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Joshua Hawley Voting Record & Scorecard | Institute for Legislative Analysis

US Senator from MO

Republican

2025 Alignment:

70.13%

Lifetime Alignment:

76.91%

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District Performance
Cook PVI Rating: Solid R
District Estimate: 84%
District Performance: -14 (70.13%)
District Based Rating:
D
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Lawmaker Position

Blocking President Trump's Executive Order that Restricts Federal Collective Bargaining and Union Power that Hikes Taxpayer Costs

The Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) amendment #1466 to the Senate budget resolution would protect federal collective bargaining agreements and the right to organize for government employees. The amendment is aimed at reversing President Trump's Executive Order 14251, "Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs," issued March 27, 2025, which invoked national-security authorities to exclude dozens of agencies and subcomponents from federal collective bargaining requirements and to end union bargaining, grievance, and arbitration procedures in those covered components. By setting up a reserve fund to "prohibit attacks" on federal unions, the amendment would lock in union work rules and bargaining leverage as a budget priority, making it harder to carry out workforce reforms and accountability measures even after widespread waste and inefficiency have been exposed across the federal government.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should not use the budget process to entrench federal union power and block executive reforms intended to reduce bureaucracy and improve accountability in critical agencies.
Taxpayers should not be forced to fund an unaccountable system where union protections override efficiency and mission needs.
Supports
Limited
Government

Preserving Out-of-Control Medicaid Spending by Blocking Trump Admin Reforms that Improve System Integrity and Reduce Waste

The Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) amendment #1693 to the Senate budget resolution would allow the Senate Budget Committee Chairman to adjust budget levels to prevent a reduction in Medicaid funding that could lead to rural hospital closures, higher costs for people with other kinds of insurance, or higher rates of uncompensated care. While framed as protecting rural access, the amendment would create a new budget mechanism designed to shield Medicaid from savings and integrity reforms by treating any reduction as off-limits. Opponents argued Medicaid cannot be protected by keeping wasteful spending on autopilot, especially when the program is riddled with payment games and improper spending that divert resources away from actual patient care. Rural communities need targeted, accountable solutions that improve care delivery and reduce bureaucracy – not a reserve fund that entrenches the Medicaid welfare system and blocks needed cost control.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should not use reserve funds to insulate Medicaid from reforms that reduce waste, fraud, and abuse and restore fiscal discipline.
Protecting vulnerable patients requires integrity and accountability, not new budget tools that preserve an unsustainable spending trajectory.
Against
Limited
Government

Placing America Last by Locking-In Aid to Ukraine and Restricting Congress from Imposing New Limits

The Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) amendment #1646 to the Senate budget resolution would prevent any cuts to aid or security assistance to Ukraine. It would allow the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee to revise committee allocations, aggregates, and other budget levels to "preserve the delivery of assistance to Ukraine." Opponents argue the amendment in effect, protects open-ended foreign commitments inside the budget process while Washington is running massive deficits and failing to secure the border, restore fiscal discipline, and deliver accountability at home.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Americans should no longer be forced to provide continued assistance to Ukraine.
This amendment entrenches Washington's "America Last" spending habits and weakens the ability to cut waste and refocus on core responsibilities.
Supports
Limited
Government

Entrenching the Inflation Reduction Act Drug Price Controls by Blocking Reforms in the Senate Budget.

This vote was on a motion to advance the Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) amendment #1690 to the Senate budget resolution. The amendment would create a new point of order against legislation deemed to "increase drug costs for seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare," giving Senate leadership another procedural tool to block changes to federal drug policy. Opponents argued this measure is an attempt to enshrine the draconian price controls imposed under the Inflation Reduction Act by making it harder for Congress to revisit or roll back the IRA's mandates. The IRA created an inflation rebate scheme that punishes manufacturers when certain Medicare drug prices rise faster than inflation, and while it is sold as consumer relief, critics warn it operates like a backdoor price cap that distorts markets. They note these policies can encourage higher launch prices, reduce discounts, and tighten access as companies try to manage rebate exposure, while pushing the system further toward centralized government control of medicine and undermining investment in new cures over time.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should not create procedural roadblocks that lock in federal price controls and expand bureaucratic leverage over medicine.
Medicare drug policy should be open to reform that improves affordability through competition and transparency rather than being insulated by points of order designed to protect coercive mandates.
Against
Limited
Government

Blocking Efforts to Reduce the Federal Government's Enormous Land Holdings and Utilize Land-Sale Proceeds to Lower the Deficit

The Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) amendment #2107 to the Senate budget resolution would create a deficit-neutral reserve fund aimed at preventing the sale of federal land and the usage of the proceeds to reduce the federal deficit. The federal government owns nearly 30 percent of the nation's land and has repeatedly shown it cannot manage the holdings efficiently, contributing to worsening wildfire risk and costly mismanagement that is ultimately socialized onto taxpayers. Keeping vast tracts locked up also restricts land that could be responsibly developed, pushing housing supply down and prices up, especially in fast-growing regions near federal lands. Opponents of the amendment argue that allowing targeted land sales and using the proceeds to reduce the deficit would lower taxpayer liabilities, reduce the federal footprint, and shift land stewardship to owners with stronger incentives to manage resources responsibly.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as federal land holdings should be right-sized and managed in a way that reduces taxpayer costs, improves stewardship outcomes, and allows communities to expand housing and economic opportunity.
Proceeds from land sales should be used to pay down deficits and debt, not blocked by budget gimmicks that preserve federal control and prevent fiscal relief.
Supports
Limited
Government

Blocking $880 Billion in Medicaid Reforms by Using a "Caregiving" Reserve Fund to Protect an Unsustainable Entitlement from Waste Cuts

The Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) amendment #1644 to the Senate budget resolution would create a deficit-neutral reserve fund allowing the Senate Budget Committee Chairman to adjust budget levels for legislation aimed at preventing increased barriers for caregivers and the "care economy." In practice, this reserve fund is designed to ensure that the $880 billion in Medicaid savings and reforms contemplated under the budget do not take effect in ways that reduce spending or tighten eligibility and financing. Opponents argued the amendment would be used to block integrity reforms by the Trump administration that cut waste, fraud, and abuse and to preserve a Medicaid system that has exploded in cost and become increasingly unsustainable. They warned that protecting the status quo keeps incentives for dependency in place while taxpayers are forced to subsidize a rapidly expanding entitlement program that was never meant to function as an open-ended spending pipeline.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should not create budget tools that shield Medicaid from reforms needed to curb waste and restore accountability.
Protecting the safety net requires reducing dependency and ensuring the program is sustainable for those who truly need it.
Against
Limited
Government

Blocking Reforms to the SNAP Welfare Program by Striking the Agriculture Committee's Instruction to Find Savings

The Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) amendment #1726 to the Senate budget resolution would strike the reconciliation instruction to the Committee on Agriculture. Removing this instruction effectively asserts there is not a single dollar to be saved from waste, fraud, or abuse in the programs under the Agriculture Committee's jurisdiction, including SNAP. Opponents argued the amendment is designed to target and derail the Trump administration's SNAP reforms, which focus on eliminating waste, improving accountability, and helping able-bodied recipients move toward self-sufficiency rather than trapping households in long-term government dependency. With SNAP spending having surged to unsustainable levels, opponents warned that shielding the program from savings instructions keeps the status quo intact and blocks reforms needed to protect taxpayers and preserve the safety net for those who truly need temporary help.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should not remove budget tools needed to rein in waste and restore accountability in a rapidly expanding entitlement.
SNAP must be protected through integrity reforms that curb abuse and encourage work, not insulated from scrutiny.
Supports
Limited
Government

Blocking DOGE Social Security Efficiency Reforms Designed to Cut Bureaucracy and Waste

The Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) amendment #2186 to the Senate budget resolution would allow the Senate Budget Committee Chairman to adjust budget levels to reverse cuts to the Social Security Administration, including cuts ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) or any other changes to seniors' services. While presented as protecting seniors, the amendment is designed to insulate the SSA from streamlining efforts and make it harder to reduce bureaucracy and administrative bloat. Opponents argued Social Security is not a federal jobs program, and taxpayers should not be forced to fund inefficient structures when reforms can modernize service delivery, reduce waste, and strengthen integrity. Locking in a mechanism to "reverse cuts" also undermines accountability by treating any efficiency measure as unacceptable, even when the federal government faces enormous deficits and a nearly $39 trillion national debt.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should not use budget maneuvers to shield bureaucracy from efficiency reforms that cut waste and improve accountability.
Social Security services should be strengthened through modernization and integrity measures, not by preserving unnecessary administrative spending on autopilot.
Supports
Limited
Government

Preserving FEMA's Open-Ended Disaster Bureaucracy Instead of Reforming Waste, Mismanagement, and Federal Overreach

The Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) amendment #1774 to the Senate budget resolution would reiterate the importance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its continued role in providing nonpartisan and long-term disaster relief to disaster survivors. While framed as a simple affirmation, the amendment is designed to discourage efforts to restructure disaster relief and to keep Washington entrenched as the default responder and long-term payer for rebuilding. Opponents argued FEMA's mission creep has fueled an expensive system that shifts responsibilities away from states and localities, encourages dependency on federal bailouts, and too often lacks real accountability when billions are spent quickly. They warned that refusing to reform the disaster-relief model locks taxpayers into more debt-financed spending while the federal government struggles to manage its massive obligations and growing deficit.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should prioritize reforms that return responsibility to states and communities, tighten oversight, and reduce waste and fraud in disaster spending.
A permanent, open-ended federal disaster bureaucracy is not a substitute for accountable, locally driven preparedness and recovery.
Supports
Limited
Government

Blocking the Largest Debt-Limit Blowout in History by Limiting the Increase and Forcing Real Spending Restraint

The Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) amendment #1760 to the Senate budget resolution would modify the debt limit reconciliation instruction for the House and Senate. Specifically, it would reduce the instructed debt-limit increase to $500 billion rather than the roughly $5 trillion increase contemplated under the budget resolution's broader approach. The debt limit is one of the last remaining restraints that forces Congress to confront borrowing, and a historic multi-trillion-dollar hike signals Washington is not serious about making DOGE-style waste cuts permanent. By limiting the increase, the amendment would keep pressure on Congress to actually deliver structural spending reductions instead of treating waste-cutting as a temporary talking point that disappears once more borrowing authority is granted.
Support is the Limited Government Position as the debt limit should be used as a real check on runaway spending, not rubber-stamped with record increases that enable waste to return and grow.
Limiting the increase helps force accountability and strengthens fiscal discipline.
Against
Limited
Government

Advancing Wealth Redistribution by Creating a "Middle-Class Tax Relief" Reserve Fund Built on Higher Taxes for the Ultra-Wealthy and Corporations

The Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) amendment #2152 to the Senate budget resolution would create a deficit-neutral reserve fund allowing the Senate Budget Committee Chairman to adjust budget levels for legislation providing tax relief for the middle class and small businesses while ensuring corporations and the ultra-wealthy "pay their fair share," so long as it does not increase deficits over fiscal years 2025 through 2034. While marketed as middle-class relief, the amendment is structured around a class-war premise that Washington should shift the tax burden upward and then use the tax code to redistribute through new federal tax-policy packages. Opponents argued this approach invites bigger government and politicized tax engineering, with taxpayers and job creators treated as revenue targets to finance new promises rather than driving real reforms that restrain spending and reduce dependency.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this amendment is a framework for wealth redistribution that expands Washington's power to reshape the economy through punitive tax policy.
Congress should focus on spending restraint and broad, pro-growth reforms instead of building a reserve fund designed to raise taxes on targeted groups to finance new federal policy expansions.
Supports
Limited
Government

Fueling Higher Unemployment by Advancing a $17 an Hour Federal Minimum Wage Rate Hike

The Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) amendment #2126 to the Senate budget resolution would create a reserve fund allowing the Senate Budget Committee Chairman to advance legislation increasing the federal minimum wage to at least $17 an hour over five years. The stated purpose is to ensure the Senate can raise the minimum wage by a simple majority vote, bypassing normal Senate constraints and pushing a major national labor mandate through a budget process. Opponents argued a one size fits all federal wage floor ignores regional cost differences and would hit small businesses, nonprofits, and local employers with higher labor costs that often lead to fewer entry level jobs, reduced hours, or faster automation. They also warned it would shift more workers into government dependency as employers cut opportunities, while Washington imposes centralized wage policy that states and communities are better positioned to address.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should not worsen federal control over the labor market through an enormous spike in the national minimum wage.
Wages should not be set by government, as artificial wage barriers price low skill workers out of jobs and harm economic growth.
Against
Limited
Government

Blocking $880 Billion in Medicaid Cuts to Keep the Welfare System on Autopilot and Prevent Integrity Reforms

The Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) amendment #1989 to the Senate budget resolution would strike a section that directs the House Energy and Commerce Committee to achieve $880,000,000,000 in savings from Medicaid over the next decade. As a result, the amendment would prevent Medicaid reforms and would protect the status quo in a program known to be plagued by waste, weak accountability, and financing games that shift costs onto federal taxpayers. Opponents of the amendment argued that Medicaid cannot be treated as a permanent, open-ended spending pipeline and that real savings are necessary to protect the program for the truly needy, improve integrity, and address an unsustainable fiscal trajectory driven by runaway federal spending and debt.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as removing the $880 billion savings instruction undermines efforts to rein in waste and restore accountability in a massive welfare program.
Congress should keep reform tools in place to protect taxpayers and preserve Medicaid for those who truly need it.
Against
Limited
Government

