Joe Sempolinski Voting Record & Scorecard | Institute for Legislative Analysis

US Representative from NY

District: 23 • Republican

2022 Alignment:

66.67%

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District Performance

Cook PVI Rating: R+10 (Solid R)

District Estimate: 83%

District Performance: -16 (66.67%)

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Rankings of Congress

Lifetime Ratings by Policy Category

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Bill

Title

Lawmaker Position

HR 1437

House 2022

Paving the Way for Irresponsible Spending Through the Second CR which Allows the Lame Duck Congress, Not the New Congress, to Set Government Funding.

The "Further Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2023" funds the federal government through December 23, 2022, as opposed to January 2023 when a new congress will be sworn in following the November election. Such an action will result in members of congress who lost their election, but are still sitting in office (a concept commonly known as "lame duck"), to set government funding for the next year, rather than the next congress.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as allowing lame duck members of congress to set funding levels - especially with a holiday deadline - will likely result in greater irresponsible spending.

Budgets should be set by sitting members of congress, the individuals who are held accountable by the voters, not members who are on their way out of office.

Supports
Limited
Government

HR 1456

House 2022

Reauthorizing the Peace Corps with a Significant Hike in Spending and New Benefits Provided to Participants.

The "Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2022" further increases funding for the Peace Corps while making several adjustments to the program, such as larger allowances and greater health benefits to program participants.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as the Peace Corps serves as just one of many foreign aid programs of the United States and the country is not in the position to grow its foreign aid spending when congress is running a budget deficit of $1.

4 trillion. Significant spending cuts must take place across government in order to reverse our $30 trillion national debt, which, when coupled with the over $185 trillion in unfunded federal liabilities, represents the greatest existential threat facing this country.

Against
Limited
Government

HR 2521

House 2022

Requiring a Study to Further Grow the Department Of Veterans Affairs to Include "Doula Services" Despite Much Needed Reforms or Privatization of the Broken System.

The "Delivering Optimally Urgent Labor Access for Veterans Affairs (DOULA) Act of 2022" requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to study the feasibility and advisability of furnishing doula services to those enrolled in the VA healthcare system.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as, rather than further growing the failing bureaucracy and services of the VA, lawmakers should work to streamline and shrink the department so that those who served our country can receive the highest possible quality of healthcare from the doctors of their choice within the private sector.

Against
Limited
Government

HR 2617

House 2022

Bypassing the New Congress by Ramming Through $1.7 Trillion in Spending in the Final Days of the Lame Duck Session.

The "Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023", which was passed on December 23, 2022 funds government through the rest of fiscal year 2023. The package is over 4,000 pages long and includes numerous earmarks, ultimately amounting to $1.7 trillion in spending. Spending increases included 5.5% in domestic spending and 10% in defense spending.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this measure was voted upon only days before the new congress, which would likely have significantly cut spending within the bill due to Republicans taking control of the House.

The bill also contained nearly $50 billion in additional spending on Ukraine (without safeguards to prevent corruption), bringing the year's total to $113 billion - totaling more than half the size of Ukraine's entire pre-war economy.

Supports
Limited
Government

HR 5315

House 2022

Establishing a New Spending Program for "Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants" Containing Multiple Costly and Protectionist Provisions.

The "Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant Act" establishes a new spending program within the Department of Transportation that provides grants for drone purchases to state and local governments that follow certain protectionist "buy American" procurement mandates, if the purchase will result in lower carbon emissions.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as it is not the role of the federal government to provide states with drones and the bill's multiple costly and protectionist provisions unnecessarily drive-up taxpayer costs.

Against
Limited
Government

HR 5768

House 2022

Advancing an Ineffective and Wasteful Crime Victim Bill Rather Than Supporting Law Enforcement and Preventing Crime.

The "Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods" (VICTIM) Act of 2022" directs $100 million in new annual spending on grants for local entities to assist victims of crime. The funds are directed to be used for food and housing and other vaguely defined initiatives called "improving relationships with communities."

