Blanche Lincoln

The Senate voted to ratify a New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia. ACU opposed this treaty for its ambiguity regarding missile defense and other matters of substance without legal understandings to the contrary. ACU also opposed its adoption by a lame-duck session of Congress without proper consideration and debate. Nevertheless, on December 22, 2010, the resolution of ratification was adopted by a vote of 71-26.

On December 18, 2010 the Senate voted to repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, which prohibits military service by openly homosexual men and women. ACU opposed this major change in social policy during a lame duck session of congress in time of war. Nevertheless, the Senate voted to pass the bill by a vote of 65-31.

On December 18, 2010, the Senate defeated an attempt to stop debate and pass a bill granting children of illegal immigrants legal status if they have been in the United States continuously for more than five years and were younger than 16 when they entered the country, acquired a GED or enlisted in the military, and were younger than 30 on the date of enactment. ACU opposes this kind of piecemeal amnesty for those in the country illegally, and while a 55-41 majority of the Senate did vote to put this measure to a vote, under Senate rules 60 votes are required to limit debate.

On November 30, 2010, the Senate passed a bill overhauling food safety laws, expanding Food and Drug Administration enforcement powers and adding 18,000 federal employees. The bill enormously increased the regulatory red tape to operate farms and processing centers but did nothing to reduce the many agencies now dealing with the same issue and did not in fact increase meat and poultry safety. ACU opposed this vast expansion of the regulatory powers of the FDA, but the Senate passed it by a vote of 73-25.

The Senate defeated an amendment that would have cut federal spending by 5 percent (except for defense, veterans' and homeland security) after spending on these programs had increased by 20-30% since 2008. ACU supports efforts to reign in federal spending, but this effort failed September 29, 2010 by a vote of 48-51.

In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision upholding free speech rights for groups of private individuals, corporate entitties, and labor unions in political campaign advertising, efforts were made in both houses of Congress to overturn it. The House did pass such legislation, but on September 23, 2010, the Senate refused to take up a bill imposing federal requirements on political advertising. Although a 59-39 majority of the Senate did vote for it, under Senate rules 60 votes were required.

Congress has declined to pass the so called "card check" legislation, which would make it easier for labor unions to organize workers. Nevertheless, the National Mediation Board has promulgated rules that would accomplish the same result. On September 23, 2010, the Senate rejected a motion to proceed to consider a resolution of disapproval of the NMB action. ACU supported this effort to check a runaway Executive Branch Agency, but the effort failed by a vote of 43- 56.

On August 5, 2010, the Senate voted 63-37 to confirm the nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. ACU opposed this nomination, considering Kagan's record as a political activist.

The Senate defeated an effort to bring up an amendment de-funding federal efforts to invalidate Arizona's state immigration law. ACU supports the State of Arizona in this dispute, and supported the effort, but on July 21, 2010 it failed by a vote of 43-55.

The Senate defeated an effort to bring up a permanent repeal of the "death" tax. ACU supports elimination of the tax, and supported this effort, which failed July 21, 2010 by a vote of 39-59.

The Environmental Protection Agency has signaled its intent to regulate CO2, despite the absence of any Congressional mandate to do so. On June 10, 2010, the Senate, by a vote of 47-53, declined to take up a resolution disapproving EPA's intent. ACU opposes this power grab by EPA, and supported the effort.

The Senate failed to bring up an amendment that would require completion of a 700-mile southern border fence. ACU supported this effort to secure the border. Under Senate rules, a two-thirds majority was needed to bring up the amendment, but on May 27, 2010, the vote was only 45-52.

The Senate killed an amendment that would offset the cost of a supplemental spending bill by freezing salaries of federal civilian employees and rescinding 5 percent of the budget authority for programs other than those in the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. ACU supported this move but on May 27, 2010, the Senate voted to kill the amendment by a vote of 53-45.

The Senate agreed to stop debate and vote on a massive re-write of the nation's financial services industry regulations. ACU strongly opposed this re-write, judging that it will not protect consumers, and will in fact further de-stabilize the economy. Under Senate rules, 60 votes are required to limit debate, and on May 20, 2010 the Senate voted 60-40 to do so.

The Senate defeated an amendment designed to reduce taxpayer exposure for risky home mortgages by increasing the minimum down payment requirement from 3.5 percent to 5 percent and placing other limits on taxpayer-guaranteed mortgages. ACU thinks loose lending practices by government agencies fueled the meltdown in the housing market, and so supported this tightening. However, the Senate rejected it May 12, 2010, by a vote of 42-57.

The Senate defeated an effort to provide for an audit of the Federal Reserve Bank by the Government Accounting Office. ACU has long argued for more transparency in the operations of the Federal Reserve, and supported this effort, which was defeated May 11, 2010, by a vote of 37-62.

During consideration of the Financial Regulatory Overhaul bill, an effort was made to include government-sponsored financial institutions, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the regulations, particularly with regard to limiting their size. ACU opposes these government-sponsored institutions, and supported the amendment to limit their size. However, on May 6, 2010, the Senate rejected this effort by a vote of 35-59.

After passing the Obama Administration's health care "reform" bill in late 2009, on a party-line vote, the Congress used the reconciliation process to get a bill through the Senate making some "fixes" to the Health Care Act, including tax increases and federal funding of abortion. The bill also included a government takeover of the student loan program. ACU opposes the procedure and the substance of this effort, but the Senate did pass it March 25, 2010 by a vote of 56-43.

The Senate voted to kill an amendment that would have limited federal health care programs to U.S. citizens or legal alien residents. ACU supported this effort to require documentation for eligibility, but the Senate voted 55-43 to kill it on March 25, 2010.

The Senate voted to kill an amendment that would have repealed the so-called Obamacare Health Care "overhaul" enacted by Congress at the end of 2009. ACU opposed the "overhaul," and supported this repeal effort, but the Senate voted March 24, 2010 to kill it, by a vote of 58-39.