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 “No” on S. 2228, the Building Chips in America Act. This bill would work to expedite the NEPA review process for some CHIPS-related projects. While I agree with the intent of this bill, it did not go through regular order in the House, and the House Science, Space, and Technology which prevented the ability of Members to amend and improve this legislation. This bill would put New York CHIPS projects at a competitive disadvantage due to the arduous and duplicative requirements posed by New York’s environmental review process. Additionally, this bill required projects to commence on an unreasonable timeline, reducing its impact. I wholeheartedly support reforms to the NEPA process; however this bill missed the mark. This bill passed by a vote of 257-125.
I voted “No” on H.R. 8958, the NASA Reauthorization Act. This bill would reauthorize NASA for Fiscal Year 2025, however, it failed to include much-needed reforms to the agency. Congress must work to reform the permitting process that is holding back private industry’s ability to engage in commercial space activities, which this bill failed to do. Additionally, this bill lacked necessary safeguards to ensure that NASA is not inappropriately politicized. I offered two amendments to this legislation that would do so; however, they were ultimately not included. First, I offered an amendment to prohibit funding for the Biden administration’s Executive Order 14019 that requires all federal agencies to engage in partisan get-out-the-vote initiatives, which is wholly inconsistent with NASA’s mission. I also offered an amendment to prohibit funds for NASA to finalize the FAR Council’s rule that would require all federal agencies to disclose Scope 1,2, and 3 emissions and would require these companies to have their required green energy targets validated by a London-based company called SBTi. SBTi is named in the rule as the sole source provider and is owned by a chain of partisan organizations that are part of Arabella Advisor’s Democratic dark money apparatus. By requiring companies to contract SBTi to validate their goals, this would essentially provide revenue to a partisan dark money operation controlled by George Soros. Despite the Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s ongoing investigations into this rule, which have turned up concerning evidence of undue influence, this amendment was not included. I am disappointed that these commonsense amendments were not included to prevent NASA from being politicized, and as such, I could not support this bill. I hope that the Senate will reform this bill before passing it and sending it to the President’s desk. This bill passed by a vote of 366-21.
I voted “Yes” on S. 3764, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act. This bill would reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USIRF) through Fiscal Year 2026. The USIRF works to uphold religious freedom globally and ensures that every individual’s right to practice the religion of their choosing is preserved. As autocracies around the world continue to suppress individuals’ right to practice the religion of their choosing, the USIRF’s work has become even more critical. This bill passed by a vote of 365-20.
I voted “Yes” on H.R. 8790, the Fix Our Forests Act. This bill will expedite and improve forest management activities on National Forest System lands, to strengthen fire protection and avoid future natural disasters. This is a critical, bipartisan step forward in ensuring that the beautiful natural resources of our nation increase their resiliency to catastrophic wildfires. This bill passed by a vote of 268-151.
I voted “Yes” on H.R. 7073, the Next Generation Pipelines Research and Development Act. This bill creates programs for researching, developing, and advancing technologies that would improve American infrastructure such as liquified natural gas (LNG) facilities and pipelines. It is long overdue that America invests in its aging infrastructure, and this bill will make a crucial step forward in doing so. This bill particularly invests in bolstering our energy infrastructure, which is crucial to our nation’s independence and economic prosperity. This bill passed the House by a vote of 373-41.
I voted “Yes” on H.R. 3208, the DHS Cybersecurity On-the-Job Training Program Act. This bill would create an on-the-job cybersecurity training program for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees not currently employed in the cybersecurity space. Currently, DHS has approximately 40,000 vacancies in cybersecurity-related positions according to the House Committee on Homeland Security. The startling number of vacancies gravely concerning, particularly as our adversaries continue attempting to hack our Nation’s secure networks. This bill takes a unique approach to filling these vacancies and ensure that these positions are filled expeditiously. This bill passed by a vote of 377-43.
I voted “Yes” on H.R. 8057, To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 9317 Bolsa Avenue in Westminster, California, as the "Little Saigon Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Post Office". As our Nation commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, this bill would rename the Post Office in Westminster, California to honor all our Vietnam Veterans. I am grateful to all those that have served our country with honor and risked their lives to protect our freedoms, which is why I was honored to support this bill’s passage. This bill passed by a vote of 415-0, with 2 voting present.
