TN Congressman Marsha Blackburn Votes Poorly
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Fiscal 2003 Omnibus Appropriations.
The final version (conference report) of House Joint Resolution 2 would provide $397 billion in fiscal 2003 for all Cabinet departments and government agencies covered in 11 unfinished spending bills from the 107th Congress. The bills included are: Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-State, District of Columbia, Energy and Water Development, Foreign Operations, Interior, Labor-HHS-Education, Legislative Branch, Transportation, Treasury-Postal Service, and VA-HUD. The problem with the omnibus approach is that thousands of unconstitutional activities are lumped together with legitimate legislation in one massive bill.
Thus, big government is perpetuated with a minimum of accountability. The House adopted the conference report on H. J. Res. 2 on February 13, 2003 by a vote of 338 to 83 (Roll Call 32).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-1 (Source: The New American, July 14, 2003)
Budget Resolution — Final Version.
The final version (conference report) of the budget resolution (House Concurrent Resolution 95) would authorize federal spending for fiscal 2004 of $1,861 billion dollars with a deficit of $558 billion and an increase in the public debt ceiling of $984 billion. This planned deficit of $558 billion dwarfs the previous record federal deficit of $290 billion in 1992. The $984 billion increase in the public debt ceiling authorized in this bill constituted, under Rule XXVII of the House, approval of the debt limit increase bill (House Joint Resolution 51) without having to cast a separate vote just on increasing the debt ceiling. Subsequently the Senate passed H. J. Res. 51 and President Bush signed it into law, increasing the public debt ceiling by $984 billion (for a new total of $7.4 trillion) and giving Congress a green light to continue its fiscally irresponsible ways. This resolution also includes $400 billion for a Medicare prescription drug benefit for 2004-2013. The House adopted the conference report on H. Con. Res. 95 on April 11, 2003 by a
vote of 216 to 211 (Roll Call 141).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-1 (Source: The New American, July 14, 2003)
Special Education.
This bill (H. 1350) would reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. One its provisions would authorize increasing federal grants to defray more of the cost of educating special education students, from the current 18 percent to percent by 2010. Other provisions would allow school personnel to discipline special education students the same as nondisabled students, reduce paperwork requirements for special education teachers, and limit parents’ ability to sue school districts. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that H.R. 1350 would cost $50 billion over the 2004-2009 period. The House passed H.R. 1350 on April 30, 2003 by a vote of 251 to 171 (Roll 154).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-1 (Source: The New American, July 14, 2003)
Global AIDS Initiative.
This bill (H.R. 1298) would authorize $15 billion ($3 billion annually) for fiscal years 2004 through 2008 to provide assistance to foreign countries for the stated purpose of combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Much of this funding will be funneled through the Global AIDS Fund and other UN agencies and programs notorious for promoting abortion, as well as encouraging promiscuity through “sex education” courses supposedly aimed at stemming AIDS. The House passed H.R. 1298 on May 1, 2003 by a vote of 375 to 41 (Roll Call 158).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-1 (Source: The New American, July 14, 2003)
Job Training.
This bill (H.R. 1261) would reauthorize the nation’s main job-training program. One of its provisions would allow faith-based groups to receive federal funds while maintaining their religious identity, including hiring based on religious preferences. The Congressional Budget Office estimates this bill would increase “mandatory” spending by $17 billion for the years 2006-2011 and “discretionary” spending by $31 billion over the years 2004-2008. The House passed H.R. 1261 on May 8, 2003 by a vote of 220 to 204 (Roll Call 175).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-1 (Source: The New American, July 14, 2003)
Unemployment Benefits.
This bill (H.R. 2185) would extend the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 through December 31, 2003. This would provide an additional 13 weeks of federal aid to workers in all states who have exhausted their 26 weeks of state unemployment benefits. It would also provide another 13 weeks of federal benefits to workers in states with high unemployment. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that H.R. 2185 would increase federal outlays by a total of $7.9 billion over the fiscal years 2003 and 2004. The House passed H.R. 2185 on May 22, 2003 by a vote of 409 to 19 (Roll Call 223). Federal aid to unemployed workers is unconstitutional.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-1 (Source: The New American, July 14, 2003)
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations.
This bill (H.R. 2660) would appropriate $470 billion for the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Departments for fiscal 2004, a 10 percent increase over fiscal 2003. This bill, the biggest of the fiscal 2004 domestic spending bills, includes $138 billion for discretionary spending, including $55.4 billion for education and $22.7 billion for the National Institutes of Health. That leaves $332 billion for so-called mandatory spending on entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and unemployment insurance. The House passed H.R. 2660 on July 10, 2003 by a vote of 215 to 208 (Roll Call 353).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-2 (Source: The New American, December 29, 2003)
Agriculture Appropriations.
This bill (H.R. 2673) would appropriate $77.5 billion for agriculture, rural development and nutrition programs in fiscal 2004. Over half of the money appropriated by this “agriculture” bill is earmarked for so-called mandatory spending on nutrition programs, including $28 billion for food stamps and $16 billion
for school lunch and other nutrition programs. Total spending for traditional agricultural programs is $26.8 billion, a 5 percent increase. The House passed H.R. 2673 on July 14, 2003 by a vote of 347 to 64 (Roll Call 358).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-2 (Source: The New American, December 29, 2003)
Ban on UN Contributions.
This amendment to H.R. 1950 (Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005) by Rep Ron Paul (R-Texas) stated that “none of the funds authorized … by this Act may be obligated or expended to pay any United States contribution to the United Nations or any affiliated agency of the United Nations.” The House rejected this amendment to H.R. 1950 on July 15, 2003 by a vote of 74 to 350 (Roll Call 364).
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
108-2 (Source: The New American, December 29, 2003)
FY2004 Foreign Operations Appropriations.
HR 2800. Foreign aid bill includes $1.4 billion to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa and $800 million for the new Millennium Challenge Account. Unconstitutional. (Passed 370-50 on July 24, 2003, roll call #429.) Cost: $17.1 Billion
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
U.S.-Singapore Trade.
This bill (H.R. 2739) would implement a trade agreement to reduce tariffs and trade barriers between the United States and Singapore. A similar bill, the U.S.-Chile Trade Agreement (H.R. 2738), was presented to Congress at the same time as the U.S.-Singapore Trade Agreement. These are the first in a series of bilateral and regional free trade agreements (FTAs) that the Bush administration is negotiating, which will culminate in 2005 in the largest and most significant FTA of them all, the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The model for the FTAA is the European Union (EU), formerly the “Common Market,” which has grown by design from a supposed free trade agreement into a supranational government for Europe. The world order architects intend for the FTAA to follow the same trajectory for the Americas. The House passed H.R. 2739 on July 24, 2003 by a vote of 272 to 155 (Roll Call 432).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-2 (Source: The New American, December 29, 2003)
U.S.-Chile Trade.
This bill (H.R. 2738) would implement a trade agreement to reduce tariffs and trade barriers between the United States and Chile. The significance of this trade agreement is like that of the U.S.-Singapore Trade Agreement described above. The House passed H.R. 2738 on July 24, 2003 by a vote of 270 to 156 (Roll Call 436).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-2 (Source: The New American, December 29, 2003)
Supplemental Spending for Iraq & Afghanistan.
The final version conference report) of H.R. 3289 would appropriate $87.5 billion in supplemental fiscal 2004 spending for military operations and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is the largest supplemental that Congress has ever passed. Of this total, military operations would receive $65.8 billion. Iraq reconstruction would be funded by grants totaling $18.6 billion, while reconstruction in Afghanistan would receive $1.2 billion. William Norman Grigg predicted in the March 24 issue of The New American magazine that “the impending war on, or occupation of, Iraq is intended to carry out the UN Security Council mandates, not to protect our nation or to punish those responsible for the September 11th attack. The war would uphold the UN’s supposed authority and vindicate its role as a de facto world government.” In its November 20 report on President Bush’s speech at London’s Whitehall Palace the Guardian of London provided a concise confirmation of Mr. Grigg’s prediction in its headline “Iraq war saved the UN, says president.” Now American taxpayers must pay tens of billions of dollars, hundreds of billions ultimately, for this latest military intervention to empower the UN. The House adopted the conference report on H.R. 3289 on October 31, 2003 by a vote of 298 to 121 (Roll Call 601).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-2 (Source: The New American, December 29, 2003)
Flood Insurance Reauthorization.
HR 253. Authorizes an additional $450 million for flood insurance and flood-loss mitigation. Unconstitutional federal activity. (Passed 352-67 on Nov. 20, 2003, roll call #655.) Cost: $450 Million FY2004-2008.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
Prescription Drug Benefit.
The final version (conference report) of H.R. 1 would create a prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. Beginning in 2006, prescription coverage would be available to seniors through private insurers for a monthly premium estimated at $35. There would be a $250 annual deductible, then 75 percent of drug costs up to $2,250 would be reimbursed. Drug costs greater than $2,250 would not be covered until out-of- pocket expenses exceeded $3,600, after which 95 percent of drug costs would be reimbursed. Low-income recipients would receive more subsidies than other seniors by paying lower premiums, having smaller deductibles, and making lower co-payments for each prescription. The total cost of the new prescription drug benefit would be limited to the $400 billion that Congress had budgeted earlier this year for the first 10 years of this new entitlement program. The House adopted the conference report on H.R. 1 on November 22, 2003 by a vote of 220 to 215 (Roll Call 669).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-2 (Source: The New American, December 29, 2003)
Child Nutrition Programs.
This bill (H.R. 3873) would reauthorize through fiscal 2008 several child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the After- school Snack Program. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that H.R. 3873 would increase direct spending on these programs by about $226 million over the 2004-2008 period. Since obesity in school-age children has greatly increased since 1980, the school lunch program reauthorization bill has become a popular vehicle for proposals aimed at reducing obesity. This bill would require schools to develop “wellness policies” that establish nutritional guidelines for all food sold in schools; however, it stops short of setting mandatory federal standards. The House agreed to the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 3873 on March 24, 2004 by a vote of 419 to 5 (Roll Call 82).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-3 (Source: The New American, July12, 2004)
Fiscal 2005 Budget Resolution.
This resolution (House Concurrent Resolution 393) would establish broad spending and revenue targets over the next five years. It calls for $871.3 billion in “discretionary” spending (including $50 billion for supplemental funding of operations in Iraq) and another $1.5 trillion in “mandatory” spending for fiscal 2005. Based on these targets, the “mandatory” spending portion of the budget would increase by 5 percent over last year, and the total budget — a whopping $2.4 trillion — would increase by 3 percent This resolution projects that the budget deficit would be cut significantly by fiscal 2009 (from $376.8 billion in fiscal 2005 to $234 billion in fiscal 2009); however, according to a Congressional Quarterly Fact Sheet, “Budget Resolution for FY 2005,” these projected deficits are deceptively low due to an accounting sleight-of hand whereby “these deficits are calculated by using the surpluses in the Social Security trust funds to offset spending on other programs. If these Social Security surpluses are not counted, the projected deficits in each fiscal year would be $550.7 billion in FY 2005 and $471.8 billion in FY 2009.” The House adopted this resolution on March 25, 2004 by a vote of 215 to 212 (Roll Call 92).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-3 (Source: The New American, July12, 2004)
Surface Transportation.
This bill (H.R. 3550) would authorize $284 billion in federal aid for highway, mass transit, and safety and research programs for fiscal years 2004-2009. This total includes $217 billion for highways, $51.5 billion for mass transit, and $11.1 billion for House members’ transportation projects. The Bush administration had wanted to limit the spending in the bill to $256 billion, which, noted White House spokesman Scott McClellan, would still increase spending by 21 percent. But the House added an additional $28 billion to the bill (11 percent more than the president had requested). The House passed H.R. 3550 on April 2, 2004 by a vote of 357 to 65 (Roll Call 114).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-3 (Source: The New American, July12, 2004)
Job Training and Worker Services.
This bill (H.R. 444) would authorize the creation of “personal re-employment accounts” of up to $3,000 for unemployed workers at risk of exhausting their state unemployment benefits. Money in this account could be used for such expenses as education, childcare, healthcare or transportation. Those workers who find a job within 13 weeks would be allowed to take the balance in their account as a “reemployment bonus.” This bill would authorize $50 million in fiscal 2005 for these “personal re-employment accounts.” The House passed H.R. 444 on June 3, 2004 by a vote of 213 to 203 (Roll Call 225).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-3 (Source: The New American, July12, 2004)
Agriculture Appropriations.
This bill (H.R. 4766) would appropriate $83.7 billion for agriculture, rural development, and nutrition programs in fiscal 2005. Over half ($50.2 billion) of the funding in the so- called agriculture appropriations bill would be for domestic food and nutrition programs, including $33.6 billion for the food stamp program and $11.3 billion for child nutrition programs. Another $27 billion would be for agriculture programs, including $16.5 billion for the Commodity Credit Corporation. The House passed H.R. 4766 on July 13, 2004 by a vote of 389 to 31 (Roll Call 370).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-4 (Source: The New American, November 1, 2004)
Millennium Challenge Account.
During consideration of the foreign aid appropriations bill (H.R. 4818), Rep. Ron Paul (R- Texas) offered this amendment to eliminate all of the funding for the Millennium Challenge Account. H.R. 4818 would provide $1.25 billion for this account in fiscal 2005, 25 percent more than in fiscal 2004, for the purpose of rewarding nations for progress in human rights, economic policy, and democracy. During floor debate, Paul noted that this year-old program was originally viewed as a transition from one form of foreign aid to another,” but it instead “was just added on.” The House rejected Paul’s amendment on July 15, 2004 by a vote of 41 to 379 Roll Call 383).
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
108-4 (Source: The New American, November 1, 2004)
Foreign Aid.
The foreign aid appropriations bill (H.R. 4818) would provide $19.4 billion in fiscal 2005, an 11 percent increase over fiscal 2004 funding. The House passed H.R. 4818 on July 15, 2004 by a vote of 365 to 41 (Roll Call 390).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-4 (Source: The New American, November 1, 2004)
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations.
This mammoth appropriations bill (H.R. 5006) would provide $496.6 billion in fiscal 2005, including $374.3 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, $60.3 billion for the Department of Education, and $14.9 billion for the Department of Labor. Total fiscal 2005 appropriations would be 3.5 percent higher than fiscal 2004 appropriations. The House passed H.R. 5006 on September 9, 2004 by a vote of 388 to 13 (Roll Call 440).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
108-4 (Source: The New American, November 1, 2004)
Debt Limit Increase.
S 2986. Passage. Increases the national debt limit to $8.18 trillion. Fiscally irresponsible annual federal deficits approaching $0.5 trillion have led to a rapid increase in the public debt.
(Passed 208-204 on Nov. 18, 2004, roll call #536.) Cost: $800 Billion
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
Fiscal 2005 Omnibus Appropriations.
HR 4818. Conference Report. Combines in one all-or-nothing vote nine appropriations bills. This minimizes accountability and masks widespread unconstitutional spending!
(Adopted 344 – 51, on Nov. 20, 2004, roll call #542.) Cost: $388.4 Billion.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
Vocational/Technical Training.
This bill (H.R. 366) would reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, which funds vocational and technical education programs. The bill would authorize $1.3 billion in fiscal 2006 and “such funds as necessary” in fiscal 2007-11. It would also merge Perkins funding with “Tech-Prep,” a program that provides certain math and science courses to high school students to “ease the transition” from high school to a vocational or community college. The House passed this bill on May 4, 2005 by a vote of 416-9 (Roll Call 154).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
109-1 (Source: The New American, August 8, 2005)
Supplemental Appropriations.