Overturning a Biden Bureau of Land Management Plan that Prevents Coal Leasing on 1.7 Million Acres of Federal Land

This resolution introduced by Rep. Troy Downing (R-MT) utilizes the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to nullify a Biden administration rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) relating to the "Miles City Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment." Resource management plans guide how BLM-administered lands are managed, including whether and where coal leasing may be considered. The Miles City plan amendment made 1.7 million acres unavailable for future coal leasing. According to supporters, this kind of federal land "lock up" undermines local economies and energy affordability by putting Washington planners ahead of workers, communities, and responsible development.
Support is the Limited Government Position as Congress must rein in unelected agencies that use sweeping land-use decisions to restrict lawful resource development and centralize control over local economies.
This resolution helps restore accountability and protects access to America's domestic energy resources.
Supports
Limited
Government

Overturning a Biden Bureau of Land Management Plan that Blocks Mineral Extraction on Millions of Acres in Alaska's Central Yukon Region.

This resolution introduced by Rep. Nicholas Begich (R-AK) utilizes the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to nullify a Biden administration rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) relating to the "Central Yukon Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan." Resource management plans guide how BLM-administered lands are managed, including where uses such as responsible development, access, and conservation rules will apply. The Central Yukon plan was issued on November 12, 2024, and, among other changes, designates 21 areas as "critical environmental concern" and locks up roughly 3.6 million acres. According to supporters, these designations and related restrictions amount to a federal land "lock up" that can limit multiple-use access, hinder economic opportunity, and place Washington bureaucrats in charge of decisions that should be made closer to the people most affected.
Support is the Limited Government Position as Congress must rein in unelected federal agencies that use sweeping land-use plans to restrict lawful activity and centralize control over local economies.
This resolution helps restore accountability and protects access to America's vast public-land resources.
Supports
Limited
Government

Restoring American Energy and Jobs by Reversing the Biden-Era Plan that Shut Down Future Federal Coal Leasing.

This resolution, sponsored by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY), uses the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to nullify a former Biden administration rule implemented at the Bureau of Land Management titled "Buffalo Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment" on November 20, 2024. The Biden-era rule made no federal coal available for future leasing in the Buffalo Field Office area, effectively ending future federal coal leasing in Wyoming's Powder River Basin. By disapproving the 2024 rule, Congress would undo those restrictions and revert management back to the 2020 Trump-era plan, thus expanding the domestic energy supply.
Support is the Limited Government Position as the Biden-era decision locked up domestic resources and unnecessarily raised consumer costs.
Nullifying this rule helps unleash American energy dominance and increases taxpayer revenues.
Supports
Limited
Government

Repealing the Biden-Era ANWR Coastal Plain Leasing Restrictions to Restore Domestic Energy Production and Lower Costs.

This resolution, sponsored by Rep. Nicholas Begich (R-AK), uses the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to nullify a former Biden administration rule implemented at the Bureau of Land Management titled "Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Record of Decision" on December 9, 2024. The Biden-era rule changed how oil and gas leasing can occur in the Coastal Plain program area within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Biden-era decision replaced the 2020 record of decision under the first Trump administration that had made the full 1.6 million acre program area available for leasing. The Biden-era decision made only 400,000 acres available for leasing (the statutory minimum) placing roughly 1.2 million acres off-limits.
Support is the Limited Government Position as the Biden-era decision locked up domestic resources and unnecessarily raised consumer costs.
Nullifying this rule helps unleash American energy dominance and increases taxpayer revenues.
Supports
Limited
Government

Blocking Biden's Costly Walk-In Cooler and Freezer Energy Standards Mandate by Overturning a Department of Energy Rule

This joint resolution, introduced by Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK), would utilize the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal a Biden Department of Energy rule titled "Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Walk-In Coolers and Walk-In Freezers" and published on December 23, 2024. The underlying rule establishes new federal energy conservation standards for walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers commonly used by grocery stores, restaurants, warehouses, and other commercial facilities. According to supporters, the repeal of the Biden rule would stop Washington from using one-size-fits-all efficiency mandates to dictate the design and purchase of essential refrigeration equipment. They argue these mandates drive up compliance and replacement costs, squeeze small businesses, and ultimately raise prices for consumers as businesses are forced to absorb yet another layer of federal micromanagement.
Support is the Limited Government Position as Congress should rein in costly, top-down energy mandates imposed by unelected regulators.
Repealing this rule helps protect small businesses and consumers from bureaucratic micromanagement that drives up prices.
Supports
Limited
Government

Repealing a Biden IRS Rule that Grows Financial Surveillance Through Expanded Crypto "Broker" Reporting

This joint resolution, introduced by Rep. Mike Carey (R-OH), would utilize the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal an Internal Revenue Service rule titled "Gross Proceeds Reporting by Brokers That Regularly Provide Services Effectuating Digital Asset Sales" and published on December 30, 2024. The underlying rule expands who the IRS treats as a "broker" for digital asset sales and would require covered entities to report gross proceeds and send new tax statements tied to crypto transactions. According to supporters, repealing the Biden rule would stop Washington from rewriting the definition of "broker" to sweep in parts of the digital asset economy that do not operate like traditional brokerages, including technology platforms that cannot realistically collect the personal data the rule demands. They argue the Biden rule is less about honest tax administration and more about building a new reporting regime that turns financial innovation into a compliance trap, pushing lawful activity overseas while increasing the federal government's ability to monitor Americans' economic lives.
Support is the Limited Government Position as Congress should stop the IRS from expanding surveillance-style reporting mandates that go beyond clear statutory authority and punish emerging technologies.
Repealing this rule helps protect financial privacy and innovation from bureaucratic overreach.
Supports
Limited
Government

Repealing Biden's EPA Methane Fee Rule That Grows Federal Penalties and Drives Up Domestic Energy Costs

This joint resolution, introduced by Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), would utilize the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal a Biden Environmental Protection Agency rule titled "Waste Emissions Charge for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems: Procedures for Facilitating Compliance, Including Netting and Exemptions" and published on November 18, 2024. The underlying rule sets the compliance framework for the federal "waste emissions charge," including how covered facilities calculate emissions, use "netting," and qualify for exemptions, with EPA positioned to assess penalties when standards are not met. According to supporters, this rule is the enforcement engine for a Washington created methane tax that punishes American oil and gas production, increases compliance burdens across the supply chain, and ultimately raises energy prices for families and job creators. They argue it hands regulators another tool to pressure domestic producers while making the U.S. less competitive and more dependent on foreign energy.
Support is the Limited Government Position as Congress should stop the federal government from using regulatory schemes and penalty regimes to tax and micromanage domestic energy production.
Repealing this rule helps block bureaucratic enforcement that would raise costs and expand Washington's control over the energy economy.
Supports
Limited
Government

Repealing a Biden Rule at the Department of Energy that Imposed Unnecessary Labeling and Certification Mandates on Consumer Appliances.