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this bill is largely politicized, with many ineffective and wasteful provisions.

Instead, lawmakers should combat efforts that "defund the police" and allocate funding to proven initiatives that actually prevent crime from occurring in the first place.

Supports
Limited
Government

HR 6833 Sen Amd Concurrence

House 2022

Paving the Way for Irresponsible Spending Through a CR which Allows the Lame Duck Congress, Not the New Congress, to Set Government Funding.

The "Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023" funds the federal government through December 16, 2022, as opposed to January 2023 when a new congress will be sworn in following the November election. Such an action will result in members of congress who lost their election, but are still sitting in office (a concept commonly known as "lame duck"), to set government funding for the next year, rather than the next congress . Additionally, the bill provides $12.3 billion in funding to Ukraine, which is on top of the $53 billion congress has already spent on the country.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as allowing lame duck members of congress to set funding levels will likely result in much greater irresponsible spending than allowing the new congress to set spending levels, as they are still held accountable to voters.

Additionally, the bill's Ukraine spending includes $4.5 billion of funding directed towards helping the Ukraine government maintain operations, a specially troubling provision considering the lack of oversight and Ukraine's long history of corruption.

Supports
Limited
Government

HR 7946

House 2022

Weakening National Security by Providing Amnesty to Individuals Residing in the Country Illegally - Including those with Violent Criminal Records - if They Have Previous Military Service.

The "Veteran Service Recognition Act of 2022" prohibits an individual residing in the country illegally from being deported if they previously served in the U.S. military. The prohibition applies despite an individual's criminal record (except if they committed certain aggravated felonies) and prevents the individual's family members from being deported.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as despite the need to grow the U.

S. economy through reforms to the immigration system that increase the number of skilled individuals who may enter and work in our country, the promotion of open-border and non-merit-based immigration significantly drains taxpayer resources and creates serious national security problems.

Supports
Limited
Government

HR 8326

House 2022

Weakening Integrity of the Census Through an Attempt to Prohibit Questions on Citizenship.

The "Ensuring a Fair and Accurate Census Act" provides greater decision-making authority to the Census Bureau director and limits the number of political appointees at the bureau. The bill is largely in response to the Trump Administration's attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this measure provides greater power to unelected government employees who are not held accountable to voters by taking away the oversight provided by the executive branch of government.

Additionally, citizenship is a legitimate line of inquiry on the census, especially since the census determines state representation in the House of Representatives and impacts a litany of other government operations.

Supports
Limited
Government

HR 8393

House 2022

Placing Enormous New Financial Liabilities on the U.S. Through a Politicized Effort to Advance Puerto Rico Statehood.

The "Puerto Rico Status Act" requires a plebiscite (binding vote on Congress) to be held on November 5, 2023, which would offer Puerto Rico voters a choice of independence, sovereignty in free association with the United States, or statehood.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as not only does this measure serve as a political tool to grow power of select parties in the U.

S. but it also burdens taxpayers with enormous new financial liabilities as more than 40 percent of the population lives in poverty and the territory continues to struggle with debt.

Supports
Limited
Government

HR 8446

House 2022

Reauthorizing and Further Hiking Spending to $3.9 Billion Annually for Foreign Aid Surrounding Global Food Insecurity.

The "Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2022" further grows spending by an additional $100 million for various programs at the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) pertaining to global food security, resulting in annual spending of $3.9 billion. This spending program is another of many other initiatives already funded by the U.S. pertaining to food and agricultural development overseas.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as other countries in the United Nations have failed to contribute their fair share of global support and the United States is not in the position to grow its foreign aid spending when congress is running a budget deficit of $1.

Supports
Limited
Government

HR 8463

House 2022

Providing Foreign Aid to Additional Countries with Higher Levels of Wealth Through the Federal Millennium Challenge Corporation.

