The Senate managed to confirm 34 nominations in a short week, truncated by the service in the U.S. Capitol to honor the late Sen. John McCain, as Congress prepares for a busy next week, including hearings to move forward Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

The Senate was in session this week beginning late Monday evening. By Tuesday evening, the senators were done as the focus shifted to preparations for McCain, a Vietnam war hero who served in the Senate for more than 30 years, to lie in state Friday in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

Most of the nominations were agreed to by voice vote and five were decided by roll call votes on which Sen. Dean Heller, a Republican, voted for and all of President Donald Trump’s nominations and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, opposed all but one.

Many in the chamber this week sought to pay tribute to McCain, a Republican from Arizona who died after a long battle with cancer on Aug. 25, including giving speeches on the Senate floor.

Both Heller and Cortez Masto also paid their respects. Heller attended the service held in the Arizona State Capitol Thursday. Cortez Masto attended the ceremony Friday in the Capitol Rotunda and will attend a service Saturday at the Washington National Cathedral where President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush, among others, will eulogize McCain.

Former Sen. Harry Reid, a Democrat, who served with McCain and battled him on most issues, said he had a touching last conversation with Arizona Republican.

“John and I both ended our final call a few weeks ago by telling each other, ‘I love you,’ and that was how we felt about one another,” Reid said on Twitter. “There will never be another John McCain. Landra and I join the country in mourning his passing and offer our condolences to Cindy and his family.”

Most members of the House delegation also issued statements or saluted McCain on social media.

After departing from Washington, Heller spent the remainder of the week in Nevada. He released a video of his appearance in Las Vegas at Veterans Village, a nonprofit organization that helps homeless veterans.

Following the denial of the state’s recent request for funds to help fight the South Sugarloaf Fire, Heller also wrote to the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) about the criteria to receive funds under Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) program. FEMA requires a threat to lives and property, including threats to critical infrastructure and critical watershed areas to be eligible for funds, according to Heller. “I respectfully ask that your agency take into consideration the severe consequences of wildfire on our public lands, including the loss of lands for grazing, energy development, and any other factor that would have an economic impact on Nevadans,” he wrote.

Rep. Mark Amodei, a Republican, also said that he is frustrated with the FEMA’s decision not to grant funds to Nevada in the wake of a large-scale fire northeast of Elko. In an interview with The Nevada Independent during a Washoe County Commission meeting, the Northern Nevada congressman said he is pushing the agency to reconsider its decision and release funding. The state requested a FMAG from FEMA on Friday to help responders fight the Sugarloaf Fire, a blaze that has burned more than 237,000 acres, threatened ranching, burned wildlife habitat and prompted voluntary evacuations near Jarbidge. “It’s a big deal in this neck of the woods,” Amodei said of the fire and the damage.

Cortez Masto signed on to a resolution that would rescind a rule that allows insurers to sell short-term health insurance plans that are not subject to Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage provisions recently finalized by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Sponsored by Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Senate Democrats are using the Congressional Review Act, a law that allows Congress to repeal regulations within 60 days from when they have been submitted to Congress or from their publication in the Federal Register, whichever date is later. Resolutions under the law cannot be filibustered in the Senate and require only a simple majority for passage. The vote will put Senators, including Heller, on the record about where they stand with regard to the ACA.

Republicans successfully used the law to claw back 14 Obama-era regulations they contend hurt the economy, such as one that would have required federal contractors to disclose labor law and employment violations when bidding on a new or renewed contract.

Next week, all eyes will be on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold hearings to consider Kavanaugh’s nomination. No members of the Nevada delegation are on the panel. But the Democrats on the committee are expected to pepper Kavanaugh with questions, including whether he thinks Roe v. Wade, which established a woman’s right to an abortion, is settled law, and a court case in Texas where 20 states have sued, arguing that the ACA is unconstitutional after the Congress removed the mandate that everyone carry health insurance. The case, which would end the ACA requirement that those with pre-existing conditions have access to affordable insurance, could ultimately reach the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the House is also back next week after taking August off. Members of the delegation spent their last week of recess doing a number of things, including back to school events. Rep. Ruben Kihuen was at Doris Reed Elementary in Las Vegas.

All three House Democrats — Rep. Dina Titus, Rep. Jacky Rosen and Kihuen — signed on to a letter opposing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ proposal to allow federal education funds to be used to purchase guns for teachers.

“Using federal education funding to arm teachers will do nothing to make our children safer or boost learning in our schools,” Titus tweeted.

Rosen released a statement following a story from BuzzFeed that the White House has formed a committee to combat the positive press legalization of marijuana has received. “The Trump Administration should not be working behind the scenes to mislead the public and undermine our successful efforts to legalize and regulate marijuana at the state level,” said Rosen, who supports legislation to regulate the drug like alcohol.

For a full rundown of the measures the delegates supported or opposed this week, check out The Nevada Independent’s congressional vote tracker and other information below.

SEN. DEAN HELLER
Legislation sponsored:
S. 3397 – Douglas County Economic Development and Conservation Act
S. 3395 – Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act
SEN. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO
Legislation sponsored:
S. 3393 – Council on Rural Community Innovation and Economic Development Act of 2018