[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3053-S3055]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VOTE EXPLANATION
Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote
No. 136, Thune motion to proceed to the bill which provides $69.5
billion in funding for Department of Homeland Security immigration and
border enforcement agencies for FY 2026, including: $22.6 billion for
Customs and Border Protection; $38.5 billion for Immigration and
Customs Enforcement; and $8.5 billion in additional funds to DHS for
immigration enforcement. Had I been present for the vote, I would have
voted no.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 137, Schumer motion to
commit the bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee with instructions to
report the bill back in three session days with changes that safeguard
the Department of Justice from partisan political influence, which may
include prohibiting the use of funds for a so-called ``anti-
weaponization fund.''. Had I been present for the vote, I would have
voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 138, amendment No.
5452, Tillis motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of
the Tillis amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment), which
prohibits the attorney general from using appropriation funds to pay
out claims as part of an ``anti-weaponizing fund'' and would instead
provide $1.7 billion for Justice Department anti-fraud enforcement
activities. Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted no.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 139, amendment No.
5512, Merkley motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of
the Merkley amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment), which
prohibits federal funds as well as private donations from being used
for the construction of the East Wing modernization project without
congressional authorization. Had I been present for the vote, I would
have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 140, on amendment No.
5514, the Reed motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration
of the Reed-Bennet amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment),
which redirects $62.1 billion from funds intended for immigration
enforcement towards the Housing Department's HOME Investment
Partnerships Program. Had I been present for the vote, I would have
voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 141, Ossoff motion to
commit the bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee with instructions to
report it back with changes that would amend the False Claims Act to
require the Department of Justice to establish a task force to conduct
investigations into health insurance companies that are found to
routinely deny and delay patients' access to medically necessary care.
Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 142, on amendment No.
5535, Hassan motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of
the Hassan amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment), which
provides such sums as necessary for the HOME Investment Partnerships
Program through September 30, 2029, to build 7 million homes. Had I
been present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 143, amendment No.
5556, Warner motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of
Warner-Kelly amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment), which
prohibits any Senate-confirmed head of another federal agency or
department from being directed to perform the functions and duties of
the director of National Intelligence in an acting capacity. Had I been
present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 144, amendment No.
5779, Graham motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of
the Graham et al., amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment),
which adds a provision to bar educational institutions that receive
federal funding from allowing transgender women or girls to participate
in athletics programs or activities designated for women or girls. Had
I been present for the vote, I would have voted no.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 145, amendment No.
5501, Hickenlooper motion to waive the Budget Act to permit
consideration of the Hickenlooper-Bennet amendment (to the Graham
substitute amendment) which prohibits the use of federal funds to make
prosecution-related payments to individuals who were convicted for
certain crimes, including election interference, identity theft and
official misconduct. Had I been present for the vote, I would have
voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 146, amendment No.
5545, Kim motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of the
Kim-Booker amendment (to Graham substitute amendment) which provides $2
million to the Office of the Inspector General and Office of Detention
Oversight to conduct, within one week of the bill's enactment, an
unannounced inspection of the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in
Newark, New Jersey; requires Congressional reports on facility
conditions and recommendations on whether to pursue charges against
immigration agents and other facility employees who responded to
protests; and requires the Homeland Security Department to suspend
contract payments to operate the facility until the department
certifies that the facility's deficiencies have been adequately
remediated. Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 147, Warnock motion to
commit the budget reconciliation bill to the Judiciary Committee with
instructions to report the bill back within 3 days with changes that
amend the provisions of law commonly referred to as the ``False Claims
Act'' to require the Department of Justice to establish a task force to
conduct investigations and make public findings and records relating to
the causes of denial of Medicaid coverage to eligible beneficiaries.
Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 148, amendment No.
5451, Sanders motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of
the Sanders amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment), which
places reasonable limits on contributions to Super PACs which make
independent expenditures. Had I been present for the vote, I would have
voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 149, amendment No.
5485, Baldwin motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of
the Baldwin amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment), which
redirects $14.3 billion in funds made available under the bill from
Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be used by the Department of
Health and Human Services to carry out low-income family child care
programs. Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 150, on amendment No.
5803, Booker motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of
the Booker-Kim amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment) which
redirects $28.6 million of the funds in the bill to the Office of the
Immigration Detention Ombudsman; and prohibits using the funds to pay
contractors or cooperating entities that violated law or detention
standards or engaged in substantiated misconduct. Had I been present
for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 151, amendment No.
5806, Lee motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of the
Lee amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment) which requires
individuals to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to
vote in federal elections and to present photo identification in order
to cast a ballot. Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted
no.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 152, amendment No.
5806, Durbin motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of
the Durbin, et al., amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment)
which redirects $10 million provided in the bill for Immigration and
Customs Enforcement to be used for the processing of renewal
applications under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program;
and prohibits the use of funds in the bill to
[[Page S3054]]
detain or deport individuals reasonably believed to be DACA recipients
on the basis of immigration status. Had I been present for the vote, I
would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 153, Wyden motion to
commit the bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee with instructions to
establish a task force to conduct investigations related to
confidential drug pricing agreements entered into by a Federal agency
and pharmaceutical manufacturer. Had I been present for the vote, I
would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 154, amendment No.
5506, Hirono-Van Hollen amendment (to Graham substitute amendment),
which redirects $105 million in funding provided under the bill for
each of fiscal years 2026 to 2029 for the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement to be used for youth mentoring programs in the Justice
Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Had
I been present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 155, amendment No.