The final version (conference report) of this supplemental appropriations bill H.R. 1268) would add another $82 billion to the federal budget for fiscal 2005. The supplemental pending, even if needed and constitutional, should not have been added on to the annual federal budget after the fact, but should have been included as part of the regular appropriations process. The supplemental spending in this bill includes $75.9 billion for defense-related purposes, most of it for the military occupation of Iraq, and $907 million for tsunami victims, the latter clearly unconstitutional. One particularly objectionable element of this legislation is the REAL ID Act, which was added to the supplemental appropriations bill by the conference committee. The REAL ID Act would authorize the federal government to impose national standards for driver’s licenses and thereby develop a national ID system. The House adopted the final version of H.R. 1268 on May 5, 2005 by vote of 368-58 (Roll Call 161).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
109-1 (Source: The New American, August 8, 2005)
WTO Withdrawal.
Representatives Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ron Paul (R-Texas) sponsored this measure (House Joint Resolution 27) to withdraw the United States from the World Trade Organization. The WTO is often portrayed as a “free trade” arrangement by its supporters, but it is actually an international bureaucracy that manages trade and imposes its rulings on member nations including the United States — even when those rulings are contrary to U.S. laws. In fact, U.S. membership in the WTO is unconstitutional, since under our Constitution, Congress — not an international body — “shall have the power … to regulate foreign commerce.” That power cannot be transferred short of a constitutional amendment. The House rejected the WTO withdrawal measure on June 9, 2005 by a vote of 86-338 (Roll Call 239).
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
109-1 (Source: The New American, August 8, 2005)
UN Dues Decrease.
During consideration of the Commerce-Justice appropriations bill (H.R. 2862), Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) offered an amendment to cut the U.S. “contribution” to the United Nations by $218 million. The House rejected Hayworth’s amendment on June 15, 2005 by a vote of 124- 304 (Roll Call 253).
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
109-1 (Source: The New American, August 8, 2005)
UN “Reforms.”
On the surface, this United Nations “reform” bill (H.R. 2745) appears to be a conservative” get tough response to UN corruption. It would withhold up to 50 percent of U.S. dues to the UN unless the UN makes certain operational changes, and many “conservatives” voted for it. In reality, the legislation calls for strengthening the UN in the name of “reform.” Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) warned in his June 13 Texas Straight Talk column that the “reform” bill supports creation of a “Peace building Commission,” which “will serve as the implementing force for the internationalization of what were formerly internal affairs of sovereign nations.” The House passed the UN “reform” bill on June 17, 2005 by a vote of 221-184 (Roll Call 282).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
109-1 (Source: The New American, August 8, 2005)
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations.
This mammoth social welfare appropriations bill (H.R. 3010) would provide a total of $601.6 billion in fiscal 2006 for the Labor Department ($14.8 billion), the Education Department ($63.7 billion), the Health and Human Services Department ($473.8 billion), and related agencies. The bill is by far the largest of the 11 appropriations bills written
by the House this year. In total, H.R. 3010 would provide a 21 percent increase over
a similar appropriations bill for the previous year. The House passed this bill on June 24,
2005 by a vote of 250-151 (Roll Call 321).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
109-2 (Source: The New American, December 12, 2005)
Foreign Aid.
This appropriations bill (H.R. 3057) would provide $20.3 billion for U.S. foreign aid programs in fiscal 2006. The House passed the foreign aid bill on June 28, 2005 by a vote of 393-32 (Roll Call 335).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
109-2 (Source: The New American, December 12, 2005)
Patriot Act Reauthorization.
In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress passed the so-called Patriot Act, which gave law enforcement and intelligence agencies vast new powers to combat terrorism. The act expanded the list of crimes deemed terrorist acts; increased the ability of law enforcement to secretly search homes and business records; expanded the FBI’s wiretapping and surveillance authority; and provided for nationwide jurisdiction for search
warrants and electronic surveillance devices, including the legal extension of those devices to e-mail and the Internet. The bill included a “sunset” provision under which the new surveillance powers “shall cease to have effect on December 31, 2005.” The Patriot Act reauthorization bill (H.R. 3199) considered by the current Congress would make permanent 14 of the 16 provisions set to expire at the end of this year and extend for 10 years the remaining two provisions. The House passed the reauthorization on July 21, 2005 by a vote of 257-171 (Roll Call 414).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
109-2 (Source: The New American, December 12, 2005)
CAFTA.
This bill (H.R. 3045) would implement the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), thereby expanding the devastating consequences of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), including the job losses wrought by NAFTA.
CAFTA is intended by the Power Elite to be a steppingstone from NAFTA to the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which would include all of the countries of the Western Hemisphere except (for now) Cuba. Like NAFTA, which has already begun imposing its trade rulings on America, CAFTA and the FTAA would not be genuine free trade arrangements; they would instead manage trade and would gradually exercise more powers on the road to a supranational government modeled after the European Union.
The House passed CAFTA on July 28, 2005 by a vote of 217-215 (Roll Call 443).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
109-2 (Source: The New American, December 12, 2005)
Surface Transportation.
The final version (conference report) of this bill (H.R. 3) would authorize $286.5 billion
for federal highway, mass transit, and safety and research programs through fiscal 2009. The bill is laden with thousands of “pork barrel” transportation projects requested by individual lawmakers. The House adopted the final version of this legislation on July 29, 2005 by a vote of 412-8 (Roll Call 453).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
109-2 (Source: The New American, December 12, 2005)
Katrina Hurricane-relief Appropriations.
In the wake of the devastating hurricane disaster in the Gulf Coast, Congress quickly passed legislation that would appropriate $51.8 billion in emergency supplemental funding for fiscal 2005 (H.R. 3673) to be used for relief in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. Commenting on how the tragic images of Katrina were used to justify more federal welfare and interventionism, as opposed to private charity and initiatives, Rep. Ron
Paul (R-Texas) noted on September 15, after the House and Senate votes: “These
scenes prompted two emotional reactions. One side claims Katrina proved there was
not enough government welfare.... The other side claims we need to pump billions of new dollars into the very federal agency that failed (FEMA).... Both sides support more authoritarianism, more centralization, and even the imposition of martial law in times of natural disasters.” The House passed the Katrina appropriations bill on September 8, 2005 by a vote of 410-11 (Roll Call 460).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
109-2 (Source: The New American, December 12, 2005)
Head Start Funding.
This legislation (H.R. 2123) would reauthorize the Head Start program through fiscal 2011 and provide $6.8 billion for the program in 2006. The bill would also increase educational standards for Head Start teachers. The House passed the Head Start bill on September 22, 2005 by a vote of 231-184 (Roll Call 493).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
109-2 (Source: The New American, December 12, 2005)
Foreign Aid.
The final version (conference report) of this appropriations bill (H.R. 3057) would provide $21 billion for U.S. foreign aid programs in fiscal 2006. The House passed the final version of this legislation on November 4, 2005 by a vote of 358-39 (Roll Call 569).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
109-3 (Source: The New American, July 10, 2006)
Patriot Act Reauthorization.
This is the final version (conference report) of the Patriot Act reauthorization (H.R. 3199). In the weeks following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress quickly passed the so-called Patriot Act, which gave law enforcement and intelligence agencies vast new powers to combat terrorism. The act increased the ability of law enforcement to secretly search home and business records, expanded the FBI’s wiretapping and surveillance authority, and expanded the list of crimes deemed terrorist acts. When passed in 2001 the bill included a “sunset” provision under which the new surveillance powers “shall cease to have effect on December 21, 2005.” The Patriot Act reauthorization bill (H.R. 3199) considered by Congress last year would make permanent 14 of the 16 provisions included in the bill, and extend for four years the two remaining provisions. The House passed the final version of the bill to reauthorize the Patriot Act on December 14, 2005 by a vote of 251-174 (Roll Call 627).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
109-3 (Source: The New American, July 10, 2006)
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations.
This massive social-welfare appropriations bill (H.R. 3010) would provide $601.6 billion in fiscal 2006 for the Labor Department ($14.8 billion), the Education Department ($63.5 billion), the Health and Human Services Department ($474.1 billion), and related agencies. H.R. 3010 is the largest of the appropriations bills considered by Congress this year. In total, H.R. 3010 would provide a 21 percent increase over a similar appropriations bill for fiscal 2005. The House passed the bill on December 14, 2005 by a vote of 215- 213 (Roll Call 628).
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
109-3 (Source: The New American, July 10, 2006)
Defunding the NAIS.
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) introduced this amendment to the fiscal 2007 agriculture appropriations (H.R. 5384). Paul’s amendment would bar the use of funds in the bill to implement the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), a government program that would electronically track farm cattle and poultry in hopes of preventing the spread of disease. Writing about the program, Paul stated, “NAIS means more government, more regulations, more fees, more federal spending, less privacy, and diminished property rights.” The House rejected Paul’s amendment on May 23, 2006, by a vote of 34-389 (Roll Call 184).
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
109-3 (Source: The New American, July 10, 2006)
Foreign Aid.
The fiscal 2007 foreign aid appropriations bill (H.R. 5522) would authorize $21.3 billion for foreign operations and economic assistance in fiscal 2007. Though foreign aid is supposed to help the poor and suffering in other countries, it instead has served to prop up economically deficient socialist regimes and to transfer wealth from American taxpayers to third-world elites. The House passed H.R. 5522 on June 9, 2006 by a vote of 373-34 (Roll Call 250). Foreign aid is unconstitutional and unworkable.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American - October 30, 2006)
Iran Military Operations.
Representative Maurice Hinchey (DN.Y.) offered this amendment to the 2007 Defense appropriations bill (H.R. 5631). The amendment would bar any funds to initiate military operations in Iran unless it is in accordance with Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, which delegates to Congress alone the power to declare war. The House rejected Hinchey’s amendment by a vote of 158-262 on June 20, 2006 (Roll Call 300). The power to declare war belongs to Congress, not to the president, and that much power should not be in the hands of one man.
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
(Source: The New American - October 30, 2006)
Line-item Rescission.
The legislative line-item rescission bill (H.R. 4890) would allow the president to propose cuts in spending bills already enacted by Congress. The cuts would then receive an up-or-down vote with no opportunity to filibuster or add amendments. The House passed H.R. 4890 by a vote of 247-172 on June 22, 2006 (Roll Call 317). The rescission bill, though not a full-fledged line-item veto, would still shift some legislative power from Congress to the president, disrupting the U.S. system of checks and balances.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American - October 30, 2006)
Oman Trade Agreement.
The Oman Free Trade Agreement (H.R. 5684) would reduce most tariffs and duties between Oman and the United States H.R. 5684 was considered under fast track authority, which requires Congress to expedite consideration of presidentially negotiated trade pacts without offering amendments. The Oman agreement is just one steppingstone in the White House’s effort to form a Middle Eastern Free Trade Area (MEFTA) by 2013. These so-called free trade agreements have historically failed because they encourage the relocation of U.S. jobs to foreign countries so that the companies can get cheap labor. Meanwhile, they don’t provide the United States with trade benefits — largely because the people in those countries cannot afford to buy our products — hereby harming the U.S. economy. The agreements also put our economic destiny in the hands of unelected foreign bureaucrats, such as those at the World Trade Organization. The House passed H.R. 5684 by a vote of 221-205 on July 20, 2006 (Roll Call 392). Such trade agreements damage the U.S. economy and threaten U.S. sovereignty by the imposition of international regulations.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American - October 30, 2006)
Military Tribunals.
This bill (H.R. 6166) would authorize a new system of military tribunals to try persons designated “unlawful enemy combatants” by the president. The bill defines an unlawful enemy combatant to include a person who “has purposely and materially supported hostilities against the United States or its co-belligerents.” Once designated an unlawful enemy combatant, a defendant’s rights would be curtailed: he would be denied the right of habeas corpus; he could be detained indefinitely; and evidence obtained through coercion could be used against him — so long as the coercion falls outside the administration’s definition of torture. Critics of the tribunals bill are planning to file suit in order to test the constitutionality of the legislation. This legislation was in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 29 ruling on the case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, which declared that the administration’s current system for trying military detainees was unconstitutional. The House passed the military tribunals bill on September 27, 2006 by a vote of 253-168 (Roll Call 491). This bill would curtail defendant rights. The Senate passed this legislation the following day.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American - October 30, 2006)
Electronic Surveillance.
The warrantless electronic surveillance bill (H.R. 5825) would allow electronic surveillance of communications with suspected terrorists without first obtaining approval from the secret courts established by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. Furthermore, the bill would authorize unwarranted surveillance for up to 90 days in some instances if a threat was considered “imminent.” Intelligence agencies would be allowed to conduct warrantless surveillance for seven days prior to gaining court approval if the threat was considered an “emergency situation.” This controversial bill had full support of the Bush administration as a means to provide greater national security in a post-9/11 world. The House passed H.R. 5825 on September 28, 2006 by a vote of 232-191 (Roll Call 502). Such a law would violate the Fourth Amendment by subjecting U.S. citizens to unreasonable searches and seizures.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American - October 30, 2006)
Head Start Funding.
The Head Start reauthorization bill (H.R. 1429) would authorize $7.4 billion for the Head Start program in fiscal 2008. The bill would also disburse “such sums as may be necessary” for fiscal years 2009-2012. The bill would also place more strict requirements on Head Start teachers, such as requiring them to have completed a bachelor’s degree by 2013. The funding for the Head Start program is up from the $6.9 billion that it received in fiscal 2007. The House passed this bill on May 2, 2007, by a vote of 365-48 (Roll Call 285). The bill perpetuates a federally funded educational program, and federal aid to education is unconstitutional.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – July 23, 2007)
Iraq Troop Withdrawal.
This bill to withdraw U.S. troops and Defense Department contractors from Iraq (H.R. 2237) was purely a symbolic bill with little chance of passage by the House. The bill would require the withdrawal of troops and contractors to begin within 90 days of the bill’s enactment, and to be completed within 180 days from the beginning date of the withdrawal. The House rejected this bill on May 10, 2007, by a vote of 171-255 (Roll Call 330). According to Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, only Congress can declare war, and consequently our soldiers are not fighting under a constitutional mandate.
Marsha Blackburn voted AGAINST this bill.
(Source: The New American – July 23, 2007)
COPS Funding.
This bill (H.R. 1700) would provide the annual funds for the Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program for fiscal 2008 through 2013. The bill would authorize $1.15 billion per fiscal year to aid in the hiring of law enforcement officers. The funding would include up to $600 million each year for “officers hired to perform intelligence, anti-terror or homeland security duties.” The House passed H.R. 1700 on May 15, 2007, by a vote of 381-34 (Roll Call 348). Providing federal aid to local law enforcement programs is not only unconstitutional, it also further federalizes the police system. The Senate passed a similar provision in March.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – July 23, 2007)
Iran Military Operations.
During consideration for the fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill (H.R. 1585), Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) offered this amendment that would require President Bush to get specific congressional authorization before engaging in military operations in Iran. The House rejected the DeFazio amendment in a Committee of the Whole on May 16, 2007, by a vote of 136-288. Power to declare war belongs solely to Congress, not the president. Under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, Congress alone has the power to declare war.
