Bryan Watch: Sept Week 1

Bryan Watch - Sept 2019: Week 1

They're back! The House is back from their six-week recess, so it is time once again to look at what Rep. Steil (R_WI) and his colleagues have been up to.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the House debated three bills related to oil drilling. HR 1146, the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act, which would prevent drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge along with other environmentally sensitive areas in the state of Alaska, passed Thursday, with almost every Republican (including Steil) voting against protesting Alaska (RC 530, Sep 12) .

A shout out to Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Francis Rooney (FL), Chris Smith (NJ) and Elise Stefanik (NY) for standing up for the environment.

Steil supported several absurd amendments by Rep. Paul Gosar, that were intending to delay the implementation of HR 1146. One regarded protecting caribou herds (Goasr Amendment, RC 528) and the other was about jobs for Native Americans, minorities and women (Gosar Amendment, RC 527). Why are Republicans only concerned about helping minorities and women when it involves destroying the environment?

Steil also supported an amendment by Rep. Don Young of Alaska seeking consultation with Native American tribes regarding the destruction of lands they consider sacred. Just to add to the absurdity, Young has the scandal plagued Secretary of the Interior as the one doing the "consulting." A wholly absurd farce simply intended to delay the bill (RC 526, Sep 12) .

Steil also supported a Motion to Recommit by Rep. John Curtis of Utah requiring the President to certify the bill would not increase Russian oil and gas imports to the USA (RC 529) .

On Wednesday, the House passed HR 1941, the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act and HR 205, the Protecting and Securing Floridas Coastline Act of 2019. The first deals with drilling on the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts and the second focuses on drilling on Florida's gulf coast.

Almost all Republicans (12 to 183), including Steil, voted against protecting the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Steil voted for an absurd motion to recommit by Rep. Garrett Graves of Louisiana that the bill would not take effect until President Trump certified HR 1941 would not increase the price of gasoline. All but 2 Republicans (Matt Gaetz and Rooney, both from Florida) went along with that (RC 524, Sep 11) .

Steil also sided with Gosar on an another absurd amendment regarding minority and women jobs, whose sole purpose was to delay implementation of the bill (Gosar amendment, RC 523). According to Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA): "The real threat to jobs and economic opportunities in coastal communities would be failing to protect permanently our shorelines from dangerous oil drilling. This is an unserious amendment that does nothing to protect jobs belonging to women and minorities, and it keeps the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts at risk."

To his credit, Steil joined 35 other Republicans against a petulant amendment by Gosar to rename HR 1941 the "Russian Energy Reliance and U.S. Poverty Act" (RC 522, Sep 11) .

Republicans, including Steil, also voted against protecting Florida's Gulf Coast by a vote of 22 to 174 (RC 521, Sep 11). And Steil also supported Gosar once again on phony baloney amendments about women and minority jobs (Gosar amendment, RC 520, Sep 11) .

The week started off slow. Republicans voted against consideration of three the three drilling bills: HR 205 and HR 1941, Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act (RC 517 amd 518, Sep 10). A nod to Rep. Francis Rooney, who represents Naples and Fort Myers, to be the only Republican to vote for protecting the environment.

There were two fairly mundane bills early this week. On Monday, the House passed the Energy Efficient Government Technology Act (HR 1420) by 384 to 23. Pretty much everyone but the crazy caucus supported it (RC 515).

And on Tuesday, they passed the Homebuyer Assistance Act (HR 2852). It changes the standards for home appraisals to make it easier to buy a house. Five members voted it against it: Justin Amash, Andy Biggs, Ken Buck, Tom Massie and Ted Yoho (RC 519, Sep 10) .

Steil did cast another good vote this week, supporting HR 1768, The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act. The bill will fund diesel emission reduction efforts at $100 million annually for the next five year. Most Republicans, 76 to 122, voted against the bill (RC 516, Sep 9) .

SCORECARD: Total Votes - 16, Party Line Votes - 14 (Steil 12-14 with Republicans, 85.7 percent). His two good votes this week: RC 516 and RC 532.