This Week in Congress

The Senate has begun working on S.J. Res. 54, the resolution ending U.S. involvement in Yemen. The final votes will occur later today, after a “vote-a-rama” where senators can offer amendments as long as it deals with U.S. policy.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) is offering two amendments that actually further U.S. involvement in Yemen.

Campaign for Liberty members should call their U.S. Senators and tell them to vote for S.J. Res. 54 and against the Cotton amendments.

The resolution restoring the IRS’s ability to demand the names of supporters of groups like Campaign for Liberty passed the Senate yesterday by a vote of 50-49. All Democrats vote for it, while all Republicans but two voted no. Susan Collins (R-ME) voted yes, and Thom Tillis (R-NC) did not vote.

You can see the roll-call vote here.

The resolution now goes to the House, but it is less likely to be voted on before the end of the year. However, with the incoming Democratic majority committed to passing new First Amendment restrictions on individuals and groups like Campaign for Liberty—including a renewed attempt to force the DISCLOSE Act into law— we must stay alert AND prepare to fight this battle next year.

The House also hid a rule blocking a vote on our involvement in Yemen in the farm bill; it passed by a small margin of 206-203. Eighteen Republicans joined 185 Democrats in opposing the rule.

Some Republicans may have opposed the rule because of the way the farm bill was rushed to the floor (I’ll have more on the farm bill later).

The roll-call on the rule is available here.

Representative Thomas Massie (KY-4) delivered a fiery speech explaining how denying the ability of the House to consider any war powers resolution violates statutory law and the Constitution.

You can see Representative Massie’s speech, along with commentary from RPI Senior Fellow Adam Dick here.

Also in the House this week:

HRes  1091—Calls on the government of Burma to release imprisoned journalists, calls on the president to impose new sanctions on Burma, and calls for the U.N. ambassador to refer the Burmese government to the “appropriate  international mechanisms for prosecution.”

H.Res. 1157—Reaffirms U.S. support for Pacific Island nations, calls for continued efforts to “enhance the U.S. strategic position” in the region and “keep potential adversaries from establishing a beachhead” in the region. It also calls for enhanced cooperation on climate change. The resolution passed by voice vote, meaning it can and will be used to say the entire House is on record as favoring government action to assess climate change.

H.Res. 1162—Condemns recent Russian action in Ukraine and reaffirms U.S. commitment to provide financial and security assistance to Ukraine. This is another resolution showing Congress’ commitment to “Cold War 2”—and possibly a hot war with Russia.

H.Res. 1149-Proclaims the U.S.-South Korea alliance as the “lynchpin” of stability and calls for continued military involvement with North Korea and continued joint action to stop North Korea’s nuclear-power program. This resolution comes to the floor at a time when South Korea may be moving to improve relations with the North, regardless of what the U.S. thinks.

HR 6118—Requires the Department of Interior to designate at least one U.S. city a year as an “American Heritage” site. This may seem harmless but could be used to increase federal control of land.