Marsha Blackburn voted AGAINST this bill.
(Source: The New American – July 23, 2007)
Funding the REAL ID Act (National ID).
During consideration of the Homeland Security appropriations bill, Representative Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) offered an amendment to reallocate $150 million of the bill’s funding to provide grant money for assisting states in conforming to the REAL ID Act of 2005. The REAL ID Act requires all states to issue standardized driver’s licenses that would serve as national ID cards. It was supposed to go into effect three years after the enactment of the act, but because of resistance from the states, the deadline has been extended to 2010 for states that request an extension. Once enacted, a federal agency would not be allowed to accept for any official purpose a driver’s license or ID card issued by a state that fails to meet the act’s requirements. The House rejected the Bilbray amendment by a vote of 155-268 (Roll Call 479) on June 15, 2007. The act would effectively create a national ID card.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – December 10, 2007)
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance.
This bill (S. 1927) would allow warrantless electronic surveillance (eavesdropping) of targets outside the United States regardless of whether they are communicating with someone within the United States. This surveillance had been conducted illegally by the CIA. Under this legislation, communications companies would be required to comply with surveillance requests and would be provided lawsuit protections. The House passed S. 1927 by a vote of 227-183 (Roll Call 836) on August 4, 2007. Warrantless surveillance of American citizens is a violation of the Fourth Amendment provision against “unreasonable searches and seizures.” Although the bill includes a sunset provision causing it to expire after six months, President Bush has already called for making the bill permanent.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – December 10, 2007)
Thought Crimes.
This bill (H.R. 1955), known as the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007,” could more aptly be titled the “Thought Crimes Act.” The bill would establish a National Commission on the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism and establish a grant program to prevent radicalization in the United States. However, critics charge that the bill is a thinly disguised attempt to criminalize dissent, based on the bill’s vague and open-ended language that could be used to trample basic rights to free speech and assembly, and turn legitimate dissent into thought crimes. For instance, the bill defines “violent radicalization” as “the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious, or social change.” The bill does not define either “extremist belief system” or “facilitating ideologically based violence.” The bill also states that “the Internet has aided in facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the homegrown terrorism process in the United States by providing access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda to United States citizens.” The House passed H.R. 1955 by a vote of 404-6 (Roll Call 993) on October 23, 2007. The bill threatens legitimate dissent.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – December 10, 2007)
Peru Free Trade Agreement.
The Peru Free Trade Agreement (H.R. 3688) is another in a series of free-trade agreements to transfer the power to regulate trade (and other powers as well) to regional arrangements. Other examples include the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). However, the Committee on Ways and Means Report accompanying H.R. 3688 noted that “the Peru FTA has become the first U.S. free trade agreement to include, in its core text fully enforceable commitments by the Parties to adopt, maintain, and enforce basic international labor standards, as stated in the 1988 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.” The ILO, or International Labor Organization, is a UN agency. The House passed the bill by a vote of 285-132 (Roll Call 1060) on November 8, 2007. The Peru FTA and other so-called free-trade arrangements threaten our national independence and (as we’ve seen with NAFTA) harm our economy.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – December 10, 2007)
Head Start.
The final version (conference report) of H.R. 1429, a bill to reauthorize the Head Start program through 2012, was adopted 381-36 on November 14, 2007 (Roll Call 1090). Head Start provides educational activities and social services for children up to age five from low-income families. The program received $6.9 billion in fiscal year 2007. $7 billion was authorized in the fiscal 2008 omnibus bill, but H.R. 1429 increased funding to $7.4 billion for fiscal 2008, $7.7 billion for 2009, and $8 billion for 2010. The income level at which families are eligible to participate was raised from 100 percent of the poverty level to 130 percent ($26,728 for a family of four) Some members opposed the bill because Head Start grants will not be allowed to faith-based organizations that hire employees on the basis of religious preference. The bill advances the federalizing of the educational system, and federal involvement in education is unconstitutional.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – July 21, 2008)
Economic Stimulus.
H.R. 5140, the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, passed 385-35 on January 29, 2008 (Roll Call 25). It would provide about $150 billion in economic stimulus, including $101.1 billion in direct payments of rebate checks (typically $600) to most taxpayers in 2008 and temporary tax breaks for businesses. Creating money out of thin air and then spending the newly created money cannot improve the economy, at least not in the long term. (If it could, why not create even more money for rebates and make every American a millionaire?) The stimulus has no offset and thus increases the federal deficit by the amount of the stimulus because the government must borrow the rebate money. A realistic long-term stimulus can only be achieved by lowering taxes through less government and by reducing regulatory burdens.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – July 21, 2008)
Farm Bill (Veto Override).
H.R. 6124 would authorize the nation’s farm programs for the next five years, including crop subsidies and nutrition programs. The final version of the legislation provides $289 billion for these programs, including a $10.4 billion boost in spending for nutrition programs such as food stamps. After this legislation was vetoed by President Bush, the House passed the bill over the president’s veto on June 18, 2008 by a vote of 317-109 (Roll Call 417). A two-thirds majority vote is required to override a presidential veto. Federal aid to farmers and federal food aid to individuals are not authorized by the Constitution.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – October 27, 2008)
Warrantless Searches.
H.R. 6304, the bill to revamp the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), would allow warrantless electronic surveillance, including monitoring telephone conversations and e-mails, of foreign targets, including those communicating with American citizens in the United States. The final version of the bill would not explicitly grant immunity to telecommunications companies that have assisted President Bush’s warrantless surveillance program. But it would require courts to dismiss lawsuits against such companies if there is “substantial evidence” they were insured in writing the program was legal and authorized by the president. The provision would almost certainly result in the dismissal of the lawsuits. The House passed H.R. 6304 on June 20, 2008 by a vote of 293-129 (Roll Call 437). Warrantless searches are a violation of the Fourth Amendment, which protects Americans against unreasonable searches and seizures, and requires that any searches be conducted only upon issuance of a warrant under conditions of probable cause. Moreover, Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution forbids “ex post facto laws” — laws having a retroactive effect.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – October 27, 2008)
Employee Verification Program.
H.R. 6633 would reauthorize the EVerify (Internet-based) pilot employment eligibility verification program allowing employers to verify employment eligibility of new hires. The program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security, which would be required to provide funding to the Social Security Administration for checking Social Security numbers submitted by employers under the program. The House passed the bill on July 31, 2008 by a vote of 407-2 (Roll Call 557). Social Security numbers were not intended to be used and should not be used as the basis for a national ID database. An alternative measure (H.R. 5515) would have the screening for employment eligibility verification provided by state-administered private companies that already track employee verification for child-support enforcement.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – October 27, 2008)
Supplemental Appropriations.
The Fiscal 2009 Supplemental Appropriations bill (H.R. 2346) would provide an additional $96.7 billion in “emergency” funding for the current fiscal year over and above the regular appropriations. Included in the funds for H.R. 2346 is $84.5 billion for the ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, $10 billion for foreign aid programs, and $2 billion for flu pandemic preparation. The House passed H.R. 2346 on May 14, 2009, by a vote of 368-60 (Roll Call 265). The spending is over and above what the federal government had already budgeted, the United States never declared war against Iraq and Afghanistan, and some of the spending (e.g., foreign aid) is unconstitutional.
Marsha Blackburn voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – July 20, 2009)
Body Imaging Screening.
During consideration of the Transportation Security Administration Authorization bill (H.R. 2200), Rep. Jason Chaffetz (RUtah) offered an amendment that would prohibit the use of Whole-Body Imaging (WBI) as the primary method of screening at airports. The amendment would allow passengers the option of a pat-down search rather than being subjected to a WBI search that shows extremely intimate details of one’s body. The Chaffetz amendment would also prohibit TSA from storing, copying, or transferring any images that are produced by WBI machines. Since its creation, TSA has become infamous for its meddlesome searches and disregard for an individual’s right of privacy. Evidence shows that corruption and mismanagement have been commonplace within the relatively new federal department for years. The Chaffetz amendment would do very little to scale back the power held by the TSA, but it does offer some hope that our representatives are not wholly unaware of how the TSA and its policies would threaten the privacy of American citizens through a process that has been called a “virtual strip-search.” The House adopted the Chaffetz amendment by a “Committee of the Whole” on June 4, 2009, by a vote of 310-118 (Roll Call 305). Such technology is obtrusive for American citizens and violates our right of protection against unwarranted searches and seizures.
Marsha Blackburn voted AGAINST this bill.
(Source: The New American – July 20, 2009)
Patriot Act.
This bill (H.R. 3961) would extend by one year three Patriot Act provisions that were set to expire on February 28, 2010. The provisions allow the federal government to exercise wide-ranging surveillance and seizure powers with few limitations. For instance, the records provision allows the government to obtain “any tangible thing” that, it says, has “relevance” to a terrorism investigation. “Relevance” is a much lower standard — if it can even be called a standard at all — than the “probable cause” and a court warrant standard explicitly required by the Fourth Amendment. The House agreed to extend the provisions on February 25, 2010 by a vote of 315-97 (Roll Call 67). These provisions violate the right of the people to (in the words of the Fourth Amendment) “be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.”
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – July 5, 2010)
Withdrawing U.S. Soldiers from Afghanistan.
This legislation (House Concurrent Resolution 248) would direct the President to remove the U.S. Armed Forces from Afghanistan within 30 days of enactment, or by the end of the year if the President determines they cannot be safely removed sooner. The House rejected H. Con. Res. 248 on March 10, 2010 by a vote of 65 to 356 (Roll Call 98). The U.S. military presence in Afghanistan cannot be justified on the basis of defending the United States, there has been no declaration of war, and Congress needs to assert constitutional authority to decide when we do go to war.
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
(Source: The New American – July 5, 2010)
Supplemental Appropriations.
The supplemental appropriations bill (H.R. 4899) would provide an additional $58.8 billion in “emergency” funding for the current fiscal year (2010). The supplemental appropriations in the bill include $37.1 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, $5.1 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and $2.9 for earthquake relief in Haiti. The House passed the bill on July 27, 2010 by a vote of 308-114 (Roll Call 474). The spending is over and above what the federal government already budgeted, Congress never declared war against Iraq and Afghanistan, and some of the spending (e.g., foreign aid) is unconstitutional.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – October 25, 2010)
Patriot Act Extension.
This legislation (S. 990) extended for four years three provisions of the Patriot Act that were set to expire: the “roving wiretap” provision that allows the federal government to wiretap any number of a suspect’s telephone/Internet connections without specifying what they will find or how many connections will be tapped; the “financial records” provision that allows the feds to seize “any tangible thing” that has “relevance” to an investigation; and the “lone wolf” provision that allows spying on non-U.S. citizens without a warrant. These provisions violate the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which requires that no warrants be issued “but upon probable cause” (a much higher standard than “relevance”), and that warrants must contain language “particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” The Patriot Act even allows the FBI to issue warrants called “National Security Letters” without going to a judge, though this provision was not set to expire and therefore was not part of this legislation. The House passed the Patriot Act extension on May 26, 2011 by a vote of 250 to 153 (Roll Call 376). The provisions that were extended, as well as the Patriot Act as a whole, violate the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – August 8, 2011).
Libya Troop Withdrawal.
House Concurrent Resolution 51 would have directed President Obama, “pursuant to … the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Libya.” The War Powers Resolution bars the President from militarily engaging the armed forces for more than 60 days without congressional approval. Obama had not sought congressional approval for undertaking military action in Libya. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who sponsored H. Con. Res. 51, noted: “In the weeks leading up to the war, the administration had time to consult with the Arab League, the United Nations, the African Union, but apparently had no time to come to this Congress for approval.” The House rejected Kucinich’s resolution on June 3, 2011 by a vote of 148 to 265 (Roll Call 412). Obama’s Libya deployment is now in violation of the War Powers Act’s 60-day requirement for congressional authorization, and it violates the Constitution, which clearly assigns to Congress the power “to declare war.”
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
(Source: The New American – August 8, 2011).
Libya. During consideration of the Defense appropriations bill, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) introduced an amendment to prohibit the use of funds in the bill to carry out military actions against Libya unless Congress declares war against Libya. The House rejected the Kucinich amendment on July 8, 2011 by a vote of 169 to 251 (Roll Call 530). Under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution only Congress has the power “to declare war.” The Founding Fathers assigned this power to Congress because they did not want a single man deciding when to go to war. Yet President Obama usurped this congressional war-making authority by initiating offensive military actions against Libya without even asking advice from Congress, much less requesting the required declaration of war.
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
(Source: The New American – January 9, 2012).
Debt Deal. This legislation (S. 365) provided for an immediate $400 billion increase in the national debt limit, while allowing the President to raise the ceiling an additional $500 billion unless Congress passes a resolution of disapproval. This legislation also established a process for reducing future cumulative deficit projections by up to $2.4 trillion for fiscal years 2012 through 2021, including the establishment of a super-committee tasked with recommending cuts totaling up to $1.5 trillion for the 10-year period. If the super-committee were to fail in recommending at least $1.2 trillion in cuts (and, as we know, the super-committee failed to recommend any cuts), then the legislation would trigger automatic cuts totaling up to $1.2 trillion over 10 years. The debt-raising/deficit-cutting package created the appearance that Congress was doing something to rein in out-of-control spending. But in reality, the total national debt would still increase even if the entire dollar amount of cuts called for in the legislation were identified and enacted, since the cuts are not cuts in the absolute sense but cuts in future budget projections. The national debt would continue to go up, but not as fast as before, for the simple reason that cutting (say) $1.2 trillion over 10 years will not offset projected annual $1 trillion-plus deficits. The House passed S. 365 on August 1, 2011 by a vote of 269 to 161 (Roll Call 690). The debt deal allows both the national debt and spending to continue their upward trajectories. Moreover, the budget process established by the legislation is clearly unconstitutional since no Congress can bind the actions of future Congresses via the so-called automatic cuts.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – January 9, 2012).
South Korea Trade Agreement.
On a single day — October 12, 2011 — both the House and Senate approved three separate trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. These measures are three more in a series of “free-trade agreements” intended to transfer the power to regulate trade (and eventually other powers too) to super-national arrangements via a step-by-step process. NAFTA is a prime example of such an arrangement. So is the developing continental government now known as the European Union, which is an outgrowth of a free-trade arrangement once called the Common Market. In fact, the Common Market-EU trajectory to regional governance served as a model for the formation of NAFTA. The South Korea agreement, to quote Congressional Quarterly, is “considered the most economically important trade deal since the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement.” The House passed H.R. 3080, the measure to implement the South Korea trade agreement, on October 12, 2011 by a vote of 278 to 151 (Roll Call 783). Agreements such as this one are intended to transfer trade (and other) powers to super-national arrangements binding the United States, despite the fact that under the Constitution only Congress has the power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations.”
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New American – January 9, 2012).
Omnibus Appropriations.
This catch-all
legislative package (H.R. 2055), which would provide $915 billion in
discretionary appropriations for fiscal 2012, is comprised of nine
appropriations bills for fiscal 2012 that Congress failed to complete separately
— Defense ($518.8 billion), Energy-Water ($32.1 billion), Financial Services
($21.5 billion), Homeland Security ($41.3 billion), Interior-Environment ($29.2
billion), Labor-HHS-Education ($156.3 billion), Legislative Branch ($4.3
billion), State-Foreign Operations ($33.5 billion), and Military
Construction-VA ($73.7 billion). The House adopted the final version of this
legislation (known as a conference report) on December 16, 2011 by a vote of
296 to 121 (Roll Call 941). Many of the bill’s spending programs — e.g.,
education, housing, foreign aid, etc. — are unconstitutional. Moreover, passing
this mammoth appropriations bill in light of the ongoing trillion-dollar annual
deficits is grossly fiscally irresponsible. Furthermore, packaging the appropriations
bills for so many large federal agencies into one mega-bill greatly reduces the
accountability of the Congressmen to their constituents.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New
American – July 9, 2012).
