Copyright Boulder Daily Camera
Here’s a look at how Colorado members of Congress voted over the previous week. Along with roll call votes this week, the Senate also passed a bill (S. Res. 459), honoring the strategic importance of the C5+1 diplomatic platform and recognizing the deepening partnership between the United States and the nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The House remains in recess. There were no key votes in the House this week. Senate votes RECONSIDERING CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS BILL: The Senate has rejected a cloture motion to end debate on the motion to consider the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act (H.R. 5371), sponsored by Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., to provide funding for federal government programs through November 21, and increase spending on security for government officials. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the bill “would pay our troops and fund SNAP [food stamps], Head Start, veterans programs, and pay our staffers.” An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said: “We need to lower people’s healthcare costs. We need to reopen the government. We need to extend the ACA premium credits.” The vote to end debate, on Nov. 4, was 54 yeas to 44 nays, with a three-fifths majority required. NAYS: Bennet D-CO, Hickenlooper D-CO APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Joshua D. Dunlap to be a judge on the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals. Dunlap has been a private practice lawyer at the Pierce Atwood law firm in Maine for a decade and a half, covering commercial law, trials, and appeals cases. A supporter, Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, said: “Josh is an attorney of extraordinary intelligence, extensive experience, and demonstrated integrity. He is highly respected in the legal community throughout the state of Maine.” The vote, on Nov. 4, was 52 yeas to 46 nays. NAYS: Bennet, Hickenlooper SECOND APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Eric Chunyee Tung to be a judge on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Tung clerked for Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Neil Gorsuch before time as a Justice Department lawyer in several different roles, then joined the Jones Day law firm, where he has specialized in commercial law in California and federal courts. A supporter, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, called Tung an outstanding appellate lawyer with stellar credentials and reputation, who “will make a phenomenal judge and serve this nation honorably and with distinction.” An opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., claimed Tung “will continue to place his personal views and President Trump ahead of his commitment to the Constitution.” The vote, on Nov. 5, was 52 yeas to 45 nays. NAYS: Bennet, Hickenlooper ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Caleb Orr to be the State Department’s Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs. Orr has been an economic policy advisor to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, staffer to Rubio when Rubio was a senator, aide on a Senate business committee, and private practice lawyer focused on securities law. The vote, on Nov. 5, was 57 yeas to 43 nays. NAYS: Bennet, Hickenlooper MILITARY FORCE AGAINST VENEZUELA: The Senate has rejected a motion to discharge from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a bill (S.J. Res. 90), sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., that would have required ending the use of the U.S. military against Venezuela without specific authorization from Congress. Kaine cited indications that the military could be preparing for an invasion and attack against Venezuela’s government before calling on senators to “stand strong for the proposition that Congress should have the power and, indeed, the responsibility to have a debate and have a vote on it before we ordered our troops to risk their lives. A motion opponent, Sen. James E. Risch, R-Idaho, said of the U.S. attacks on suspected Venezuelan drug-carrying motorboats: “Every time we take a strike and we send tons of these poisonous drugs to the bottom of the ocean, thousands of American lives have been saved.” The vote, on Nov. 6, was 49 yeas to 51 nays. YEAS: Bennet, Hickenlooper
