Freedom Index

A Congressional Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution

 
Jared Huffman

Jared Huffman

Representative

CaliforniaDistrict 2nd

Democrat

Contact:

Phone: (202) 225-5161

Constitutional Votes

Score Congress
19% Lifetime
8% 118th (2023-2024) 118th (2023-2024)
5% 117th (2021-2022) 117th (2021-2022)
27% 116th (2019-2020) 116th (2019-2020)
18% 115th (2017-2018) 115th (2017-2018)
26% 114th (2015-2016) 114th (2015-2016)
33% 113th (2013-2014) 113th (2013-2014)
Jared Huffman

Jared Huffman

Representative

CaliforniaDistrict 2nd

Democrat

Status: Active Legislator

Contact:

Phone: (202) 225-5161
Home Town: San Rafael

 

Constitutional Votes

Score Congress
19% Lifetime
8% 118th (2023-2024) 118th (2023-2024)
5% 117th (2021-2022) 117th (2021-2022)
27% 116th (2019-2020) 116th (2019-2020)
18% 115th (2017-2018) 115th (2017-2018)
26% 114th (2015-2016) 114th (2015-2016)
33% 113th (2013-2014) 113th (2013-2014)

Voting History

Freedom Index 117-3

The Freedom Index rates congressmen based on their adherence to constitutional principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, national sovereignty, and a traditional foreign policy of avoiding foreign entanglements.

The scores are derived by dividing a congressman's constitutional votes (pluses) by the total number he cast (pluses and minuses) and multiplying by 100. The average House score for this index is 32 percent, and the average Senate score is 30 percent. Twenty-five representatives and two senators earned 100 percent. We encourage readers to examine how their own congressmen voted on each of the 10 key measures. We also encourage readers to commend legislators for their constitutional votes, and to urge improvement where needed.

Freedom Index 117-3

The Freedom Index rates congressmen based on their adherence to constitutional principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, national sovereignty, and a traditional foreign policy of avoiding foreign entanglements.

The scores are derived by dividing a congressman's constitutional votes (pluses) by the total number he cast (pluses and minuses) and multiplying by 100. We encourage readers to examine how their own congressmen voted on each of the 10 key measures. We also encourage readers to commend legislators for their constitutional votes, and to urge improvement where needed.

Our third look at the 117th Congress shows how every member of the House and Senate voted on key issues such as Covid aid, Ukraine aid, and gun control.

Our third look at the 117th Congress shows how every member of the House and Senate voted on key issues such as Covid aid, Ukraine aid, and gun control.

Federal mandate? If the “Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act” were to become law, drop boxes, along with other voting requirements, would be imposed by the feds rather than decided by the states.

Federalizing Voting

Constitutional Vote: No | Vote Cast: No

Cost per Family: $26

H.R. 5746, the “Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act,” would implement a sweeping federalization of American elections. Among numerous other provisions, it would force states to implement nationwide internet, automatic, and same-day voter registration. The bill would also mandate states to allow mail-in voting and make available ballot “drop boxes” for all voters, implement early voting that begins at least 15 days prior to an election, and limit state legislatures’ authority over congressional redistricting. H.R. 5746 would also reestablish a “preclearance” process similar to what existed under the 1965 Voting Rights Act prior to 2013. Under it, states would be required to obtain permission from the U.S. Department of Justice prior to implementing changes to their election laws.

The House passed H.R. 5746 on January 13, 2022 by a vote of 220 to 203 (Roll Call 9). We have assigned pluses to the nays because not only does this bill undermine election integrity, but it infringes upon federalism and state sovereignty as established under the Constitution and its 10th Amendment.

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

Constitutional Vote: Yes | Vote Cast: No

During consideration of the so-called America COMPETES Act of 2022 (H.R. 4521), Representative Scott Perry (R-Pa.) introduced an amendment to withdraw the United States from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a multilateral environmental treaty. The House rejected Perry’s amendment on February 3, 2022 by a vote of 196 to 235 (Roll Call 27). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the UNFCCC infringes on U.S. sovereignty and places an undue burden on American industry, workers, and taxpayers. Meeting the emission goals of the UNFCCC would significantly reduce U.S. economic output. Furthermore, the treaty requires the United States and other industrialized nations to provide economic assistance to fund climate-change action in “developing nations,” such as China.

