WASHINGTON – Here’s a look at how area members of U.S. Senate voted over the previous week. In addition to the week’s roll call votes, the Senate also confirmed, by voice vote, the nomination of Herro Mustafa Garg to be ambassador to Egypt. Below are the Senate votes.   

• Senate Vote 1:

MARYLAND JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Matthew Maddox to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Maryland. For nine years, Maddox was a private practice lawyer and then a federal prosecutor in Maryland; for the past year and a half he has been a federal magistrate judge for the Maryland district. A supporter, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., said: “I am confident that Judge Maddox will safeguard the rights of all Marylanders, uphold the Constitution and rule of law, and faithfully follow the judicial oath to ‘do equal right to the poor and to the rich.’” The vote, on Oct. 31, was 55 yeas to 42 nays.

NAYS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KS

• Senate Vote 2:

ISRAEL AMBASSADOR: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jacob J. Lew to be ambassador to Israel. Lew was Treasury Secretary for President Obama’s second term, then became a partner at the Lindsay Goldberg private equity firm. A supporter, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., said there was “no question about his qualifications, no question about his presence being welcomed by our Israeli friends, no question about his knowledge and commitment to these issues” facing Israel and the U.S. An opponent, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said at the Treasury Department, Lew “acted as the de facto business investment banker and business agent for the blood-thirsty ayatollahs” in Iran. The vote, on Oct. 31, was 53 yeas to 43 nays.

NAYS: Moran R-KS

NOT VOTING: Marshall R-KS

• Senate Vote 3:

CHINA AND FEDERAL SPENDING: The Senate has passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366). The amendment would bar funding of any entity linked to China and China’s government. An opponent, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the funding ban “could have far-reaching, unintended consequences,” including harming the ability of the VA’s “obtaining products for essential mission needs, like pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and IT.” The vote, on Oct. 31, was 61 yeas to 36 nays.

YEAS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KS

• Senate Vote 4:

DEFUNDING ACTING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366). The amendment would have blocked funding to pay National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Acting Administrator Ann Carlson, because Carlson’s nomination as permanent administrator was withdrawn by President Biden. Cruz said: “The appointments clause of the Constitution is a critical check on executive power. The Senate must protect its prerogative to review the president’s nominees to powerful, unelected positions in the federal government.” An opponent, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said cancelling Carlson’s salary would set the alarming precedent that “if you have a political or policy disagreement with a particular administration policy, you can take the public servant who is in charge of implementing it and take their salary hostage.” The vote, on Oct. 31, was 47 yeas to 49 nays.

YEAS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KS

• Senate Vote 5:

VOTER REGISTRATION: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366). The amendment would have blocked funding for implementing a President Biden executive order to have government agencies promote voter registration. Budd said the order, by having agencies partner with potentially partisan non-government groups, could mean “using official taxpayer resources to advance partisan politics.” An amendment opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said “expanding the number of voters makes the democracy stronger.” The vote, on Oct. 31, was 45 yeas to 50 nays.

YEAS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KS

• Senate Vote 6:

AUDITING FEDERAL RESERVE: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366), that would have required the U.S. Comptroller General to make a full audit of the Federal Reserve. Paul said an audit was needed because “the Federal Reserve effectively controls the economy but without scrutiny. No other institution has so much unchecked power.” An opponent, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said: “This amendment would make the Fed less effective. It would open it up to all kinds of nefarious political pressure.” The vote, on Nov. 1, was 46 yeas to 51 nays.

YEAS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KS

• Senate Vote 7:

WATER AGREEMENT WITH MEXICO: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366), that would have required the State Department to pressure Mexico to comply with a 1944 treaty with the U.S. on allocating between the two countries the waters of the Rio Grande, Colorado and Tijuana Rivers. Cruz said the amendment, by asking Mexico to meet a treaty obligation to provide 350,000 acre-feet of water per year to the U.S. side of the Rio Grande Valley, would aid farmers who need that water due to a drought in the Valley. The vote, on Nov 1, was 52 yeas to 45 nays, with a three-fifths majority required for approval.

YEAS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KS

• Senate Vote 8:

REVIEWING NEW REGULATIONS: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366), that would have required Congressional approval of all new agency rules estimated to have at least a $100 million annual impact on the U.S. economy. Paul said of the effect of passing the amendment: “The American people, through their elected officials, will reclaim the ability to prevent unnecessary government interference in everyday life.” An opponent, Sen. Gary C. Peters, D-Mich. said the amendment “would endanger a range of public protections for the environment, American workers, and people with disabilities.” The vote, on Nov. 1, was 46 yeas to 51 nays.

YEAS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KS

• Senate Vote 9:

CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS: The Senate has passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366), sponsored by Rep. John R. Carter, R-Texas. The bill would provide fiscal 2024 funding for the Veterans Affairs Department, Agriculture Department, Transportation Department, and Housing and Urban Development agency, as well as about $17.5 billion for military construction programs. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the bill’s provisions “deliver big wins for America’s farmers, for our infrastructure, for housing, and for our military bases and veterans and more.” The vote, on Nov. 1, was 82 yeas to 15 nays.

YEAS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KSmoran

• Senate Vote 10:

AGRICULTURE RELIEF BLOCK GRANTS: The Senate has rejected the Block Grant Assistance Act (H.R. 662), sponsored by Rep. C. Scott Franklin, R-Fla., which would have authorized the Agriculture Department to issue block grants to states for assistance to farmers who suffered losses from natural disasters in 2022. A supporter, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said the authorization would “give certainty to growers and ranchers in all of our states that they have a reliable partner in the federal government to make sure they can recover from natural disasters.” An opponent, Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., said block grants to states were already authorized, and the bill would delay funding to farmers, making it “both counterproductive and unnecessary.” The vote, on Nov. 1, was 43 yeas to 53 nays.

YEAS: Moran R-KS, Marshall R-KS

• Senate Vote 11:

AIR FORCE CHIEF OF STAFF: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of David W. Allvin to be chief of staff of the Air Force. Allvin had been the Air Force’s vice chief of staff, and has a 37-year career in the Air Force as a command pilot and as a senior officer. A supporter, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said Allvin “has helped lead the service through a critical period of modernization, and he is well positioned to continue that progress.” The vote, on Nov. 2, was 95 yeas to 1 nay.

YEAS: Moran R-KS

NAYS: Marshall R-KS