Here’s how area House and Senate members voted on major issues during the legislative week ending Oct. 6. See the nonpartisan VoteFacts.com for more information on top congressional issues and individual voting records. 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.
Kevin McCarthy Deposed as House Speaker
Voting 216 for and 210 against, the House on Oct. 3 adopted a resolution (H Res 757) to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as House speaker. He was elected to the post Jan. 7 on the 15th ballot of a four-day power struggle among House Republicans. McCarthy’s continuance as speaker drew opposition from all Democrats who voted and eight Republicans. Because the chamber cannot perform a full range of official duties without a speaker, this vote effectively shut down legislative business until a successor takes office. The Republican conference is scheduled to meet as early as Oct. 10 to begin the process of choosing McCarthy’s replacement.
Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said: “If we continue with Speaker McCarthy, the appropriations process will go right back to … just a sideshow, just a puppet show, just something to keep the hamsters on the hamster wheel as they continue to back people up against a calendar, centralize power with the lobbyists and special interests that move all kinds of money through the leadership. That is how they get their way, and that is why the American people have been getting screwed decade after decade. I am not going to tolerate it anymore without a fight.”
Tom Emmer (R-Iowa) said: “Speaker McCarthy’s Republican majority has been successful in bringing common sense back to our nation’s capital by passing legislation to affirm a parents’ right to be involved in their child’s education, bolster American energy production, fully fund veterans’ care and benefits, fight back against the regulatory state and continue delivering on our promise to rein in Democrats’ reckless spending by passing fiscally responsible appropriations bills.”
A yes vote was to vacate the office of House speaker.
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted no
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
SENATE
James C. O’Brien, Assistant Secretary of State
Voting 67 for and 31 against, the Senate on Oct. 4 confirmed James C. O’Brien as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, putting him in charge, along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, of U.S. diplomatic efforts to confront Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. An attorney who joined the Department of State in 1989, O’Brien served most recently as chief coordinator of U.S. sanctions policies around the world, and before that, he was the special envoy for hostage affairs, special envoy for the Balkans and coordinator of the Dayton Accords peace agreement among Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia, among other positions.
Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) said O’Brien “brings a wealth of experience to this position, having most recently worked as the head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination, targeting, among others, the Russian oligarchs who thrive on corruption — Russian oligarchs whose corrupt networks are continuing to fuel the war in Ukraine, which in turn impacts global energy and food prices for just about every single person in the world.”
No senator spoke against the nominee. A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted yes