Line-item Veto.
This
bill (H.R. 3521) would allow the President to rescind all or part of any dollar
amount of funding for discretionary spending items in enacted appropriations
bills. Although both houses of Congress would have to approve any such
rescissions, they would be forced to do so very quickly by the bill’s expedited
procedures, including a prohibition on amendments in both Houses and filibusters
in the Senate. This bill dramatically and unilaterally enhances the power of
the executive branch. Note that Article I, Section 1 and Article I, Section 7,
Clauses 2 and 3, of the U.S. Constitution vest Congress with all legislative
powers. Any bill that shifts legislative power away from Congress and to the
President is violating the constitutionally defined separation of powers for
the legislative and executive branches. A similar line-item veto law was passed
when Clinton
was President. That one was found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
The House passed H.R. 3521 on February 8, 2012 by a vote of 254 to 173 (Roll Call
46). Providing any form of line item
veto power to the President violates the Constitution’s separation of powers.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New
American – July 9, 2012).
Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).
This
bill (H.R. 3523) would foster information sharing about cyber threats between the
federal government and private businesses. Businesses that would participate in
this sharing would be protected from lawsuits regarding this sharing of their customers’
private information with the government. According to Violet Blue in an article
posted on ZDNet.com on June 8, “Most people familiar with CISPA believe it will
wipe out decades of consumer privacy protections and is primarily to give the US government
unprecedented access to individuals’ online data and communications.” The House
passed H.R. 3523 on April 26, 2012 by a vote of 248 to 168 (Roll Call 192). The
CISPA bill would permit government access to the private information of
citizens, in violation of the Fourth Amendment “right of the people to be
secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches
and seizures.”
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
(Source: The New
American – July 9, 2012).
Indefinite Detention.
Detainee-related
language in the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4310) is so sweeping
that American citizens accused of being terrorists can be detained by the U.S.
military and held indefinitely without habeas corpus and without even being tried
and found guilty in a court of law. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) offered an
amendment to strike this language from the bill, but the House rejected Smith’s
amendment on May 18, 2012 by a vote of 182 to 238 (Roll Call 270). The War on
Terror must not be allowed to destroy constitutional legal protections,
including the issuance of a warrant based on probable cause (Fourth Amendment)
and the right to a trial (Sixth Amendment).
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
(Source: The New
American – July 9, 2012).
Treaty Doc. 117-3 08/03/2022 A Good vote is: No MB voted: Yes
Afghanistan Withdrawal (Defense Appropriations
Reduction).
During
consideration of the Defense appropriations bill for fiscal 2013 (H.R. 5856),
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) proposed an amendment to cut overseas military
spending by almost $21 billion. The intent behind the amendment was to allow
enough funding for an orderly withdrawal from the unpopular war in Afghanistan but
not enough to continue the conflict. According to Rep. Lee, the original bill
includes over $85 billion for the war in Afghanistan. The House rejected
Lee’s amendment on July 18, 2012 by a vote of 107 to 312 (Roll Call 485). The
massive expenditure on undeclared foreign wars and nation building is
unconstitutional and unaffordable.
Marsha
Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill
FISA.
The
proposed FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012 (H.R. 5949) would
reauthorize for five years, through 2017, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Act (FISA), which governs electronic surveillance of foreign terrorism
suspects. The law allows warrantless surveillance of foreign targets who may be
communicating with people in the United States, provided that the
secret FISA court approves surveillance procedures. The House passed H.R. 5949
on September 12, 2012 by a vote of 301 to 118 (Roll Call 569). Warrantless
surveillance is unconstitutional and violates privacy and individual liberty.
While ostensibly carried out only on “foreign suspects” communicating with U.S. citizens, it is difficult to imagine this
surveillance not extending to U.S.
citizens.
Marsha
Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
Continuing Resolution.
House
Joint Resolution 117 would provide continuing appropriations for the federal
government from October 1, 2012 through March 27, 2013. This would amount to an
annualized rate of $1.047 trillion in “discretionary” spending for regular
appropriations, and would include a 0.6 percent increase in funding for most
federal programs and agencies. This continuing resolution would also provide
nearly $100 billion in war funding and $6.4 billion in advance disaster relief
funds. To put this appropriations bill into perspective, consider what the
Congressional Budget Office reported on August 22, 2012: “For fiscal year 2012
(which ends on September 30), the federal budget deficit will total $1.1
trillion, CBO estimates, marking the fourth year in a row with a deficit of
more than $1 trillion.” This deficit is based on the CBO’s estimates of $2.435
trillion in federal revenue and $3.563 trillion in federal outlays for fiscal
2012. Therefore, 32 percent of every federal dollar spent in 2012 had to be
borrowed. For 2011, 2010, and 2009 the shortfall has been 36, 37, and 40
percent respectively. The House passed H. J. Res. 117 on September 13, 2012 by
a vote of 329 to 91 (Roll Call 579). Passage of this mammoth continuing
resolution provided a way for Congress to perpetuate its fiscally
irresponsible, unconstitutional spending habits with a minimum of
accountability to its constituents.
Marsha
Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
H RES 397: NATO
Vote Date: June 27, 2017 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
This legislation (H. Res. 397) “solemnly reaffirms the commitment of the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s principle of collective defense as enumerated in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.” Under Article 5, the member nations of the NATO military alliance “agree that an armed attack against one or more of them ... shall be considered an attack against them all.”
The House passed H. Res. 397 on June 27, 2017 by a lopsided vote of 423 to 4 (Roll Call 328). The United States should stay clear of entangling alliances such as NATO, but also because the NATO provision that obligates the United States to go to war if any member of NATO is attacked undermines the provision in the U.S. Constitution that assigns to Congress the power to declare war. Moreover, the number of nations that the United States has pledged to defend under NATO has grown from 11 to 28 over the years, as the alliance itself has grown from 12 member nations (including the United States) when NATO was created in 1949 to 29 today. Although NATO was ostensibly formed to counter the threat from the Soviet bloc of nations, some of the nations the United States is now pledged to defend under NATO were once part of that bloc, including Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic (as part of Czechoslovakia), Hungary, Poland, and Romania.
H R 3180: Intelligence Authorization
Vote Date: July 28, 2017 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
This bill (H.R. 3180) would authorize classified amounts of funding through fiscal 2018 for 16 U.S. intelligence agencies and intelligence-related activities, including the Office of the National Intelligence Director, the CIA, and the National Security Agency. The bill would also require the director of national intelligence to submit to Congress multiple reports regarding Russia’s campaigns directed at foreign elections and its efforts related to cyber influence, including an assessment of Russian influence conducted during the three years prior to the bill’s enactment.
The House passed H.R. 3180 on July 28, 2017 by a vote of 380 to 35 (Roll Call 437). The very idea of Congress authorizing classified amounts of spending is unconstitutional, as well as frightening. Furthermore, some of the agencies that this “classified” spending is funding are themselves engaged in unconstitutional activities, such as spying on and gathering data from U.S. citizens without a warrant. While assessing (dubious) Russian influence in U.S. politics is an acceptable use of federal funds, much of this bill’s spending is unconstitutional and should be rejected.
H R 2824: Home Visitations
Vote Date: September 26, 2017 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
The Increasing Opportunity and Success for Children and Parents Through Evidence-Based Home Visiting Act (H.R. 2824) would authorize $400 million a year through 2022 for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program, which was created under ObamaCare. Under ObamaCare, the MIECHV Program is intended as a wellness and prevention program for homes in poor communities and is to serve as the basis for developing and implementing a national strategy. MIECHV mandates home visits by nurses and other workers to test both the children and parents in order to make improvements in the following extensive list of areas: prenatal; maternal; newborn health; child health and development; children’s cognitive, language, social, emotional, and physical development; parenting skills; school readiness; child academic achievement; reduction in crime; reduction in domestic violence; improvements in family economic self sufficiency; and more.
The House passed H.R. 2824 on September 26, 2017 by a vote of 214 to 209 (Roll Call 537). Going into homes to check up on the physical, emotional, and economic “wellness” of families not only goes way beyond the few and defined federal powers authorized by the Constitution, but also is part of a dangerous trend of government further interjecting itself into the family.
H R 4909: School Violence
Vote Date: March 14, 2018 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
The STOP School Violence Act of 2018 (H.R. 4909) would authorize $75 million a year through fiscal year 2028 for the Justice Department’s Secure Our Schools grant program. SOS is a grant program of the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which has been instrumental in laying the foundations for nationalizing local police by providing federal “assistance” in the form of funds, equipment, training, and development of guidelines to local law-enforcement agencies.
In a podcast interview with Conservative Review, Representative Thomas Massie (RKy.) said the “STOP School Violence Act was bad enough for nationalizing defense of our schools,” but he further revealed, “There is money in that bill that is going to go to gun control groups. It literally says in there you can give it to the 501-C3s, and then it also says in there it can’t go to train anybody on gun safety. It’s got to go for all the liberal sort of agendas.”
The House passed H.R. 4909 on March 14, 2018 by a vote of 407 to 10 (Roll Call 106). School safety is not a proper function of the federal government, and no action the federal government has ever taken would actually make schools safe. School safety should be addressed at the local level. Furthermore, the nationalizing of local police and school security, as well as any other gun-control measures contained in the bill, are all strictly unconstitutional.
H R 3326: World Bank Accountability Act of 2017
Vote Date: January 17, 2018 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
The World Bank Accountability Act (H.R. 3326) would authorize $3.29 billion in U.S. contributions to the World Bank’s International Development Association, which discharges concessional loans known as “credits” and economic grants to the world’s poorest and most underdeveloped countries.
The House passed H.R. 3326 on January 17, 2018 by a vote of 237 to 184 (Roll Call 24). Authorizing such funds to the WTO’s IDA is foreign aid, which is a form of international welfare and completely unconstitutional, and most World Bank “aid” further enriches plutocrats in Third World countries, at the expense of the poor.
S 139: Warrantless Surveillance
Vote Date: January 11, 2018 Vote: NAY Bad Vote.
During consideration of the bill (S. 139) reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Representative Justin Amash (R-Mich.) introduced an amendment to end NSA collection of communications data that is neither to nor from an approved foreign target, but rather communications “about” a foreign target entirely between American citizens. It would prohibit the FBI and intelligence agencies from searching the NSA database for information on U.S. citizens without first obtaining a warrant, except in certain circumstances. The amendment would also end “reverse targeting,” in which an American citizen communicating with a foreign target is also subject to surveillance.
The House rejected Amash’s amendment on January 11, 2018 by a vote of 183 to 233 (Roll Call 14). This amendment is an attempt to limit NSA surveillance of U.S. citizens. Warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens is unconstitutional, and NSA surveillance certainly falls under this category. Amash’s amendment would require the FBI to obtain a warrant, rather than merely FISA Court approval, in order to access the NSA’s database.
H R 3249: Law Enforcement Partnership Grants
Vote Date: June 6, 2018 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
This bill (H.R. 3249) would establish a Project Safe Neighbor-hoods Block Grant Program within the Of-fice of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice to foster and improve existing partnerships between local, state, and fed-eral law-enforcement agencies to create safer neighborhoods through sustained reductions in violent crimes. It would authorize $50 million a year in each of the fiscal years from 2019 through 2021.
The House concurred with the Senate version of H.R. 3249 on June 6, 2018 by a vote of 394 to 13 (Roll Call 239). The federal government is not autho-rized by the Constitution to partner with, train, or subsidize state or local law-enforcement agencies. Too, our contin-ued existence as a free people under the Constitution depends on the continued independence of our local police from federal and state control.
S 1182: Flood Insurance
Vote Date: July 25, 2018 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
This bill (S. 1182) would extend the authorization of the National Flood Insurance Program through November 30, 2018.
The House passed S. 1182 on July 25, 2018 by a vote of 366 to 52 (Roll Call 373). The Constitution does not give the federal government authority to get into the insurance business. Having the federal government as an insurer essentially subsidizes risky behavior, such as building in flood-, fire-, and earthquake-prone areas, and forces the taxpayer to pick up the tab. Insurance policies for natural disasters should be offered by private insurers, with the market setting the rates for such coverage.
On the Joint Resolution S.J.Res. 7: Yemen
Vote Date: March 13, 2019 Vote: NAY Bad Vote.
This bill (Senate Joint Resolution 7) would direct “the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in or affecting the Republic of Yemen … unless and until a declaration of war or specific authorization for such use of United States Armed Forces has been enacted.” The measure exempts U.S. forces “engaged in operations directed at al Qaeda or associated forces.”
The Senate passed S.J. Res. 7 on March 13, 2019 by a vote of 54 to 46 (Roll Call 48). Congress is vested with the power to declare war, and Congress has not authorized any intervention or war in Yemen. Nor should Congress do so, since the civil war in Yemen does not threaten the United States.
On the Conference Report H.J.Res. 31: Consolidated Appropriations
Vote Date: February 14, 2019 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
This bill (House Joint Resolution 31) would provide $333 billion in discretionary spending for the seven remaining fiscal 2019 appropriations bills: Agriculture ($23 billion); Commerce-Justice-Science ($64.1 billion); Financial Services ($23.4 billion); Homeland Security ($61.6 billion); Interior-Environment ($35.6 billion); State-Foreign Operations ($54.2 billion); and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development ($71.1 billion).
The Senate passed H.J. Res. 31 on February 14, 2019 by a vote of 83 to 16 (Roll
Call 26). Most of the bill’s spending programs are unconstitutional, our nation’s national debt is about $23 trillion, and our nation’s 2019 federal budget deficit was nearly $1 trillion.
On Passage of the Bill S. 47: Public Lands
Vote Date: February 12, 2019 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
This bill (S. 47) would permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which was first authorized in 1964 to assist states in the planning, acquisition, and development of “recreation” lands. The LWCF was initially funded by proceeds from the sales of surplus federal property, motorboat fuel taxes, and fees for recreational use of federal lands, but by 1969 a major funding source was added: fees charged to oil and gas companies for extracting resources from public lands. In this way this could be portrayed as making more “recreational” public land available without any cost to taxpayers (neglecting to admit that ending the LWCF funding would benefit taxpayers by freeing up the fossil-fuel royalties for other purposes). The LWCF has been spending about $1 billion per year in recent years. This bill would also authorize other federal activities pertaining to natural resources, such as designating “National Heritage Areas” and “Conservation Districts.”
The Senate passed S. 47 on February 12, 2019 by a vote of 92 to 8 (Roll Call 22). The Constitution does not authorize Congress to purchase private property except “all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings.”
Vote Date: May 16, 2017
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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The Strengthening State and
Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017 (H.R. 1616) would, according to the
bill, authorize "within the United States Secret Service a National
Computer Forensics Institute" for fiscal years 2017 through 2022.
According to the bill, "The Institute shall disseminate information
related to the investigation and prevention of cyber and electronic crime and
related threats, and educate, train, and equip State, local, tribal, and
territorial law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges."