This joint resolution, introduced by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), would utilize the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal a Biden Department of Energy rule titled "Energy Conservation Program for Appliance Standards: Certification Requirements, Labeling Requirements, and Enforcement Provisions for Certain Consumer Products and Commercial Equipment" and published on October 9, 2024. The underlying rule imposed new federal paperwork, labeling, and reporting requirements and expanded enforcement provisions across a wide range of everyday appliances and equipment. It covered roughly 20 product categories, reaching into items like dishwashers, clothes washers, air conditioners and heat pumps, battery chargers, light bulbs, and other common products used by families and employers. According to supporters, by nullifying the rule, the resolution would stop Washington from turning routine appliances into a compliance headache where manufacturers face more audits, more forms, and more threats of enforcement, and then pass those costs along to everyone at the checkout counter.
Support is the Limited Government Position as Congress should rein-in unelected regulators that keep adding paperwork mandates and enforcement traps that raise prices and restrict consumer choice.
Repealing this rule helps protect businesses from another round of bureaucratic micromanagement.
Supports
Limited
Government

Overturning a Draconian Biden Rule that Banned Off-Road Vehicle Usage on Miles of Trails at Glen Canyon National Park

This joint resolution, introduced by Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-UT), would utilize the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal a Biden National Park Service rule titled "Glen Canyon National Recreation Area: Motor Vehicles" and published on January 13, 2025. The underlying rule revised special regulations for Glen Canyon to update and restrict where motor vehicles may be used on roads and off-road on designated routes and areas. According to supporters, the rule empowers federal land managers to tighten access through regulatory changes that can limit recreation, local use, and tourism-dependent communities while expanding Washington's control over how Americans can use public lands. They argue Congress should stop this kind of federal overreach and keep access decisions from being driven by bureaucracy and pressure from activist groups rather than transparent, accountable policymaking.
Support is the Limited Government Position as Congress should rein in agencies that use regulation to micromanage public-land access without accountability.
Repealing this rule helps prevent federal managers from steadily restricting lawful use of public lands through top-down mandates.
Supports
Limited
Government

Repealing a Biden EPA Rule that Imposed Costly New Emissions Mandates on U.S. Tire Manufactures.

This joint resolution, introduced by Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), would utilize the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal a Biden Environmental Protection Agency rule titled "National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Rubber Tire Manufacturing" and published on November 29, 2024. The underlying rule imposed new federal emissions standards on parts of the rubber tire manufacturing process and expanded EPA's regulatory reach over domestic tire plants. According to supporters, repealing the Biden rule would stop Washington from piling more red tape and expensive compliance demands onto an industry that supports thousands of American jobs and produces an essential product used by nearly every household and business. They argue the mandate would raise production costs, squeeze smaller facilities the hardest, and push more manufacturing out of the United States.
Support is the Limited Government Position as Congress should block unaccountable bureaucrats from imposing costly mandates that punish domestic manufacturing through backdoor rulemaking.
Repealing this EPA action helps protect jobs, affordability, and U.S. competitiveness by reining in regulatory overreach.
Supports
Limited
Government

Blocking Biden's Costly Commercial Refrigeration Energy Standards Mandate by Overturning a Department of Energy Rule

This joint resolution, introduced by Rep. Craig Goldman (R-TX), would utilize the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal a Biden Department of Energy rule titled "Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Commercial Refrigerators, Freezers, and Refrigerator-Freezers" and published on January 21, 2025. The underlying rule establishes new federal energy conservation standards for common commercial refrigeration equipment used by grocery stores, restaurants, convenience stores, and other businesses. According to supporters, the repeal of the Biden rule would stop Washington from using one-size-fits-all efficiency mandates to dictate what equipment businesses can buy and how much it must cost to comply. These types of federal standards often function as a hidden tax on everyday commerce by forcing expensive redesigns, accelerating replacement cycles, and raising operating and purchase costs that ultimately get passed on to consumers.
Support is the Limited Government Position as Congress should rein-in costly, top-down energy mandates imposed by unelected regulators.
Repealing this rule helps protect small businesses and consumers from bureaucratic micromanagement that drives up prices.
Supports
Limited
Government

Blocking a De Facto National Zero Emission Truck Mandate by Overturning the Biden EPA's California Advanced Clean Trucks Waiver.

This joint resolution, introduced by Rep. John James (R-MI), would utilize the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal a Biden Environmental Protection Agency notice titled "California State Motor Vehicle and Engine Pollution Control Standards; Heavy-Duty Vehicle and Engine Emission Warranty and Maintenance Provisions; Advanced Clean Trucks; Zero Emission Airport Shuttle; Zero-Emission Power Train Certification; Waiver of Preemption; Notice of Decision" and published on April 6, 2023. The underlying action granted California a waiver to enforce regulations that drive heavy-duty vehicles and equipment toward government-directed "zero-emission" requirements and impose stricter warranty and maintenance mandates on diesel engines. By allowing one state to set the pace for manufacturers and other states, this waiver functions as a backdoor way to reshape the national truck market without Congress voting on the costs. Supporters argue the waiver raises prices for truckers and small businesses, threatens supply chain reliability, and hands regulators sweeping leverage to force an energy transition that working Americans did not choose.
Support is the Limited Government Position as Congress should stop executive-branch maneuvers that let California and federal bureaucrats impose nationwide mandates through waivers rather than legislation.
Repealing this action protects consumer choice and prevents regulators from centralizing control over the transportation economy.
Supports
Limited
Government

Blocking California's Backdoor National EV Mandate by Overturning the Biden EPA's Advanced Clean Cars II Waiver

This joint resolution, introduced by Rep. John Joyce (R-PA), would utilize the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal a Biden Environmental Protection Agency action granting California a waiver of federal preemption for its "Advanced Clean Cars II" program, published on December 18, 2024. By nullifying the waiver, the resolution would prevent California from enforcing emissions standards that effectively function as an electric vehicle sales mandate and that pressure automakers and other states to conform to California's regulatory model. The waiver approach turns a single state's preferences into a de facto national policy without a direct vote of Congress, raising costs for families, limiting consumer choice, and empowering regulators to reshape the auto market through executive action rather than legislation.
Support is the Limited Government Position as Congress should rein-in executive branch overreach that allows federal agencies and one state government to impose sweeping mandates nationwide.
Blocking this waiver restores accountability and protects consumers from regulatory coercion disguised as environmental policy.
Supports
Limited
Government

Blocking California's Draconian Heavy-Duty Diesel Emissions Mandate by Overturning a Biden EPA Action

