AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNIONS

2014 Ratings of Congress | 113th Congress, Second Session

HOUSE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS

1. HR 3547 (Roll Call 21) Omnibus Appropriations.This

$1.1 trillion spending bill for Fiscal Year 2014 increased

spending by $45 billion over the Budget Control Act
of 2011 with a massive increase of 25-29% for Obama
Administration programs in the Interior-Environment,
Labor-HHS-Education and State Department sections.
It also included bills that have nothing to do with
appropriations, such as an extension of flood insurance
subsidies. ACU opposes these bills that are written in
secret and passed with no amendments allowed. The
House passed the bill on January 15, 2014 by a vote of
359-67.

2. HR 7 (Roll Call 30) Taxpayer Funding of Abortion.

This bill would have permanently prohibited the use

of federal funds, facilities or staff to provide abortion
coverage and services with exceptions for rape and
incest and to save the life of the mother. ACU opposes
federal funding of abortion and supported this bill. The
bill passed the House on January 28, 2014 by a vote of
227-188.

3. HR 2642 (Roll Call 31) Farm Bill. This bill is the final

version of the farm bill that replaces direct payments to

farmers with a more expensive increase in crop insurance
subsidies with no caps on subsidies for wealthy farm
corporations. ACU has long opposed these Depressionera programs and opposed this bill. The House passed
the bill on January 29, 2014 by a vote of 251-166.

4. HR 3590 (Roll Call 38) Federal Land Use. The

DeFazio amendment would have defeated the purpose

of a bill to open more federal land for recreational
hunting, fishing and shooting by requiring a lengthy
environmental review of each area of land affected. ACU
supports public use of public land and opposed this
amendment. The House defeated the amendment on
February 5, 2014 by a vote of 185-237.

16

5. HR 3826 (Roll Call 106) Greenhouse Gas

Regulations.This bill would limit EPA regulation of

9. HR 4435 (Roll Call 234) Terrorist Detention. The

6. H Con Res 96 (Roll Call 175) Conservative Budget.

10. HR 4435 (Roll Call 235) Private Sector Contracts.

greenhouse gas emissions by blocking new regulations

on existing power plants designed to eventually
eliminate coal-fired power plants and drive up the cost
of energy in the name of global warming. ACU supports
abundant affordable energy from all sources and
supported this bill. The bill passed the House on March
6, 2014 by a vote of 229-183.

The Woodall amendment to the budget bill presented

a conservative alternative that would have balanced the
budget in four years by freezing domestic spending at
$60 billion below current levels, reformed entitlement
programs, and eliminated wasteful programs that ACU
has long opposed. ACU supported this alternative as a
reasonable attempt to stop increases in our national debt
which reached $18 trillion in 2014.The House defeated
the amendment on April 10, 2014 by a vote of 133-291.

7. HR 4435 (Roll Call 227) Nuclear Launchers.

The Daines amendment to the National Defense

Authorization Bill would eliminate a provision that ends
the requirement of keeping nuclear launchers in a warm
status in 2021. ACU opposes arbitrary deadlines that
affect national security and supported this amendment.
The House passed the amendment on May 21, 2014 by
a vote of 222-196.

8. HR 4435 (Roll Call 231) Defense Spending. The

McKinley amendment to the National Defense

Authorization bill bars the use of funds to conduct
climate change assessments and reports. ACU opposes
diverting needed dollars for defense on needless nondefense programs and supported this amendment. The
House passed the amendment on May 22, 2014 by a
vote of 231-192.

Adam Smith amendment to the National Defense

Authorization bill would have eliminated language
that provides for mandatory military custody of those
detained under the Authorization for Use of Military
Force authority. ACU supports military custody of
accused terrorists and opposed this amendment. The
House defeated the amendment on May 22, 2014 by a
vote of 191-230.
The Jenkins amendment to the National Defense
Authorization bill would have placed a moratorium on
the conversion of private sector contracts to government
employees within the Department of Defense. ACU
supports expanding rather than reducing private sector
opportunities in the government and supported this
amendment. The House defeated the amendment on
May 22, 2014 by a vote of 179-244.

11. HR 4660 (Roll Call 243) Wasteful Spending. The

Pompeo amendment to the Commerce, Science,

Justice Appropriations bill would have eliminated the
Economic Development Administration and used the
funds to reduce the deficit. ACU has long opposed this
agency that uses taxpayer money for pork barrel projects
that serve as monuments to politicians, such as the
Harry Reid Research and Technology Park in Las Vegas,
and so supported this amendment. The House defeated
the amendment on May 29, 2014 by a vote of 129-280.

12. HR 4660 (Roll Call 252) Social Science Funding.

The Lamar Smith amendment to the Commerce,

Science, Justice Appropriations bill eliminates an
increase in funding for social science funding at the
National Science Foundation to help restore cuts to
the physical sciences and engineering. ACU opposes
the use of NSF funds for projects such as the study of
rangeland management in Mongolia and supported this
amendment. The House passed the amendment on May
29, 2014 by a vote of 208-201.