(Emphasis added.) In the name of combating cyber crime, this bill would
further erode the distinction between local law enforcement and federal
policing.
The House passed H.R. 1616 on May 16, 2017 by a vote of 408 to 3 (Roll Call 258). Providing federal equipment and training to state and local law-enforcement officers not only is unconstitutional, but also further federalizes the police system. Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill. |
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Vote Date: May 4, 2017
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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Rather than voting to repeal
ObamaCare, the House voted instead to retain much of ObamaCare under the
guise of "repeal and replace." The legislation (H.R. 1628), known
as the American Health Care Act (AHCA), was strongly backed by President
Trump and the Republican congressional leadership. Consequently most
Republicans voted for the bill, but 20 voted against it. Liberty-minded
Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) noted that the AHCA entailed
"replacing mandates, subsidies and penalties with mandates, subsidies
and penalties." Another Republican lawmaker, Representative Andy Biggs
(Ariz.), while "applaud[ing] all the hard work of the House Freedom
Caucus, which has made every effort ... to improve this legislation,"
nonetheless concluded that the "final bill ... does not meet the
promises I made to my constituents." Biggs added, "I remain
committed to a full repeal of ObamaCare."
The House passed H.R. 1628 on May 4, 2017 by a vote 217 to 213 (Roll Call 256). ObamaCare should be repealed, not replaced with a Republican variant of unconstitutional government healthcare that more liberty-minded lawmakers have referred to as "ObamaCare Lite" and "ObamaCare 2.0." Admittedly, the Democrats who voted against this GOP alternatives have gotten "pluses" on this for the wrong reasons (they do not want to move away from the ObamaCare brand and in many cases want even more socialized medicine), but the Republicans who voted against the bill based on principle as opposed to partisanship are to be applauded.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: March 22, 2017
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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The Securing Our Agriculture
and Food Act (H.R. 1238) would expand the War on Terror to the farm and dairy
front in order to "share information and quickly respond to
agro-terrorism threats," according to the bill's lead sponsor,
Representative David Young (R-Iowa). Congressman Young cited the 2015 avian
influenza that “wiped out millions of layer hens, turkeys, and backyard
flocks" in Iowa to justify the need for his bill, despite the fact that
the bird flu was not caused by terrorists.
The House passed H.R. 1238 on March 22, 2017 by a vote of 406 to 6 (Roll Call 187). This bill expands the "War on Terror" to include the fictitious and non-existent threat of "agro-terrorism" in the American homeland, thereby further interjecting the U.S. government into the agriculture sector, despite the absence of any constitutional power to manage this or any other sector of the American economy.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: December 8, 2016
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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This bill (H.R. 2028)
perpetuates Congress’ growing habit of avoiding hard decisions about the
level of federal spending by kicking the can down the road into the middle of
the new fiscal year, with a continuing resolution that would provide funding
for federal government operations at the fiscal year 2016 level through April
28, 2017 at an annualized “discretionary” rate of $1.07 trillion.
The House passed the final version of H.R. 2028 on December 8, 2016 by a vote of 326 to 96 (Roll Call 620). With this Continuing Appropriations bill, Congress is failing to address its fiscally and constitutionally irresponsible budgeting and appropriating process that is currently yielding annual federal deficits measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars that contribute directly to the dramatic growth of our $20 trillion national debt.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: December 2, 2016
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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This bill (S. 2943)
authorizes $611.2 billion for military programs in fiscal year 2017,
including $59.5 billion for foreign operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and
Syria. Among its many provisions, the massive bill creates a “Global
Engagement Center” to counter “foreign state and non-state propaganda and
disinformation efforts.” Dubbed an Orwellian “Ministry of Truth” by critics
including THE NEW AMERICAN, this new government propaganda center is
authorized to “provide financial support” to (among others) “media content
providers,” including “local independent media who are best placed to refute
foreign disinformation and manipulation in their own communities.”
The House passed the NDAA on December 2, 2016 by a vote of 375 to 34 (Roll Call 600). The authorizations in this bill go way beyond providing for our national defense. Our foreign military interventions in the Middle East in particular have exacerbated terrorism and undermined U.S. security. The creation of the Orwellian “Global Engagement Center,” which was added to the NDAA without Congress being able to vote on it as a stand-alone bill, also falls outside the scope of legitimate national defense. Rather than agreeing to the version of NDAA they did, our lawmakers should have rejected it and passed instead a constitutionally sound version.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: June 16, 2016
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Vote: NAY
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Bad Vote.
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During consideration of the
Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 5293), Representative Dana Rohrabacher
(R-Calif.) introduced an amendment to prohibit the use of funds in the bill
to provide aid to Pakistan, a supposed U.S. ally in the “war on terror.”
Rohrabacher noted on the House floor: “Since 9/11, we have given Pakistan
well over $30 billion, the majority of which goes to military and security
services of Pakistan. And Pakistan has used those services to murder and
oppress their people.... It is a grotesque charade for us to suggest that our
aid is buying Pakistani cooperation in the war on radical Islamic terrorism
or in anything else.”
The House rejected Rohrabacher’s amendment on June 16, 2016 by a vote of 84 to 336 (Roll Call 325). U.S. foreign aid is unconstitutional, and aid sent to Pakistan has undermined rather than helped the cause of freedom.
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
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Vote Date: June 16, 2016
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Vote: NAY
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Bad Vote.
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During consideration of the
Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 5293), Representative Tulsi Gabbard
(D-Hawaii) introduced an amendment to prohibit the use of funds in the bill
for the Syria Train and Equip Program. Through this program, the U.S.
government has armed so-called moderate jihadists who are not fighting for
freedom but for an Islamic State under Sharia law, not just in Syria but
beyond — the same goal as ISIS. In her House speech advocating her amendment,
Gabbard warned that “overthrowing Assad … would strengthen groups like ISIS
and al Qaeda, allowing them to take over all of Syria, creating an even worse
humanity crisis and an even greater threat to the world.”
The House rejected Gabbard’s amendment on June 16, 2016 by a vote of 135 to 283 (Roll Call 328). U.S. foreign aid is unconstitutional, and arming so-called moderate jihadists to fight Assad is both counterproductive and tantamount to going to war in Syria. Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill. |
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Vote Date: June 16, 2016
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Vote: NAY
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Bad Vote.
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During consideration of the
Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 5293), Representative Barbara Lee
(D-Calif.) introduced an amendment to prohibit the use of funds in the bill
for the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force Act. Enacted in the wake
of 9/11, the AUMF authorized the president to “use all necessary and
appropriate force” against the terrorists involved, as well as those who
aided or harbored them. It was used as the authorization for U.S. military
entry into Afghanistan in 2001, and over the years has also been invoked on
other occasions by the executive branch to justify U.S. military intervention
abroad.
The House rejected Lee’s amendment on June 16, 2016 by a vote of 146 to 274 (Roll Call 330). Presidents have been able to claim broad authority to go to war whenever or wherever they choose under the AUMF, despite the fact that the Founding Fathers never intended for one man to make this decision, and under the Constitution only Congress may “declare war.” Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill. |
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Vote Date: June 16, 2016
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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This bill (H.R. 5471) would
authorize the Homeland Security Department to train state and local law
enforcement in methods for countering violent extremism and terrorism. This
training would take place at fusion centers that have been established across
the nation by the Homeland Security Department and the U.S. Department of
Justice for promoting information sharing between agencies such as the CIA,
FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. military, and state- and local-level
governments. It also would require the department to incorporate testimonials
of former extremists and their friends and families into its efforts to
combat terrorist recruitment and communications.
The House passed H.R. 5471 on June 16 , 2016 by a vote of 402 to 15 (Roll Call 333). Providing federal training to state and local law-enforcement programs is not only unconstitutional, but also further federalizes the police system.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: May 18, 2016
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Vote: NAY
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Bad Vote.
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During consideration of the
National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4909), Representative Barbara Lee
(D-Calif.) introduced an amendment to repeal the Authorization for Use of
Military Force (AUMF) that was enacted in 2001 for the purpose of authorizing
U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11 terror
attacks. Since then, however, the AUMF has been invoked numerous times by the
executive branch for U.S. military intervention not only in Afghanistan but
elsewhere.
The House rejected Lee’s amendment on May 18, 2016 by a vote of 138 to 285 (Roll Call 210). Presidents have been able to claim broad authority to go to war whenever or wherever they choose under the AUMF, despite the fact that the Founding Fathers never intended for one man to make this decision, and under the Constitution only Congress may “declare war.”
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
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Vote Date: April 12, 2016
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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This bill (H.R. 1567) would
require the president to coordinate development and implementation of a
global food security strategy, and would authorize approximately $1 billion
for fiscal 2017 to implement portions of the strategy that relate to the
State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The House passed H.R. 1567 on April 12, 2016 by a vote of 370 to 33 (Roll Call 139). Feeding the world is not a proper responsibility of the U.S. government. Nowhere in the U.S. Constitution is there any authorization for the federal government to feed the American people, let alone citizens of other countries. Furthermore, offering “aid” to impoverished countries is often a means to prop up dictators who will bend to the will of the wealthy country in exchange for money. Such corrupt rulers have little regard for the welfare of their people, so the “aid” rarely finds its way to the people who need it most.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: June 18, 2015
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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The TPA, introduced as an
amendment to an otherwise relatively innocuous bill about public safety
employment withdrawals, would renew the on-again-off-again “fast track
authority”that Congress has often awarded to the president over the past
several decades.The essential features of TPA are: (1) Congress
unconstitutionally delegates its constitutional authority “to regulate
commerce with foreign nations” to the executive branch; and (2) Congress
dramatically increases the probability of its approval of foreign trade
agreements negotiated by the executive branch by restricting itself to voting
up or down by simple majority on the agreements, with no ability to amend the
agreements and with no possibility of filibusters in the Senate.So-called
free-trade agreements that are negotiated under “fast track authority,” such
as the already-existing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the
proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership (TTIP), have in common a structure and purpose to
create supranational political entities that would supersede the national
independence of the United States. Genuine free trade would mean the absence
of government involvement, but these agreements entail more than just trade
and put the United States on a trajectory to regional governance similar to
Europe’s trajectory from the Common Market to the EU.
The House passed TPA on June 18,2015 by a vote of 218 to 208 (Roll Call374). The TPA would facilitate the subordination of the national independence of the United States to regional blocs of nations in a process that is leading toward a world government.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: June 12, 2015
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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Trade Promotion Authority.
The House held separate roll call votes on the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) sections of H.R. 1314. The TPA portion of the bill would renew the on-again-offagain "fast track authority" that Congress has often awarded to the president over the past several decades. The essential features of TPA are: (1) Congress unconstitutionally delegates its constitutional authority "to regulate commerce with foreign nations" to the Executive Branch; and (2) Congress dramatically increases the probability of approval of foreign trade agreements by restricting itself to voting up or down by simple majority on the agreements, as negotiated and submitted by the president, with no ability to amend the agreements and with no possibility of filibusters in the Senate. So-called free-trade agreements that have already been passed under previously awarded "fast track authority," such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the currently proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), have in common a structure and purpose that would create supranational political entities that would supersede the national independence of the United States. Genuine free trade would mean the absence of government involvement, but these agreements entail more than just trade and put the United States on a trajectory to regional governance similar to Europe's trajectory from a Common Market to the EU. The House agreed to the TPA section of H.R. 1314 on June 12, 2015 by a vote of 219 to 211 (Roll Call 362). The TPA would facilitate the subordination of the national independence of the United States to regional trading blocs.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: June 10, 2015
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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Country of Origin
Labeling.
The proposed Country of Origin Labeling Amendments Act of 2015 (H.R. 2393) would amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to repeal the requirements of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef, chicken, and pork sold in the United States. This vote came after the World Trade Organization's recent ruling against an appeal from the United States to keep its COOL. Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) opposed passage of the bill to repeal COOL. From the House floor, Massie elaborated: "What is the World Trade Organization, and who are they to tell Congress what laws we have to pass? These judges weren't appointed by the President. They weren't confirmed by the Senate. These are not judges from our Constitution. These are extra-constitutional judges, yet they are telling us here in Congress you have got to do this or there will be repercussions." The House passed H.R. 2393 on June 10, 2015 by a vote of 300 to 131 (Roll Call 333). This bill would cede national sovereignty over food-related choices and regulations to the WTO. Moreover, this bill would prevent American consumers from knowing where their food comes from.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: April 23, 2015
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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Cyberspace Intelligence
Sharing.
The proposed National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act (NCPA) of 2015 (H.R. 1731) would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to expand the role of the Department of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity and Communication Integration Center, designating it the principal federal entity to receive and disseminate information about cyberspace threats from and to private companies and other federal agencies. Expressing opposition to both H.R. 1731 and H.R. 1560, another related cybersecurity intelligence bill, Congressman Justin Amash (R-Mich.) said, "As drafted, these bills violate the Fourth Amendment, override privacy laws, and give the government unwarranted access to the personal information of potentially millions of Americans." The House passed H.R. 1731 on April 23, 2015 by a vote of 355 to 63 (Roll Call 173). This bill would further empower the unconstitutional Department of Homeland Security, erode the privacy protections enshrined in the Constitution, and gradually move the United States closer to becoming a police state.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: March 23, 2015
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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Ukraine Military Aid.
House Resolution 162, which calls on the president "to provide Ukraine with military assistance to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," allows President Obama to provide Ukraine with defensive weapons to defend against aggression from Russia. The House adopted H. Res. 162 on March 23, 2015 by a vote of 348 to 48 (Roll Call 131). Foreign aid is unconstitutional and also this bill would further interject the United States into a foreign conflict. Allowing the U.S. president to provide lethal arms to Ukraine in order to fight Russia is tantamount to waging a proxy war on Russia without the constitutionally required congressional declaration of war. The House, by giving such power to the president, is relinquishing one of its constitutional responsibilities.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: June 19, 2014
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Vote: NAY
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Bad Vote.
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Weapons to Syrian Rebels.
During consideration of the Defense Appropriations bill, Representative Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) introduced an amendment that would have prohibited any funding in the bill from being used to provide weapons to Syrian rebels. Fortenberry noted on the House floor that "the rebel movement is a battleground of shifting alliances and bloody conflicts between groups that now include multinational terrorist organizations," that "sending our weapons into this chaotic war zone could inadvertently help these extremists," and that "it has already happened." He added: "The naive notion that we can deliver weapons to vetted, moderate opposition groups at war with other rebel militias gives no guarantee that our weaponry won't be seized or diverted." The House rejected Fortenberry's amendment on June 19, 2014 by a vote of 167 to 244 (Roll Call 328). Arming "moderate" rebels in a foreign country is tantamount to going to war, which would require a declaration of war by Congress. Also, the United States should follow the Founders' advice not to become involved in foreign quarrels.
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
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Vote Date: June 19, 2014
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Vote: NAY
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Bad Vote.
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Militarizing Local Police.
During consideration of the Defense Appropriations bill, Representative Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) introduced an amendment that would have prohibited any funding in the bill from being used to transfer excess military equipment, such as aircraft (including drones), armored vehicles, grenade launchers, and bombs, to local police departments. "Those weapons have no place in our streets, regardless of who may be deploying them," Grayson said in remarks supporting his amendment. The House rejected Grayson's amendment on June 19, 2014 by a vote of 62 to 355 (Roll Call 329). The proper role of local police is undermined by converting them into militarized units more suitable for occupying hostile territory than for protecting their local communities from the criminal element. Providing local police with "free" U.S. military equipment also greases the skids for more federal control, leading ultimately to nationalized police beholden to Washington as opposed to independent police departments beholden to local citizens acting through their elected officials.
