2026 National Government Operations Key Votes

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Vote Smart provides easy access to congressional and state voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Vote Smart uses the following criteria to select key votes:

  1. The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
  2. The vote should be clear for any person to understand
  3. The vote has received media attention
  4. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
  5. Occasionally, if a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Voter's Research Hotline, the vote will be added

Vote Smart provides a summary of the version of the bill text associated with each selected key vote. Our summaries are written by Vote Smart's staff and interns, who adhere to our strict policies and procedures in order to guarantee absolute impartiality and accuracy. They do not necessarily reflect the content of the final version of the bill, but rather the version voted on in that stage. While many procedural votes take place before a full chamber vote, our voting stages reflect the final reading of each chamber vote. Each key vote selection is reviewed by the project's community of advisors, who are political scientists and journalists from all fifty states.

For more information about the legislative process, see here.


results per page:
Date State Bill No. Title Outcome
July 21, 2026 National PN 851-8 Nomination of Kara Marie Westercamp, of Virginia, to be a Judge of the United States Court of International Trade, vice Stephen A. Vaden, resigned Nomination Confirmed - Senate (50 - 48)
July 16, 2026 National PN 851-8 Nomination of Kara Marie Westercamp, of Virginia, to be a Judge of the United States Court of International Trade, vice Stephen A. Vaden, resigned Cloture Invoked - Senate (49 - 48)
June 23, 2026 National PN 859-3 Nomination of Darrell Owens, of Pennsylvania, to be U.S. Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, with the rank of Ambassador Nomination Confirmed - Senate (67 - 30)
June 18, 2026 National PN 730-33 Nomination of George Holding, of North Carolina, to be United States Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vice J. Steven Dowd Nomination Confirmed - Senate (48 - 39)
June 17, 2026 National PN 901-8 Nomination of Michelle Steel, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Korea Nomination Confirmed - Senate (55 - 39)
June 16, 2026 National S J Res 190 A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Executive Office for Immigration Review relating to "Appellate Procedures for the Board of Immigration Appeals" Motion Rejected - Senate (46 - 48)
June 11, 2026 National PN 904-1 Nomination of Brock Dahl, of Maryland, to be Legal Adviser of the Department of State, vice Reed Rubinstein Nomination Confirmed - Senate (49 - 44)
May 13, 2026 National PN 855-1 Nomination of Kevin Warsh, of Florida, to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of four years, vice Jerome H. Powell, term expiring Nomination Confirmed - Senate (54 - 45)
May 13, 2026 National S Res 526 A resolution withholding the pay of Senators if a Government shutdown occurs Cloture Invoked - Senate (99 - 0)
May 12, 2026 National PN 855-2 Nomination of Kevin Warsh, of Florida, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of fourteen years from February 1, 2026, vice Stephen Miran, term expired Nomination Confirmed - Senate (51 - 45)
May 12, 2026 National PN 855-1 Nomination of Kevin Warsh, of Florida, to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of four years, vice Jerome H. Powell, term expiring Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 45)
May 11, 2026 National PN 855-2 Nomination of Kevin Warsh, of Florida, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of fourteen years from February 1, 2026, vice Stephen Miran, term expired Cloture Invoked - Senate (49 - 44)
April 29, 2026 National PN 730-14 Nomination of Robert Cekada, of Florida, to be Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, vice Steven M. Dettelbach, resigned Nomination Confirmed - Senate (59 - 39)
April 29, 2026 National S J Res 139 A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Air Plan Disapproval; Colorado; Regional Haze Plan for the Second Implementation Period" Motion Rejected - Senate (46 - 52)
April 29, 2026 National S J Res 99 A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services relating to "Removal of the Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization Documents" Motion Agreed - Senate (47 - 50)
April 27, 2026 National PN 730-14 Nomination of Robert Cekada, of Florida, to be Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, vice Steven M. Dettelbach, resigned Cloture Invoked - Senate (54 - 37)
March 24, 2026 National PN 786-9 Nomination of Colin McDonald, of California, to be an Assistant Attorney General, vice Todd Sunhwae Kim Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 47)
