How they voted: NC congressional votes for the week ending Feb. 5

Here's how North Carolina members of Congress voted over the previous week.

House votes

COLLEGE COUNSELING FOR VETERANS: The House has passed the Veterans Readiness and Employment Improvement Act (H.R. 980), sponsored by Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., to end a stipulation that only Veterans Affairs Department (VA) counselors with a master's degree can provide job and education counseling to veterans at colleges and universities. Van Orden said a change to "requiring a bachelor's degree in the relevant field of study will get these positions filled with solid candidates who are able to serve veterans." The vote, on Feb. 2, was 402 yeas to 2 nays.

• YEAS: Harrigan R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Adams D-NC (12th), Harris (NC) R-NC (8th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Edwards R-NC (11th), Knott R-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Moore (NC) R-NC (14th)
• NOT VOTING: McDowell R-NC (6th)

BENEFITS FOR VETERANS: The House has passed the Ernest Peltz Accrued Veterans Benefits Act (H.R. 3123), sponsored by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y, to establish a process for the Veterans Affairs Department in issuing pensions to survivors of deceased veterans. Stefanik said: "This bill eliminates the burden on a veteran's surviving family by ensuring that the veteran is entitled to receive their pre-approved pension benefits within the month that death occurs." The vote, on Feb. 2, was 405 yeas to 1 nay.

• YEAS: Harrigan R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Adams D-NC (12th), Harris (NC) R-NC (8th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Edwards R-NC (11th), Knott R-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th), Moore (NC) R-NC (14th)
• NOT VOTING: McDowell R-NC (6th)

CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS: The House has concurred in the Senate amendments to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 7148), sponsored by Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., to fund fiscal 2026 spending at the Defense Department, State Department, Transportation, Labor, and Education Departments; and the Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development Departments. The Homeland Security Department would be funded until mid-February; Defense would receive $839 billion for 2026 spending. Cole said the bill advanced "funding for core priorities, including: strengthening America's defense and providing a well-earned pay raise to our troops; advancing lifesaving biomedical research and critical education programs; enhancing the safety and reliability of our skies and infrastructure." The vote, on Feb. 3, was 217 yeas to 214 nays.

• YEAS: Harrigan R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Harris (NC) R-NC (8th), McDowell R-NC (6th), Edwards R-NC (11th), Knott R-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Moore (NC) R-NC (14th)
• NAYS: Adams D-NC (12th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Foushee D-NC (4th)

MINERALS ON FEDERAL LAND: The House has passed the Critical Mineral Dominance Act (H.R. 4090), sponsored by Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., to direct the Interior Department to take numerous actions to increase hard rock mining on federal land, including speeding up regulatory reviews for potential mines. Stauber said: "This bill is a strong signal from Congress to the executive branch that we need to get serious about our critical mineral strategy and take necessary steps to win once again." A bill opponent, Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said it "hands the mining industry, amazingly, the power to gut its own regulations while doing nothing to secure American mineral supply chains or help make life more affordable for the American people." The vote, on Feb. 4, was 224 yeas to 195 nays.

• YEAS: Harrigan R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Harris (NC) R-NC (8th), McDowell R-NC (6th), Edwards R-NC (11th), Knott R-NC (13th), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Moore (NC) R-NC (14th)
• NAYS: Adams D-NC (12th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Foushee D-NC (4th)

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TAX CODE: The House has passed a bill (H.J. Res. 142), sponsored by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, to cancel a December 2025 Washington, D.C., law that changed or ended several tax provisions included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and re-established a child tax credit for D.C. Gill said the bill was needed because "the D.C. Council would rather punish their own residents, their own people, than recognize the achievements of President Trump's legislation. This is anti-working class, anti-senior citizens, and of course anti-business." An opponent, Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., said "overturning this law will create chaos for D.C. families and businesses at the start of tax filing season," which began for D.C. in late January. The vote, on Feb. 4, was 215 yeas to 210 nays.

• YEAS: Harrigan R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Hudson R-NC (9th), Murphy R-NC (3rd), Rouzer R-NC (7th), Harris (NC) R-NC (8th), McDowell R-NC (6th), Edwards R-NC (11th), Knott R-NC (13th), Moore (NC) R-NC (14th)
• NAYS: Adams D-NC (12th), Ross D-NC (2nd), Davis (NC) D-NC (1st), Foushee D-NC (4th)

Senate votes

AID TO REFUGEES: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 7148), that would have cancelled approximately $5.1 billion of funding for refugee and entrant assistance. Paul said: "Many refugees are good people--frankly, some of the best Americans just got here--but our welcome mat should not be a welfare check. Anyone who sponsors immigrants or refugees should be responsible for their welfare." An amendment opponent, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W. Va., said the funding was needed to "drastically improve sponsor vetting for unaccompanied children, ensuring that they are no longer released to human traffickers." The vote, on Jan. 30, was 32 yeas to 67 nays.

