Bryan Watch: Aug/Sep 2021

AUGUST 2021

August was fairly quiet for Congress, with a handful of votes on the 23rd and 24th. Steil voted with the Republicans on all four votes that were party line.

The only major thing Congress dealt with in August was H 4, the voting rights bill named after late congressman John Lewis. The bill passed on a party line vote with Steil and every other Republican against protecting the rights of voters (RC 260, Aug 24) and attempting to send the bill back to the Judiciary Committee (Davis motion to recommit, RC 259, Aug 24). And as usual, House Republicans voted against even considering the Voting Rights bill (RC 257 and 258, Aug 24).

Two other minor bills passed the House in August: The Congressional Budget Justification Act (S 272, RC 256, Aug 23) and a bill reauthorizing a commission on Native American children (RC 255, Aug 23)

SEPTEMBER WEEK 3

The major during late September was on the Supplemental Appropriations bill (HR 5305) and the National Defense Authorization bill (HR 4350), basically the Pentagon budget.

Republicans unanimously voted against the supplemental appropriations bill, which included disaster relief funding (RC 267, Sep 21) and voted to send it back to back to the Committee on Appropriations (Granger motion to recommit, RC 266, Sep 21).

On September 20, the House passed two fairly mundane bills on veterans: S 189, which increases COLA limits on disability payments to veterans (RC 262) and HR 5293, which extends the life of several pro-veteran pieces of legislation (RC 261). And as usual, they voted against considering any proposed legislation for the week (RC 253 and 264, Sep 21).

The next day, the House passed S 1828, the HAVANA Act, which deals with CIA and State Department personnel who suffer neurological injuries in the line of duty. It passed 427-0 (RC 265).

House Republicans also attempted, unsuccessfully, to adjourn without doing anything (RC 268, Sep 21). Steil support the effort to avoid doing any work.

The other huge vote during the third week of September was on reproductive choice. The House passed HR 3755, the Women’s Health Protection Act, which seeks to roll back some of the attacks on access to abortion many states are trying to implement. Every Republican, including Steil, voted against women’s choice. (RC 295, Sep 24). Steil also supported a move to send the bill back to the Energy and Commerce Committee (Letlow motion to recommit, RC 294, Sep 24)

September Week 4

The biggest vote in late September was on raising the debt ceiling, which happened under the guise of a bill on physical fitness (S 1301). Congress voted to increase the debt ceiling on a completely party line vote (RC 310, Sep 29). Steil went out of his way, along with the rest of Republicans to prevent action on raising the debt ceiling (RC 309, Sep 29; RC 305 and 306, also Sep 29).

The last week of September closed with a vote on HR 5434, the Surface Transportation Extension Act (the roads bill, basically). Steil did not vote on it. (RC 313, Oct 1)

Steil and most other House Republicans (40 to 170) also voted against raising the salary for the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia (HR 1204, RC 308, Sep 29).

On September 30, Ryan did support creating software development jobs (HR 3533, RC 312) along with almost everybody else in Congress. But he did vote against the Emergency Assistance bill along with most Republicans (34 to 175; RC 311).

There was a vote on adjournment on September 27. Steil, as usual, sided with the Republicans and voted for it. (RC 296)

There were a variety of non-controversial bills which passed on a non partisan basis during the last week of September. Among them:

- HR 3599, which creates a federal rotational workforce of technology experts (passed 410-15)

- HR 2617, which creates a Performance Enhanced Reform metric for the federal government (RC 304, Sep 28, passed 414-10)

- HR 1154, creating a National Heritage Area in the Great Dismal Swamp (RC 303, Sep 28, passed 391-36)

- S 848, the Consider Teachers Act (RC 302, Sep 28, passed 406-16)

- HR 4686, the Cambodia Democracy Act (RC 301, Sep 28, passed 403-17)

- HR 1228, the Libyan Stabilization Act (RC 300, Sep 28, passed 386-35)

- HR 4250, the War Crimes Rewards Act (RC 299, Sep 29, passed 412-9)

- HR 4981, Sanctions of countries engaged in Fentanyl trafficking (RC 298, Sep 28, passed 410-14)

- HR 1693, Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act, which deals with sentencing differences between drug offenses (RC 297, Sep 28, passed 361-66)