Here’s how area House and Senate members voted on major issues during the legislative week ending Dec. 8. 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.
Censuring Rep. Jamaal Bowman
Voting 214 for and 191 against, the House on Dec. 7 adopted a resolution (H Res 914) to censure Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) over a Sept. 30 incident in which he set off a fire alarm in a House office building. Critics said he was attempting to delay a vote on a Republican funding bill to keep the government from partially shutting down that night. Bowman said at the time: “Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open. I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door.” It is a misdemeanor in the District of Columbia to falsely trigger a fire alarm. After pleading guilty, Bowman paid a $1,000 fine, wrote an apology to Capitol police and was placed on probation. Censure ranks behind expulsion as the most severe punishment the House can impose on a member.
Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) said: “I do not submit this resolution lightly. Article I, Section 5 of our Constitution gives the House the solemn responsibility to discipline members for disorderly behavior. As his conviction demonstrates, Rep. Bowman sought to cause panic to delay official proceedings of this House. I took an oath to defend the Constitution, and that is exactly what I am going to do.”
Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) replied: “The gentlewoman talks about following the Constitution. Really? Coming from that side, it is laughable to hear that. There was silence about the crimes of Donald Trump. Silence about what happened here on Jan. 6. Silence. Do you want to talk about opening a door? The people who stormed this place broke down doors trying to kill people. Silence. I don’t want to hear any lectures about upholding the Constitution. There is nothing but silence about the crimes of those who attacked this Capitol on Jan. 6.”
A yes vote was to censure Bowman.
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
Condemning Rise of Antisemitism
With 311 members voting yes, 14 voting no and 92 answering “present,” the House on Dec. 5 adopted a resolution (H Res 894) “strongly condemning and denouncing the drastic rise of antisemitism in the United States and around the world.” The members declaring “present” did not take a stand for or against the measure. House clerks treat “present” the same as not voting.
David Kustoff (R-Tenn.) said: “We have seen members of this very body repeat blatantly antisemitic rhetoric and spread lies about Israel and her right to exist. Let me be absolutely clear: Such hate has no place in the halls of Congress nor in our national discourse. It is our fundamental responsibility as leaders and as members of Congress to condemn and fight these horrific acts of hate and discrimination against the Jewish community.”
Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said: “The Jewish community is absolutely right to consider this terrifying situation a five-alarm fire…. Unfortunately, this resolution does absolutely nothing to genuinely counter the scourge of antisemitism…. Rather, it is another attempt in a long series of veiled efforts by the GOP to weaponize Jewish lives for political gains. It is another partisan gotcha game that amounts to cheap value-signaling, not serious action.”
A yes vote was to adopt the resolution.
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
Republican Pushback Against Electric Vehicles
Voting 221 for and 197 against, the House on Dec. 6 passed a bill (HR 4468) that would nullify Biden administration actions to expand the use of electric vehicles in order to improve air quality and fight climate change. In part, the bill would kill a proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule to phase in more stringent emission standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles over model years 2027-2032. Light-duty vehicles range from passenger cars to pickup trucks, while medium-duty vehicles are trucks weighing up to 14,000 pounds. The bill also would prohibit the use of the Clean Air Act to mandate the use of electric vehicles rather than ones powered by fossil fuels.
Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) said: “Under EPA’s recent tailpipe proposal, two-thirds of all new cars being sold in America must be electric-powered vehicles by 2032. That is only eight years from now. The American people did not ask for this. While the average price of an EV reportedly fell 22.4 percent in the last year in response to lack of demand and government subsidies, they are still far more expensive than a liquid fuel vehicle.”
Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said: “This bill would simply prevent the EPA from doing its job. The Clean Air Act is clear. EPA has the authority and obligation to protect American communities from air pollution that would cause harm to public health and welfare. That includes pollution from the transportation sector, the single-largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions and other dangerous air pollution in the United States.”
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it was dead on arrival.
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted no
Disclosure of Foreign Gifts to Higher Education
Voting 246 for and 170 against, the House on Dec. 6 passed a bill (HR 5933) that would expand disclosure requirements for colleges, universities and faculty members receiving contributions from foreign countries or entities. The bill would lower from $250,000 to $50,000 the threshold at which foreign contributions must be disclosed to the Department of Education, except that all sums from “countries of concern” would have to be disclosed. The bill would also require schools to disclose faculty members’ gifts from or contracts with foreign sources and to receive advance federal approval of any school or faculty contracts with “countries of concern” such as Russia or China. All disclosures would be listed in a public data base.
Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) said “foreign nations are pumping money into our higher education systems, and these nations are not our friends. This means our enemies are funding our colleges and universities. Make no mistake, every dollar that flows into our classrooms comes with strings attached. By accepting these foreign funds, our colleges and universities are importing toxic hatred straight from the dogma of our nation’s enemies into our classrooms.”
Robert Scott (D-Va.) said the bill “would only exacerbate the ongoing culture wars that have consumed our [Republican] colleagues in Congress. For example, the legislation singles out partnerships with certain countries, targeting researchers based solely on their nationality. As I have said before, we can achieve accountability and compliance without contributing to anti-Asian, antisemitic or Islamophobic animosity.”
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it was dead on arrival.
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
SENATE
Blocking Money for Israel, Ukraine, Border Security
Voting 49 for and 51 against, the Senate on Dec. 6 failed to reach 60 votes necessary to advance a $105 billion emergency funding request by President Biden that would appropriate $60.4 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine, $14.2 billion in military aid to Israel, $13.6 billion for securing the southern U.S. border and billions in humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, among other outlays. Republican foes said the measure did not adequately address the large number of undocumented immigrants crossing the southern U.S. border to petition for asylum. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer voted against cloture to give himself parliamentary standing to bring it back to the floor.
Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said: “It is [Putin’s] hope that the partisan chaos in the U.S. Congress will stall or end support for Ukraine. And make no mistake — the president of Ukraine told us point-blank when he visited here several months ago, in a private meeting in the Old Senate Chamber, that if the United States cuts off military assistance to Ukraine, his country will lose the war with Vladimir Putin…. We know that Putin is watching this activity by Congress. So is China and so is Iran.”
Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said: “Republicans are going to [block] a bill that fails to address America’s top national security priorities in a serious way…. Legislation that doesn’t include policy changes to secure our borders will not pass the Senate. The situation unfolding at our southern border on President Biden’s watch is a crisis of historic proportions …. Thanks to a broken asylum and parole system, the vast majority of [undocumented immigrants] are admitted into the country before their legal status is even determined.”
A yes vote was to advance the emergency spending package.
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted yes