• NAYS: Tillis R-NC
• YEAS: Budd R-NC

EARMARK SPENDING: The Senate has tabled an amendment sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 7148), that would have eliminated $7 billion of earmark spending from the bill. Lee said earmarks were "driving the train toward the $38.5 trillion debt that we are adding to at a rate of $2 trillion a year. It is unacceptable." An amendment opponent, Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, said earmarks were effective because "members of Congress understand the needs of our constituents far better than any well-intentioned federal employee located here in Washington." The vote, on Jan. 30, was 67 yeas to 33 nays.

• YEAS: Tillis R-NC
• NAYS: Budd R-NC

IMMIGRATION AND MEDICAID: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders, ID-Vt., to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 7148), that would have rescinded $75 billion of funding for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and moved the $75 billion to Medicaid accounts. Sanders said: "We don't need a domestic army in America to terrorize people. We need to guarantee healthcare to all Americans." An amendment opponent, Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., cited the hazards of "letting countless numbers of individuals illegally enter our country," and added that shifting the $75 billion "would send taxpayer dollars to illegal immigrants." The vote, on Jan. 30, was 49 yeas to 51 nays.

• NAYS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC

RESCINDING APPROPRIATIONS: The Senate has rejected a motion to waive budgetary rules for an amendment sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 7148). The amendment would have barred executive branch rescission or deferral of spending provided for by the bill. Merkley said without the amendment, the president could use a 90-day rescissions grace period to defer and then choose not to spend funds at the end of the fiscal year, without any say from Congress. The vote, on Jan. 30, was 47 yeas to 52 nays.

• NAYS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC

CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS: The Senate has passed the amended version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 7148), sponsored by Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., to fund fiscal 2026 spending at the Defense Department, State Department, Transportation, Labor, and Education Departments; and the Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development Departments. The Homeland Security Department would be funded until mid-February; Defense would receive $839 billion for 2026 spending. A supporter, Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, said: "Enacting this package will represent a major milestone and show that Congress can work together in a bipartisan manner to carry out our article I responsibilities and deliver real results for the people that we are honored to represent." An opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders, ID-Vt., said the bill failed to address "a series of enormous crises: our healthcare system basically collapsing, despite the huge amount of money we spend on it; millions of Americans cannot afford housing; 800,000 people are homeless." The vote, on Jan. 30, was 71 yeas to 29 nays.

• YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC

ARKANSAS JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of David Clay Fowlkes to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Fowlkes has been a U.S. attorney in the Western District since 2008, after four years as a prosecutor for Benton County. The vote, on Feb. 3, was 54 yeas to 40 nays.

• NOT VOTING: Tillis R-NC
• YEAS: Budd R-NC

TEXAS JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Nicholas Jon Ganjei to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. A U.S. attorney in the district for the past year, Ganjei was previously a lawyer for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and a U.S. attorney in New Mexico and elsewhere in Texas. Cruz said: "During his time on my staff, I saw firsthand Nick's dedication to judicial integrity. I am confident that he will work tirelessly in service of the American people and in faithful adherence to the Constitution." The vote, on Feb. 3, was 51 yeas to 45 nays.

• YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC

ALASKA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Aaron Christian Peterson to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Alaska. Over the past dozen years, Peterson has been a local and state-level prosecutor and attorney in Alaska. The vote, on Feb. 4, was 58 yeas to 39 nays.

• YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC

MISSOURI JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Megan Blair Benton to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. A circuit court judge in Missouri since 2021, Benton was previously an assistant prosecuting attorney for Platte County, after three years at a private law firm in Kansas City, Mo. The vote, on Feb. 4, was 51 yeas to 46 nays.

• YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC

TENNESSEE JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Brian Lea to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Lea was a lawyer at the Jones Day law firm from 2012 to 2025, when he became a lawyer at the Justice Department, specializing in civil litigation. A supporter, Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said Lea "has the patience, courtesy, humility, and thoughtfulness of a good trial judge. He recognizes that the Constitution should be interpreted according to its original meaning." An opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Lea had demonstrated "clear partisanship" for Republicans and the Trump administration in particular, and did not have legal experience in Tennessee. The vote, on Feb. 5, was 50 yeas to 46 nays.

• YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC

INDIANA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Justin R. Olson to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Olson had been a lawyer at an Indianapolis law firm for the past two years, after five years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District. A supporter, Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said Olson "has the qualities that I think are most important in a judge. He cares deeply about America and American values. He especially cares about equality." An opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cited "the lack of concern Mr. Olson showed for hateful, inflammatory language." The vote, on Feb. 5, was 50 yeas to 47 nays.

• YEAS: Tillis R-NC, Budd R-NC