I voted “No” on H.R. 9747, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025. With over $35 trillion in national debt, it is unfortunate that we continue to write a blank check to the Biden-Harris administration, allowing them to spend at current levels. Once again, instead of making serious cuts to excessive federal spending, Congress is merely putting a band-aid on the problem. House Republicans have passed five of the Fiscal Year 2025 spending bills, covering nearly 71% of overall discretionary spending. This includes the Defense Appropriations Bill and the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, which provides $600 million for building the wall along the Southern Border and funding for a record 22,000 Border Patrol Agents. Yet, Senator Schumer and Senate Democrats have refused to pass any of these bills, forcing a potential government shutdown. Schumer shut the government down in 2018, but he's threatening to do it again with a refusal to include priorities that the American people want and need in this dangerous world. Unlike my Democratic colleagues in the House, I voted for a continuing resolution last week that would keep the government open while securing our elections and provide necessary supplemental funding to the Virginia Class Submarine program. However, unlike last week, this continuing resolution fails to include the SAVE Act, which would close loopholes requiring proof of citizenship to vote, thus enhancing election security at a critical time just weeks before the 2024 election. As Co-Chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, this legislation is paramount in ensuring that noncitizens, especially illegal aliens, cannot undermine or dilute the sacred right to vote, which is the heart and soul of our Constitutional system where we must protect self-governance against authoritarian joint control. Furthermore, this continuing resolution omits vital initiatives to strengthen border security, despite our border agents facing an unprecedented crisis, and does not provide supplemental funding for Virginia Class Submarines, threatening our supply chains and our military readiness. House Republicans are committed to passing spending bills through regular order, allowing for robust debate and giving the American people a voice in the appropriations process. Therefore, I could not support this resolution that continues excessive spending, which, in many ways, prioritizes Democrats' initiatives over the needs of hardworking families – while also adding to the national debt and fueling the cruelest tax on all Americans – Inflation. This bill passed by a vote of 341-82.
I voted “Yes” on H.R. 3334, the STOP CCP Act. This bill would place significant financial and travel sanctions on members of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and their families due to the CCP’s actions towards Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Uyghur people. The CCP has long been engaged in violations of human rights and international law. This includes their repeated threats and infringements against Taiwan’s territorial sovereignty, suppressing democratic movements in Hong Kong, and the CCP’s ongoing genocide of the Uyghur people. I supported this critical legislation to ensure the United States takes a stand to protect the human rights of individuals living in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. This bill passed by a vote of 243-174.
I voted “Yes” on H.R. 8205, the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act. This bill would define charitable bond funds as insurance products, allowing greater regulation and oversight over these funds. This definition will allow financial regulators to have greater oversight over charitable bond funds, and subjects these funds to regulations relating to fraud, background checks, and embezzlement. Charitable bond funds, such as the Minnesota Freedom Fund, regularly provide bond for individuals incarcerated for violent offenses. During 2020, the Minnesota Freedom Fund raised $42 million with the help of Democrats like Vice President Kamala Harris who actively fundraised for the Minnesota Freedom Fund. These funds were used to free rioters, looters, and other violent offenders, including a two-time convicted rapist. While Democrats work to free violent offenders and eliminate cash bail, the House Republican majority is committed to cracking down on charitable bond funds, like the Minnesota Freedom Fund, and ensuring that these funds are properly regulated. This bill passed by a vote of 255-161.
I voted “Yes” on H.Res. 1469, Ensuring accountability for key officials in the Biden-Harris administration responsible for decision making and execution failures throughout the withdrawal from Afghanistan. This resolution condemns the Biden administration officials responsible for the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, which led to the death of 13 U.S. service members. During the Afghanistan withdrawal, President Biden maintained a willful blindness to the situation on the ground and his administration’s criminal failure to plan for the impending fallout. This resulted in what can only be described as a systemic failure of the U.S. government. The horrific scenes of people hanging from planes and women desperately passing their children over the wall of the Kabul airport permanently tarnished America’s reputation around the world and angered our allies, with some of them publicly chastising us. Additionally, the failure to plan for the withdrawal from Afghanistan led to the tragic death of 13 U.S. servicemembers. All the while, America’s weakness on the world stage has emboldened our adversaries. This resolution will hold the Biden administration accountable for their failures in the Afghanistan withdrawal by condemning these individuals for their actions. This resolution passed by a vote of 219-194.
I voted “Yes” on H.R. 6513, the Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act (or “COCOA”) Act. This legislation provides a statutory citation for the long-standing Election Observer Program that will ensure congressional observers have full access to congressional election administration processes. The Election Observer Program is vital to our collective efforts to uphold the integrity of our electoral process. This initiative equips members of the House and candidates with the essential training needed to ensure fairness and transparency. I was happy to support the COCOA Act, which will help deliver impartial oversight in federal election procedures and uphold Americans’ trust in the fairness and integrity of our elections. This bill passed the House by a vote of 418-1.
|