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With the congress in Summer recess, the folks at Freedomworks released their annual scorecards for members of congress.
Jim Bridenstine of the 1st district scored a perfect '100' for freedom, but Tom Cole of the 4th district scored just 54. Lucas, Mullin, & Russell all scored in the 70s. Neither senator scored above 67 and Jim Inhofe, our senior member, scored as badly as many democrats, with just a 33. Lankford scored a 67; hardly enough to justify the claim of championing the fight against govt. waste The index focuses on how legislation affects freedom to American citizens in many aspects. Whether it impacts our tax burdens, regulatory mandates on individuals or businesses, or even matters justified for national security. Below we list the items impacting the Freedom Score and why they are important to our daily exercise of freedom. |
2016 House Key Votes
114th Congress
☐Did Not Vote
principles✘
Anti-Freedom Vote
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| Legislator | 2016 House Key Votes (View All Descriptions) | Score | |
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OK 1 - RBridenstine | 100 | |
| OK 4 - RCole | 54 | ||
| OK 3 - RLucas | 71 | ||
| OK 2 - RMullin | 79 | ||
| OK 5 - RRussell | 79 |
How Scoring Works
FreeedomWorks identifies the most important votes on issues of economic freedom and scores Members of Congress based on their votes. We use a scale of 100, so the higher the score the more often the Member is on our side fighting for lower taxes, less government and more freedom.
Special Votes
Possible vote augmentations include:
Key Vote Descriptionssss
Back to Table-
Key Vote 1: On Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment: H.R. 3762 - Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015
This bill uses the budget procedure known as "reconciliation" to repeal most of ObamaCare. The greater portion of ObamaCare's worst portions are included in this repeal bill, including its many new taxes, the unconstitutional individual and employer mandates, the expansion of Medicaid, and the insurance premium subsidies. Passing this bill laid out the blueprint for how Congress would achieve full repeal once President Obama leaves the White House.
"Yea" votes scored. -
Key Vote 2: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended: H R 699 Email Privacy Act
"Yea" votes scored. -
Key Vote 3: On Passage: H R 5053 Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act
This legislation is an important step in protecting the First Amendment rights of Americans against harassment and coercion from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Introduced by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), this bill stops the IRS from collecting and releasing information about donors to tax-exempt organizations, which would chill political speech. The legislation would protect the free speech of donors to nonprofit organizations by modifying IRS disclosure requirements of information such as donor names and addresses. Under H.R. 5053, tax-exempt organizations are required to report only information on donors who contribute $5,000 or more and who are either an officer of the organization or one of its five highest paid employees.
"Yea" votes scored. -
Key Vote 4: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Amendment 1204 to H R 5293
H. Amdt. 1204 offered by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), to H.R. 5293, to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act 2017, protects the Fourth Amendment rights of Americans from unauthorized searches and seizures of property. The bill in its current form requires the National Security Agency and other intelligence agencies to follow due process and obtain a warrant to collect the communications of American citizens. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was written to only allow the government to collect the communications of foreigners, but a large quantity of American communications are bundled in during the process. By prohibiting backdoor spying, this measure represents a step forward in the battle to ensure privacy and security in the face of unconstitutional surveillance. The amendment also prohibits government agencies from requesting that U.S. companies build security vulnerabilities into their hardware or software in order to make it easier for the government to access them
"Yea" votes scored. -
Key Vote 5: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Amendment 1194 to H R 5293
H. Amdt. 1194 offered by Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), to H.R. 5293, to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act 2017, would retain the U.S. military’s current practice of providing cash stipend to recruits, allowing them to pick the footwear of their personal preference. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed by the House and Senate in May, changed current practice regarding footwear by including a “buy American” requirement, replacing the current cash allowance. This new language is a de facto earmark because it benefits one company: New Balance. The Department of Defense has concluded that the new language in the NDAA “would directly lead to a higher recruit injury rate at basic training,” The amendment would undo the New Balance provision, and halt an egregious example of crony capitalism that will cost taxpayers over $300 million and keeps this provision from coming into effect by not backing it.
"Yea" votes scored. -
Key Vote 6: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass: S 1252 Global Food Security Act of 2016.
S. 1252, the Global Food Security Act of 2016, introduced by Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), requires that the president “develop and implement a Global Food Security Strategy to promote global food security, resilience, and nutrition,” according to the summary of the bill. The bill authorizes funds that were previously being spent without authorization and these evidences fail to mitigate the fact that this legislation was passed in the Senate by voice vote without debate in just over a minute. A bill that costs billions of dollars should be subject to more rigorous scrutiny. Voting in an abbreviated procedure that blocks conservative amendments to the bill, and shortens debate under suspension of the rules makes a voice vote on this expensive and dubious legislation probable. The United States is hardly in the position to promote global food security and economic reforms when our federal government is badly failing to promote free market reforms at home that can reduce domestic food insecurity and address our bankrupting level of debt. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill “would cost $7.3 billion over the 2017-2021 spending period.”
