Here is how our House members and New York’s two senators voted on select issues during the legislative week ending Feb. 14, as reported by Targeted News Service. Click here for previous votes.
Michael Lawler (R), District 17 (including Philipstown)
Lawler, 38, was elected to Congress in 2022 and re-elected in 2024. 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, 42, was elected to Congress in 2022 and re-elected in 2024. 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.
Regulating Oil and Natural Gas Production
The House on Feb. 7, by a 226-188 vote, passed the Protecting American Energy Production Act (H.R. 26), sponsored by Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas). The bill would bar imposition of a presidential moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of oil and natural gas wells and declare support for states to have primary authority to regulate fracking on non-federal lands. Pfluger said: “Fracking is safe. It is clean. It is an effective way to produce affordable energy and to strengthen our national security.” A bill opponent, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), said it “would allow natural gas producers to keep abusing loopholes that allow them to hide dangerous chemical components in their fracking fluid.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
China Exchange Rates
The House on Feb. 10, by a 388-7 vote, passed the China Exchange Rate Transparency Act (H.R. 692), sponsored by Rep. Daniel Meuser (R-Pa.), to require the International Monetary Fund’s U.S. executive director to advocate for China to increase its transparency about currency exchange rates. Meuser said that with the advocacy requirement “we are not just advocating for fairness; we are fighting for the integrity of the global economy in line with our own international trade goals.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
Business Ownership Filing Deadline
The House on Feb. 10, by a unanimous vote, passed the Protect Small Businesses from Excessive Paperwork Act (H.R. 736), sponsored by Rep. Zachary Nunn (R-Iowa). The bill would change the deadline for businesses to file their beneficial ownership information with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) from Jan. 1, 2025, to Jan. 1, 2026. Nunn said that given that most businesses were not yet aware of the current deadline, “small businesses should not bear the risk of fines of up to $600 per day for every violation and up to nearly 24 months in prison for failure to report on a law they weren’t even familiar with.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
Group Review of Regulations
The House on Feb. 12, by a 212-208 vote, passed the Midnight Rules Relief Act (H.R. 77), sponsored by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), to authorize Congress to disapprove of and void, with one piece of legislation, multiple regulations that a president issued in the last year of a term. Biggs said that given the tendency for a president to issue more regulations in that last year, the option of group review was needed to “make Congress’ oversight more efficient during this midnight rulemaking period.” A bill opponent, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), said group review amounted to “nothing more than an effort by the Republican majority to advance their antigovernment, deregulatory agenda under cover of darkness.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
Immigration and Vehicle Pursuits
The House on Feb. 13, by a 264-155 vote, passed the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act (H.R. 35), sponsored by Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.). The bill would establish criminal penalties for people who use a motor vehicle to flee from Border Patrol agents within 100 miles of the U.S. border and declare undocumented immigrants who flee to be deportable. Ciscomani said: “This bill is about supporting our law enforcement communities who deal with this crisis on a daily basis to stop the smuggling and trafficking.” An opponent, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), criticized the bill for lacking a “requirement that a noncitizen actually be charged by law enforcement, making a person deportable without even being convicted of a crime.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
The House also passed this legislation:
■ The Credit Union Board Modernization Act (H.R. 975), to modify the frequency of board of directors meetings;
■ The Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act (H.R. 965), to exclude certain disability benefits from income for the purposes of determining eligibility for the supported housing program under section 8(o)(19);
■ The Chinese Currency Accountability Act (H.R. 386), to require U.S. representatives at the International Monetary Fund to oppose an increase in the weight of the Chinese renminbi in the Special Drawing Rights basket of the Fund; and
■ The Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act (H.R. 224), to require the exclusion of service-connected disability compensation when determining a person’s income.
SENATE
Overseeing Intelligence Activity
The Senate on Feb. 12, by a 52-48 vote, confirmed the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence. Gabbard was a House member from Hawaii from 2013 to 2021. She is in the Army Reserve and was previously in Hawaii’s Army National Guard for nearly two decades. A supporter, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), said Gabbard “has the right background, she has the right experience, and she has the right perspective to keep our nation safe and to keep it secure.” An opponent, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), questioned whether Gabbard’s partisanship would distort her views of intelligence issues, and whether she would stand up to a president he said “is breaking the law.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Health and Human Services
The Senate on Feb. 13, by a 52-48 vote, confirmed the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be secretary of the Health and Human Services Department (HHS). Kennedy has been a litigator focused on environmental and health issues; leader of several environmental groups, including Riverkeeper; and was a third-party presidential candidate in 2024. A supporter, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), praised Kennedy’s dedication to transparency and said his “passion for addressing America’s chronic disease epidemic will save lives, reduce costs, and establish a foundation for a healthier, stronger country.” An opponent, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), said Kennedy’s views on issues such as vaccines and federal health care programs “make him a uniquely unqualified nominee to become our nation’s chief healthcare officer.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Agriculture Secretary
The Senate on Feb. 13, by a 72-38 vote, confirmed the nomination of Brooke Rollins to be agriculture secretary. Rollins was most recently CEO of the America First Policy Institute; previously, she was a staffer in the first Trump administration, and in the Texas government; she was longtime CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. A supporter, Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), said: “Her executive leadership during the first Trump administration and her regular collaboration with President Trump make her uniquely qualified to serve in this position and advocate for family farms.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Along with this week’s roll call votes, the Senate also passed
■ The Local Access to Courts Act (S. 32), to clarify where court may be held for certain district courts in Texas and California; and
■ The Take It Down Act (S. 146), to require covered platforms to remove nonconsensual intimate visual depictions.