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
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Vote Date: June 19, 2014
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Vote: NAY
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Bad Vote.
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Military Operations in
Afghanistan.
During consideration of the Defense Appropriations bill, Representative Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) introduced an amendment that would have barred any funding in the bill from being used "pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force [AUMF] ... after December 31, 2014," the date that was set as the official end of U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan. Enacted in 2001 in the wake of 9/11, the AUMF has been invoked numerous times by the executive branch for U.S. military intervention not only in Afghanistan but elsewhere. The House rejected Lee's amendment on June 19, 2014 by a vote of 157 to 260 (Roll Call 330). Presidents have been able to claim broad authority to go to war whenever or wherever they choose under the AUMF, despite the fact that the Founding Fathers never intended for one man to make this decision and under the Constitution only Congress may "declare war."
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
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Vote Date: May 22, 2014
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Vote: NAY
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Bad Vote.
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Indefinite Military
Detention.
During consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2015 (NDAA, H.R. 4435), Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) introduced an amendment to prohibit the indefinite military detention of any person detained under the Authorization for the Use of Military Force authority in the United States, its territories, or possessions by providing immediate transfer to a trial and proceedings by a court. It also would strike language that would provide for mandatory military custody of covered parties. The House rejected Smith's amendment on May 22, 2014 by a vote of 191 to 230 (Roll Call 234). Any attempt to limit or prohibit indefinite military detention is desirable, especially since persons detained may include U.S. citizens. Indefinite military detention is a blatant violation of the Sixth Amendment, and an executive who can wield such powers is akin to a monarch or dictator. As Rep. Smith said during consideration of the amendment: "That is an enormous amount of power to give the Executive: to take someone and lock them up without due process. It is not necessary. This President has not used the authority. President George W. Bush did not use it after about 2002 and then only in a couple of instances. It is not necessary. It is an enormous amount of power to grant the Executive, and I believe places liberty and freedom at risk in this country." |
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Vote Date: May 22, 2014
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Vote: NAY
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Bad Vote.
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Use of Military Force.
During consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2015 (NDAA, H.R. 4435), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced an amendment to sunset the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force 12 months after the enactment of the 2015 NDAA. The House rejected Schiff's amendment on May 22, 2014 by a vote of 191 to 233 (Roll Call 237). The Authorization for the Use of Military Force, while granted by Congress, gives the president almost unlimited powers to invade countries, overthrow governments, and assassinate people under the pretext of waging the "war on terror." Congress essentially handed over its constitutional authority to declare war to the executive branch, thus giving the executive unconstitutional abilities. Any attempt to end the Authorization for the Use of Military Force is a step in the right direction.
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
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Vote Date: April 1, 2014
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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Ukraine Aid.
This bill (H.R. 4152), as amended by the Senate (see Senate vote below), would provide $150 million for direct aid to Ukraine. It would also provide for loan guarantees (meaning that U.S. taxpayers would be stuck holding the bag if the loans are not paid). And it would impose sanctions on Russian and ex-Ukrainian officials deemed responsible for the crisis in the Ukraine. [ The Senate version of this legislation - offered in the form of a substitute amendment to the House version, H.R. 4152 - would provide $150 million for direct aid to Ukraine. It would also provide for loan guarantees (meaning that the U.S. taxpayers would be stuck holding the bag if the loans are not paid). And it would impose sanctions on Russian and ex-Ukrainian officials deemed responsible for the crisis in the Ukraine. ] The House voted for this legislation on April 1, 2014 by a vote of 378 to 34 (Roll Call 149). Foreign aid is unconstitutional. The rationale for providing U.S. aid to Ukraine is that the country needs our assistance to resist Russian hegemony and build "democracy." Yet the oligarchs wielding power in Ukraine are hardly "democrats," and (because money is fungible) U.S. assistance could effectively be funneled to Russia in the form of Ukrainian energy and debt payments.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: January 15, 2014
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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Omnibus Appropriations.
During consideration of the omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 3547), Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) moved that the House concur with the Senate version of the bill that would provide about $1.1 trillion in discretionary spending in fiscal 2014 for the following federal departments and agencies: Agriculture ($20.9 billion), Commerce-Justice-Science ($51.6 billion), Defense ($572 billion), overseas contingency operations associated with the war in Afghanistan and other counterterrorism operations ($85.2 billion), Energy-Water ($34.1 billion), Financial Services ($21.9 billion), Homeland Security ($39.3 billion), Interior-Environment ($30.1 billion), Labor-HHS-Education ($156.8 billion), Legislative Branch ($4.3 billion), Military Construction-VA ($73.3 billion), State-Foreign Affairs ($49 billion), and Transportation-HUD ($50.9 billion). The legislation satisfies the $1.012 trillion cap on discretionary spending established by the December budget deal, which had repealed a portion of sequestration cuts provided by the 2011 debt limit law. This amounts to a 2.6 percent increase in discretionary spending compared to the sequester-reduced level for fiscal 2013. The bill also includes $98 billion not subject to the budget cap, including funding for war-related and anti-terrorism programs, as well as disaster relief. The House concurred with the Senate version of the omnibus appropriations bill on January 15, 2014 by a vote of 359 to 67 (Roll Call 21). With this budget agreement Congress is failing to address its fiscally and constitutionally irresponsible budgeting and appropriating process that is currently yielding annual federal deficits measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars that contribute directly to the dramatic growth of our $17 trillion national debt.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: December 12, 2013
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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Budget Agreement.
During consideration of the Budget Agreement for fiscal 2014 (House Joint Resolution 59), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) moved that the House concur with the Senate version of the fiscal 2014 continuing resolution (H. J. Res 59) that would increase the discretionary spending caps for fiscal 2014 and 2015 to $1.012 trillion and $1.014 trillion, respectively. This represents an increase of $26 billion for 2014 and $19 billion for 2015. Furthermore, this amounts to the elimination of $63 billion in sequester cuts for 2014 and 2015. Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) explained his no vote on this budget agreement in a Facebook post for December 24, 2013: "Instead of real compromise to reform the biggest budget items contributing to our $17 trillion debt - Social Security, military spending, and Medicare - the bill increases federal spending for special interests by tens of billions of dollars and pays for it by raising taxes on millions of Americans." The House concurred with the Senate version of the Budget Resolution on December 12, 2013 by a vote of 332 to 94 (Roll Call 640). With this budget agreement Congress is failing to address its fiscally and constitutionally irresponsible budgeting and appropriating process that is currently yielding annual federal deficits measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars that contribute directly to the dramatic growth of our $17 trillion national debt.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: July 24, 2013
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Vote: NAY
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Bad Vote.
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U.S.-China Joint Military
Exercises.
During consideration of the defense appropriations bill (H.R. 2397), Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) offered an amendment to prohibit funds to "be used for United States military exercises which include any participation by the People's Republic of China." On September 6, 2013, after this amendment was rejected, three Chinese warships arrived at Pearl Harbor to participate in a joint one-day search-and-rescue drill with the U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser U.S.S. Lake Erie. The joint exercise was conducted on September 9, 2013. On November 12, 2013, for the first time in U.S. history, Chinese People's Liberation Army troops put boots on U.S. soil as they participated in a joint "Disaster Management Exchange" with the U.S. Army Pacific, the Hawaii Army National Guard, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The amendment to prohibit the use of funds for such ventures was intended to prevent the U.S. military from participating in them. The House rejected Stockman's amendment on July 24, 2013 by a vote of 137 to 286 (Roll Call 404). Communist China is a self-proclaimed enemy of the United States, responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people in the 20th century; continues to persecute countless political dissenters, Christians, and other religious minorities; and has recently threatened to target and destroy U.S. cities with nuclear-tipped ICBMs. Military collaboration with the Chinese regime will not diminish the security threat it poses to the United States but, if anything, heighten it.
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
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Vote Date: July 24, 2013
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Vote: NAY
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Bad Vote.
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Military Intervention.
During consideration of the defense appropriations bill (H.R. 2397), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) offered an amendment to prohibit funding for military actions after December 31, 2014 that are carried out pursuant to the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). As Rep. Schiff noted: "The 2001 AUMF was never intended to authorize a war without end, and it now poorly defines those who pose a threat to our country. That authority and the funding that goes along with it should expire concurrent with the end of our combat role in Afghanistan." Schiff also noted: "The Constitution vests the Congress with the power to declare war and the responsibility of appropriating funds to pay for it. It is our most awesome responsibility and central to our military efforts overseas. We owe it to the men and women we send into combat to properly define and authorize their mission, and my amendment will effectively give Congress the next 16 months to do so." The House rejected Schiff's amendment on July 24, 2013 by a vote of 185 to 236 (Roll Call 410). Only Congress has the constitutional authority to declare war and appropriate funds to pay for it. Authorizing the president to use military force without a declaration of war is a shifting of responsibility from Congress to the executive branch that essentially allows the president to exercise dictator-like powers and should be opposed.
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
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Vote Date: July 23, 2013
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Vote: NAY
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Bad Vote.
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Buying Russian Helicopters
for Afghan Security Forces.
During consideration of the defense appropriations bill (H.R. 2397), Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) introduced an amendment to defund a Defense Department purchase of 30 Russian Mi-17 helicopters. Circumventing Congress, the Defense Department on June 13, 2013 awarded a $553.8 million contract to the Russian state-owned arms export firm Rosoboronexport for the purchase of the helicopters. Coffman's amendment would specifically strip that amount from the DOD's Afghanistan Security Forces Fund. The House adopted Coffman's amendment on July 23, 2013 by a vote of 346 to 79 (Roll Call 390). It is preposterous that the United States would take U.S. taxpayer dollars to purchase helicopters for the new Afghan military from Rosoboronexport, a Russian state-owned export company that has manufactured and supplied arms to enemy states, such as Iran and Syria.
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
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Vote Date: June 20, 2013
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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Farm and Food Programs.
This legislation (H.R. 1947) would authorize roughly $939 billion through fiscal 2018 for federal farm aid, nutrition assistance, rural development, etc. This bill would also institute programs to manage milk supplies and subsidies for farmers. Significantly, this proposed legislation would restrict eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as food stamps, and allow states to conduct drug testing on SNAP applicants. The House rejected H.R. 1947 on June 20, 2013 by a vote of 195 to 234 (Roll Call 286). This legislation would call for nearly $1 trillion in unconstitutional spending. The constitution does not authorize the federal government to subsidize food, farmers, or poverty. These subsidies have resulted in large market distortions as the government essentially picks winners and losers in the food production industry, and the fact that the number of people enrolled in food stamp programs has grown consistently illustrates that these programs do little to lift people out of poverty.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: June 13, 2013
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Vote: NAY
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Bad Vote.
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Indefinite Military
Detention.
During consideration of the defense authorization bill (H.R. 1960), Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) offered an amendment to eliminate indefinite military detention of any person detained in the United States, its territories, or possessions, under the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force. Smith's amendment would call for the immediate transfer of such detained persons to trial in a civilian court. Furthermore, Smith's amendment would repeal a provision of the 2012 defense authorization law that requires mandatory military custody of members or associates of al-Qaeda who planned or carried out attacks against the United States or its coalition partners. The House rejected Smith's amendment on June 13, 2013 by a vote of 200 to 226 (Roll Call 228). Indefinite detention without trial is a serious violation of long-cherished legal protections including the right to habeas corpus, the issuance of a warrant based on probable cause (Fourth Amendment), and the right to a "speedy and public" trial (Sixth Amendment). Under the National Defense Authorization Act, the president may abrogate these rights simply by designating terror suspects, including Americans, as "enemy combatants." A government that would lock up anyone indefinitely without trial is certainly moving toward tyranny, and legislation to prevent this abuse of power is needed.
Marsha Blackburn Voted AGAINST this bill.
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Vote Date: March 21, 2013
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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Continuing Appropriations for
Fiscal 2013. This appropriations bill (H.R. 933) would finance the federal
government through the end of fiscal 2013. Its provisions include five
full-year appropriations bills - Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science,
Defense, Homeland Security, and Military Construction-VA. It would also
continue appropriations for the remainder of the federal government at 2012
levels, with certain adjustments. The spending includes $1.043 trillion in
"discretionary" (non-mandatory) spending before sequestration.
In general, this appropriations bill perpetuates the Washington spendathon without making the needed decisions to slash government spending and eliminate deficit spending - projected to be $973 billion for fiscal 2013 in the budget Obama submitted in April. The House agreed to this legislation on March 21, 2013 by a vote of 318 to 109 (Roll Call 89). Passage of this mammoth continuing resolution provided a way for Congress to perpetuate its fiscally irresponsible, unconstitutional spending habits with a minimum of accountability to its constituents.
Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill.
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Vote Date: January 23, 2013
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Vote: AYE
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Bad Vote.
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Short-term Debt Limit
Increase. This bill (H.R. 325), voted on in January 2013, would suspend the
public debt limit through May 18, 2013 and, in effect, allow the Treasury
Department to borrow as much as it needs in order to pay its bills over the
next four months: February, March, April, and May. Another provision in the
bill would withhold pay for representatives or senators if either house fails
to approve a budget by April 15. The pay would be withheld for each member of
Congress until his or her house agrees to a concurrent resolution on the
budget for fiscal 2014 or until the last day of the 113th Congress.
The House passed H.R. 325 on January 23, 2013 by a vote of 285 to 144 (Roll Call 30). The federal government should live within its means and because most of the spending responsible for the ballooning national debt is unconstitutional. Marsha Blackburn Voted FOR this bill. |
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Vote Date: May 16, 2017
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Bad Vote.
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The Strengthening State and
Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017 (H.R. 1616) would, according to the
bill, authorize "within the United States Secret Service a National
Computer Forensics Institute" for fiscal years 2017 through 2022.
According to the bill, "The Institute shall disseminate information
related to the investigation and prevention of cyber and electronic crime and
related threats, and educate, train, and equip State, local, tribal, and
territorial law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges."
(Emphasis added.) In the name of combating cyber crime, this bill would
further erode the distinction between local law enforcement and federal
policing.
The House passed H.R. 1616 on May 16, 2017 by a vote of 408 to 3 (Roll Call 258). We have assigned pluses to the nays because providing federal equipment and training to state and local law-enforcement officers not only is unconstitutional, but also further federalizes the police system. |
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Vote Date: May 4, 2017
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Bad Vote.
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Rather than voting to repeal ObamaCare,
the House voted instead to retain much of ObamaCare under the guise of
"repeal and replace." The legislation (H.R. 1628), known as the
American Health Care Act (AHCA), was strongly backed by President Trump and
the Republican congressional leadership. Consequently most Republicans voted
for the bill, but 20 voted against it. Liberty-minded Representative Thomas
Massie (R-Ky.) noted that the AHCA entailed "replacing mandates,
subsidies and penalties with mandates, subsidies and penalties." Another
Republican lawmaker, Representative Andy Biggs (Ariz.), while
"applaud[ing] all the hard work of the House Freedom Caucus, which has
made every effort ... to improve this legislation," nonetheless
concluded that the "final bill ... does not meet the promises I made to
my constituents." Biggs added, "I remain committed to a full repeal
of ObamaCare."
