Here’s how our House members and New York’s two senators voted on select issues during the legislative week ending Jan. 19, as reported by Targeted News Service. Click here for previous votes.
Michael Lawler (R), District 17 (including Philipstown)
Lawler, 37, 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.
Border Security
The House passed a resolution (H. Res. 957) by a vote of 225-187 that denounced the Biden administration for its open-borders policies and the national security and public safety problems created by failing to secure the border with Mexico. Sponsored by Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), it cited a large increase in migration by illegal aliens since President Biden took office, rapidly growing fentanyl imports from Mexico, and the threat of terrorists infiltrating the U.S. A resolution opponent, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) called it “empty rhetoric designed to score cheap political points that bring us no closer to meaningful reform.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
1988 Lockerbie Bombing Trial
The House passed a bill (S. 3250), 413-7, to require federal courts to enable victims of the December 1988 bombing of a Pan American airplane over Scotland to remotely access criminal court proceedings against those who perpetrated the bombing. A supporter, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) said the authorization was needed because it was impractical or not possible for many relatives of the bombing’s victims to attend the trial’s proceedings in Washington, D.C.
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
Continuing Appropriations
The House agreed by a 314-108 vote to the Senate amendment to the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act (H.R. 2872), which provides funding for the federal government through March 8. A supporter, Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) said the funding extension was needed to give Republicans and Democrats time “to negotiate bills both sides can support.” An opponent, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said the extension would mean continuing to fund “radical progressive parties,” including an open border with Mexico.
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
Pregnancy Centers
The House passed the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act (H.R. 6918), sponsored by Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn), by a 214-208 vote. The bill would bar the Administration for Children and Families agency from adopting a proposed rule that would allow it to investigate state funding, under the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, of pregnancy centers that discourage abortion. Fischbach said the centers “are providing support and empowering women to raise their families.” An opponent, Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D-Calif.), called the bill an effort by Republicans “to divert federal funds from needy children in order to serve their own extremist agenda” of funding anti-abortion efforts.
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
Pregnancies and College
By a 212-207 vote, the House has passed the Pregnant Students Rights Act (H.R. 6914), sponsored by Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), to require colleges and universities receiving federal funding to provide pregnant women students with information about their rights and the resources available to them. Hinson said the bill would help remedy a problem in which “many women on college campuses are pressured into having an abortion and told they must choose between having their baby and continuing their education.” An opponent, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), said the bill’s requirements were “incomplete and biased by not providing information about comprehensive family planning resources and a full range of reproductive healthcare options for pregnant students.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
SENATE
Aid to Palestinians
By a vote of 50-44, the Senate rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act (H.R. 2872) that would ban U.S. funding for the Palestinian Authority and other Palestinian governing entities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Paul said that with the amendment, the U.S. would demand “a change in behavior from those who do not accept Israel’s right to exist, from those who actively seek the destruction of the state of Israel and murder innocent Israelis.”
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Continuing Appropriations
By a vote of 77-18, the Senate passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act (H.R. 2872) that would provide funding for the federal government through March 8. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), said: “Avoiding a shutdown is very good news for the country, for our veterans, for parents and children, and for farmers and small businesses.”
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted yes
