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Transparency in Congress and a well-informed electorate are vital to preserving our self-governing Constitutional Republic. My constituents deserve to know how their members of Congress vote, which is why I have explained every vote I have cast in Congress since I was first elected.
To read more about my votes and see the full list with explanations of all the legislation considered this week by the House, please click here.
I voted “Yes” on H.R. 5863, the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023. H.R. 5863 would provide tax relief to those impacted by certain disasters, including recent hurricanes, wildfires, and the Ohio train derailment. Tax relief would be comprised of exempting compensation for losses from a taxpayer’s adjusted gross income (AGI), as well as deducting losses from their AGI without itemizing their tax returns. I urge the Senate to expeditiously take up this legislation which would provide a lifeline to those in Upstate New York impacted by certain disasters. H.R. 5863 pass the House by a vote of 382-7.
I voted “Yes” on H.R. 5403, the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act. H.R. 5403 would prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) without congressional authorization. Unelected bureaucrats should not have the power to issue a new currency without input from Congress. A CBDC would pose significant privacy concerns, as its implementation could potentially allow the federal government to track, or even prevent, the purchase of goods by all Americans. We have seen how this has played out in countless other countries throughout the world. Authoritarian regimes such as the Chinese Communist Party have implemented CBDC to impose Orwellian surveillance measures on their citizens. CBDCs fly in the face of the fundamental right to privacy and that is why I was proud to support this bill when it passed the House by a vote of 216-192.
I voted “Yes” on H.R. 4763, the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act. H.R. 4763 creates a framework at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to federally regulate digital asset exchanges, crypto assets, and establishes the position that a digital asset itself is not a security, but that it can be offered as part of a securities contract. The current lack of congressional guidance over cryptocurrency has opened the door for Washington bureaucrats to arbitrarily target crypto companies and exchanges. This bill is crucial in establishing a federal structure for cryptocurrency in order to prevent confusion in the industry. H.R. 4763 passed the House by a vote of 279-136.
I voted “Yes” on H.R. 192, To prohibit individuals who are not citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia and to repeal the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022. H.R. 192 prohibits an individual who is not a U.S. citizen from voting in D.C. local elections and repeals the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act (D.C. Law 24-0242), which allows noncitizens, including illegal immigrants and foreign diplomats, to vote in D.C. local elections. The right to vote is a fundamental tenet of American citizenship and allowing noncitizens to vote dilutes U.S. citizens’ power at the ballot box. Further, this D.C. law would allow foreign diplomats and agents living in D.C. to vote in U.S. elections. As chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, I will always fight to protect our elections and ensure that only U.S. citizens can vote. H.R. 192 passed the House by a vote of 262-143.
I voted “Yes” on H.R. 3019, the Federal Prison Oversight Act. H.R. 3019 establishes new independent oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Specifically, it directs the U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General to give each BOP facility a risk score, with higher scoring facilities requiring more frequent inspection. This bill will help ensure that staffing shortages and safety issues at federal prisons are promptly addressed to keep our correctional officers and prisoners safe and secure. H.R. 3019 passed the House by a vote of 392-2.
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