The House passed H.R. 1628 on May 4, 2017 by a vote 217 to 213 (Roll Call 256). We have assigned pluses to the nays because ObamaCare should be repealed, not replaced with a Republican variant of unconstitutional government healthcare that more liberty-minded lawmakers have referred to as "ObamaCare Lite" and "ObamaCare 2.0." Admittedly, the Democrats who voted against this GOP alternatives have gotten "pluses" on this for the wrong reasons (they do not want to move away from the ObamaCare brand and in many cases want even more socialized medicine), but the Republicans who voted against the bill based on principle as opposed to partisanship are to be applauded. |
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Vote Date: March 22, 2017
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Bad Vote.
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The Securing Our Agriculture
and Food Act (H.R. 1238) would expand the War on Terror to the farm and dairy
front in order to "share information and quickly respond to
agro-terrorism threats," according to the bill's lead sponsor,
Representative David Young (R-Iowa). Congressman Young cited the 2015 avian
influenza that “wiped out millions of layer hens, turkeys, and backyard
flocks" in Iowa to justify the need for his bill, despite the fact that
the bird flu was not caused by terrorists.
The House passed H.R. 1238 on March 22, 2017 by a vote of 406 to 6 (Roll Call 187). We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill expands the "War on Terror" to include the fictitious and non-existent threat of "agro-terrorism" in the American homeland, thereby further interjecting the U.S. government into the agriculture sector, despite the absence of any constitutional power to manage this or any other sector of the American economy. |
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H RES 397: NATO
Vote Date: June 27, 2017 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
This legislation (H. Res. 397) “solemnly reaffirms the commitment of the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s principle of collective defense as enumerated in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.” Under Article 5, the member nations of the NATO military alliance “agree that an armed attack against one or more of them ... shall be considered an attack against them all.”
The House passed H. Res. 397 on June 27, 2017 by a lopsided vote of 423 to 4 (Roll Call 328). The United States should stay clear of entangling alliances such as NATO, but also because the NATO provision that obligates the United States to go to war if any member of NATO is attacked undermines the provision in the U.S. Constitution that assigns to Congress the power to declare war. Moreover, the number of nations that the United States has pledged to defend under NATO has grown from 11 to 28 over the years, as the alliance itself has grown from 12 member nations (including the United States) when NATO was created in 1949 to 29 today. Although NATO was ostensibly formed to counter the threat from the Soviet bloc of nations, some of the nations the United States is now pledged to defend under NATO were once part of that bloc, including Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic (as part of Czechoslovakia), Hungary, Poland, and Romania.
H R 3180: Intelligence Authorization
Vote Date: July 28, 2017 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
This bill (H.R. 3180) would authorize classified amounts of funding through fiscal 2018 for 16 U.S. intelligence agencies and intelligence-related activities, including the Office of the National Intelligence Director, the CIA, and the National Security Agency. The bill would also require the director of national intelligence to submit to Congress multiple reports regarding Russia’s campaigns directed at foreign elections and its efforts related to cyber influence, including an assessment of Russian influence conducted during the three years prior to the bill’s enactment.
The House passed H.R. 3180 on July 28, 2017 by a vote of 380 to 35 (Roll Call 437). The very idea of Congress authorizing classified amounts of spending is unconstitutional, as well as frightening. Furthermore, some of the agencies that this “classified” spending is funding are themselves engaged in unconstitutional activities, such as spying on and gathering data from U.S. citizens without a warrant. While assessing (dubious) Russian influence in U.S. politics is an acceptable use of federal funds, much of this bill’s spending is unconstitutional and should be rejected.
H R 2824: Home Visitations
Vote Date: September 26, 2017 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
The Increasing Opportunity and Success for Children and Parents Through Evidence-Based Home Visiting Act (H.R. 2824) would authorize $400 million a year through 2022 for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program, which was created under ObamaCare. Under ObamaCare, the MIECHV Program is intended as a wellness and prevention program for homes in poor communities and is to serve as the basis for developing and implementing a national strategy. MIECHV mandates home visits by nurses and other workers to test both the children and parents in order to make improvements in the following extensive list of areas: prenatal; maternal; newborn health; child health and development; children’s cognitive, language, social, emotional, and physical development; parenting skills; school readiness; child academic achievement; reduction in crime; reduction in domestic violence; improvements in family economic self sufficiency; and more.
The House passed H.R. 2824 on September 26, 2017 by a vote of 214 to 209 (Roll Call 537). Going into homes to check up on the physical, emotional, and economic “wellness” of families not only goes way beyond the few and defined federal powers authorized by the Constitution, but also is part of a dangerous trend of government further interjecting itself into the family.
H R 4909: School Violence
Vote Date: March 14, 2018 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
The STOP School Violence Act of 2018 (H.R. 4909) would authorize $75 million a year through fiscal year 2028 for the Justice Department’s Secure Our Schools grant program. SOS is a grant program of the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which has been instrumental in laying the foundations for nationalizing local police by providing federal “assistance” in the form of funds, equipment, training, and development of guidelines to local law-enforcement agencies.
In a podcast interview with Conservative Review, Representative Thomas Massie (RKy.) said the “STOP School Violence Act was bad enough for nationalizing defense of our schools,” but he further revealed, “There is money in that bill that is going to go to gun control groups. It literally says in there you can give it to the 501-C3s, and then it also says in there it can’t go to train anybody on gun safety. It’s got to go for all the liberal sort of agendas.”
The House passed H.R. 4909 on March 14, 2018 by a vote of 407 to 10 (Roll Call 106). School safety is not a proper function of the federal government, and no action the federal government has ever taken would actually make schools safe. School safety should be addressed at the local level. Furthermore, the nationalizing of local police and school security, as well as any other gun-control measures contained in the bill, are all strictly unconstitutional.
H R 3326: World Bank Accountability Act of 2017
Vote Date: January 17, 2018 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
The World Bank Accountability Act (H.R. 3326) would authorize $3.29 billion in U.S. contributions to the World Bank’s International Development Association, which discharges concessional loans known as “credits” and economic grants to the world’s poorest and most underdeveloped countries.
The House passed H.R. 3326 on January 17, 2018 by a vote of 237 to 184 (Roll Call 24). Authorizing such funds to the WTO’s IDA is foreign aid, which is a form of international welfare and completely unconstitutional, and most World Bank “aid” further enriches plutocrats in Third World countries, at the expense of the poor.
S 139: Warrantless Surveillance
Vote Date: January 11, 2018 Vote: NAY Bad Vote.
During consideration of the bill (S. 139) reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Representative Justin Amash (R-Mich.) introduced an amendment to end NSA collection of communications data that is neither to nor from an approved foreign target, but rather communications “about” a foreign target entirely between American citizens. It would prohibit the FBI and intelligence agencies from searching the NSA database for information on U.S. citizens without first obtaining a warrant, except in certain circumstances. The amendment would also end “reverse targeting,” in which an American citizen communicating with a foreign target is also subject to surveillance.
The House rejected Amash’s amendment on January 11, 2018 by a vote of 183 to 233 (Roll Call 14). This amendment is an attempt to limit NSA surveillance of U.S. citizens. Warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens is unconstitutional, and NSA surveillance certainly falls under this category. Amash’s amendment would require the FBI to obtain a warrant, rather than merely FISA Court approval, in order to access the NSA’s database.
H R 3249: Law Enforcement Partnership Grants
Vote Date: June 6, 2018 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
This bill (H.R. 3249) would establish a Project Safe Neighbor-hoods Block Grant Program within the Of-fice of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice to foster and improve existing partnerships between local, state, and fed-eral law-enforcement agencies to create safer neighborhoods through sustained reductions in violent crimes. It would authorize $50 million a year in each of the fiscal years from 2019 through 2021.
The House concurred with the Senate version of H.R. 3249 on June 6, 2018 by a vote of 394 to 13 (Roll Call 239). The federal government is not autho-rized by the Constitution to partner with, train, or subsidize state or local law-enforcement agencies. Too, our contin-ued existence as a free people under the Constitution depends on the continued independence of our local police from federal and state control.
S 1182: Flood Insurance
Vote Date: July 25, 2018 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
This bill (S. 1182) would extend the authorization of the National Flood Insurance Program through November 30, 2018.
The House passed S. 1182 on July 25, 2018 by a vote of 366 to 52 (Roll Call 373). The Constitution does not give the federal government authority to get into the insurance business. Having the federal government as an insurer essentially subsidizes risky behavior, such as building in flood-, fire-, and earthquake-prone areas, and forces the taxpayer to pick up the tab. Insurance policies for natural disasters should be offered by private insurers, with the market setting the rates for such coverage.
On the Joint Resolution S.J.Res. 7: Yemen
Vote Date: March 13, 2019 Vote: NAY Bad Vote.
This bill (Senate Joint Resolution 7) would direct “the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in or affecting the Republic of Yemen … unless and until a declaration of war or specific authorization for such use of United States Armed Forces has been enacted.” The measure exempts U.S. forces “engaged in operations directed at al Qaeda or associated forces.”
The Senate passed S.J. Res. 7 on March 13, 2019 by a vote of 54 to 46 (Roll Call 48). Congress is vested with the power to declare war, and Congress has not authorized any intervention or war in Yemen. Nor should Congress do so, since the civil war in Yemen does not threaten the United States.
On the Conference Report H.J.Res. 31: Consolidated Appropriations
Vote Date: February 14, 2019 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
This bill (House Joint Resolution 31) would provide $333 billion in discretionary spending for the seven remaining fiscal 2019 appropriations bills: Agriculture ($23 billion); Commerce-Justice-Science ($64.1 billion); Financial Services ($23.4 billion); Homeland Security ($61.6 billion); Interior-Environment ($35.6 billion); State-Foreign Operations ($54.2 billion); and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development ($71.1 billion).
The Senate passed H.J. Res. 31 on February 14, 2019 by a vote of 83 to 16 (Roll
Call 26). Most of the bill’s spending programs are unconstitutional, our nation’s national debt is about $23 trillion, and our nation’s 2019 federal budget deficit was nearly $1 trillion.
On Passage of the Bill S. 47: Public Lands
Vote Date: February 12, 2019 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
This bill (S. 47) would permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which was first authorized in 1964 to assist states in the planning, acquisition, and development of “recreation” lands. The LWCF was initially funded by proceeds from the sales of surplus federal property, motorboat fuel taxes, and fees for recreational use of federal lands, but by 1969 a major funding source was added: fees charged to oil and gas companies for extracting resources from public lands. In this way this could be portrayed as making more “recreational” public land available without any cost to taxpayers (neglecting to admit that ending the LWCF funding would benefit taxpayers by freeing up the fossil-fuel royalties for other purposes). The LWCF has been spending about $1 billion per year in recent years. This bill would also authorize other federal activities pertaining to natural resources, such as designating “National Heritage Areas” and “Conservation Districts.”
The Senate passed S. 47 on February 12, 2019 by a vote of 92 to 8 (Roll Call 22). The Constitution does not authorize Congress to purchase private property except “all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings.”
Treaty Document 116-1 10/22/2019 A Good vote is: No MB voted: Yes
North Macedonia NATO Membership
We Oppose. We oppose. The United States should stay out of entangling alliances like NATO. Also, the NATO provision that obligates the United States to go to war if any NATO member is attacked undermines the U.S.
This resolution of ratification would allow North Macedonia to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The NATO military alliance was created in 1949 for the stated purpose of countering the threat posed by the Soviet bloc. Under the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO, member nations “agree that an armed attack against one or more of them … shall be considered an attack against them all.” At first there were 12 countries in the alliance, but the number of member nations has grown over the years to 29 — 30 with North Macedonia’s membership.
The Senate approved the treaty of ratification for admitting North Macedonia into NATO by the very lopsided vote of 91 to 2 on October 22, 2019 (Roll Call 327). We have assigned pluses to the nays not only because the United States should stay clear of entangling alliances such as NATO, but also because the NATO provision that obligates the United States to go to war if any member of NATO is attacked undermines the provision in the U.S. Constitution that assigns to Congress the power to declare war. North Macedonia, which was part of communist Yugoslavia during the Cold War era, is now one of 29 countries the United States is obligated to defend under NATO.
Constitution’s H.R. 1158 12/19/2019 A Good vote is: No MB voted: Yes
Appropriations
We Oppose. We oppose. Many programs within this defense-related minibus are unconstitutional. This bill also is fiscally irresponsible, considering the $26 trillion national debt and projected $3.8 trillion budget deficit.ssignment to Congress the power to declare war.
This bill (H.R. 1158) would provide $860.3 billion in discretionary spending for four of the 12 fiscal 2020 appropriations bills: $695.1 billion for the Defense Department; $68 billion for the Homeland Security Department; $73.2 billion for the Commerce and Justice Departments and science and related agencies; and $23.8 billion for the Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service, and other agencies. Here are some highlights of some of the unconstitutional programs hidden within this super-sized appropriations bill: $70.7 billion in overseas contingency operations funding, primarily for the ongoing, undeclared war in Afghanistan and other counterterrorism operations; $22.3 billion for the unconstitutional Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); $17.4 billion in unconstitutional disaster relief funds; and $3.28 billion in unconstitutional federal funding for state and local law-enforcement activities.
The Senate passed H.R. 1158 on December 19, 2019 by a vote of 81 to 11 (Roll Call 428). We have assigned pluses to the nays because many programs within this defense-related minibus are for unconstitutional purposes, and in light of a $26 trillion national debt and a $3.8 trillion budget deficit, this jumbo-sized appropriations bill is also fiscally irresponsible.
H.R. 5430 01/16/2020 A Good vote is: No MB voted: Yes
USMCA
We Oppose. We oppose. Congress is not authorized by the Constitution to surrender our national sovereignty to any transnational regional government, including the nascent North American Union.
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (H.R. 5430) was negotiated between the three nations to be a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The USMCA continues the Deep State’s long-term project of creating a European Union-style, supranational government for North America, aka the North American Union. The USMCA creates a new Free Trade Commission that will play an executive role similar to the role played by the European Commission in developing the EU.
The Senate passed the USMCA on January 16, 2020 by a vote of 89 to 10 (Roll Call 14). We have assigned pluses to the nays because Congress is not authorized by the Constitution to surrender our national sovereignty to any transnational regional government, such as the nascent North American Union.
S.J.R. 68 02/13/2020 A Good vote is: Yes MB voted: No
War Powers
We Support. We support. According to the U.S. Constitution, only Congress may declare war. It is unfortunate that Congress has to pass a resolution enforcing this, but doing so puts a check on the war powers assumed by recent presidents.
The Iran War Powers Resolution (Senate Joint Resolution 68), as amended, would direct the president to terminate the use of U.S. armed forces for hostilities against Iran or any part of its government or military unless Congress has declared war or provided specific statutory authorization for the use of armed forces. It would clarify that nothing in the joint resolution may be construed to prevent the president from using military force to defend the United States against imminent attack.
The Senate passed S.J. Res. 68 on February 13, 2020 by a vote of 55 to 45 (Roll Call 52). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because, according to the U.S. Constitution, only Congress has the authority to declare war. The fact that Congress has to pass a resolution enforcing this concept is unfortunate, but doing so puts a check on the war powers assumed by recent presidents and should be commended.