Competitiveness Package

Constitutional Vote: No | Vote Cast: No

Cost per Family: $2,760

H.R. 4521, the America COMPETES Act of 2022, would authorize about $350 billion in federal funding over five years. This includes the funding of scientific research and development programs, with more than $52 billion for the U.S. semiconductor industry. H.R. 4521 would also authorize $8 billion for the UN Green Climate Fund, codify a requirement that the U.S. implement the Paris climate agreement, direct the U.S. Armed Forces to implement climate-change training, and enable increased admission levels of refugees and economic migrants.

The House passed H.R. 4521 on February 4, 2022 by a vote of 222 to 210 (Roll Call 31). We have assigned pluses to the nays because the Constitution does not authorize Congress to fund research and development programs. Furthermore, the bill advances a radical environmentalist agenda; erodes U.S. national sovereignty; and encourages increased migration, a tool of the Deep State to fundamentally alter the United States.

Money, money, money! The omnibus appropriations bill passed by both houses of Congress this year continues the federal spendathon that is piling up huge deficits and debt and harming the economy

Omnibus Appropriations

Constitutional Vote: No | Vote Cast: Yes

Cost per Family: $7,283

H.R. 2471, officially known as the “Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022,” would provide $1.5 trillion in “discretionary” appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022 for federal government operations and services. This omnibus spending bill was voted on in two portions (Roll Calls 65 and 66). The provisions in the first portion to be voted on (Roll Call 65) included $728.5 billion for the Department of Defense, $81.1 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, and $75.8 billion for the Commerce Department. Included within this spending was $600 million for security cooperation with Ukraine and other Eastern European nations, $23.9 billion for FEMA, $3.9 billion in grants for state and local law-enforcement agencies, and $13.6 billion in assistance to Ukraine.

The House passed the first portion of H.R. 2471 on March 9, 2022 by a vote of 361 to 69 (Roll Call 65). We have assigned pluses to the nays because of the many unconstitutional agencies and programs that it would fund, because it funds our further entanglement in the Ukraine-Russia conflict without a congressional declaration of war, and because this reckless spending is already yielding record-high inflation.

Omnibus Appropriations

Constitutional Vote: No | Vote Cast: Yes

Cost per Family: $4,732

H.R. 2471, officially known as the “Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022,” would provide $1.5 trillion in discretionary appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022 for federal government operations and services. This omnibus spending bill was voted on in two portions (Roll Calls 65 and 66). The provisions in the second portion to be voted on (Roll Call 66) included approximately $600 billion to fund the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Labor, State (for “foreign operations”), Transportation, and Treasury, as well as the EPA, NIH, HUD, SNAP (food stamp program), etc.

The House passed the second portion of H.R. 2471 on March 9, 2022 by a vote of 260 to 171 (Roll Call 66). We have assigned pluses to the nays because most of the spending would go to federal government departments, agencies, and programs that have no authorization or basis in the Constitution. Furthermore, this reckless spending is currently yielding record-high inflation, most visible in the current rising grocery prices.

NATO

Constitutional Vote: No | Vote Cast: Yes

This resolution (House Resolution 831) would reaffirm “unequivocal support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as an alliance founded on democratic principles.” The House passed H. Res. 831 on April 5, 2022 by a vote of 362 to 63 (Roll Call 115). We have assigned pluses to the nays not only because the United States should stay clear of entangling alliances such as NATO, but also because NATO obligates the United States to go to war if any member of NATO is attacked. Specifically, under the North Atlantic Treaty that established NATO in 1949, member nations “agree that an armed attack against one or more of them … shall be considered an attack against them all.” This agreement undermines the provision in the U.S. Constitution that assigns to Congress the power to declare war. There are now 30 countries in NATO, and an attack on any one of them could pull the United States into a war that neither Congress nor the American people want.