March 23, 2026 National PN 858 Nomination of Markwayne Mullin, of Oklahoma, to be Secretary of Homeland Security, vice Kristi Noem (54 - 45)
March 23, 2026 National PN 786-9 Nomination of Colin McDonald, of California, to be an Assistant Attorney General, vice Todd Sunhwae Kim Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 45)
March 22, 2026 National PN 858 Nomination of Markwayne Mullin, of Oklahoma, to be Secretary of Homeland Security, vice Kristi Noem Cloture Invoked - Senate (54 - 37)
March 10, 2026 National PN 711 Nomination of Lieutenant General Joshua M. Rudd to be General in the United States Army Nomination Confirmed - Senate (71 - 29)
March 9, 2026 National PN 711 Nomination of Lieutenant General Joshua M. Rudd to be General in the United States Army Cloture Invoked - Senate (68 - 28)
March 4, 2026 National S J Res 104 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 Motion Rejected - Senate (47 - 53)
Feb. 26, 2026 National PN 730-46 Nomination of Ryan McCormack, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, vice Carlos Alberto Monje, Jr. (57 - 33)
Feb. 26, 2026 National PN 730-46 Nomination of Ryan McCormack, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, vice Carlos Alberto Monje, Jr. Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 34)
Feb. 25, 2026 National PN 730-19 Nomination of John DeLeeuw, of Texas, to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board for the remainder of the term expiring December 31, 2026, vice Alvin Brown (50 - 45)
Feb. 12, 2026 National H J Res 142 Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the D.C. Income and Franchise Tax Conformity and Revision Temporary Amendment Act of 2025 Bill Passed - Senate (49 - 47)
Feb. 11, 2026 National H J Res 142 Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the D.C. Income and Franchise Tax Conformity and Revision Temporary Amendment Act of 2025 Motion Agreed - Senate (51 - 46)
Feb. 10, 2026 National PN 726-4 Nomination of Daniel E. Burrows, of Colorado, to be an Assistant Attorney General, vice Aaron Reitz, resigned Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 46)
Feb. 9, 2026 National PN 726-4 Nomination of Daniel E. Burrows, of Colorado, to be an Assistant Attorney General, vice Aaron Reitz, resigned Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 47)
Jan. 30, 2026 National HR 7148 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 Bill Passed - Senate (71 - 29)
Jan. 29, 2026 National HR 7148 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (45 - 55)
Jan. 7, 2026 National S J Res 86 A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Air Plan Approval; South Dakota; Regional Haze Plan for the Second Implementation Period" Motion Rejected - Senate (43 - 50)
Jan. 7, 2026 National S J Res 86 A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Air Plan Approval; South Dakota; Regional Haze Plan for the Second Implementation Period" Motion Rejected - Senate (43 - 50)
Jan. 6, 2026 National PN 499-11 Nomination of Joshua Simmons to be General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Nomination Confirmed - Senate (53 - 47)
Jan. 6, 2026 National PN 373 Nomination of Sara Bailey to be Director of National Drug Control Policy Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 48)
Jan. 5, 2026 National PN 12-1 Nomination of Keith Bass to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense Nomination Confirmed - Senate (50 - 35)
Date No. Title Outcome
7/21 PN 851-8 Nomination of Kara Marie Westercamp, of Virginia, to be a Judge of the United States Court of International Trade, vice Stephen A. Vaden, resigned Nomination Confirmed - Senate (50 - 48)
7/16 PN 851-8 Nomination of Kara Marie Westercamp, of Virginia, to be a Judge of the United States Court of International Trade, vice Stephen A. Vaden, resigned Cloture Invoked - Senate (49 - 48)
6/23 PN 859-3 Nomination of Darrell Owens, of Pennsylvania, to be U.S. Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, with the rank of Ambassador Nomination Confirmed - Senate (67 - 30)
6/18 PN 730-33 Nomination of George Holding, of North Carolina, to be United States Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vice J. Steven Dowd Nomination Confirmed - Senate (48 - 39)
6/17 PN 901-8 Nomination of Michelle Steel, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Korea Nomination Confirmed - Senate (55 - 39)
6/16 S J Res 190 A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Executive Office for Immigration Review relating to "Appellate Procedures for the Board of Immigration Appeals" Motion Rejected - Senate (46 - 48)
6/11 PN 904-1 Nomination of Brock Dahl, of Maryland, to be Legal Adviser of the Department of State, vice Reed Rubinstein Nomination Confirmed - Senate (49 - 44)
5/13 PN 855-1 Nomination of Kevin Warsh, of Florida, to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of four years, vice Jerome H. Powell, term expiring Nomination Confirmed - Senate (54 - 45)
