Here’s how the lawmakers who represent Pennsylvania in Congress voted July 14-20

Here’s a look at how Pennsylvania’s members of Congress voted over the previous week.

In addition to the week’s roll call votes, the House also passed, by voice vote, the Animal Drug and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Amendments (HR 1418), to reauthorize user fee programs relating to new animal drugs and generic new animal drugs.

HOUSE

MILITARY SERVICE ACADEMIES: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., to the National Defense Authorization Act (HR 2670), to bar the use of funds to utilize race and ethnically based criteria for evaluating admission applications for the Military Academy (West Point), Naval Academy and three other military service academies. Banks said: “We need the best and the brightest, the most fit cadets and midshipmen, regardless of their skin color and ethnicity. To consider immutable characteristics like race and ethnicity is blatantly discriminatory.” An opponent, Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-Wash., said: “This amendment attempts to weaken a concept foundational to our current and future military supremacy, that diversity translates into capability and lethality.” The vote, on July 14, was 218 yeas to 210 nays.

YEAS: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Bucks; Scott Perry, R-York; Lloyd Smucker, R-Lancaster; John Joyce, R-Blair; Guy Reschenthaler, R-Washington; Glenn Thompson, R-Howard; Dan Meuser, R-Luzerne

NAYS: Reps. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Chester; Madeleine Dean, D-Montgomery; Brendan Boyle, D-Philadelphia; Matt Cartwright, D-Lackawanna; Susan Wild, D-Lehigh; Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Delaware; Summer Lee, D-Allegheny; Chris Deluzio, D-Allegheny

NOT VOTING: Reps. Mike Kelly, R-Butler; Dwight Evans, D-Philadelphia

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE MILITARY: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, to the National Defense Authorization Act (HR 2670), that would bar funding for the Defense Department to implement policies pursuant to a variety of Biden administration executive orders on climate change and energy. Roy said the ban was needed to keep the military “focused on its core mission rather than pursuing the political agenda of climate change to the detriment of the national security of the United States.” An opponent, Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., said: “Let’s not let ideology and the fact that we want to get into a fight over climate change get in the way of good public policy.” The vote, on July 14, was 217 yeas to 216 nays.

YEAS: Perry, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser

NAYS: Fitzpatrick, Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio

NOT VOTING: Kelly, Evans

MILITARY SPENDING: The House has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (HR 2670), sponsored by Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., to authorize fiscal 2024 Defense Department spending, and spending on military construction programs and military-related programs at the Energy Department. Rogers said it “will help build the ready, capable and lethal fighting force we need to deter the Chinese Communist Party and other adversaries.” A bill opponent, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Chester, said Republicans had added “scores of extreme GOP culture war priorities to it, including, least of all, a clear-as-day backdoor policy to a national abortion ban.” The vote, on July 14, was 219 yeas to 210 nays.

YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Perry, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser

NAYS: Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio

NOT VOTING: Kelly, Evans

COMMUNICATING ABOUT REGULATIONS: The House has passed the Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act (S 111), sponsored by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., to require government agencies to include brief plain language summaries of proposed rules with their published notices for the rules. A supporter, Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., said: “Giving Americans — and especially small businesses — a 100-word, plain language summary for an otherwise convoluted government rulemaking provides much needed streamlining and transparency.” The vote, on July 17, was unanimous with 400 yeas.

YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Evans, Houlahan, Dean, Perry, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio

NOT VOTING: Kelly, Wild

INVESTMENT IN UNITED STATES: The House has passed the Global Investment in American Jobs Act (HR 813), sponsored by Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind. The bill would require the Commerce Department and Government Accountability Office to collaborate on an interagency review of America’s ability to attract direct investment from foreign businesses and ways to improve that ability. Pence said increasing foreign investment could create many thousands of manufacturing jobs, and the review could also improve resistance to efforts by China to use anticompetitive practices “to undermine innovation and gain footholds in next-generation technologies” that the U.S. seeks to lead. The vote, on July 17, was 386 yeas to 22 nays.

YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Evans, Houlahan, Dean, Perry, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio

NOT VOTING: Kelly, Wild

LIBYA EMERGENCY: The House has rejected a resolution (HJ Res 70), sponsored by Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., that would have terminated the national emergency with regard to Libya that President Barack Obama declared in February 2011. Gosar said Congress has disobeyed its legal obligation by failing to ever review the declared emergency in the past 12 years, and preserving the executive authorities asserted by the declaration was “recklessly endangering our republic, checks and balances, and the civil liberties of our constituents.” A resolution opponent, Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said that it, by “lifting sanctions on the worst actors in Libya, the individuals who have perpetuated violence and instability, would send the exact wrong message to those pursuing economic reform.” The vote, on July 18, was 30 yeas to 388 nays.

YEAS: Perry

NAYS: Fitzpatrick, Evans, Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser, Wild, Scanlon, Lee

NOT VOTING: Kelly, Deluzio

SYRIA EMERGENCY: The House has rejected a resolution (HJ Res 79), sponsored by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., that would have terminated a national emergency related to Syria that was declared by President George W. Bush in May 2004 and has been used to apply various sanctions against officials in Syria’s Bashar Assad regime. Gaetz said Congress has failed to oversee the prolonged emergency, which he said has failed to weaken Assad and allowed multiple presidents to spend “untold sums of money with no transparency as to how much is going into the Syrian emergency.” A resolution opponent, Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., said in the past five years, sanctions applied under the emergency “have prevented over $100 million from reaching more than 100 dangerous entities and individuals affiliated with the Assad regime and its backers.” The vote, on July 18, was 24 yeas to 394 nays.

YEAS: Perry

NAYS: Fitzpatrick, Evans, Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser, Wild, Scanlon, Lee

NOT VOTING: Kelly, Deluzio

ISRAEL RESOLUTION: The House has passed a resolution (H Con Res 57), sponsored by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, declaring U.S. support and partnership with Israel, rejecting the claim that Israel is a racist or apartheid state, and rejecting antisemitism and xenophobia. Pfluger said the resolution would signal U.S. opposition to “those that would denounce or use words that are hateful in their rhetoric, that undermine the very essence of the nation of Israel, and that undermine the freedoms that this country stands for.” A resolution opponent, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., said: “Israel is an apartheid state. The Israeli government is deeply problematic in the way that they are proceeding in the structure of oppression.” The vote, on July 18, was 412 yeas to 9 nays.

YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Evans, Houlahan, Dean, Perry, Boyle, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser, Wild, Scanlon

NAYS: Lee

NOT VOTING: Kelly, Deluzio

SCHOOLS AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: The House has passed the Schools Not Shelters Act (HR 3941), sponsored by Rep. Marcus Molinaro, R-N.Y., to bar public schools and colleges that receive federal funding from using their facilities to house immigrants who are not legally in the U.S. Molinaro said: “Schools are for a single purpose, centers of community, education and opportunity for our neighbors. They are not shelters.” An opponent, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., said the bill “discriminates against and scapegoats vulnerable people based on their identity.” The vote, on July 19, was 222 yeas to 201 nays.

YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Perry, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser

NAYS: Evans, Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio

TRAINING PILOTS: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., to the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (HR 3935). The amendment would eliminate a bill provision that changes training requirements for pilots seeking to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, and thereby maintain the current 1,500-hour in-flight training requirement. Langworthy called the amendment necessary “to maintain high-quality training standards for our commercial pilots.” An opponent, Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., said it was appropriate to substitute simulator training hours for in-flight training hours because simulators can create a more versatile set of flight scenarios than are available in an airplane. The vote, on July 19, was 243 yeas to 191 nays.

YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Evans, Houlahan, Boyle, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Wild, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio

NAYS: Kelly, Dean, Perry, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Meuser

FLIGHT DELAY INFORMATION: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., to the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (HR 3935), that would require the Transportation Department to make public available a variety of details about the cause of the cancellation and delay of commercial airplane flights. Kean said “without good data reflecting the causes of cancellations and delays, it is impossible to identify the root causes” of those disruptions. An amendment opponent, Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., said it “would restrict airline service quality performance reporting by removing a host of critical reporting elements,” including vendor computer outages and crew availability shortfalls. The vote, on July 19, was 240 yeas to 195 nays.