H.R. 748 03/25/2020 A Good vote is: No MB voted: Yes
Coronavirus
We Oppose. We oppose. Nowhere in the Constitution is Congress authorized to bail out businesses, industries, and people.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, (H.R. 748) was an unprecedented and bloated stimulus package, to the tune of $2.2 trillion. This was by far the single largest spending bill ever passed in the history of Congress.
The Senate unanimously passed H.R. 748 on March 25, 2020 by a vote of 96 to 0 (Roll Call 80). Unfortunately, we did not assign any pluses for this vote, since not a single senator voted nay, which was the constitutional position since nowhere in the Constitution is Congress authorized to bail out businesses, industries, and people.
H.R. 6172 05/14/2020 A Good vote is: No MB voted: Yes
FISA
We Oppose. We oppose. While many of the proposed FISA modifications positive from a freedom and privacy standpoint, Congress should have instead voted to not reauthorize the FISA and let it expire. Despite the program’s title, the act permits surveillance of Americans who are not charged with any crime.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (H.R. 6172) would modify and reauthorize through December 1, 2023 federal surveillance authorities under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and subsequent laws. The bill would limit a number of authorities under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, such as prohibiting the collection of information when an individual has a “reasonable expectation of privacy.”
The Senate passed H.R. 6172 on May 14, 2020 by a vote of 80 to 16 (Roll Call 92). We have assigned pluses to the nays because, while many of the modifications to the FISA are positive from a freedom and privacy standpoint, Congress should have instead voted to not reauthorize the FISA and let it expire. Despite being labeled the “Foreign” Intelligence Surveillance Act, the act does permit surveillance of Americans who are not charged with any crime.
S. 4049 07/01/2020 A Good vote is: No MB voted: Yes
Withdrawal From Afghanistan
We Oppose. We oppose the Senate's decision to table Senator Paul's amendment. It is long past time to bring the troops home. The AUMF that the amendment would repeal has been used broadly by presidents to send troops into foreign conflicts, despite the fact that under the Constitution only Congress may declare war.
During consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 4049), Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced an amendment to withdraw American soldiers from Afghanistan within one year of the bill’s enactment, and to repeal the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) that was used as authorization for U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11.
The Senate tabled (killed) Paul’s amendment on July 1, 2020 by a vote of 60 to 33 (Roll Call 129). We have assigned pluses to the nays because, as Paul put it in his remarks on the Senate floor, “the people who attacked on 9/11 have all been killed or captured,” and “it is not sustainable to keep fighting in Afghanistan generation after generation.” Instead, it is long past time to bring the troops home. The AUMF that the amendment would repeal has been used broadly by presidents to send troops into foreign conflicts, despite the fact that under the Constitution only Congress may declare war.
S. 4049 07/21/2020 A Good vote is: No MB voted: Yes
Semiconductor Manufacturing Subsidies
We Oppose. We oppose. Nowhere in the Constitution is the federal government authorized to subsidize private businesses. If such subsidies are allowed, then any business could potentially be subsidized at the expense of any other, with the government essentially picking winners and losers in the marketplace, causing great economic distortion.
During consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 4049), Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced an amendment to “restore American leadership in semiconductor manufacturing by increasing federal incentives.” Cornyn’s amendment would provide up to $3 million in grants to subsidize U.S. semiconductor manufacturers.
The Senate agreed to Cornyn’s amendment on July 21, 2020 by a vote of 96 to 4 (Roll Call 134). We have assigned pluses to the nays because nowhere in the Constitution is the federal government authorized to subsidize private businesses. If such subsidies are allowed, then any business could potentially be subsidized at the expense of any other, with the government essentially picking winners and losers in the marketplace, causing great economic distortion.
S. 178 09/30/2020 A Good vote is: Yes MB voted: No
Pre-existing Conditions
We Support. We support killing the amendment. The U.S. government should not be attempting to regulate healthcare or health insurance in any way, shape, or form. The Constitution clearly does not allow the federal government to involve itself in healthcare. Decisions about health insurance coverage should be left up to insurance companies. Federal regulations and/or subsidies in the healthcare sector tend to distort the market and have in large part caused the current out-of-control insurance prices we see today.
During consideration of a bill to impose sanctions on China over their treatment of the minority Uighur population (S. 178), Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced an amendment to “amend the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA] to prohibit pre-existing condition exclusions.” As its title suggests, Tillis’ amendment would prohibit medical insurance issuers in group or individual marketplaces from denying coverage based on preexisting health conditions.
The Senate failed to table (kill) Tillis’ amendment on September 30, 2020 by a vote of 47 to 47 (Roll Call 199). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the U.S. government should not be attempting to regulate healthcare or health insurance in any way, shape, or form. The Constitution clearly does not allow the federal government to involve itself in healthcare. Decisions about health insurance coverage should be left up to insurance companies. Federal regulations and/or subsidies in the healthcare sector tend to distort the market and have in large part caused the current out-of-control insurance prices we see today.
H.R. 6395 01/01/2021 A Good vote is: No MB voted: Yes
NDAA (Veto Override)
We Oppose. We oppose. The act includes spending not only for legitimate national defense, but also for military interventionism in foreign lands that does not make America safer. Also, the legislation undercuts the president’s legitimate authority as commander-in-chief by restricting his ability to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Germany, and South Korea.
The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2021 (H.R. 6395) authorizes $740 billion in military spending. When President Donald Trump vetoed the NDAA on December 23, 2020, he stated in his veto message that “my administration recognizes the importance of the Act to our national security.” But, he also said, “Numerous provisions in the Act particularly contradict my Administration’s foreign policy, particularly my efforts to bring the troops home. I oppose endless wars, as does the American public.” He also cited other reasons for vetoing the NDAA, including Congress’ failure to end Section 230, which protects the social-media giants from liability for content posted on their sites, allowing them to create leftist monopolies.
The Senate overrode President Trump’s veto of the NDAA on January 1, 2021 by a vote of 81 to 13 (Roll Call 292). We have assigned pluses to the nays because the act includes spending not only for legitimate national defense, but also for military interventionism in foreign lands that does not make America safer. Also, the legislation undercuts the president’s legitimate authority as commander-in-chief by restricting his ability to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Germany, and South Korea.
H.R. 1799 03/25/2021 A Good vote is: No MB voted: Yes
Paycheck Protection Program Extension
We Oppose. The Constitution does not authorize the federal government to bail out or lend funds to business.
H.R. 1799 would extend the authorization for the Treasury Department’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) from March 31 to June 30, 2021. The PPP provides Small Business Administration-backed loans to businesses of 500 employees or less struggling as a result of the draconian COVID-19 lockdowns issued by governors across the country beginning in 2020 and extending into 2021. PPP loans do not have to be paid back so long as employers only use the funds for legitimate business expenses, such as PPP-approved payroll costs, mortgages, rent, operation expenditures, personal protective equipment as may have been required by state-issued emergency orders, property damage as a result of violent mob protests that occurred in 2020 and not covered by the business’s insurance, and suppliers’ costs for contracts or other bills of goods and services purchased prior to taking out the loan.
The Senate passed H.R. 1799 on March 25, 2021 by a vote of 92 to 7 (Roll Call 140). We have assigned pluses to the nays because the Constitution does not authorize the federal government to bail out or lend funds to business.
S.Con.Res.14 08/11/2021 A Good vote is: No MB voted: Yes
Police
We Oppose. The Constitution does not grant to Congress the power to hire and/or control local police officers.
During consideration of the Budget Resolution for fiscal 2022 (Senate Concurrent Resolution 14), Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a misguided amendment to fund the hiring of 100,000 new local police officers nationwide with federal money. Even though Hawley’s amendment was passed by the overwhelming bipartisan majority of 95-3, it is misguided because it is in conflict with the system of federalism that the Founders bequeathed to us. Since the Constitution does not grant Congress the power of creating and funding local police departments, the 10th Amendment tells us that this power is reserved to the states and to the people.
The Senate adopted Hawley’s amendment on August 11, 2021 by a vote of 95 to 3 (Roll Call 345). We have assigned pluses to the nays because the Constitution does not grant to Congress the power to hire and/or control local police officers.
Treaty Doc. 117-3 08/03/2022 A Good vote is: Yes MB voted: No
Declaration of War
We Support. Under the U.S. Constitution, only the Congress may declare war.
During consideration of protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty to expand NATO to include Sweden and Finland, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) offered an amendment to add a reservation to the protocols stating that “Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty does not supersede the constitutional requirement that Congress declare war before the United States engages in war.” Article 5 of the treaty, which created NATO in 1949, states, “The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them … shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them … will assist the Party or Parties so attacked.” The Senate rejected Paul’s amendment on August 3, 2022 by a vote of 10 to 87 (Roll Call 281). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because, under the U.S. Constitution, only the Congress may declare war.
Expanding NATO
We Oppose. NATO is based on the principle of collective security, as opposed to each country acting in its own best interests. Under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, “The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them … shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them … will assist the Party or Parties so attacked.” The expansion of this entangling military alliance, which was comprised of just 12 members at the time of its founding, increases the likelihood of the United States being drawn into a military conflict.
The Senate voted on protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty that created the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949 that would expand the military alliance to include Finland and Sweden. For the protocols to become effective, all 30 current NATO members must approve them. The Senate overwhelmingly approved the protocols on August 3, 2022 by a vote of 95 to 1 (Roll Call 282), far in excess of the two-thirds majority vote needed to ratify treaties. We have assigned pluses to the nay because NATO is based on the principle of collective security, as opposed to each country acting in its own best interests. Under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, “The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them … shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them … will assist the Party or Parties so attacked.” The expansion of this entangling military alliance, which was comprised of just 12 members at the time of its founding, increases the likelihood of the United States being drawn into a military conflict.
S. 870 04/20/2023 A Good vote is: No MB voted: Yes Federal Firefighter Grants We Oppose. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution does not authorize any federal spending for firefighting. Furthermore, the strings that come attached to grants for local fire departments move the United States closer to federalizing firefighting. S. 870 would authorize $95 million annually through fiscal 2030 for the U.S. Fire Administration, increasing the agency’s funding levels by 24 percent. Among other provisions, S. 870 would authorize $3.4 million to create standards for assessing new firefighting technologies, reauthorize through fiscal 2030 two Federal Emergency Management Agency grant programs assisting local fire departments, and ban Chinese entities from receiving any of these funds. The Senate passed S. 870 on April 20, 2023 by a vote of 95 to 2 (Roll Call 94). We have assigned pluses to the nays because Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution does not authorize any federal spending for firefighting. Furthermore, the strings that come attached to grants for local fire departments move the United States closer to federalizing firefighting.
H. J. Res. 7 03/29/2023 A Good vote is : Yes MB did Not vote Terminate Covid-19 National Emergency We Support. It is unconstitutional to suspend the Constitution by declaring national public-health emergencies. According to H. J. Res. 7, “the national [Covid-19] emergency declared by the finding of the President on March 13, 2020, in Proclamation 9994 … is hereby terminated.” The Senate passed H. J. Res. 7 on March 29, 2023 by a vote of 68 to 23 (Roll Call 80). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because it is unconstitutional to suspend the Constitution by declaring national public-health emergencies.
S. 316 03/22/2023 A Good vote is: Yes MB voted: No 2001 AUMF Repeal We Support. The Constitution does not give the president a blank check to go to war without congressional approval. During consideration of the bill (S. 316) to repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force against Iraq, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) offered an amendment to repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force. Enacted in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the 2001 AUMF authorized the president to use military force against the terrorists involved, including those who aided and harbored them, and was used as the legal authority for U.S. military entry into Afghanistan. But that was more than 20 years ago. Since that time, the 2001 AUMF has been used by presidents as a blank check for military interventions in more than 20 countries, from Afghanistan to Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. The Senate rejected Paul’s amendment on March 22, 2023 by a vote of 9 to 86 (Roll Call 65). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the Constitution does not give the president a blank check to go to war without congressional approval.
S. 2226 07/19/2023 A Good vote is: Yes MB voted: No
Declaration of War
We Support. According to the U.S. Constitution only Congress has the authority to declare war. U.S. membership in NATO increases the likelihood of the United States being dragged into a war that neither the American people nor Congress wants. Rather than allowing NATO and its UN parent to determine when we go to war, we should get out of both organizations.
During consideration of the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (S. 2226), Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) offered an amendment “to express the sense of Congress that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty does not supersede the constitutional requirement that Congress declare war before the United States engages in war.” Under Article 5, member nations of NATO “agree that an armed attack against one or more of them … shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them … will assist the Party or Parties so attacked.”
The Senate rejected Paul’s amendment on July 19, 2023 by a vote of 16 to 83 (Roll Call 191). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because according to the U.S. Constitution only Congress has the authority to declare war. U.S. membership in NATO increases the likelihood of the United States being dragged into a war that neither the American people nor Congress wants. Rather than allowing NATO and its UN parent to determine when we go to war, we should get out of both organizations.
S.J. Res. 44 10/26/2023 A Good vote is: Yes MB voted: No
U.S. Military in Niger
We Support. The deployment of U.S. forces to Niger was not specifically authorized by Congress, and under the Constitution only Congress has the power to declare war.
Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced a joint resolution (S. J. Res. 44) to direct the president to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities in or affecting Niger. The resolution noted that a coup d’etat in July 2023 triggered a regional conflict that threatens to involve U.S. military forces in the country. As of June 2023, more than 1,000 members of the U.S. military were deployed there.
The Senate blocked Paul’s joint resolution on October 26, 2023 by a vote of 11 to 86 (Roll Call 270). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the deployment of U.S. forces to Niger was not specifically authorized by Congress, and under the Constitution only Congress has the power to declare war.
H.R. 4366 11/01/2023 A Good vote is: No MB voted: Yes
Consolidated Appropriations Minibus
We Oppose. With the exception of the Department of Defense, none of these federal departments or agencies is authorized by the Constitution. Furthermore, in light of a $33.9 trillion national debt and a $1.7 trillion budget deficit, this appropriations bill is fiscally irresponsible.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (H.R. 4366) would provide roughly $279 billion in total discretionary spending for three of the 12 fiscal 2024 appropriations bills. This includes funding for Defense Department military construction projects; the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Transportation, and Department of Housing and Urban Development; and various other government agencies.
The Senate passed H.R. 4366 on November 1, 2023 by a vote of 82 to 15 (Roll Call 284). We have assigned pluses to the nays because, with the exception of the Department of Defense, none of these federal departments or agencies is authorized by the Constitution. Furthermore, in light of a $33.9 trillion national debt and a $1.7 trillion budget deficit, this appropriations bill is fiscally irresponsible.
S.J.Res. 51 12/07/2023 Good vote is Yes: MB voted: No
U.S. Military in Syria
Under the U.S. Constitution, the power to declare war belongs to Congress, and the United States should follow a policy of noninterventionism, minding its own business in foreign affairs.
Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) made a motion to discharge the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from further consideration of Senate Joint Resolution 51, which would direct the president to remove U.S. armed forces “from hostilities in or affecting Syria … unless and until a declaration of war or specific authorization for such use of United States Armed Forces has been enacted.”
The Senate rejected Paul’s motion on December 7, 2023 by a vote of 13 to 84 (Roll Call 333). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because under the U.S. Constitution, the power to declare war belongs to Congress, and the United States should follow a policy of noninterventionism, minding its own business in foreign affairs.
posted by MickeyWhite at 7/28/2010 02:51:00 PM
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