Here is how our House members and New York’s two senators voted on select issues during the legislative weeks ending June 21, 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 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.
Official Time and Military Workers
The House on June 14, by a 228-188 vote, rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) to the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 8070). The amendment would have required a Defense Department report on military and Commerce Department workers receiving government pay for time spent on union activities, from 2021 through 2023. Perry cited evidence of workers receiving tens of millions of dollars for the time, which is classified as official time, and said more data on the issue was needed. An opponent, Rep. Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), said: “Official time ensures federal employees have a voice at the worksite to resolve disputes, address issues of discrimination or retaliation, and propose improvements to the workplace.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted no
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
Relations with South Africa
The House on June 14, by a 272-144 vote, passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. John James (R-Mich.), to the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 8070). The amendment would require a report to Congress on possible South African activity against U.S. national security or foreign policy interests. James cited pro-Hamas and pro-China and Russia words and actions from the country’s ruling African National Congress party. James said such a move “requires a certification and review that will ensure that the entirety of the U.S. government is aligned to the realities of the current U.S.-South Africa bilateral relationship.” An opponent, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), said: “To conduct a review at this point in the process would be premature and potentially damaging to our interest of being a partner of choice for South Africa.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
2025 Military Budget
The House on June 14, by a 217-199 vote, passed the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 8070), sponsored by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.). The bill would authorize about $895 billion of fiscal 2025 military spending, with provisions including a 20-percent pay increase for junior enlisted military members, increased spending on military schools and housing, and about $20 billion of decreased spending on aircraft, ship and weapons programs deemed unviable. Rogers said: “It will help revitalize the defense industrial base. It will build the ready, capable, and lethal fighting force we need to deter China, and it will provide historic improvements in the quality of life of our service members and their families.” A bill opponent, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), criticized provisions restricting funding for abortions, sex change surgeries and hormone treatments, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures in the military.
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
SENATE
Federal Judge
The Senate on June 17, by a 52-42 vote, confirmed the nomination of Katherine Oler to be a judge on the Superior Court of Washington, D.C., for a 15-year term. Oler has been a special master on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims for the past seven years; previously, she spent two decades as a judge advocate for the Air Force.
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Firefighting
The Senate on June 18, by a 88-2 vote, concurred in the House amendments to the Fire Grants and Safety Act (S. 870), sponsored by Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), to reauthorize the U.S. Fire Administration through fiscal 2030, as well as several firefighting grant programs.
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Ambassador to Africa
The Senate on June 20, by a 45-26 vote, confirmed the nomination of Stephanie Sullivan to be the U.S. Representative to the African Union (AU). Sullivan was ambassador to Ghana from 2018 to 2022, and previously was ambassador to Congo and served a variety of other roles in the State Department, some of them based in Africa.
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted yes