This joint resolution, introduced by Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA), would utilize the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal a Biden Environmental Protection Agency action titled "California State Motor Vehicle and Engine and Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; The 'Omnibus' Low NOX Regulation; Waiver of Preemption; Notice of Decision" and published on January 6, 2025. The underlying action granted California permission to enforce its Omnibus Low-NOx emissions program for heavy-duty engines and certain diesel equipment despite federal preemption under the Clean Air Act. By nullifying the waiver, the resolution would stop California from using federal approval to impose regulations that effectively drive a nationwide push toward stricter diesel requirements as manufacturers and other states are pressured to conform. According to supporters, the waiver is another example of Washington allowing one state to dictate energy and transportation policy for the entire country, raising vehicle and compliance costs, disrupting supply chains, and handing regulators more leverage to squeeze working families, truckers, farmers, and small businesses.
Support is the Limited Government Position as Congress should prevent the executive branch from using waivers and regulatory loopholes to impose sweeping mandates without accountability.
Repealing this action helps stop California and federal bureaucrats from turning climate policy into a backdoor national diesel mandate.
Supports
Limited
Government

Extending Tax Relief but Also Worsening Cronyism and Wealth Redistribution through the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act".

This vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, introduced by Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX), is on the final version amended by the Senate, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie. From a limited government perspective, the bill contained positive provisions that extended the lower personal and corporate tax rates, as well as key estate and business tax provisions originally enacted within the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that were set to expire. However, the bill also contained negative provisions that worsened cronyism and wealth redistribution such as no tax on tips and overtime, a larger child tax credit, a car-loan interest deduction, and "Trump Accounts" seeded with a $1,000 federal contribution. With a razor-thin Republican majority, the bill was deemed a necessary evil to lock in the core tax relief and prevent a major tax shock, even as it expanded the practice of using the tax code to pick winners and losers and invited more lobbying and cronyism into federal policy.
Support is the Limited Government Position because, despite serious flaws, the bill prevents a large scheduled tax increase by extending broad-based tax relief and protecting taxpayers from a punitive expansion of Washington's reach into private earnings.
Supports
Limited
Government

Cutting $16 Billion from USAID to Reduce Waste and End Taxpayer Funding of Politicized LGBTQ+ Initiatives.

The Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) amendment #1266 to the FY2025 appropriations bill would reduce the amount appropriated for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) by codifying the Trump administration's foreign-aid reductions identified through Secretary Rubio and DOGE. The amendment would have saved taxpayers roughly $16 billion on an annualized basis by cutting back a foreign-aid bureaucracy that has long operated with weak oversight and a history of waste, fraud, and abuse. Supporters argued the cuts were especially urgent as DOGE has highlighted examples of taxpayer dollars being steered toward ideological advocacy and "woke" cultural projects abroad, including cited spending such as $2 million tied to "sex changes" and LGBT activism in Guatemala, thousands for an LGBT-themed opera project in Colombia, and a claimed grant connected to a transgender-themed comic initiative in Peru. Rather than continuing to fund these programs at prior-year levels, the amendment would have locked in reductions and redirected the savings toward lowering the deficit and debt.
Support is the Limited Government Position as taxpayers should not be forced to bankroll a sprawling foreign-aid apparatus that finances political and ideological projects overseas and rewards entrenched contractors with limited accountability.
Codifying the cuts is necessary to make waste reductions real and permanent instead of temporary executive action that can be reversed or spent elsewhere.
Supports
Limited
Government

Preserving Washington Waste by Defunding DOGE and Blocking Oversight of Fraudulent Spending Across Federal Agencies

The Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) amendment #1272 to the FY2025 appropriations bill would prohibit the use of appropriated amounts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), effectively defunding the federal waste-hunting effort in the middle of the fiscal year. DOGE's work has highlighted the scale of routine mismanagement across the bureaucracy, including the Small Business Administration distributing more than $300 million in loans to thousands of children age 11 and younger, agencies paying for tens of thousands of unused software licenses, and the Department of Veterans Affairs spending $56,000 to water eight plants for five years. Opponents of the amendment argued that shutting down DOGE is an attempt to protect the status quo by stopping audits, transparency, and reforms that expose waste and force agencies to justify spending. With deficits surging and debt approaching crisis levels, they warned Congress should be expanding scrutiny of federal spending, not cutting off the very effort identifying abuses in real time.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as defunding DOGE protects bureaucratic waste and undermines one of the most practical tools for stopping fraud, eliminating unnecessary spending, and restoring accountability.
Taxpayers should not be forced to bankroll mismanagement that can be identified and corrected through aggressive oversight.
Supports
Limited
Government

Closing the Medicaid Loophole that Lets Illegal Immigrants Receive Benefits Before Lawful Presence Is Verified

The Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) amendment #2764 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill" would close a loophole that allows illegal immigrants to receive Medicaid coverage for up to 90 days by blocking federal taxpayer dollars from funding benefits for prospective beneficiaries until citizenship or lawful presence is verified. Under current practice, states can provide coverage during a verification window, creating a pathway for ineligible individuals to receive taxpayer-funded benefits before eligibility is confirmed. Supporters argued this is a basic integrity reform needed to protect Medicaid for lawful, vulnerable Americans and to stop the program from being exploited as a de facto benefit for those who are not eligible. They also pointed to the broader scale of Medicaid and federal health-program waste, noting estimates of more than $1 trillion in improper payments over the last decade, and argued that restoring integrity requires ending policies that invite abuse. In addition, supporters cited estimates that roughly 1.4 million illegal immigrants are currently exploiting Medicaid and argued that eligibility verification up front is a straightforward way to protect taxpayers and preserve resources for those who truly need care.
Support is the Limited Government Position as taxpayer-funded benefits should be reserved for lawful, eligible recipients and administered with strict verification to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.
Requiring citizenship or lawful presence verification before federal dollars flow is a necessary accountability measure that protects Medicaid's sustainability.
Supports
Limited
Government

Preserving Medicaid Waste by Blocking Reforms to State-Directed Payments Under the Guise of Protecting Rural Maternity Care

The Blunt Rochester motion to commit would send the "One Big Beautiful Bill" back to committee for three days with instructions to strike any provision limiting Medicaid state-directed payments and to preserve access to hospital labor and delivery units, citing that Medicaid finances about 40 percent of births nationwide and nearly 50 percent of births in rural communities. While the motion is framed as protecting moms and babies, it would delay the bill and effectively gut the integrity reforms designed to combat Medicaid waste, fraud, and abuse. State-directed payments are a major driver of Medicaid's broken financing because they allow states to steer inflated payments through complex arrangements that can function like slush funds, rewarding politically connected entities while shifting more costs onto federal taxpayers. With Medicaid spending surging and SNAP-style entitlement growth becoming increasingly unsustainable, opponents argued the program needs accountability reforms – not carveouts that preserve the very payment schemes that inflate costs and weaken transparency.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Medicaid must be protected for the truly needy by strengthening oversight and ending wasteful payment games that expand spending without improving care.
Congress should not block integrity reforms with broad carveouts that keep state-directed payment schemes on autopilot and push taxpayers deeper into an unsustainable welfare-state trajectory.
Supports
Limited
Government

