2018: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Amending A Financial
Reform Bill To Clarify That Nothing In The Underlying Bill Could Benefit
The President, His Family Or Other Senior Executive Branch. In March
2018, Fitzpatrick effectively voted against an amendment that would
have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "prevent[ed] changes in
financial regulations in the bill from being made at the request of, or
for the personal gain of, the president, a member of his family, or
other senior Executive Branch official." The underlying legislation,
also according to Congressional Quarterly, "requires federal financial
regulators to tailor their rules and regulations on covered institutions
in a manner that is appropriate to the business models of the different
types and classes of financial institutions. It would apply to the
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of Governors
of the Federal Reserve System (Fed), the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (FDIC), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), and
the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)." The vote was on a
motion to recommit. The House rejected the motion by a vote of 182 to
232. [House Vote 107,
3/14/18; Congressional
Quarterly, 3/14/18; Congressional
Quarterly, 3/14/18;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
1116]
2017: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Preventing The President
From Making Public Communications That Refer To Businesses Where The
President Has Equity In, Including Statements Advocating On Behalf Of
The Business. In March 2017, Fitzpatrick effectively voted against an
amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly,
"prohibit[ed] the president from making public communications that
refer to a business in which the president has an equity interest and
would prohibit the president from publically advocating on behalf of
such business interests." The underlying legislation would have,
according to Congressional Quarterly, "require[d] federal agencies to
maintain and regularly update detailed online databases of regulatory
actions taken and pending before the agency." The House rejected the
amendment by a vote of 189 to 232. [House Vote 125,
3/2/17; Congressional
Quarterly, 3/2/17; Congressional
Quarterly, 3/2/17; Congressional
Actions, H.R.
1004]
2017: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Exempting Regulations
Related Laws Governing Executive Branch Conflict Of Interest Rules From
The SCRUB Act, Which Would Require Agencies To Eliminate Old Rules In
Order To Create New Ones. In March 2017, Fitzpatrick effectively voted
against an amendment that would have, according to Congressional
Quarterly, "exempt[ed] from the bill's provisions rules related to
laws governing potential conflicts of interest and financial disclosures
for executive branch employees, and would exempt rules related to
bribery." The underlying legislation, also according to Congressional
Quarterly, "establish[ed] a nine-member commission to review existing
federal regulations and identify regulations that should be repealed on
the basis of reducing costs on the U.S. economy. The commission would
identify those regulatory policies that should be repealed immediately,
and would set up a 'Cut-Go' system that would require agencies to repeal
existing rules to offset costs before issuing a new rule. The measure,
as amended, would require the commission to review a rule or
regulation's unfunded mandate, whether the rule or regulation limits or
prevents government agencies from adopting technology to improve
efficiency, and the rule or regulation's impact on wage growth, when
determining if the rule or regulation should be repealed." The vote was
on a motion to recommit. The House rejected the amendment by the motion
by a vote of 190 to 235. [House Vote 113,
3/1/17; Congressional
Quarterly, 3/1/17; Congressional
Quarterly, 1/7/16; Congressional
Actions, H.R.
998]
2017: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Forcing The Release
President Trump's Tax Returns. In July 2018, Fitzpatrick voted for a
motion to kill a resolution demanding a release of Trump's tax returns.
According to Congressional Quarterly, the vote was on a "motion to
appeal the ruling of the Chair that the Cicilline resolution related to
the disclosure of President Trump' tax returns does not constitute a
question of the privileges of the House." The vote was on a motion to
table a motion to appeal the ruling of the chair. The House adopted the
motion, effectively killing the motion to appeal the ruling of the chair
and thus the resolution by a vote of 235 to 190. [House Vote 392,
7/19/17; Congressional
Quarterly, 7/19/17]
2017: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Forcing The Release
President Trump's Tax Returns. In June 2017, Fitzpatrick voted against
a motion to kill a resolution demanding a release of Trump's tax
returns. According to The Hill, "For the 10th time in the last several
months, Republicans on Wednesday blocked a Democratic resolution offered
on the House floor requesting President Trump's tax returns. The measure
was defeated on a procedural vote of 227-188 that fell largely along
party lines. The resolution was offered by Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas),
the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee's tax policy
subcommittee. It would have directed the House to request Trump's
personal tax returns and the returns of the president's business
entities. It also would have called on the House to delay the
consideration of tax-reform legislation until Trump's returns were
obtained." The vote was on a motion to table a motion to appeal the
ruling of the chair. The House adopted the motion, effectively killing
the motion to appeal the ruling of the chair and thus the resolution by
a vote of 227 to 188. [House Vote 311,
6/21/17; The Hill,
6/21/17]
2017: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Forcing The Release
President Trump's Tax Returns. In June 2017, Fitzpatrick voted for a
motion to kill a resolution demanding a release of Trump's tax returns.
