Here’s how Arizona members of Congress voted on major issues in the week ending March 23.
House
$1.3 trillion federal spending: The House on March 22 voted, 256-167, to fund the government through September at an annual level of $1.3 trillion in discretionary spending, with $700 billion allocated to the military and the remainder to domestic and foreign-affairs budgets. The bill does not address the mandatory-spending side of the $4.02 trillion federal budget, which has a projected deficit of $472 billion. A yes vote was to pass HR 1625.
Voting yes: Tom O’Halleran, D-1, Martha McSally, R-2, Kyrsten Sinema, D-9
Voting no: Raúl Grijalva, D-3, Paul Gosar, R-4, Andy Biggs, R-5, David Schweikert, R-6, Ruben Gallego, D-7
Access to experimental drugs: Voting 267-149, the House on March 21 passed a bill that would give the terminally ill access to experimental drugs unapproved by the Food and Drug Administration. Supporters said dying persons deserve access to high-risk medical interventions as a matter of personal freedom. Opponents said the bill would give false hopes to desperate individuals and undermine the FDA. A yes vote was to pass HR 5247.
Yes: O’Halleran, McSally, Gosar, Biggs, Schweikert, Sinema
No: Grijalva, Gallego
Senate
$1.3 trillion federal spending: Voting 65-32, the Senate on March 23 approved a $1.3 trillion budget for discretionary spending in fiscal 2018. The bill lifts a ban on research into gun violence by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and funds security upgrades at schools along with training to help teachers, students and police spot potential gun violence and take steps to prevent it. A yes vote was to join the House in passing HR 1625 (above).
No: Jeff Flake, R
Not voting: John McCain, R
U.S. military role in Yemen: The Senate on March 20 tabled, 55-44, a measure (SJ Res 54) requiring congressional authorization of the U.S. military’s role in supporting Saudi Arabia’s aerial bombing in Yemen. A yes vote was to kill the resolution on the rationale there are no American boots on the ground in Yemen.
Yes: Flake
Not voting: McCain
Online sex trafficking: The Senate on March 21 voted, 97-2, to authorize use of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act for prosecuting websites that facilitate sex trafficking. The bill would deny immunity under the law to websites whose business model is to “knowingly” advance the sex trade. But critics said its broad reason-to-know standard would imperil the free speech of innocent third parties, and therefore make prosecution of sex traffickers more difficult. A yes vote was to pass HR 1865.
Yes: Flake
Not voting: McCain