Worsening Wealth Redistribution by Hiking the Top Tax Rate to 39.6% to Fuel Greater Levels of Out-of-Control Health Spending and Cronyism

This vote was on the motion to advance the Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) amendment #2812 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill". The amendment would expand the Rural Health Transformation Program by increasing the Rural Healthcare Provider Fund from $20 billion to $50 billion and broadening eligibility beyond rural hospitals to include community health centers, nursing homes, ambulance services, skilled nursing facilities, and other providers tied to the Medicaid welfare system. Opponents warned the structure functions like a slush fund that states can utilize for unrelated initiatives, with weak accountability often enriching politically connected entities while failing to fix underlying access and integrity problems. To pay for the expansion, the amendment would raise the top individual income tax rate from 37 percent to 39.6 percent for individuals earning more than $25 million and couples earning more than $50 million, further deepening Washington's cycle of higher taxes and bigger government healthcare spending. Note: Members who voted in opposition because they sought larger levels of spending were also recorded as supporting the motion.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this proposal expands a waste-prone spending pipeline while raising tax rates to fuel more centralized healthcare redistribution and cronyism.
Congress should pursue reforms that strengthen integrity and reduce spending, not build a larger slush fund financed by higher taxes.
Against
Limited
Government

Penalizing States that Use Medicaid to Cover Criminal Aliens by Reducing Federal Subsidies for Violent and Sexual Offenders

The Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) amendment #2771 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill" would reduce federal Medicaid funding to states that provide Medicaid coverage to illegal immigrants who have been convicted or charged with serious offenses, including sex offenses, human trafficking, domestic or child abuse, murder or manslaughter, or child pornography. Specifically, for Medicaid expanded states that provide coverage to these categories of illegal immigrants, the amendment would lower the federal reimbursement rate for the expansion population from 90 percent to 80 percent. Supporters contend states should not be rewarded with an enhanced federal match for policies that prioritize benefits for violent illegal immigrants over citizens and lawful residents, especially when Medicaid is already strained by waste, improper payments, and growing long-term costs.
Support is the Limited Government Position as federal welfare dollars should be reserved for lawful, eligible recipients and should not subsidize state choices to provide benefits to illegal immigrants accused or convicted of severe crimes.
Reducing the enhanced match is a targeted accountability measure that protects taxpayers and reinforces that Medicaid is not a sanctuary benefit system.
Supports
Limited
Government

Trapping Veterans in Government Dependency by Blocking SNAP Work Requirements and Gutting Reforms to Cut Waste

The Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) motion to commit H.R. 1 would send the "One Big Beautiful Bill" back to committee for three days with instructions to ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are not terminated or reduced for favored categories of recipients, including veterans. While framed as a narrow protection, the motion would effectively undo the SNAP reforms in the bill by carving out broad exemptions that prevent meaningful work requirements and integrity measures from taking effect. The underlying reforms are intended to eliminate waste, improve accountability, and help able-bodied adults move toward self-sufficiency rather than long-term dependency, at a time when SNAP spending has nearly doubled since 2018 and the program's trajectory is increasingly unsustainable. Opponents of the motion argued that exempting large classes of recipients from work requirements keeps the welfare system on autopilot, weakens incentives to reenter the workforce, and blocks the very reforms needed to protect taxpayers and preserve the safety net for those who truly cannot work.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should not derail SNAP integrity reforms that reduce waste and restore accountability in a rapidly expanding welfare program.
Sustainable assistance should encourage work and independence, not expand exemptions that trap people, including veterans, in dependency and drive spending higher.
Supports
Limited
Government

Blocking Federal Workforce Reforms by Creating a Veteran "Layoff Shield" that Protects Bureaucracy and Preserves Wasteful Jobs

The Kaine motion to commit would send the "One Big Beautiful Bill" back to committee with instructions to add a provision prohibiting any federal agency, on or after January 20, 2025, from terminating more than 1 percent of its employees if any of the terminated employees is a veteran, unless the agency submits a detailed report to Congress at least 60 days in advance identifying the positions, number of employees, and the agency components affected. While framed as protecting veterans, the motion would function as a sweeping procedural barrier to federal downsizing because veterans make up more than 30 percent of the federal workforce, compared to roughly 6 percent of the overall workforce. Opponents argued this is an attempt to block efficiency efforts like DOGE by making it practically impossible for agencies to reduce headcount without political delays, even when positions are unnecessary or duplicative. They also noted veterans already receive hiring and retention preferences under existing law, and that taxpayer-funded jobs should not be preserved simply as a jobs program when the federal government is running enormous deficits and carrying a $39 trillion national debt.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should not erect new barriers that prevent agencies from eliminating waste and right-sizing bureaucracy.
Every federal position should be justified by a legitimate, essential government function, and reforms that cut unnecessary jobs are critical to restoring fiscal discipline.
Supports
Limited
Government

Combatting Cronyism by Requiring Congressional Approval Before the Executive Branch Spends $1 Billion in Undesignated Defense Production Act Funds.

This vote was on the motion to advance the Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) amendment #2772 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill" prohibits the use of Defense Production Act of 1950 (DPA) funds without explicit approval by Congress. The underlying bill sets aside $1 billion to be spent by September 30, 2027, to carry out the Defense Production Act, without specifying how the money will be allocated or which private entities may benefit. The DPA is routinely abused outside of wartime as a central planning tool that picks winners and losers and enriches politically connected interests, often through contracts, loans, and subsidies. Supporters of the amendment pointed to the prior administration's use of the DPA to push massive last-minute spending, including roughly $90 billion in the final 76 days, and argued that Congress must be able to provide oversight and accountability so elected representatives can explain to the public how and why taxpayer funds are being spent.
Support is the Limited Government Position as it strengthens constitutional checks by ensuring Congress, not the executive branch, controls major spending decisions under the DPA.
Requiring approval helps curb cronyism and prevents unelected officials from using emergency-style authorities to steer billions to favored interests.
Against
Limited
Government

Empowering Parents and Making Homeschooling More Achievable by Expanding the Teacher Expense Deduction to Homeschool Educators

The Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) amendment #2421 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill" would increase the above-the-line deduction for educators' out-of-pocket classroom expenses from $250 to $600, updating an amount that has not been raised since 2002 to better reflect today's average costs. Most notably, the amendment expands eligibility to include homeschool educators, allowing parents who teach their children at home to deduct qualifying education expenses as well up to the $600 limit. Supporters argued that homeschooling is one of the clearest expressions of parental rights and a direct check on government control over education. They also noted that making homeschooling more achievable provides major fiscal benefits to taxpayers by reducing pressure on public systems and avoiding higher government education spending, while giving families more freedom to pursue learning that fits their child's needs and values.
Support is the Limited Government Position as expanding the deduction to homeschool educators strengthens parental rights and reduces government control over education.
Encouraging home education also delivers long-term savings by lessening taxpayer burdens and limiting the growth of state-run schooling systems.
Supports
Limited
Government

Enriching Hospitals and Unions by Striking Limits on Medicaid Payment Schemes that Inflate Costs for Patients and Taxpayers.

The Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) amendment #2817 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill" would strike the bill's provision limiting certain Medicaid payments. The underlying language was designed to rein in inflated Medicaid payment arrangements – often structured through state-directed payments and other supplemental payments – that allow states to engineer higher payouts on paper while shifting the costs onto federal taxpayers. Opponents warned these payment schemes function like a money-laundering pipeline inside Medicaid, rewarding politically connected hospitals and special interests while doing little to improve access or outcomes for patients. They also argued the system is routinely used to enrich union leadership and entrenched health-care bureaucracies by locking in higher spending streams and wage structures funded by taxpayers, rather than forcing reforms that prioritize beneficiaries.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Medicaid dollars should be focused on patient care, not manipulated through complex payment arrangements that reward insiders and expand federal spending.
Keeping limits on these payments is a necessary step to curb waste, protect taxpayers, and stop special interests from exploiting Medicaid financing.
Supports
Limited
Government

Ending the 2022 "Green New Scam" Subsidies by Terminating Wind and Solar Tax Credits.

The Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) amendment #2745 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill" would terminate wind and solar tax credits, cutting off the "green new scam" subsidies adopted in 2022 under the Inflation Reduction Act. The House-passed version of the bill eliminated these subsidies entirely, while the Senate version only partially rolled them back; this amendment would have completed the rollback by ending the remaining wind and solar credits. These credits have functioned as corporate welfare by steering investment toward projects built around federal tax advantages rather than reliability and consumer demand, enriching a subsidy sector that lobbies to keep the carveouts permanent.
Support is the Limited Government Position as Congress should end special-interest energy subsidies that pick winners and losers and distort the marketplace.
Terminating wind and solar credits is a direct step toward fiscal restraint and a neutral tax code.
Supports
Limited
Government

Gutting SNAP Integrity Reforms by Striking Food-Stamp Accountability Measures and Locking In Unsustainable Spending

The Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) motion on the "One Big Beautiful Bill" would send it back to committee with instructions to strike all provisions in the bill relating to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). By removing the SNAP section entirely, the motion would effectively wipe out the bill's reforms aimed at reducing waste, strengthening eligibility and verification, improving accountability, and helping able-bodied recipients move toward work and self-sufficiency. SNAP spending has nearly doubled since 2018, and opponents of the motion argued the program's growth is becoming unsustainable without integrity reforms that ensure benefits are focused on those who truly need temporary assistance. Eliminating the reforms keeps the status quo in place and preserves the incentives and loopholes that have driven higher costs, weaker oversight, and greater dependency.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should not strip out SNAP reforms needed to curb waste, fraud, and abuse and restore the program's role as temporary help rather than a permanent entitlement.
With massive deficits and a $39 trillion national debt, lawmakers should strengthen accountability and work-oriented reforms instead of blocking them.
Supports
Limited
Government

Preserving Taxpayer Funding for Planned Parenthood by Striking a One-Year Prohibition on Medicaid Payments to Abortion Providers

The Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) amendment #2747 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill" would strike the bill's one-year prohibition on Medicaid payments to abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood. The underlying bill included this provision to protect taxpayer dollars by preventing abortion providers from receiving Medicaid funds for one year, ensuring public welfare dollars are not routed through organizations whose business model is intertwined with the abortion industry. Opponents of the amendment argued that keeping these payments flowing forces taxpayers to underwrite an industry many Americans strongly oppose, deepening government entanglement in divisive social policy and expanding the role of federal welfare spending in propping up controversial private entities.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as taxpayers should not be compelled to subsidize abortion-industry organizations through Medicaid, and Congress should ensure welfare funds are not used to enrich controversial providers.
Blocking these payments is a targeted restraint on government spending that protects taxpayers and limits federal involvement in underwriting abortion-related entities.
Supports
Limited
Government

Permanently Expanding Obamacare Wealth Redistribution by Making the "Temporary" Enhanced Subsidies Permanent and Raising Taxes to Pay for It

The Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) amendment #2696 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill" would extend the enhanced Obamacare premium tax credits and raise the top individual income tax rate from 37 percent to 39.6 percent for taxpayers with income of $5,000,000 ($10,000,000 married). These COVID-era subsidy boosts, created in 2021 and later extended by the Inflation Reduction Act only through 2025, removed the 400 percent of the federal poverty level cap on eligibility, allowing situations in which families earning up to $600,000 can receive taxpayer-funded subsidies. Opponents of the amendment argue the program is rife with fraud and waste, and insurers have been enriched because the enhanced subsidies are effectively paid directly to them. Making this "temporary" subsidy expansion permanent would further lock in an open-ended transfer system that grows federal control of healthcare and drives long-term spending and debt.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this amendment would permanently expand Obamacare subsidies and deepen taxpayer liability while funding it through higher tax rates.
Congress should allow the enhanced subsidy expansion to end and pursue reforms that reduce federal spending and insurer-enriching subsidy pipelines.
Supports
Limited
Government

Preserving Solar and Wind Production Tax Credit Subsidies that Distort Energy Markets and Enrich Politically Favored Industries.

The Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) amendment #2717 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill" would maintain parity for wind and solar facilities under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The amendment would effectively keep the federal production-tax-credit subsidies in place for solar and wind, shielding these industries from the underlying bill's effort to roll back special tax preferences. These credits steer investment based on what qualifies for federal subsidies rather than what consumers and markets actually demand, and they incentivize constant lobbying to preserve carveouts. Opponents argued the result is classic cronyism: a subsidy sector that profits from taxpayer-backed advantages while the costs are spread across the public through higher federal debt and a tax code that picks winners and losers.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should end industry-specific tax credits that function as ongoing subsidies and keep energy markets dependent on Washington favoritism.
The tax code should be simplified and neutral, not used to enrich preferred sectors through permanent carveouts.
Supports
Limited
Government

Expanding Medicare Entitlements While Worsening the Inflation Reduction Act Drug Price Controls

The Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) amendment #2435 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill" would expand government control of healthcare by adding a major Medicare benefit expansion and escalating the Inflation Reduction Act's drug-pricing scheme. On benefits, it would add Medicare coverage for dental, vision, and hearing services beginning January 1, 2028, including routine exams and cleanings, major dental work, dentures, eyeglasses, and hearing aids. On drugs, it would worsen the IRA's price control regime by nearly tripling the number of drugs Medicare is required to "negotiate," meaning more medicines would be subjected to government coercion backed by massive excise-tax style penalties. It also codifies a Most Favored Nation-style price control scheme that pegs U.S. drug prices to a median price in other countries, importing foreign rationing and allowing international systems to effectively shape what treatments Americans can access. Opponents argued the amendment would grow entitlement spending, expand federal micromanagement of medical decisions, and undermine innovation and patient access by spreading coercive price caps across a much wider share of the drug market.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this amendment expands Medicare into new entitlement territory while doubling down on price controls that reduce competition, discourage innovation, and ultimately restrict patient access.
Congress should pursue reforms that empower patients and markets, not expand federal benefits and foreign-indexed drug rationing.
Supports
Limited
Government

Preserving Wasteful SNAP Spending by Blocking Reforms and Locking In Food-Stamp Expansion Under the Guise of "Protecting Children"

The Schiff motion to commit would send the "One Big Beautiful Bill" back to committee for three days with instructions to ensure that no provision of the bill cuts any food assistance benefits for families with children under the age of 12. In practice, the motion would effectively undo the bill's SNAP reforms by carving out a large protected category that would prevent meaningful eligibility, enforcement, and administrative changes from taking effect. The underlying reforms were designed to eliminate waste, improve accountability, and move the program back toward its intended purpose as temporary assistance that helps people become self-sufficient rather than permanently dependent. Opponents of the motion argued these reforms are critical because SNAP spending has nearly doubled since 2018, making the program's current trajectory unsustainable and forcing taxpayers to subsidize a system with weak controls and growing abuse.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should not derail or gut SNAP integrity reforms that reduce waste and restore accountability in a rapidly expanding welfare program.
Sustaining families is best served by reforms that encourage work and independence, not by blocking oversight and locking in an unsustainable spending surge.
Supports
Limited
Government

Extending Green-Energy Tax Carveouts by Reinstating Four Special-Interest Credits and Deductions to Enrich Special Interests.

The Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) amendment #2564 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill would modify the bill's provisions terminating key green-energy tax preferences by reinstating four incentives as they operate in current law: the energy efficiency home improvement credit, the residential clean energy credit, the new energy efficient home credit, and the energy efficiency commercial building deduction. In practical terms, it would keep Washington's subsidy pipeline flowing to favored "clean energy" and efficiency industries by preserving tax advantages that steer consumer decisions, corporate investment, and building activity based on what qualifies for federal benefits rather than what the market demands. The amendment would continue a system where well-connected sectors are rewarded through the tax code, while the costs are spread across taxpayers and added to the long-term debt. Rather than simplifying the tax code and ending special carveouts, it would lock in crony incentives that distort prices, encourage lobbying, and expand federal micromanagement of energy and construction choices.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress should be eliminating narrow, industry-specific tax favors that pick winners and losers and socialize private-sector costs onto taxpayers.
Ending these subsidies is a necessary step toward a simpler tax code, less cronyism, and more market-driven investment decisions.
Supports
Limited
Government

Earmarking Northern Virginia Airports' Rent Payments to Avoid Paying Fair-Market Rent to the Federal Government

The Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) amendment #2847 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill" would have redirected the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority's (MWAA) lease payments – paid for operating Reagan National and Dulles, two airports on Federal Government land – so the money could be used for "aviation safety" and related purposes. This amendment followed the underlying bill's update to MWAA's rent calculation, which raised the federal rent from the 1987 level of $7.5 million to $15 million, a figure that remains dramatically below market rates. By comparison, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey pays over $100 million in rent. Opponents to the amendment argued it was an attempt to neutralize MWAA's rent obligations under the guise of safety by turning what should be taxpayer rent into a local spending pot. They also noted the bill already provides $12.5 billion for the FAA to modernize and transform the air traffic control system to improve safety nationwide, making the amendment a self-interested earmark that benefits a Virginia senator's home-state airports rather than protecting taxpayers.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as federally owned assets should generate fair, transparent rent for taxpayers and should not be converted into earmarked funding streams for favored local projects.
Aviation safety should be addressed through accountable FAA appropriations, not by carving out special treatment that shields politically connected airports from paying what they owe.
Supports
Limited
Government

Blocking a Provision that Reins in the Unaccountable Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Restores Congressional Oversight of the Rogue Regulator.

This vote was on a motion to advance the Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-MA) amendment #2414 to the "One Big Beautiful Bill". The Warren amendment would strike the bill's provision reducing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding cap from 12 percent to 6.5 percent, preserving the CFPB's unusually insulated funding stream outside the normal appropriations process. The underlying bill's reduction still leaves the agency with substantial resources to carry out its statutory mandate, and the cap continues to grow each year as it is adjusted for inflation. Opponents of the Warren amendment argued the CFPB has become a powerful, unaccountable regulator that uses "regulation by enforcement," targets disfavored industries, and operates with minimal democratic checks, and that reducing its automatic funding is a measured step toward curbing bureaucratic overreach while still allowing legitimate consumer protection work.
Oppose is the Limited Government Position as Congress – not an insulated bureaucracy – should control federal spending, and agencies should not be allowed to operate like a self-funded political weapon.
Keeping the reduced cap strengthens accountability, limits abuse, and reasserts the constitutional principle that the people's representatives set the limits for federal power.
Supports
Limited
Government

Defending U.S. and Israeli Sovereignty by Sanctioning the International Criminal Court for Targeting Non-Member Nations

The "Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act," introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), would impose sanctions related to the International Criminal Court (ICC) when it attempts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute "protected persons" of the United States and certain U.S. allies that have not consented to ICC jurisdiction. The bill requires visa- and property-blocking sanctions on foreign persons who materially assist such ICC actions, and it also applies visa restrictions to certain immediate family members, while rescinding and restricting U.S. funding for the ICC. In part, the legislation responds to the ICC's escalating actions against Israel after, in November 2024, the ICC announced arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on baseless charges of "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity." According to supporters, this is about stopping an unaccountable international tribunal from trying to police Americans and key allies from the outside, even though the United States never granted the ICC authority over our citizens and Israel is not subject to its jurisdiction either.
Support is the Limited Government Position as the United States should not submit its citizens or allies to an unaccountable international court that operates beyond constitutional checks and voter control.
Congress should use lawful tools to defend national sovereignty and deter foreign actors who help weaponize international institutions against Americans and Israel.
Supports
Limited
Government
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