Martha McSally

This is the first of two outrageous articles of impeachment brought by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA, ACUF Lifetime 3%) and Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY, ACUF Lifetime 5%) to reverse the results of the 2016 presidential election. This vote (Article I of Impeachment) wrongly alleges that President Donald J. Trump abused his presidential powers when he spoke with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky about the corruption involving then-Vice President Joe Biden and his son. ACU finds it especially ironic that this impeachment hoax was deployed to cover up the very behavior it claimed to condemn (it was in fact the Biden family that profited from the vice president’s official position). ACU further recognizes the U.S. Constitution permits impeachment only in cases of “treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors” and that the framers explicitly rejected the parliamentary system wherein a legislative body may remove an executive merely because legislators dislike the president. In fact, James Madison specifically argued, “so vague a term [maladministration] will be equivalent to a tenure during the pleasure of the Senate.” ACU opposes this coup against a president who has courageously fought for and advanced countless conservative principles and policies and opposed this resolution. The Senate acquitted President Trump by finding him “not guilty” on February 5, 2020 by a vote of 48-52. (A two-thirds majority vote is required to convict. This vote is double-weighted due to its egregious attempt to reject the will of the People and reverse the results of the 2016 presidential election.)

This is the second of two outrageous impeachment articles brought by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA, ACUF Lifetime 3%) and Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY, ACUF Lifetime 5%) to reverse the results of the 2016 presidential election. This vote (Article II of Impeachment) wrongly alleges that President Donald J. Trump “obstructed Congress.” ACU recognizes the U.S. Constitution only calls for impeachment in cases of “treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors” and that the Constitution specifically creates checks and balances, and when the executive and legislative branches have a conflict, those conflicts shall be resolved by the judiciary; conflicts are inevitable and must not be the basis for removing a duly elected president. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA, ACUF Lifetime 5%), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA, ACUF Lifetime 4%), and Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY, ACUF Lifetime 3%) have lawlessly advanced an illegal coup. ACU opposed the resolution. The Senate acquitted President Trump by finding him “not guilty” on February 5, 2020 by a vote of 47-53. (A two-thirds majority vote is required to convict. This vote is double-weighted due to its egregious attempt to reject the will of the People and reverse the results of the 2016 presidential election.)

This bill, known as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, sponsored by Sen. Graham (R-SC, ACUF Lifetime 79%), would help protect life by prohibiting abortion of unborn children beginning at 20 weeks of pregnancy. At this point of development, the unborn child is capable of feeling pain and has a beating heart, functional brain and has developed motor skills in their arms, hands, fingers and toes. The bill would provide an exception to cases in which the mother’s life is in jeopardy or when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. ACU believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports restrictions to end the practice and supported this bill. Democrats used the filibuster to defeat this bill as the Senate failed to invoke cloture (end debate) on February 25, 2020 by a vote of 53-44. (A three-fifths majority, or 60 votes, were required to advance the bill and a “yes” vote supported the ACU position.)

This bill, known as the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, sponsored by Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE, ACUF Lifetime 94%), would ensure children who are born alive following a failed abortion receive appropriate medical care. Specifically, the bill would establish criminal penalties for health practitioners who fail to admit the child to a hospital immediately after a failed abortion or fail to exercise the same degree of care for a survivor as they would for any other child who is born alive. ACU believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports restrictions to end the practice and supported this bill. Democrats used the filibuster defeat this bill as the Senate failed to invoke cloture (end debate) on February 25, 2020 by a vote of 56-41. (A three-fifths majority vote, or 60 votes, were required to advance the bill and a “yes” vote supported the ACU position.)

The Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY, ACUF Lifetime 97%) amendment (1506) to the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020 would pay for the bill’s spending, which costs $8.3 billion, by rescinding unobligated funding from foreign aid programs. Many of these are Department of State cultural exchange programs whose annual earmarks have been designated for elimination under multiple editions of President Trump’s Major Savings and Reforms plans. For example, the amendment would release funds from non-health activities of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Inter-American Foundation, while privatizing funding for nongovernmental organizations such as the East-West Center ($177.5 million in taxpayer funds since 1997). ACU supports this effort to offset emergency spending by reducing nonessential foreign aid programs as opposed to growing the country’s $27 trillion national debt disaster and supported this amendment. Unfortunately, the Senate voted to table (defeat) the amendment on March 5, 2020 by a vote of 81-15 and the underlying bill was signed into law without this crucial reform. (A “no” vote supported the ACU position.)

