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How they voted: NC congressional votes for the week ending March 13

A look at how North Carolina members of Congress voted during the previous week.

Posted 2024-03-15T23:15:18+00:00 - Updated 2024-03-16T12:00:00+00:00

Targeted News Service

Here's how North Carolina members of Congress voted over the previous week.

House votes

Along with this week's roll call votes, the Senate also passed the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act (S. 1189), to establish a pilot grant program to improve recycling accessibility; and the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act (S. 1194), to require the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out certain activities to improve recycling and composting programs.

INVESTING IN COMPANIES: The House has passed the Expanding Access to Capital Act (H.R. 2799), sponsored by Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-N.C. The bill would reduce regulation of investment in smaller businesses, including by lessening government registration requirements and by expanding eligibility for investment and the size of investments. McHenry said the changes would "make improvements to our public markets and create new opportunities for everyday investors to save and build wealth and enjoy their version of the American Dream." An opponent, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said: "By weakening investor protections in numerous ways, this bill would allow fraud to proliferate and retirees and other mom-and-pop investors to be ripped off by bad actors." The vote, on March 8, was 212 yeas to 205 nays.

YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th), Edwards R-NC (11th) NOT VOTING: Murphy R-NC (3rd)
NAYS: Adams D-NC (12th), Manning D-NC (6th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th)

RURAL BROADBAND SERVICE: The House has passed the E-BRIDGE Act (H.R. 1752), sponsored by Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., to authorize Commerce Department grants for funding broadband Internet development projects in rural areas. Graves said the bill was intended to remove "hurdles to using these grants for broadband projects, including difficult last-mile efforts that often delay rural broadband deployment." The vote, on March 11, was 375 yeas to 20 nays.

NOT VOTING: McHenry R-NC (10th)
NAYS: Foxx R-NC (5th)
YEAS: Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Adams D-NC (12th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th), Manning D-NC (6th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Edwards R-NC (11th), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th)

OCEAN LITTER: The House has passed the Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act (H.R. 886), sponsored by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., to make changes to the Marine Debris Foundation and Marine Debris Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including requesting that the foundation's main office be moved from Washington, D.C., to a coastal state. Bonamici said it gave NOAA "greater flexibility to deliver federal resources and enter into cooperative agreements to conduct marine debris prevention and cleanup." The vote, on March 11, was 326 yeas to 73 nays.

NOT VOTING: McHenry R-NC (10th)
NAYS: Foxx R-NC (5th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th)
YEAS: Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Adams D-NC (12th), Manning D-NC (6th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Edwards R-NC (11th), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th)

USE OF FEDERAL OFFICE SPACE: The House has passed the Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act (H.R. 6276), sponsored by Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., to require the establishment of standards to measure the utilization and management of federal government buildings, and require a plan for ensuring that building utilization in Washington, D.C., exceeds 60%. Perry said: "Empty federal buildings are not only a drain to the federal taxpayer, they also don't produce investments needed for local economies because nobody is in the building." A bill opponent, Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., said it "does fall short by failing to take into account the complexity of the federal leasing process and using an incomplete and flawed metric for measuring the occupancy rate of federal buildings." The vote, on March 12, was 217 yeas to 203 nays.

YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th), Edwards R-NC (11th)
NAYS: Adams D-NC (12th), Manning D-NC (6th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th)

BIDEN IMMIGRATION POLICIES: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 1065), sponsored by Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, to denounce the Biden administration’s immigration policies as creating the country's worst border security crisis ever. De La Cruz said the administration's "approach to border security, marked by its relentless pursuit of political correctness at the expense of common sense and American lives, has reached a point of abject failure." An opponent, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., called the resolution "another ham-fisted attempt to weaponize the issue at the border, and it is filled with misinformation." The vote, on March 12, was 226 yeas to 193 nays.

NOT VOTING: McHenry R-NC (10th)
YEAS: Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th), Edwards R-NC (11th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st)
NAYS: Adams D-NC (12th), Manning D-NC (6th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Nickel D-NC (13th), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th)

BANNING TIKTOK: The House has passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (H.R. 7521), sponsored by Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., to prohibit U.S. Internet hosting service companies from doing business with TikTok, unless TikTok is sold to a non-Chinese entity. Gallagher called the bill "a commonsense measure to protect our national security" by ending China's control of TikTok, without censoring speech on TikTok or social media platforms owned by U.S. companies. An opponent, Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., said the bill violated the principle that in the U.S. "the citizen decides what to be exposed to and what ideologies to embrace and consider and is always free to engage in expression including across international boundaries." The vote, on March 13, was 352 yeas to 65 nays, with 1 voting present.

YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Adams D-NC (12th), Manning D-NC (6th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Edwards R-NC (11th), Nickel D-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Jackson (NC) D-NC (14th)
NAYS: Bishop (NC) R-NC (8th)

Senate votes

POLITICIZED PROSECUTIONS: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366) that would have blocked funding for Justice Department efforts to bring federal charges against individuals for political purposes. Lee cited prosecutions of President Trump and various non-liberal groups as indicating that the Justice Department has pursued charges against those believed to be a threat to the political interests of the Democratic party. The vote, on March 8, was 43 yeas to 50 nays.

YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC

EARMARK SPENDING: The Senate has rejected a motion by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to refer the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366) to committee to have all so-called earmark spending provisions be removed from the bill. Scott said the bill had more than 6,600 earmarks, costing $12 billion, and said "the American taxpayer should not be used as a political piggybank" to advance reckless spending. An opponent, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the motion "should be unacceptable to everyone who has worked with us to make sure this package includes the projects they know will make a difference to folks back home." The vote on the motion, on March 8, was 32 yeas to 64 nays.

YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC

CENSUS AND ILLEGAL ALIENS: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366) that would have required that for the Census, counts of only U.S. citizens, and not non-citizen immigrants, be used to determine each state's number of House seats and number of electoral votes. Hagerty said the current practice "encourages illegal immigration in sanctuary cities as a way to increase political power" in states such as California that have many illegal immigrants. An opponent, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said "this amendment adds detrimental new requirements that would inject politics into the Census," and Murray claimed it also went against a constitutional requirement to count all residents of each state, not just citizens. The vote, on March 8, was 45 yeas to 51 nays.

YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC

CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS: The Senate has passed the House amendment to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366), sponsored by Rep. John R. Carter, R-Texas, to provide fiscal 2024 funding for various federal departments, including Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs. A supporter, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the amendment "invests in keeping Americans safe and in keeping America moving forward as we rebuild our country's infrastructure." An opponent, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said it continued a trend of unstainable high deficits and wasteful spending, with resulting harms from inflation. The vote, on March 8, was 75 yeas to 22 nays.

YEAS: Tillis R-NC
NAYS: Budd R-NC

VIRGINIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jasmine Hyejung Yoon to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. In the past two decades, Yoon has variously been a private practice lawyer in Washington, D.C., an assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia, and an official at the Capital One company. A supporter, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said Yoon's "community-oriented mindset, her career qualifications, and numerous accolades and awards make her an exceptional nominee." The vote, on March 12, was 55 yeas to 41 nays.

YEAS: Tillis R-NC
NAYS: Budd R-NC

ILLINOIS JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Sunil R. Harjani to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Harjani has been a magistrate judge in the district since 2019, after being an assistant U.S. attorney in the district for a decade, and spending several years as a private practice lawyer and at the Securities and Exchange Commission. The vote, on March 12, was 53 yeas to 46 nays.

NAYS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC

RHODE ISLAND JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Melissa R. DuBose to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island. Currently a district judge in Rhode Island's courts, DuBose was, for 10 years, a lawyer at Schneider Electric. A supporter, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said DuBose "is known for ensuring proceedings in her courtroom are fair and efficient. She is someone who not only knows the law but understands that her task as a judge is to seek justice." The vote, on March 12, was 51 yeas to 47 nays.

NAYS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC

DEVELOPED COUNTRIES DIPLOMACY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Sean Patrick Maloney to be the U.S. representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a group of 38 countries that includes much of Europe, Japan, and Australia. Maloney was a member of the House, representing a New York district, from 2013 to 2023. A supporter, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., said Maloney "is committed to using the OECD's research capacity and convening power to lead with our values and counter Beijing's efforts with the Belt and Road Initiative." The vote, on March 12, was 63 yeas to 31 nays.

NOT VOTING: Tillis R-NC
NAYS: Budd R-NC

HAITI AMBASSADOR: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Dennis Hankins to be U.S. ambassador to Haiti. Hankins, a career member of the State Department's Senior Foreign Service, has been ambassador to Mali and Guinea, and a diplomat in Haiti and numerous other countries. A supporter, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., said increasing unrest in Haiti has created "a security and humanitarian catastrophe," and Cardin said Hankins "has the experience and the vision to guide this process [of restoring security] forward and advance U.S. national interests." The vote, on March 14, was 89 yeas to 1 nay.