Refusing to buckle: Former White House official Peter Navarro has refused to honor the subpoena he received from the January 6 committee, noting that “it is not my privilege to waive” the executive privilege invoked by President Trump.

Peter Navarro

Constitutional Vote: No | Vote Cast: No

House Resolution 1037 would find two advisors to President Donald Trump — Peter Navarro, who served as White House director of trade and manufacturing policy, and Daniel Scavino, Jr., who served as White House deputy chief of staff — in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas issued by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. The resolution would also direct the speaker of the House to “take all other appropriate action to enforce the subpoenas.” The House passed H. Res. 1037 on April 6, 2022 by a vote of 220 to 203 (Roll Call 118). We have assigned pluses to the nays because honoring the subpoenas would undermine the constitutional separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches of government. President Trump had invoked executive privilege, and as Navarro pointed out, “it is not my privilege to waive” it. The January 6 committee is not a court of law; it is a kangaroo court. In fact, it was rigged from the beginning, when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) took the unprecedented action of nixing two of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) choices for the committee — Representatives Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Pelosi instead put on the so-called bipartisan committee RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) Liz Cheney (Wy.) and Adam Kinzinger (Ill.).

Covid Aid

Constitutional Vote: No | Vote Cast: Yes

Cost per Family: $434

H.R. 3807, the ‘‘Relief for Restaurants and other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act of 2022,’’ would provide $55 billion for Small Business Administration grants, including $42 billion for restaurants and $13 billion for small businesses, supposedly to help those small businesses that were most harmed by the Covid pandemic. On the House floor, Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) noted that H.R. 3807 is “yet another spending bill that will add to our Nation’s debt and deficit and continue to spike inflation,” and that “if Democrats were serious about helping restaurants and small businesses, they would have called for an end to the ever-changing mandates and lockdowns that forced so many businesses to close their doors.”

The House passed H.R. 3807 on April 7, 2022 by a vote of 223 to 203 (Roll Call 123). We have assigned pluses to the nays because not only is such spending not authorized anywhere in the Constitution, but this additional deficit spending would contribute to the ruinous inflation that is currently plaguing Americans. The economic harms to restaurants and other small businesses that H.R. 3807 is supposed to remedy were due to the unconstitutional federal and state Covid-19 lockdowns and vaccine mandates in the first place.

Ukraine Aid

Constitutional Vote: No | Vote Cast: Yes

Cost per Family: $316

H.R. 7691 would provide $40.1 billion in fiscal year 2022 “emergency supplemental appropriations for activities to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

The House passed H.R. 7691 on May 10, 2022 by a vote of 368 to 57 (Roll Call 145). We have assigned pluses to the nays not only because foreign aid (military or otherwise) is unconstitutional, but also because the aid would further interject the United States in the Russia-Ukraine war, and would increase the likelihood of the war broadening to fully include as combatants the United States as well as the rest of NATO. Instead of acting as a global cop, America would be best served by returning to our traditional and constitutionally sound foreign policy of staying clear of foreign quarrels.

Gun Control

Constitutional Vote: No | Vote Cast: Yes

Cost per Family: $36

S. 2938, the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” would provide more than $4.6 billion in funding through 2026 to address gun violence and mental health. $2.1 billion would be allocated to the Department of Education to support school-based mental-health services, and $990 million would be earmarked for Health and Human Services. $1.6 billion would be allocated to support school security and community violence intervention, and to improve background-check systems. This bill would also implement extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), also known as red flag laws, and expand background checks for firearm purchases.

The House passed S. 2938 on June 24, 2022 by a vote of 234 to 193 (Roll Call 299). We have assigned pluses to the nays because increased spending and red flag laws are a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution, especially the Second Amendment-protected right to keep and bear arms, and this is one step closer to a disarmed America. Also, Congress is failing to address its fiscally irresponsible spending habits, which are far outside of Congress’ constitutional limits.

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