Here is how our House members and New York’s two senators voted on select issues during the legislative week ending April 4, 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, 43, 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.
Disasters and Tax Deadlines
The House on March 31, by unanimous vote, passed the Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act (H.R. 517), sponsored by Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), to extend by two months tax filing deadlines for people affected by a federally declared disaster, and also authorize extensions for disasters declared by a state government. Kustoff said the bill, by redressing a situation in which taxpayers must wait for a federal disaster declaration in order to get more time to file their taxes, would “ensure that disaster victims are able to receive more timely relief.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
Taxpayer Advocate Lawyers
The House on March 31, by unanimous vote, has passed the National Taxpayer Advocate Enhancement Act (H.R. 997), sponsored by Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), to move authority for hiring lawyers managed by the National Taxpayer Advocate out of the Treasury Department’s legal office, and instead have the lawyers report directly to the Advocate. Feenstra said: “Since 2015, the IRS has prohibited the National Taxpayer Advocate from hiring her own legal counsel, which undermines her ability to provide insight, ensure fair treatment of taxpayers, and responsibly work with the IRS caseworkers.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
Tax Refunds and Disasters
The House on April 1, by unanimous vote, passed the Disaster Related Extension of Deadlines Act (H.R. 1491), sponsored by Rep. Gregory Murphy (R-N.C.), to have the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) make the extension of federal tax return deadlines due to a declared disaster also apply to tax refunds, and also account for such deadline extensions before issuing tax collection notices. Murphy called the bill a way “to ensure that victims of natural disasters are not burdened by our tax code.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
Along with the week’s roll call votes, the House also passed these measures:
■ The Internal Revenue Service Math and Taxpayer Help Act (H.R. 998), to require additional information on math and clerical error notices;
■ The Recovery of Stolen Checks Act (H.R. 1155), to allow taxpayers to elect to receive certain replacement refunds electronically;
■ The Electronic Filing and Payment Fairness Act (H.R. 1152), to apply the mailbox rule to documents and payments electronically submitted to the Internal Revenue Service; and
■ A bill (H.R. 1234), to direct the Librarian of Congress to promote the more cost-effective, efficient, and expanded availability of the annotated Constitution and pocket-part supplements by replacing the hardbound versions with digital versions.
SENATE
Ambassador to NATO
The Senate on April 1, by a 52-45 vote, confirmed the nomination of Matthew Whitaker to be the permanent representative of the U.S. on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Council. Whitaker, an official at several conservative think tanks, was a Justice Department senior official in the first Trump administration, including time as the acting attorney general; a private practice lawyer in Iowa for most of the 2010s; and a U.S. attorney in Iowa from 2004 to 2009. A supporter, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), called Whitaker “a principled leader with a proven track record. Under President Trump’s peace-through-strength approach, I have no doubt that Matt will be an effective advocate for America’s interests and a champion of our national strategy.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Canada Tariffs
The Senate on April 2, by a 51-48 vote, passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 37), sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), that would end a national emergency declared two months ago by President Trump that levied 10 percent and 25 percent tariffs on goods imported from Canada. Kaine called the resolution a way to “stand strong for our businesses and consumers, our foresters and farmers, our national defense industry and shipbuilders, against cost increases that will hurt people’s pocketbooks, hurt American competitiveness, and hurt our national security.” An opponent, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), said illegal migration and fentanyl smuggling over the Canada-U.S. border had created a crisis that warranted declaration of a national emergency.
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted yes
Walk-In Freezers
The Senate on April 3, by a 53-42 vote, passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 24), sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), to disapprove of and void an Energy Department rule, issued in December, establishing efficiency standards for walk-in coolers and freezers.
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Solicitor General
The Senate on Aprli 3, by a 52-45 vote, confirmed the nomination of Dean John Sauer to be Solicitor General. Sauer was Missouri’s solicitor general from 2017 to 2023, and previously was a federal prosecutor and a civil lawyer. An opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), said “Sauer’s failure to comply with court orders and his refusal to recuse himself from pending Trump matters render him unfit for this role.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Weapons Sale to Israel
The Senate on April 3, by a 82-15 vote, rejected a motion to discharge from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a resolution (S.J. Res. 33), sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders (ID-Vt.), that would have cancelled the planned sale to Israel of up to 40,000 bomb bodies and warheads, as well as support, services and spare parts for the weapons. Sanders said the sale would be wrong because “it is illegal for the U.S. government to provide Israel with more offensive weaponry. It is simply against our laws” to supply weapons to a country that is violating human rights. A motion opponent, Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho), said cancelling the sale “would abandon Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East, during a pivotal moment for global security.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Medicare and Medicaid
The Senate on April 3, by a 53-45 vote, confirmed the nomination of Mehmet Oz to be Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) agency. Oz was a heart surgeon and professor in New York City starting in 1986, hosted the Dr. Oz television show from 2009 to 2022, and was a member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition during President Trump’s first term. A supporter, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), said Oz’s “vision for treating the underlying causes of chronic disease and equipping providers with innovative technologies to serve patients will also be a much needed sea change at CMS.” An opponent, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), said Oz “has been out there peddling, over the years, unproven cures and treatments and encouraging people to ignore proven facts and science.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Assistant Attorney General
The Senate on April 3, by a 52-45 vote, confirmed the nomination of Harmeet Dhillon to be the assistant attorney general for civil rights. Dhillon has been a lawyer at her own law firm in San Francisco since 2006, specializing in election law, First Amendment litigation and commercial litigation. An opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), said Dhillon’s “record suggests she is more likely to attack civil rights than defend them.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
