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(NewsNation) — On Wednesday, Congress voted on a number of bills before heading home until September.
The two most controversial measures were the Stop Insider Trading Act and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Both passed, but by relatively narrow margins along party lines.
The Stop Insider Trading Act would bar members of Congress from trading stock while serving. It passed in a 232-198 vote, with nearly all Republicans and at least 13 Democrats voting for it.
Texas Republican Rep. August Pfluger spoke with NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich on Wednesday, explaining that the bill would offer Americans more transparency into how lawmakers and their families buy and sell stocks.
“There are rules already on reporting,” Pfluger said. “And I think 99% of the people who come up here, they want to do the right thing. They want to serve. But Republicans have gone a step further. And that is to say we’re going to be completely transparent.”
Pfluger slammed Democrats for opposing the bill, saying Americans need to question their reasoning.
Democrats were split on the bill over concerns that the language didn’t go far enough because it didn’t include a sell-back requirement.
What does the SAVE America Act require?
The majority of Democrats also voted against the bill after Republicans added a provision on voter ID requirements, which are part of the SAVE America Act. The bill would require anyone registering to vote in a federal election to provide proof of citizenship and also adds strict photo ID requirements.
Democrats have called the controversial bill a form of voter suppression, while Republicans say it’s important to stop voter fraud.
“We don’t have election integrity in many of our states like New York and like California and places like that,” Pfluger said. “But walking into buildings, walking into a bank, going into a gym and even ordering pasta at Olive Garden, you have to have an I.D. So, yes, I think the Senate really they need to pass this.”
Pfluger is referencing Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Pass, which has become the Republican Party’s go-to when citing the need for stricter voter ID laws. The Pasta Pass requires guests to present a photo ID with their pass to prevent sharing access to the all-you-can-eat promotion.
Another bill voted on by Congress Wednesday was the National Defense Authorization Act. The annual defense bill passed in a 216-212 vote along party lines. It authorized $1.15 trillion in defense and national security funding.
However, there was a lot of debate over it tied to the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was on Capitol Hill Tuesday, testifying that the department needed more money to continue its campaign against the nation.
Pfluger said that while Americans want the war to be resolved soon, it’s important to make sure that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.
“Iran is a bad actor,” he said. “We know what Iran is capable of. We know that they’ve killed over a thousand Americans in the past couple of decades. …So I think most of my constituents would rather have a president who operates through extreme strength, peace through strength, not weakness and ineffectiveness like we saw Joe Biden do.”
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