Congressional Vote Report for August 2, 2017

Health Care Marketplace Overhaul – Motion to Proceed – Vote Agreed to (51-50)
McConnell, R-Ky., motion to proceed to the bill would make extensive changes to the 2010 health care overhaul law, by effectively repealing the individual and employer mandates as well as most of the taxes that finance the current system and by making extensive changes to Medicaid. Vice President Mike Pence voted yes as the tie breaking vote.
Sen. Thomas Carper voted NO
Sen. Chris Coons voted NO

Sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea – Vote Agreed to (98-2)
The Senate passed the bill that would codify certain existing sanctions on Russia, including various sanctions tied to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, Moscow’s annexation of Crimea, and malicious cyber activities relating to the 2016 U.S. elections. The bill would establish multiple new sanctions on Russia, including sanctions on entities conducting malicious cyber activity on behalf of the Russian government and entities which conduct business with the Russian intelligence and defense sectors.
Sen. Thomas Carper voted YES
Sen. Chris Coons voted YES

Health Care Marketplace Overhaul – “Skinny” Repeal Amendment – Vote Rejected (49-51)
McConnell, R-Ky., second-degree amendment to the McConnell substitute amendment to the bill in which the second-degree amendment would repeal the individual mandate, repeal the employer mandate through 2024, delay the implementation of the medical device tax through 2020, and block, for one year, federal funding from going to certain medical providers that provide abortions. The amendment would ease the waiver process for states to opt out of the requirement that their health insurance providers include certain benefits on their health care plans. Additionally, the amendment would increase the maximum allowable contribution to health savings accounts and would defund the Prevention and Public Health Fund starting in 2019.
Sen. Thomas Carper voted NO
Sen. Chris Coons voted NO

Shanahan Nomination – Confirmation – Vote Confirmed (92-7, 1 Not Voting)
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Patrick M. Shanahan to be deputy secretary of Defense.
Sen. Thomas Carper voted YES
Sen. Chris Coons voted YES

Bush Nomination – Confirmation – Vote Confirmed (51-47, 2 Not Voting)
The Senate confirmed the nomination of John Kenneth Bush to be a judge for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Sen. Thomas Carper voted NO
Sen. Chris Coons voted NO

Four Bill Fiscal 2018 Appropriations Minibus – Vote Passed (235-192, 6 Not Voting)
The minibus would include the following appropriations bills: (Defense, Energy-Water, Legislative Branch and Military Construction-VA). Defense appropriations (HR 3219) would provide $658.1 billion for the Defense Department and $73.9 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism funding. Energy-Water appropriations (HR 3266) would provide $37.6 billion for national defense nuclear weapons activities, the Army Corps of Engineers and various programs under the Energy. Legislative branch appropriations (HR 3162) would provide $3.6 billion (excluding Senate only items) for the House and joint operations. Military Construction-VA appropriations (HR 2998) would provide $88.8 billion in discretionary funding with $638 million for the Overseas Contingency Operations fund. It would provide a total of $182.3 billion (in mandatory and discretionary funding) for the Veterans Affairs Department. The bill would provide $1.6 billion in funding to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for procurement, construction and improvement of a barrier along the southern U.S. border.
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester voted NO

Fiscal 2018 Intelligence Authorization – Vote Passed (380-35, 18 Not Voting)
The House passed the bill that would authorize classified amounts of funding through fiscal 2018 for 16 U.S. intelligence agencies and intelligence-related activities, including the Office of the National Intelligence Director, the CIA and the National Security Agency. The bill would require the director of National Intelligence to submit to Congress multiple reports regarding Russia’s campaigns directed at foreign elections and its efforts related to cyber influence, including an analytical assessment of the most significant Russian influence campaigns, if any, conducted during the three years prior to the bill’s enactment.
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester voted YES

Veterans Choice Fund Authorization – Vote Passed (414-0, 19 Not Voting)
The House passed the amended bill that would make available an additional $2.1 billion in funding for the Veterans Choice Fund, without fiscal year limitation. The bill would extend until Sept. 30, 2027, the current cap on per-month payment of VA pensions to certain veterans residing at VA nursing care facilities.
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester voted YES

Ozone Standards Implementation – Vote Passed (229-199, 5 Not Voting)
The House passed the bill that would extend for eight years the deadline for the EPA to implement new National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ground-level ozone. The bill would require the EPA to review the national ambient air quality standards for each pollutant every ten years, instead of every five, and would require the agency to evaluate possible adverse effects of standard changes.
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester voted NO

Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure – Vote Passed (254-175, 4 Not Voting)
The House passed the bill that would establish a new system for the approval and permitting of border-crossing oil and gas pipelines and electrical transmission lines. The bill would require sponsors of border-crossing oil pipelines and electricity transmission facilities that cross the U.S. borders into Canada and Mexico to receive a “certificate of crossing” from the relevant federal agency in order to build or modify their projects.
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester voted NO

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Agency Coordinating Authority – Vote Passed (248-179, 6 Not Voting)
The House passed the bill that would establish the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the sole lead agency for the permitting of proposals to build or expand natural gas pipelines.
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester voted NO

King Cove Land Exchange – Vote Passed (248-179, 6 Not Voting)
The House passed the bill that would require the Interior Department to convey to the state of Alaska, if requested, 206 acres of federal land within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Izembek Wilderness for the purpose of constructing a single-lane gravel road between the towns of King Cove and Cold Bay, Alaska.
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester voted NO