YEAS: Kelly, Houlahan, Dean, Perry, Cartwright, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser, Wild

NAYS: Fitzpatrick, Evans, Boyle, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio

AIRPLANE FUEL SUPPLIES: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., to the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (HR 3935). The amendment would allow airports to sell high-octane unleaded aviation gasoline in lieu of low-lead aviation gasoline. Obernolte said authorizing airports to switch away from leaded fuel would improve both environmental quality and human health. An opponent, Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., said that by narrowing the types of unleaded fuels an airport can supply, “it would reduce airports’ flexibility to meet the FAA’s requirements for fuel availability.” The vote, on July 19, was 229 yeas to 205 nays.

YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Perry, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Wild

NAYS: Evans, Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Cartwright, Scanlon, Lee, Deluzio

NOT VOTING: Meuser

AVIATION POLICY: The House has passed the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (HR 3935), sponsored by Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo. The bill would reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board through fiscal 2028, and set out an array of policy directives for the FAA and the Transportation Department, including raising the retirement age for commercial airline pilots from 65 to 67. Graves said: “This bill not only improves FAA’s efficiency through reasonable organizational changes but makes the agency more agile while simultaneously prioritizing safety each step of the way.” An opponent, Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., criticized the changes to the pilot retirement age. The vote, on July 20, was 351 yeas to 69 nays.

YEAS: Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Evans, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser, Wild, Deluzio

NAYS: Perry, Cartwright, Lee

NOT VOTING: Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Scanlon

SENATE

APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Rachel Bloomekatz to be a judge on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Most of Bloomekatz’s career, spanning the past decade, has been as a private practice lawyer, for the past four years at her own law firm. A supporter, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said: “Bloomekatz brings with her not only impressive legal credentials but the empathy, the intellect, and the deep commitment to justice required to serve the people of the Sixth Circuit.” The vote, on July 18, was 50 yeas to 48 nays.

YEAS: Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa.; John Fetterman, D-Pa.

NATO MEMBERSHIP: The Senate has passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., to the National Defense Authorization Act (S 2226), that would require approval from Congress for the U.S. to suspend or withdraw its membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Kaine said the amendment “sends a powerful message that Congress, after these decades, still believes in the power of NATO.” An opponent, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said: “Passing this amendment is tantamount to altering the Constitution, because the amendment would authorize the Senate to infringe upon the executive powers of the president.” The vote, on July 19, was 65 yeas to 28 nays.

YEAS: Casey; NOT VOTING: Fetterman

MILITARY ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, to the National Defense Authorization Act (S 2226), that would have required the Defense Department to change its methods of accounting for the drawdown of military supplies, including weapons systems being sent to Ukraine. Vance said a recent $6 billion accounting error by the military showed the need to “more adequately count and account for the resources we are giving to Ukraine and other nations as well.” An opponent, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said: “If we adopt this amendment, we will lower the amount of equipment we can provide to Ukraine, which is critically in need of such equipment.” The vote, on July 19, was 39 yeas to 60 nays.

NAYS: Casey, Fetterman

ENFORCING EPA RULES: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of David Uhlmann to be the Environmental Protection Agency’s assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance. Uhlmann, a law professor at the University of Michigan, was a federal prosecutor, specializing in environmental crimes, for 17 years. A supporter, Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., cited Uhlmann’s bipartisan support from five former EPA administrators, and said the Senate needed to confirm the nomination because in recent years “environmental enforcement and compliance actions had fallen to half of what they had been during the Bush and the Obama administrations.” The vote, on July 20, was 53 yeas to 46 nays.

YEAS: Casey, Fetterman

PETROLEUM RESERVE SALES: The Senate has passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to the National Defense Authorization Act (S 2226), that would bar the sale of petroleum products from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to Russia, China, Iran or North Korea. Cruz cited the desirability of not assisting U.S. adversaries by supplying them with oil. An opponent, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said “this amendment claims to solve a problem while mainly having the result of padding and protecting oil industry profits” by shifting exports to China from the reserve to private industry. The vote, on July 20, was 85 yeas to 14 nays.

YEAS: Casey, Fetterman