"Nay" votes scored. -
Key Vote 7: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Amendment 1245 to H R 5485
H. Amdt. 1245 by Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) which “prohibits funds from being used to implement, administer, or enforce a new regulatory action of $100 million or more;”
"Yea" votes scored. -
Key Vote 8: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Amendment 1243 to H R 5485
H. Amdt. 1243 offered by Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.)) which “reduces the salary of the IRS Commissioner to $0 annually from date of enactment through January 20, 2017;”
"Yea" votes scored. -
Key Vote 9: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Amendment 1249 to H R 5485
H. Amdt. 1249 offered by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) which “prohibits funds the use of funds to pay a performance bonus to any senior IRS employee
"Yea" votes scored. -
Key Vote 10: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Amendment 1342 to H R 5538
H. Amdt. 1342 offered by Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.) which “ensures that none of the funds made available by this Act may be used for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Enforcement Division.” The cost and extent of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Enforcement Division are addressed by this amendment
"Yea" votes scored. -
Key Vote 11: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Amendment 1314 to H R 5538
H. Amdt. 1314 offered by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) which “imposes a 1 percent across-the-board spending cut to the bill;”
"Yea" votes scored. -
Key Vote 12: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Amendment 1346 to H R 5538
H. Amdt.1346 offered by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) which “reduces Appropriations made in this Act for the Environmental Protection Agency by 17 percent.” The cost of EPA’s Clean Power Plan to Pennsylvania consumers would be shifted back to the EPA under this statement
"Yea" votes scored. -
Key Vote 13: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Amendment 1330 to H R 5538
H. Amdt. 1330 offered by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) which “ensures that no funds appropriated by this Act can be used to implement, administer, or enforce David-Bacon prevailing rate wage requirements;”
"Yea" votes scored. -
Key Vote 14: On Passage: H R 4768 Separation of Powers Restoration Act
This bill modifies the scope of judicial review of agency actions to authorize courts reviewing agency actions to decide de novo (without giving deference to the agency's interpretation) all relevant questions of law, including the interpretation of constitutional and statutory provisions, and rules made by agencies.
"Yea" votes scored.
2016 Senate Key Votes
114th Congress
☐Did Not Vote
✘Anti-Freedom Vote
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| Legislator | 2016 Senate Key Votes (View All Descriptions) | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| OK - RInhofe | 33 | ||
| OK - RLankford | 67 |
How Scoring Works
FreeedomWorks identifies the most important votes on issues of economic freedom and scores Members of Congress based on their votes. We use a scale of 100, so the higher the score the more often the Member is on our side fighting for lower taxes, less government and more freedom.
Special Votes
Possible vote augmentations include:
Key Vote Descriptions
Back to Table-
Key Vote 1: On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed: S. 2232 - The Federal Reserve Transparency Act
This bill would require a comprehensive audit of the Federal Reserve Bank. Currently, several of the Fed's economically significant activities are shielded from their annual audit. Given that the Fed's policies have a dramatic effect on interest rates and the value of our money, it is crucial that their practices be subject to public and Congressional scrutiny.
"Yea" votes scored. -
Key Vote 2: On the Cloture Motion S.Amdt. 4787 to H.R. 2578 (Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016)
This amendment, S.Amdt. 4685, offered by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), to the Senate version of the Commerce, Justice, Science spending bill would greatly expand the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) surveillance powers, giving the agency the ability to collect sensitive, personal information about American citizens’ online activities. The Fourth Amendment is an important protection against government intrusions into our lives, and we should be wary of any legislation that threatens such a fundamental right. The amendment would allow the FBI to collect Electronic Communications Transactional Records (ECTRs) which includes information about web browsing history, the to/from lines of emails, and location information from IP addresses with only an administrative subpoena, also known as a National Security Letter. In addition to not requiring a warrant, national security letters also include a gag order, so companies cannot even inform their customers that their data is being turned over to federal law enforcement officials.
"Nay" votes scored. -
Key Vote 3: On the Joint Resolution S.J.Res. 28
This resolution, S.J. Res. 28, offered by Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) would roll back an unnecessary, expensive, and duplicative federal regulation on catfish at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The resolution would save taxpayers $14.4 million. Federal regulations like this one are part of the regulatory state that burdens individuals and the economy with complex and expensive rules.
"Yea" votes scored.