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNIONS

2014 Ratings of Congress | 113th Congress, Second Session

HOUSE VOTE DESCRIPTIONS Continued

13. HR 4660 (Roll Call 253) Legal Services Corporation.

The Austin Scott amendment to the Commerce, Science,

Justice Appropriations bill would have eliminated funding
for the Legal Services Corporation. ACU has long opposed
funding for this agency that has not been authorized by
Congress for the last 34 years and is filled with waste and
fraud and so supported this amendment. The House
defeated the amendment on May 29, 2014 by a vote of
116-290.

14. HR 4660 (Roll Call 254) Guantanamo. The Moran

amendment to the Commerce, Science, Justice

Appropriations bill would have eliminated provisions
that prohibit the use of funds to construct a facility in the
United States to house terrorists held at Guantanamo.
ACU opposes the transfer of terrorists at Guantanamo
and opposed this amendment. The House defeated the
amendment on May 30, 2014 by a vote of 169-230.

15. HR 4745 (Roll Call 274) Government Housing

Programs. The Chabot amendment to the Transportation

and Housing Appropriations bill would have reduced the

Section 8 housing voucher program by 10 percent and
apply the funds to deficit reduction. ACU opposes welfare
programs that have no time limits or work requirements
and supported this amendment. The House defeated the
amendment on June 9, 2014 by a vote of 127-279.

16. HR 4745 (Roll Call 282) Highway Funding. The

Hartzler amendment to the Transportation and Housing

Appropriations bill would have eliminated funding for
so-called highway beautification. ACU opposes diverting
money in the Highway Trust Fund for unrelated programs
and supported this amendment. The House defeated the
amendment on June 10, 2014 by a vote of 188-237.

17. HR 4745 (Roll Call 290) Housing Programs. The

Schock amendment to the Transportation and Housing

Appropriations bill to reduce the power of the HUD
Secretary to hand out Section 8 vouchers over the
authorized limit, in some cases valued at $4,000 a
month, while keeping others on a waiting list for any
type of affordable housing. ACU supports this modest
effort at reforming a program rife with waste and abuse
and supported this amendment. The House passed the
amendment on June 10, 2014 by a vote of 210-209.

18. HR 4745 (Roll Call 294) Amtrak. The Sessions

amendment to the Transportation and Housing

Appropriations bill would have eliminated the subsidy
for Amtraks worst performing train, the Sunset Limited,
which loses $40 million per year and has an on time
record of 46 percent. ACU opposes Amtrak subsidies
that were scheduled to end in 2002 and supported this
amendment. The House defeated the amendment on
June 10, 2014 by a vote of 167-250.

19. HR 4870 (Roll Call 323) Guantanamo. The Cotton

amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill would

prohibit funds from being used to transfer terrorists
being held at Guantanamo to any foreign country. ACU
opposes these transfers and supported this amendment.
The House passed the amendment on June 19, 2014 by a
vote of 230-184.

20. HR 4870 Roll Call 334) Biofuel Mandates. The Gosar

amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill would

prohibit the Defense Department from using biofuels
instead of far less expensive petroleum based fuels. ACU
opposes diverting funds that should go for national
security purposes to politically-motivated global warming
programs and supported this amendment. The House
defeated the amendment on June 20, 2014 by a vote of
205-208.

21. HR 4923 (Roll Call 377) Energy Subsidies. The

McClintock amendment to the Energy and Water

Appropriations bill eliminates $3 billion in energy
subsidies. ACU opposes these programs that pick
winners and losers in the marketplace and supported this
amendment. The House defeated the amendment on July
9, 2014 by a vote of 97-321.

22. HR 4923 (Roll Call 388) Labor Law. The Steve King

amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill

would have barred the use of funds to enforce the DavisBacon Act. ACU has long opposed this acts requirement
to pay prevailing wages on federal projects, thus driving
up their cost, and supported this amendment. The House
defeated the amendment on July 10, 2014 by a vote of
181-239.

23. HR 5016 (Roll Call 425) Second Amendment.

The Massie amendment to the Financial Services

Appropriations bill that would prohibit the District of
Columbia from taking any action to prevent law-abiding
citizens from possessing, using or transporting a firearm.
ACU supports Second Amendment rights and supported
this amendment. The House passed the amendment on
July 16, 2014 by a vote of 241-181.

24. HR 5272 (Roll Call 479) Immigration. This bill reverses

President Obamas Executive order deferring action on

some illegal immigrants but not others. ACU opposes
this type of executive action that allows the president to
change existing law without legislation and supported this
bill. The House passed the bill on August 1, 2014 by a
vote of 216-192.

25. HR 83 (Roll Call 563) Omnibus Appropriations. This

1,600 page bill uses $19 billion in budget gimmicks to

comply with spending caps, increases funding for pork
barrel programs such as Community Development Block
Grants and includes hundreds of pages of bills that have
nothing to do with appropriations and that have not been
voted on by either the House or Senate. ACU opposes
these bills that are written in secret with no amendments
allowed and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill
on December 11, 2014 by a vote of 219-206.
17