This resolution, sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL, ACUF Lifetime 5%), would invoke the Congressional Review Act (CRA) in an attempt to repeal the strong policies of the Trump administration relating to student loans. The CRA properly allows Congress to repeal rules and regulations of the executive branch. However, the Durbin resolution would improperly allow thousands of ineligible individuals to abuse a government program which socializes the cost of select individuals’ student debt. The Trump administration’s reform reduces abuse of the program by clarifying definitions such as “financial harm” and “misrepresentation.” The Trump administration’s reform is expected to save taxpayers over $11 billion over the next 10 years. ACU supports the Trump administration’s effort to combat abuse of government programs, opposes the Left’s quest to socialize all student loan debt and opposed this resolution. The Senate passed the resolution on March 10, 2020 by a vote of 53-42 but the resolution was vetoed by the president.

The Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI, ACUF Lifetime 90%) amendment (1558) to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act would provide regulatory relief to small businesses who would have been mandated to provide paid leave to their employees during the Chinese coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The amendment would provide temporary support to state-administered unemployment insurance systems rather than the bill’s proposal to force paid leave mandates on businesses with fewer than 500 workers (reimbursed through payroll tax credits). Specifically, the amendment would waive the waiting period for unemployment benefits and allow affected workers to receive unemployment insurance benefits for up to 14 weeks at a rate of two-thirds their average weekly earnings (or up to $1,000). ACU recognizes that a payroll tax credit reimbursement system does not provide timely relief to cash-strapped businesses and may create avenues for fraud and abuse. ACU supports this measure to strengthen the integrity of taxpayer COVID-19 response funds while also protecting businesses from costly new mandates that may jeopardize their continued operation and supported this amendment. Democrats used the filibuster to defeat this amendment as the Senate failed to invoke cloture (end debate) on March 18, 2020 by a vote of 50-48. (A three-fifths majority vote, or 60 votes were required and a “yes” vote supported the ACU position.)

The so-called Families First Coronavirus Response Act imposes serious threats to small businesses amid the disastrous economic shutdowns imposed in reaction to the Chinese coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Specifically, the bill increases spending by $300 billion despite massive revenue shortfalls and imposes costly paid leave mandates. Under the bill, other public and private paid-leave policies are duplicated by forcing businesses with fewer than 500 workers to provide employees with 10 weeks’ pay at two-thirds of normal pay if they are attending to a family member due to the outbreak. An additional two weeks’ leave must be provided for “self-quarantining,” attending to an individual who is isolated, or attending to a child whose school or childcare provider has been closed. While employers are eventually reimbursed these costs, the bill’s refundable payroll tax credit approach does not provide timely relief to cash-strapped businesses. Furthermore, the bill includes no offsets to account for the massive new spending, which includes increases for unemployment, Medicaid and other government welfare programs. ACU recognizes that while certain improvements were made to the bill prior to passage, such as softening the impact on businesses with fewer than 50 workers, lawmakers failed to pass provisions similar to the Sen. Ron Johnson Amendment (R-WI, ACUF Lifetime 90%) which would have included critical reforms and removed the paid leave mandates. ACU encourages private employers to be sensitive to their employees’ needs, but we oppose government imposing new burdens on employers that may destroy some businesses and end employment for those most in need and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on March 18, 2020 by a vote of 90-8 and the bill was signed into law.

The Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE, ACUF Lifetime 94%) amendment (1578) to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act would implement a critical reform to make it less financially lucrative to not work and earn more than one would normally on the job. Specifically, a provision within the $2 trillion CARES Act provides an extra federal benefit of $600 per week through July 31, 2020 in addition to state unemployment benefits (national average $462/week). As a result, some employees actually earned more from unemployment benefits than they earned when working. The Sasse amendment would ensure that unemployment compensation does not exceed the amount of wages the individual was previously earning. ACU recognizes that researchers from the University of Chicago who studied the enactment of the $600 federal benefit found that 69% of unemployment recipients earned more than their prior wages, with one-fifth of recipients earning wage replacement rates of more than 200%, meaning they made twice as much while on unemployment. ACU believes it is absurd to force taxpayers to pay universal stay-at-home welfare payments at such a disparity to actual wages, believes many of government’s reactions to COVID-19 have done more harm than good and supported this amendment. Democrats used the filibuster to defeat this amendment as the Senate failed to invoke cloture (end debate) on March 25, 2020 by a vote of 48-48. (A three-fifths majority vote, or 60 votes, were required and a “yes” vote supported the ACU position.)

The Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR, ACUF Lifetime 8%) and Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT, ACUF Lifetime 85%) amendment (1583) to the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act of 2020 would strengthen civil liberties by prohibiting collection of Americans’ internet data without obtaining a search warrant. The amendment is in response to Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act which has been abused to collect such data without a warrant and often without the citizen’s knowledge or consent due to broad and vague language that permits government to collect any type of data it believes is “relevant” to an investigation. ACU supports the founders’ belief in the right to privacy as protected under the Fourth Amendment, supports this measure to help protect Americans from the unlawful search and seizure of their data, believes Americans should be careful in using products that track and profit off their search history and supported this amendment. Unfortunately, the Senate defeated the amendment on May 13, 2020 by a vote of 59-37. (A three-fifths majority vote, or 60 votes, were required and a “yes” vote supported the ACU position.)

This vote confirms Rep. John L. Ratcliffe (TX-4, ACUF Lifetime 94%) as the Director of National Intelligence. During his service in Congress, Ratcliffe served on the Committee on Homeland Security and as chairman of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee and scored a perfect 100% on ACUF-rated bills related to National Security (11 of 11) and Foreign Policy (10 of 10). Ratcliffe has also served in the Department of Justice as the Chief of Anti-Terrorism and National Security for the Eastern District of Texas in the George W. Bush administration. ACU recognizes Ratcliffe has a proven conservative track record on national security and has spent his career fighting for limited government principles and supported this nomination. The Senate voted to confirm Ratcliffe on May 21, 2020 by a vote of 49-44.

The Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY, ACUF Lifetime 97%) amendment (1586) to the USA Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2020 would amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to end warrantless surveillance and data collection on United States citizens by abusing the FISA courts. The FISA courts are designed to surveil foreign threats to U.S. national security but have been abused to permit warrantless searches and seizures of Americans. This amendment would prohibit the use of FISA courts to surveil U.S. citizens, while maintaining the ability of law enforcement to obtain a warrant from a court under the traditional justice system. ACU supports the founders’ belief in privacy as protected under the Fourth Amendment, supports this measure to help protect Americans from the unlawful search and seizure of their data and supported this amendment. The Senate defeated the amendment on May 14, 2020 by a vote of 11-85.

This bill, known as the Great American Outdoors Act, further expands the federal government’s enormous land holdings. Most concerningly, the bill makes the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) a “mandatory” spending program (as opposed to “discretionary”) thus guaranteeing $900 million a year in spending even during economic downturns. The LWCF is used to expand federal land holdings, which produces perverse results that harm private property rights through voracious landgrabs and restrictions on the extraction of mineral rights. ACU believes spending should always be “discretionary” and not “mandatory” because the People should always have a say in how their money will be spent. ACU believes scarce taxpayer resources should be reserved for essential government functions, opposes further expanding federal land control—especially considering the federal government controls an astonishing and unsustainable 28% of the country’s total land—and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 17, 2020 by a vote of 73-25 and the bill was signed into law.

This bill, known as the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act, sponsored by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC, ACUF Lifetime 91%), strengthens accountability and transparency and is intended to address the nationwide uproar over George Floyd while blocking Democrat attempts to defund public safety. Rather than jeopardizing public safety through the Left’s “defund the police” effort, this bill would establish a national policing commission and strengthen the training methods and tactics throughout the law enforcement community. Additionally, the bill would withhold certain federal funds for the use of chokeholds except when deadly force is authorized and establish new reporting requirements when an officer discharges their weapon or uses force. Furthermore, the bill combats the practice of no-knock warrants and ensures when a police candidate is interviewed the department has access to their prior disciplinary records. ACU opposes reducing public safety and promoting lawlessness through the leftist notion of “defunding the police,” supports this measure to improve government accountability and increase transparency and supported this bill. Democrats used the filibuster to defeat this bill as the Senate failed to invoke cloture (end debate) on June 24, 2020 by a vote of 55-45. (A three-fifths majority vote, or 60 votes, were required and a “yes” vote supported the ACU position. Senate Majority Leader McConnell is recorded as supporting the ACU position because his “nay” vote was tactically designed to keep the bill alive.)

The Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT, ACUF Lifetime 7%) amendment (1788) to the National Defense Authorization Act would cut $74.05 billion (10%) from the defense budget and instead spend the funds on a liberal wish list of initiatives. The programs would be targeted to areas and communities chosen by government and would include “affordable” housing, “free” college, “nutritious” meals, and pay hikes for school employees. ACU supports efforts to help people live happier, healthier, more productive lives by encouraging them to become self-sufficient and opposes socialized economic programs that lead to intergenerational poverty and trigger enormous new tax burdens. ACU also firmly believes in President Ronald Reagan’s “peace through strength” doctrine, opposes this measure which transfers funding from an essential role of government to other wasteful leftist initiatives and opposed this bill. The Senate defeated the amendment on July 22, 2020 by a vote of 23-77.