The "Millennium Challenge Corporation Eligibility Expansion Act" authorizes the Millennium Challenge Corporation (a bilateral U.S. foreign aid agency) to provide aid to a greater range of countries. Previously, the corporation could only provide aid to countries with per capita incomes that were amongst the lowest 75 lowest in the world. This bill now authorizes aid to any country that is within the lowest 125 in the world.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as the United States is not in the position to expand its foreign aid initiatives to an even greater range of countries with higher levels of wealth when congress is running a budget deficit of $1.

Supports
Limited
Government

HR 884

House 2022

Creating Unnecessary Bureaucracy within the Department of Transportation to Establish a Duplicative Aviation Industry Pandemic Plan Already Covered by the CDC.

The "National Aviation Preparedness Plan Act of 2022" requires the Department of Transportation to develop a national aviation preparedness plan that includes the identification of appropriate personal protective equipment to reduce exposure to a communicable disease and consultations with airline and labor groups.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as the primary mission of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is to constantly monitor and adjust strategy to best protect the public from pandemics - it is an organization better equipped to carry out these duties than the Department of Transportation.

Against
Limited
Government

HR 8876

House 2022

Increasing Government Dependency by Further Expanding a Federal Program Funding Maternal and Child Home Visiting.

The "Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022" reauthorizes and further expands a program that funds home visits in select local communities for expectant and new parents. The congressional budget office estimates this program will cost federal taxpayers over $3 billion.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as such an initiative should not be the role of the federal government, but rather local community and non-profit groups that can judge the effectiveness of such initiatives and maximize their impact.

Against
Limited
Government

S 1098

House 2022

Growing Government Spending and Debt Through an Expansion of Student Loan Forgiveness via the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act.

The "Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act" allows two borrowers who received a joint consolidation loan (offered at one point federally and at a lower interest rate) to apply to have their loan severed into two separate loans. The bill is primarily designed to expand who is eligible for loan forgiveness initiatives of the Biden administration.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as individuals with joint consolidation loans already enjoyed lower interest rates than other borrowers and this bill shifts their costs onto other individuals and taxpayers, an especially unfair situation for individuals who paid-off their loans or chose not to pursue higher education.

Supports
Limited
Government

S 1942

House 2022

Reauthorizing the "National Heritage Area" System and Hundreds of Millions in Unnecessary Spending for Initiatives that Should Be Privately Funded.

The "National Heritage Area Act" reauthorizes programs and funding for roughly 50 "national heritage areas." One entity funded by the act is located in the bill sponsor's state, the MotorCities National Heritage Area Partnership in Southeast Michigan, which is a non-profit that has a mission to preserve and promote the region's automotive and labor heritage.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as the free market and private sector is best equipped to fund and determine the activities and initiatives that most effectively promote national heritage, not politicians and government employees who are not subject to "profit and loss" signals like the private sector.

Supports
Limited
Government

S 3875

House 2022

Creating an Economic Moral Hazard in Government Spending Priorities Involving Community Disaster Resilience Zones and Initiatives.

The "Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022" makes certain programs under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), such as the National Risk Index, permanent and adds components, such as "social vulnerability", into program calculations. Additionally, the bill hikes the amount of money the federal government contributes to local community disaster resilience initiatives from 75% to 90%, with state and local governments now only required to cover 10% of the costs.

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as the incorporation of social vulnerability and other politized components weakens FEMA's ability to direct taxpayer funds to the most essential resilience efforts.

Furthermore, requiring states and localities to contribute a mere 10% of the proposed initiatives cost results in an economic moral hazard, which disincentivizes local governments from selecting projects that are absolutely necessary and is a poor use of taxpayer funds.

Supports
Limited
Government

S 989

House 2022

Increasing Government Spending to Establish a New Native American Language Resource Center.

The "Native American Language Resource Center Act of 2022" directs the Department of Education to annually appropriate $3 million to establish a university-based center to "serve as a resource to improve the capacity to teach and learn Native American languages and further Native American language use and acquisition".

Oppose is the Limited Government Position as the private sector is best equipped to determine investment levels and which initiatives would be the most impactful for such a center to engage in rather than university employees who are not financially held accountable for the center's failure or success.

Against
Limited
Government