5763, Peters amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment) which
rescinds any unobligated funds made available under the fiscal 2025
budget reconciliation measure (PL 119-21) and returns the money to the
U.S. Treasury to reduce the deficit. Had I been present for the vote, I
would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 156, amendment No.
5813, Gallego amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment), which
decreases funds appropriated to the Homeland Security Department by $11
million and increases funding for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services by $10 million for the processing of renewal applications
under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Had I been
present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 157, amendment No.
5808, Padilla amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment), which
requires that at least $300 million of the bill's funds provided for
U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement be used for the implementation
and deployment of body cameras for federal immigration agents. Had I
been present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 158, amendment No.
5457, Coons motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of
the Coons amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment) which
prohibits the use of taxpayer funds for settlement payments to
individuals convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers at or
around the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Had I been present for the
vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 159, amendment No.
5812, Cassidy motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of
the Cassidy-Van Hollen amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment)
which provides $100 million in the Justice Department's ``anti
weaponization fund'' to pay law enforcement officers who suffered
bodily or financial harm as a result of the Jan 6, 2021 events in the
U.S. Capitol; prohibits payments from the fund to any other person; and
offsets the funding by reducing funding to Immigration and Customs
Enforcement by $102 million. Had I been present for the vote, I would
have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 160, amendment No.
5463, Cortez Masto amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment),
which redirects $31 billion in funding from Immigration and Customs
Enforcement to Justice Department local law enforcement hiring grant
programs. Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 161, amendment No.
5632, Van Hollen motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration
of the Van Hollen amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment), which
prohibits payments from the Justice Department's ``anti-weaponization
fund'' to pay individuals convicted of certain crimes, including
assaulting a police officer, crimes against minors, and sexual assault.
Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 162, amendment No.
5740 Schiff motion to waive the Budget Act to permit consideration of
the Schiff-Kelly-Slotkin amendment (to the Graham substitute amendment)
which prohibits the authorization of funds to pay out a judgement
award, settlement, or claim filed by the U.S. president or vice
president for any cause of action arising on or after Jan. 20, 2025.
Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 163, passage of the
bill which provides $69.5 billion in funding for Department of Homeland
Security immigration and border enforcement agencies for FY 2026,
including: $22.6 billion for Customs and Border Protection; $38.5
billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and $8.5 billion in
additional funds to DHS for immigration enforcement. Had I been present
for the vote, I would have voted no.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 164, Thune motion to
proceed to the House message to accompany the bill which extends the
surveillance authorities of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act (FISA) through April 30, 2029. Had I been present for
the vote, I would have voted nay.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 165, motion to invoke
cloture on Executive Calendar No. 744, Anthony W. Mattivi, of Kansas,
to be United States District Judge for the District of Kansas. If I
were present, I would have voted nay.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 166, Confirmation of
the nomination of Anthony W. Mattivi, of Kansas, to be U.S. District
Judge for the District of Kansas. If I were present, I would have voted
nay.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 167, motion to invoke
cloture on Executive Calendar No. 745, Anthony J. Powell, of Kansas, to
be United States District Judge for the District of Kansas. If I were
present, I would have voted nay.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 168, confirmation of
Executive Calendar No. 745, Anthony J. Powell, of Kansas, to be United
States District Judge for the District of Kansas. If I were present, I
would have voted nay.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 169, motion to invoke
cloture on Executive Calendar No. 765, Brock Dahl, of Maryland, to be
Legal Adviser of the Department of State. Had I been present for the
vote, I would have voted nay.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 170, confirmation of
Executive Calendar No. 765, Brock Dahl, of Maryland, to be Legal
Adviser of the Department of State. Had I been present for the vote, I
would have voted nay.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 171, motion to invoke
cloture on Executive Calendar No. 742, Justin D. Smith, of Missouri, to
be United States Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit. If I were
present, I would have voted nay.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 172, confirmation of
Executive Calendar No. 742, Justin D. Smith, of Missouri, to be United
States Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit. If I were present, I would
have voted nay.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 173, Motion to proceed
to S.J. Res. 190, disapproving the rule submitted by the Executive
Office for Immigration Review relating to ``Appellate Procedures for
the Board of Immigration Appeals'' (Kaine), I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 174, motion to
discharge S.J. Res. 172, a joint resolution to direct the removal of
United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the
Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress. Had
I been present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 175, motion to proceed
to consideration of the House Message to accompany H.R. 6644, 21st
Century ROAD to Housing Act. Had I been present for the vote, I would
have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 176, motion to invoke
cloture on Executive Calendar No. 760, Michelle Steel, of California,
to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States
of America to the Republic of Korea. Had I been present for the vote, I
would have voted nay.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 177, confirmation of
Executive Calendar No. 760, Michelle Steel, of
[[Page S3055]]
California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
United States of America to the Republic of Korea. Had I been present
for the vote, I would have voted nay.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 178, motion to invoke
cloture on Executive Calendar No. 763, George Holding, of North
Carolina, to be United States Director of the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development. Had I been present for the vote, I
would have voted nay.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 179, motion to
discharge S. Res. 616, a resolution requesting information on
Honduras's human rights practices pursuant to section 502B(c) of the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Had I been present for the vote, I
would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 180, motion to invoke
cloture on the motion to concur in the House Message to accompany H.R.
6644, 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, with further amendment (No.
5823). Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 181, confirmation of
Executive Calendar No. 763, George Holding, of North Carolina, to be
United States Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development. Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted nay.
I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 182, motion to concur
in the House Message accompanying H.R. 6644, 21st Century ROAD to
Housing Act. Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted yea.
____________________