This bill, introduced by Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY, ACUF Lifetime 5%), would block President Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) from continuing its ongoing fight to overturn Obamacare (also known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act). The bill is in response to pending litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court, in which the DOJ, along with eighteen state attorneys general, argue that Obamacare is unconstitutional because Congress reduced the law’s “individual mandate” penalty to zero in the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017. The Left is also using this measure as part of their unmerited political attack on Judge Amy Coney Barrett, whom President Trump nominated to the Supreme Court and is expected to hear the case. ACU has long opposed Obamacare and its heavy-handed mandates which have led to skyrocketing health care costs, supports providing consumers with more affordable health care by permitting them to select the health plans that best suit their needs and opposed this bill. Fortunately, the Senate defeated the bill on October 1, 2020 by a vote of 51-43. (A three-fifths majority vote, or 60 votes were required and a “no” vote supported the ACU position. Senator Harris [D-CA, ACUF Lifetime 4%], the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, was absent but recorded as opposing the ACU position due to her public statements.)

This resolution, sponsored by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA, ACUF Lifetime 4%), would invoke the Congressional Review Act to repeal conservative reforms to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) implemented by the Trump administration. The Congressional Review Act properly allows Congress to repeal rules and regulations of the executive branch. However, the Community Reinvestment Act is a tool for extortion against bankers by preventing banks from expanding or merging unless they pay off various radical Left activists through certain banking decisions mandated by government. The reforms made by the Trump administration provided greater regulatory clarity and certainty, and ultimately helped make it easier for banks to comply with the Community Reinvestment Act. ACU supported the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce regulatory barriers, thus lowering lending costs and expanding investment and opposed this resolution. The Senate defeated the resolution on October 19, 2020 by a vote of 43-48. (Senator Harris [D-CA, ACUF Lifetime 4%], the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, was absent but recorded as opposing the ACU position due to her public statements.)

This vote invokes cloture (ends debate) to confirm the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The nomination is in response to the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who served for 27 years on the court. Barrett is an originalist and a textualist who previously clerked for the late-Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court, and has a stellar record as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. ACU supported the nomination of Barrett, an ardent defender of the Constitution and of the inherent rights of individuals. The Senate invoked cloture (ended debate) and advanced the nomination of Barrett on October 25, 2020 by a vote of 51-48. (The vote is double-weighted due to the crucial role she will play in upholding the Constitution as a lifetime member of the Supreme Court. Senator Harris [D-CA, ACUF Lifetime 4%], the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, was absent but recorded as opposing the ACU position due to her public statements opposing the nomination.)

This vote advances the nomination of Judy Shelton to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Shelton would replace the resigning Janet Yellen and serve the remaining four years of Yellen’s 14-year term. Shelton has long expressed concerns over the Fed’s manipulation of interest rates and actions in the marketplace which may result in runaway inflation and harm long-term economic growth. She has also advocated for increased transparency at the Fed and a return to the gold standard. ACU opposes the Fed’s monopoly control over our money supply, supports the free competition of currency, believes Shelton is well qualified to help protect our monetary system and supported this nomination. The Senate rejected the nomination by failing to invoke cloture (end debate) on a motion to take the nomination up on November 17, 2020 by a vote of 47-50. (Sen. Lamar Alexander [R-TN, ACUF Lifetime 72%] did not cast a vote but is recorded as opposing the ACU position due to his public statements opposing the nomination. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell [R-KY, ACUF Lifetime 87%] is recorded as supporting the ACU position because his “nay” vote was tactically designed to keep the nomination alive.)

This spending package epitomizes the worst of the DC establishment’s spending habits. This bill was sold as a COVID-19 response package but actually includes $1.4 trillion in budgetary spending unrelated to the pandemic. The remaining $900 billion was supposedly directed to government responses to the Chinese coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Negotiated in secret, without the opportunity for elected officials to offer amendments, this 5,593-page omnibus is the longest bill ever passed by Congress and comes just months after the passage of the CARES Act, another $2.2 trillion spending package. The bill contains carve-outs for every imaginable special interest group in the “swamp,” from tax breaks for racehorse owners to $10 million in funding for “gender programs” in Pakistan. While the bill provides $600 direct payments to children and adults earning up to $75,000 a year, the bill represents a cost of $6,925 (plus interest) per every American. ACU believes it is appalling that Congress continues to pass reckless deficit spending while providing lawmakers and the public mere hours to even read the proposals and opposed this bill. The Senate passed the bill on December 21, 2020 by a vote of 92-6 and the bill was signed into law.