House
Guns, Terror Watch List
A yes vote opposed a procedural move by Democrats to bring gun legislation to the House floor.
Voting 236 for and 171 against, the House on June 14 blocked a parliamentary tactic by Democrats designed to bring to the floor a bill (HR 1076) that would prohibit the sale of firearms or explosives to individuals on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Terrorist Watch List. Such transactions are now legal. Backed by The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and opposed by the National Rifle Association, the bill has been shelved in the GOP-controlled Judiciary Committee since February 2015.
YEA: McSally, Gosar, Salmon, Schweikert, Franks
NAY: Gallego, Sinema, Nay
Did not vote: Kirkpatrick, Grijalva,
*******
RS Scrutiny of Political Money
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it appeared likely to fail.
Voting 240 for and 182 against, the House on June 14 passed a bill (HR 5033) that would reduce Internal Revenue Service scrutiny of campaign-finance activity by nonprofit groups receiving tax-exempt status under Section 501 (c) of the tax code. Under the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling, corporations, labor unions and individuals can make unlimited donations to these groups. The groups can then spend the donated money in unlimited sums to influence elections so long as they do not coordinate their activities with candidates’ campaigns. While donors’ identities are kept secret from the public under existing law, they must be disclosed to the IRS so that the agency can check for illegal activity such as spending by foreign corporations and governments on U.S. elections. This bill would repeal the disclosure requirement in order to protect contributors from potential IRS data leaks. Oppone nts said it would expand the influence of anonymous “dark money” in U.S. politics.
NAY: Kirkpatrick, Grijalva, Gallego, Sinema
YEA: McSally, Gosar, Salmon, Schweikert, Franks
*******
Tax-Exempt Political Activity
A yes vote was to adopt the Democratic motion.
Voting 180 for and 238 against, the House on June 14 defeated a Democratic bid to require tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, including 501 (c) (4) social-welfare groups, to identify their donors to the IRS if they directly or indirectly participate or intervene in campaigns for public office. The motion was offered to HR 5033 (above).
YEA: Kirkpatrick, Grijalva, Gallego, Sinema
NAY: McSally, Gosar, Schweikert, Franks, Salmon
*******
$576 Billion for U.S. Military
A yes vote was to send the bill to conference with a similar Senate measure.
Voting 282 for and 138 against, the House on June 16 passed a $575.7 billion military appropriations bill for fiscal 2017 that includes $43 billion in emergency funding through April 2017 for war fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other combat zones. The bill (HR 5293) would fund a 2.1 percent military pay raise; set troop strengths of 1.3 million active-duty and 826,000 Guard and reserve personnel; fund weapons systems for the four branches; provide $50 billion-plus for active-duty, family and retiree health care; arm Ukraine forces and Syrian rebels and fund programs for military victims of sexual assault.
YEA: Kirlpatrick, McSally, Gosar, Salmon, Schweikert, Franks, Sinema
NAY: Grijalva, Gallego
*******
Climate Change, Military Policies
A yes vote was to defund the president’s climate-change directive.
Voting 216 for and 205 against, the House on June 16 stripped HR 5293 (above) of funding to implement President Obama’s January 2016 directive that the Department of Defense must identify and assess the impact of climate change on national security and build climate-related risk-management into their decisions.
NAY: Kirkpatrick, Grijalva, Gallego, Sinema
YEA: McSally, Gosar, Salmon, Schweikert, Franks
Senate
$602 Billion for U.S. Military
A yes vote was to send the bill to conference with a similar House measure.
The Senate on June 14 passed, 85 for and 13 against, a $602 billion military policy bill for fiscal 2017. In part, the bill (S 2943) would authorize $59 billion in emergency spending for combat operations; $50 billion-plus for active-duty and retiree health care; $3.4 billion for Afghanistan Security Forces; $1.3 billion for efforts targeted at ISIS and $500 million in security assistance including arms for Ukraine. The bill would require women to register for the draft starting in 2018, prohibit another round of base closings and require the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison to remain open.
YEA: McCain, Flake
*******
Four gun-control proposals failed to receive the 60 votes needed to advance in the U.S. Senate on Monday.
- An amendment by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to increase funding for the background-check system and mandate federal research on the causes of mass shootings. It would not expand the type of gun sales that require background checks. Fails 53-47
YES: McCain, Flake
- An amendment by Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., to expand background-check requirements to include private sales and sales over the Internet. Fails 44-56
NO: McCain, Flake
- An amendment by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to allow the attorney general to delay purchase of a firearm for three days and permanently block the purchase if a court finds there is probable cause the applicant has committed or will commit terrorism. Fails 53-47
YES: McCain
NO: Flake
- An amendment by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to allow the attorney general to block the purchase of a firearm if he or she determines the applicant is a threat, based on a reasonable suspicion of terrorism involvement. Fails 47-53.
NO: McCain, Flake
