Barbara Mikulski

This bill reforms the administration of the Outer Continental Shelf to allow for energy exploration offshore and on other public lands. ACU supports increasing access to public lands for energy exploration and supported this bill. The Senate defeated a cloture motion, which would have allowed them to consider the bill, on November 17, 2016 by a vote of 51-47 (60 votes were required).

This vote confirms Carla Hayden to be Librarian of Congress. ACU opposed the nomination of someone who has been more of a political activist than a librarian as head of the American Library Association. ACU also opposed confirming anyone to a ten year term of office mere months before a presidential election. The Senate voted to confirm the nomination on July 13, 2016 by a vote of 74-18.

This bill, known as "Kate's Law," increases penalties for those who illegally re-enter the U.S. after being deported. ACU supports protecting citizens from individuals who desire to break the law, supports increasing the penalties for those who continually do, and supported this bill. The Senate refused to invoke cloture, which would have allowed them to consider the bill, on July 6, 2016 by a vote of 55-42 (60 votes were required).

This bill reduces funds for sanctuary cities, where local officials refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, and makes it clear that local officials are required to detain illegal immigrants when requested to do so by the Department of Homeland Security. ACU supports the enforcement of federal immigration laws and supported this bill. The Senate refused to invoke cloture, which would have allowed consideration of the bill, on July 6, 2016 by a vote of 53-44 (60 votes were required).

The Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) amendment to the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill allows the U.S. Attorney General to unilaterally deny requests to transfer a firearm to certain law-abiding citizens. ACU opposes placing such power in the hands of one person without due process, which could be used for political purposes, and opposed this amendment. The Senate defeated the amendment on June 20, 2016 by a vote of 47-53.

The Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act eliminates a pilot program privatizing five commissaries to determine if a new system would work. ACU supports increasing the role of the private sector to improve government programs where possible and opposed this amendment. The Senate passed the amendment on June 7, 2016 by a vote of 70-28.

The Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act would increase spending on medical research unrelated to defense issues. ACU supports using funds for their allocated purposes and opposed this amendment. The Senate passed the amendment on June 7, 2016 by a vote of 66-32.

This Resolution of Disapproval, sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), uses the Congressional Review Act to stop a duplicative federal catfish inspection program at the Department of Agriculture. The program has been cited as wasteful by the Government Accountability Office ten times and costs the taxpayers $14 million dollars a year. The catfish inspection programs are examples of overregulation by the federal government and ACU supported this resolution. The Senate passed the resolution on May 25, 2016 by a vote of 55-43.

The Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) amendment to a broad appropriations bill covering numerous departments prohibits the use of funds to carry out the "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule." ACU opposes this rule, which creates what is in effect a national zoning board directing local governments to submit plans to increase "fair housing" until local governments meet certain criteria, and supported this amendment. The Senate voted to table, or kill, the amendment on May 19, 2016 by a vote of 60-37 (A "No" vote supports the ACU position).

This amendment to a broad appropriations bill covering numerous departments adds $1.1 billion in funds for combating the Zika virus with no offset reductions. ACU opposes the constant use of "emergency" funds, which increases the deficit instead of setting spending priorities, and opposed this amendment. The Senate passed the amendment on May 19, 2016 by a vote of 68-30.

This vote confirms Paula Xinis to be the United States District Judge for the District of Maryland. ACU opposed the nomination of Xinis, who was opposed by the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police for her record of bias against law enforcement. The Senate confirmed the nomination on May 16, 2016 by a vote of 53-44.

The Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill adds $95 million for wind energy research, an industry that already receives subsidies through tax credits. ACU supports all forms of energy, believes government should not support one form of energy over another, and opposed this amendment. The Senate passed the amendment on April 26, 2016 by a vote of 54-42.

The Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN) amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill phases out an alternative energy vehicle loan program, which, after nine years, has billions of dollars in unspent funds and gave loans to companies that went bankrupt. ACU opposes such wasteful government programs, which favor one form of energy over another, and supported this amendment. The Senate defeated the amendment on April 21, 2016 by a vote of 48-49.

The Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill eliminates funding for a number of outdated agencies and commissions, including the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Delta Regional Authority, and the Northern Border Regional Commission. ACU supports the elimination of wasteful bureaucracies, which, in some cases, go back to the New Deal era, and supported this amendment. The Senate defeated the amendment on April 20, 2016 by a vote of 25-71.

This bill provides for a series of initiatives that increases the federal government's role in the energy sector by promoting energy projects favored by the government. These would include carbon capture, methane hydrates, industrial bioheat systems, the use of disaster relief to promote favored government energy systems, and other programs that have failed in the past and can be funded by the private sector. The bill also permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has nothing to do with energy programs and should be handled as a separate bill. ACU supports all forms of energy, believes government should not favor one form of energy over another, and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on April 20, 2016 by a vote of 85-12.

The Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) amendment to the Energy bill, which includes the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, requires that half of any funds spent to acquire new land go to the land's maintenance. ACU opposes the continued acquisition of federal lands with no plan to maintain them and supported this amendment. The Senate defeated the amendment on April 19, 2016 by a vote of 34-63.

The Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) amendment to the Energy bill requires the Federal Housing Administration to give special favor to borrowers who use green energy in their homes. ACU opposes adding more taxpayer risk to these loans via mandates and opposed this amendment. The Senate passed the amendment on April 19, 2016 by a vote of 66-31.

The Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) amendment to the Small Business Tax Relief Act requires the Federal Aviation Administration to establish minimum requirements regarding seating space for passengers on commercial aircrafts. ACU does not believe it is a proper function of government to mandate the size of airline seats and opposed this amendment. The Senate defeated the amendment on April 7, 2016 by a vote of 42-54.

This vote confirms the nomination of John King as Secretary of Education. ACU opposed the nomination of someone who, as New York State Education Commissioner, imposed Common Core and advocated for a national student database that would share nationwide children's sensitive information, such as disabilities and disciplinary records. The Senate voted to confirm the nomination on March 14, 2016 by a vote of 49-40.

The Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) amendment to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act adds $600 million in additional "emergency" spending, thus adding to the deficit. ACU opposes the constant use of "emergency" spending, which avoids offsetting spending reductions to pay for it, and opposed this amendment. The Senate passed the amendment on March 2, 2016 by a vote of 48-47.