5/13 S Res 526 A resolution withholding the pay of Senators if a Government shutdown occurs Cloture Invoked - Senate (99 - 0)
5/12 PN 855-2 Nomination of Kevin Warsh, of Florida, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of fourteen years from February 1, 2026, vice Stephen Miran, term expired Nomination Confirmed - Senate (51 - 45)
5/12 PN 855-1 Nomination of Kevin Warsh, of Florida, to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of four years, vice Jerome H. Powell, term expiring Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 45)
5/11 PN 855-2 Nomination of Kevin Warsh, of Florida, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of fourteen years from February 1, 2026, vice Stephen Miran, term expired Cloture Invoked - Senate (49 - 44)
4/29 PN 730-14 Nomination of Robert Cekada, of Florida, to be Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, vice Steven M. Dettelbach, resigned Nomination Confirmed - Senate (59 - 39)
4/29 S J Res 139 A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Air Plan Disapproval; Colorado; Regional Haze Plan for the Second Implementation Period" Motion Rejected - Senate (46 - 52)
4/29 S J Res 99 A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services relating to "Removal of the Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization Documents" Motion Agreed - Senate (47 - 50)
4/27 PN 730-14 Nomination of Robert Cekada, of Florida, to be Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, vice Steven M. Dettelbach, resigned Cloture Invoked - Senate (54 - 37)
3/24 PN 786-9 Nomination of Colin McDonald, of California, to be an Assistant Attorney General, vice Todd Sunhwae Kim Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 47)
3/23 PN 858 Nomination of Markwayne Mullin, of Oklahoma, to be Secretary of Homeland Security, vice Kristi Noem (54 - 45)
3/23 PN 786-9 Nomination of Colin McDonald, of California, to be an Assistant Attorney General, vice Todd Sunhwae Kim Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 45)
3/22 PN 858 Nomination of Markwayne Mullin, of Oklahoma, to be Secretary of Homeland Security, vice Kristi Noem Cloture Invoked - Senate (54 - 37)
3/10 PN 711 Nomination of Lieutenant General Joshua M. Rudd to be General in the United States Army Nomination Confirmed - Senate (71 - 29)
3/09 PN 711 Nomination of Lieutenant General Joshua M. Rudd to be General in the United States Army Cloture Invoked - Senate (68 - 28)
3/04 S J Res 104 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 Motion Rejected - Senate (47 - 53)
2/26 PN 730-46 Nomination of Ryan McCormack, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, vice Carlos Alberto Monje, Jr. (57 - 33)
2/26 PN 730-46 Nomination of Ryan McCormack, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, vice Carlos Alberto Monje, Jr. Cloture Invoked - Senate (60 - 34)
2/25 PN 730-19 Nomination of John DeLeeuw, of Texas, to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board for the remainder of the term expiring December 31, 2026, vice Alvin Brown (50 - 45)
2/12 H J Res 142 Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the D.C. Income and Franchise Tax Conformity and Revision Temporary Amendment Act of 2025 Bill Passed - Senate (49 - 47)
2/11 H J Res 142 Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the D.C. Income and Franchise Tax Conformity and Revision Temporary Amendment Act of 2025 Motion Agreed - Senate (51 - 46)
2/10 PN 726-4 Nomination of Daniel E. Burrows, of Colorado, to be an Assistant Attorney General, vice Aaron Reitz, resigned Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 46)
2/09 PN 726-4 Nomination of Daniel E. Burrows, of Colorado, to be an Assistant Attorney General, vice Aaron Reitz, resigned Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 47)
1/30 HR 7148 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 Bill Passed - Senate (71 - 29)
1/29 HR 7148 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (45 - 55)
1/07 S J Res 86 A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Air Plan Approval; South Dakota; Regional Haze Plan for the Second Implementation Period" Motion Rejected - Senate (43 - 50)
1/07 S J Res 86 A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Air Plan Approval; South Dakota; Regional Haze Plan for the Second Implementation Period" Motion Rejected - Senate (43 - 50)
1/06 PN 499-11 Nomination of Joshua Simmons to be General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Nomination Confirmed - Senate (53 - 47)
1/06 PN 373 Nomination of Sara Bailey to be Director of National Drug Control Policy Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 48)
1/05 PN 12-1 Nomination of Keith Bass to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense Nomination Confirmed - Senate (50 - 35)

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