen. George to lead the Army.
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted yes