According to The Hill, "House Republicans on Wednesday rejected yet
another effort from Democrats to make President Trump's tax returns
available to Congress, coming on the eve of former FBI Director James
Comey's expected bombshell testimony. It's the ninth time since late
February that Democrats have forced a House floor vote on a resolution
directing the committee with jurisdiction over the tax code to request
Trump's tax returns from the last decade." The vote was on a motion to
table a motion to appeal the ruling of the chair. The House adopted the
motion, effectively killing the motion to appeal the ruling of the chair
and thus the resolution by a vote of 228 to 186. [House Vote 292,
6/7/17; The Hill,
6/7/17]
2017: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Forcing The Release
President Trump's Tax Returns. In May 2017, Fitzpatrick voted for a
motion to kill a resolution demanding a release of Trump's tax returns.
According to The Hill, "For the eighth time in the last three months,
House Republicans on Wednesday voted down an effort by Democrats to make
President Trump's tax returns available to Congress. The House rejected
a resolution authored by House Democratic Caucus Vice Chairwoman Linda
Sánchez (Calif.) directing the committee with jurisdiction over the tax
code in a procedural vote that fell mostly along party lines." The vote
was on a motion to table a motion to appeal the ruling of the chair. The
House adopted the motion, effectively killing the motion to appeal the
ruling of the chair and thus the resolution by a vote of 225 to 187.
[House Vote 274,
5/24/17; The Hill,
5/24/17]
2017: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Forcing The Release Of
President Trump's Tax Returns. In March 2017, Fitzpatrick voted for a
motion to kill a resolution that would have, according to The Hill,
"order[ed] the committee with jurisdiction over the tax code to
request copies of Trump's tax returns." The vote was on a motion to
table a motion to appeal the ruling of the chair. The House adopted the
motion, effectively killing the motion to appeal the ruling of the chair
and thus the resolution by a vote of 229 to 188. [House Vote 261,
5/17/17; The Hill,
5/17/17]
2017: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Forcing The Release Of
Fifteen Years Of President Trump's Tax Returns. In March 2017,
Fitzpatrick voted for a motion to kill a resolution that would have,
according to The Hill, "directed the House to request 15 years' worth of
Trump's tax returns so lawmakers could determine whether he is violating
the 'Emoluments Clause' of the Constitution. The cause prohibits
government officials from receiving gifts or payments from foreign
leaders." The vote was on a motion to table a motion to appeal the
ruling of the chair. The House adopted the motion, effectively killing
the motion to appeal the ruling of the chair and thus the resolution by
a vote of 228 to 190. [House Vote 201,
3/28/17; The Hill,
3/28/17]
2017: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Forcing The Release Of Ten
Years Of President Trump's Tax Returns. In March 2017, Fitzpatrick
voted for a motion that would have, according Congressional Quarterly,
"appeal[ed] the ruling of the Chair that the Crowley resolution
related to the disclosure of President Trump's tax returns does not
constitute a question of the privileges of the House." The vote was on a
motion to table a motion to appeal the ruling of the chair. The House
adopted the motion, effectively killing the motion to appeal the ruling
of the chair and thus the resolution by a vote of 223 to 183. [House
Vote 161, 3/15/17;
Congressional Quarterly, 3/15/17]
2017: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Forcing The Release Of Ten
Years Of President Trump's Tax Returns. In March 2017, Fitzpatrick
voted for a motion to kill a resolution that would have, according to
The Hill, "[instructed] the House to request 10 years of Trump's tax
returns so that they can be considered by the House Ways and Means
Committee in a closed session. Under a provision of the Internal Revenue
Code, the chairmen of the Ways and Means Committee, Senate Finance
Committee and Joint Committee on Taxation can request tax-return
information from the Treasury Department." The vote was on a motion to
table a motion to appeal the ruling of the chair. The House adopted the
motion, effectively killing the motion to appeal the ruling of the chair
and thus the resolution by a vote of 227 to 186. [House Vote 128,
3/7/17; The Hill,
3/7/17;
Congressional Quarterly, 3/7/17]
2017: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Forcing The Release Of Ten
Years Of President Trump's Tax Returns. In February 2017, Fitzpatrick
voted for a motion to kill a resolution that would have, according to
The Hill, "directed the House to request 10 years of Trump's tax
returns, have the House Ways and Means Committee review them in a closed
session and then vote to send the information in the returns to the full
House." The legislation would have specifically, also according to The
Hill, "force[d] a House floor vote on a resolution to request
President Trump's tax returns." The vote was on a motion to table a
motion to appeal the ruling of the chair. The House adopted the motion,
effectively killing the motion to appeal the ruling of the chair and
thus the resolution by a vote of 229 to 185. [House Vote 101,
2/27/17; The Hill,
2/27/17;
Congressional Quarterly, 2/27/17]