Here is how our House members voted on select issues during the legislative weeks ending July 5, 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.
Elections and Voter Registration
The House on June 28, by a 201-187 vote, passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 8774), that would bar funding for implementation of most of an executive order issued by President Joe Biden that directed various federal government agencies to work with private groups on voter registration and elections. Tenney called the order “a blatant attempt to transform the federal government into a partisan, get-out-the-vote machine for Democrats.” An amendment opponent, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), said the order was only “making sure that every American has the opportunity and the acknowledgment of when and how to vote.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
Climate Change and Contractors
The House on June 28, by a 211-199 vote, passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 8774). The amendment would bar funding for implementation of a multi-agency greenhouse gas emissions regulation requiring large contractors with the federal government to disclose their emissions, as well as comply with the Paris Climate Accords. Tenney said the rule would mean using a partisan, London-based company, Science Based Targets Initiative, to audit the emissions disclosures, with resulting national security concerns. An amendment opponent, Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii), said it was “grounded in the incorrect assumption that a strong defense industrial base is fundamentally incompatible with cleaner, sustainable energy and climate resiliency.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
Cluster Munitions
The House on June 28, by a 284-129 vote, rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 8774), that would have barred funding for the use or sale of cluster munitions. Titus said the broad, indiscriminate dispersion of cluster bombs resulted in long-term hazards to civilians over large areas due to their lengthy presence, and the difficulty of safely removing the bombs. An amendment opponent, Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), said the funding ban “would tie our hands in future conflicts, prohibiting the option to use these munitions in contingencies where the only other option are larger munitions that cause even more casualties.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted no
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
2025 Military Spending
The House on June 28, by a 217-198 vote, passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 8774), sponsored by Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), to provide $833 billion of fiscal 2025 funding for the military. Provisions include a 19.5 percent pay increase for junior enlisted military members; several measures supporting Israeli military programs, including a ban on withholding delivery of equipment and services to Israel; several measures to oppose China and support Taiwan; and $41.2 billion for military medical and health care programs. Calvert said: “This bill procures where we can, trains where we must, and invests in capability that will make our adversaries wake up every day and say: Today is not the day to provoke the United States of America.” An opponent, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), said: “We need to foster a climate in our military that appreciates and supports all Americans who choose to take the oath to serve. Unfortunately, at this time, this bill does not reflect that sentiment.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
Funding Homeland Security
The House on June 28, by a 212-203 vote, passed the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 8752), sponsored by Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), to provide $64.8 billion of fiscal 2025 funding for Homeland Security. Bill provisions include $600 million for further construction of the wall on the border with Mexico; $4.9 billion for detaining and deporting criminal illegal aliens; and decreased funding for migrant support programs. Amodei said: “The bill funds the core responsibilities of the department and protects the homeland. What it doesn’t do is fund the failed policies that further contribute to chaos at our southern border.” An opponent, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), said it “not only increases funding for inhumane, costly, and ineffective responses to the humanitarian crisis at our border, but it also cuts $2.1 billion to border security operations.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
2025 State Department Budget
The House on June 28, by a 212-200 vote, passed the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act (H.R. 8771), sponsored by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), to provide $51.7 billion of fiscal 2025 funding for the State Department. Provisions include $3 billion for counter-China activities; increased emphasis on efforts against drug trafficking; prohibitions on funding the International Criminal Court and several other international agencies deemed anti-Israel; and $9.86 billion for various international security assistance programs. Diaz-Balart said it “fully funds our ally Israel and increases funding over the President’s request to counter Communist China and to combat the flow of fentanyl into our country, again while spending less money overall” than in fiscal 2024. A bill opponent, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), said it paired less funding for diplomatic and development programs with more funding for foreign militaries, continuing “a dangerous trend that puts the Pentagon on steroids while leaving diplomacy and development on life support.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
