Along with last week’s roll call votes, the Senate also passed the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (H.R. 6395), to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, and to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year; and the Methamphetamine Response Act (S. 4612), to designate methamphetamine as an emerging threat.

The House also passed: the Proper and Reimbursed Care for Native Veterans Act (H.R. 6237), to clarify the requirement of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense to reimburse the Indian Health Service for certain health care services; the Libya Stabilization Act (H.R. 4644), to clarify United States policy toward Libya, advance a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Libya, and support the people of Libya; a bill (H.R. 8259), to prohibit Russian participation in the G7; and a resolution (H. Res. 1145), condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and international response.

HOUSE VOTES

RECREATION AND DISABLED VETERANS: The House has passed the Wounded Veterans Recreation Act (S. 327), sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., to provide a lifetime National Recreational Pass to federal lands for all veterans who have disabilities stemming from their military service. A supporter, Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said providing free passes would both recognize the sacrifices of disabled veterans and give them access to “the healing and restorative powers of our public lands.” The vote, on Nov. 16, was unanimous with 401 yeas.

YEAS: Chellie Pingree, D-1st District; Jared Golden, D-2nd District

VA QUALITY OF CARE: The House has passed the Improving Safety and Security for Veterans Act (S. 3147), sponsored by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to require the Veterans Affairs Department to submit to Congress reports on patient safety and the quality of care at the agency’s medical centers. The vote, on Nov. 16, was unanimous with 394 yeas.

YEAS: Pingree, Golden

REGULATING WASTEWATER: The House has passed the Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II (H.R. 4611), sponsored by Rep. Scott H. Peters, D-Calif., to make permanent a Clean Water Act regulatory exemption for the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Diego. Peters said the exemption, by averting a multi-billion dollar expense for upgrading the plant while increasing its ability to treat wastewater for reuse, would help secure San Diego’s water supply and showcase “technology that could one day be deployed by other vulnerable communities to help address water shortage issues.” The vote, on Nov. 17, was 395 yeas to 4 nays.

YEAS: Pingree, Golden

SENATE VOTES

MISSISSIPPI DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Kristi Haskins Johnson to serve as a judge on the U.S. district court for the southern district of Mississippi. Johnson was a prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office for the district from 2014 to early 2020, when she was named solicitor general for the state of Mississippi. A supporter, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said Johnson “has the academic, judicial, and personal qualifications necessary for a federal jurist. I think she is going to make a great judge.” The vote, on Nov. 17, was 53 yeas to 43 nays.

YEAS: Susan Collins, R-Maine

NAYS: Angus King, I-Maine

KENTUCKY DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Benjamin Joel Beaton to serve as a judge on the U.S. district court for the western district of Kentucky. Beaton has been a private practice lawyer in Washington, D.C., and then Cincinnati for the past decade, aside from a year spent as a law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The vote, on Nov. 17, was 52 yeas to 44 nays.

YEAS: Collins

NAYS: King

KANSAS DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Toby Crouse to serve as a U.S. district judge for Kansas. Crouse has been solicitor general for the state of Kansas since 2018, and has been a private practice lawyer in the state since 2003. The vote, on Nov. 17, was 50 yeas to 43 nays.

YEAS: Collins

NAYS: King

TRADE COURT: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Stephen A. Vaden to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade. Vaden has been general counsel at the Agriculture Department since 2017; previously, he was a private practice appeals lawyer. An opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Vaden “has never appeared before the Court of International Trade. He has never tried a case in any court.” The vote, on Nov. 18, was 49 yeas to 43 nays.

YEAS: Collins

NAYS: King

FLORIDA DISTRICT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Kathryn Kimball Mizelle to serve as a judge on the U.S. district court for the middle district of Florida. Mizelle, a federal prosecutor and assistant U.S. attorney at the Justice Department from 2014 to 2018, has since clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas and been a private practice lawyer in Washington, D.C. An opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cited Mizelle’s age of 33, and her not qualified rating from the American Bar Association. The vote, on Nov. 18, was 49 yeas to 41 nays.

YEAS: Collins

NAYS: King