Freedom Index

A Congressional Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution

 
Jeff Duncan

Jeff Duncan

Representative

South CarolinaDistrict 3rd

Republican

Contact:

Phone: (202) 225-5301

Constitutional Votes

Score Congress
80% Lifetime
83% 118th (2023-2024) 118th (2023-2024)
85% 117th (2021-2022) 117th (2021-2022)
77% 116th (2019-2020) 116th (2019-2020)
72% 115th (2017-2018) 115th (2017-2018)
78% 114th (2015-2016) 114th (2015-2016)
80% 113th (2013-2014) 113th (2013-2014)
88% 112th (2011-2012) 112th (2011-2012)
Jeff Duncan

Jeff Duncan

Representative

South CarolinaDistrict 3rd

Republican

Status: Active Legislator

Contact:

Phone: (202) 225-5301
Home Town: Laurens

 

Constitutional Votes

Score Congress
80% Lifetime
83% 118th (2023-2024) 118th (2023-2024)
85% 117th (2021-2022) 117th (2021-2022)
77% 116th (2019-2020) 116th (2019-2020)
72% 115th (2017-2018) 115th (2017-2018)
78% 114th (2015-2016) 114th (2015-2016)
80% 113th (2013-2014) 113th (2013-2014)
88% 112th (2011-2012) 112th (2011-2012)

Voting History

118th (2023-2024)

Legislation Vote Date Good Vote Vote
H.R. 5403 05/23/2024 Good: Yes Yes
Central Bank Digital Currency
Article I, Sections 8 and 10 of the Constitution state that only Congress has the power to “coin Money,” referring to precious metals such as gold and silver. Not only do the Federal Reserve and fiat money violate these provisions, but a digital currency can be easily tracked, allowing the government to monitor all financial transactions.

H.R. 5403, the “CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act,” would prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) without congressional authorization. It would bar the Fed from offering services directly to individuals or maintaining accounts on their behalf, including through intermediaries. These restrictions would not apply to digital currencies that are “open, permissionless, and private.” The bill would also prohibit the Fed from testing a digital currency without congressional authorization.

The House passed H.R. 5403 on May 23, 2024 by a vote of 216 to 192 (Roll Call 230). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because Article I, Sections 8 and 10 of the Constitution state that only Congress has the power to “coin Money,” referring to precious metals such as gold and silver. Not only do the Federal Reserve and fiat money violate these provisions, but a digital currency can be easily tracked, allowing the government to monitor all financial transactions.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5403
S. 546 05/14/2024 Good: No No
Federal Police Grants
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution does not authorize Congress to support local law-enforcement agencies. Federal funding of local police departments and county sheriffs comes with strings attached, usually in the form of oversight, regulations, and other homogenized standards — none of which are constitutional.

Representative Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) made a motion to suspend the rules and pass S. 546, the “Recruit and Retain Act,” which expands the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) federal grant program intended to support the recruitment efforts of law-enforcement agencies, including local police, throughout the country.

The House agreed to Hunt’s motion on May 14, 2024 by a vote of 370 to 18 (Roll Call 196). We have assigned pluses to the nays because Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution does not authorize Congress to support local law-enforcement agencies. Federal funding of local police departments and county sheriffs comes with strings attached, usually in the form of oversight, regulations, and other homogenized standards — none of which are constitutional.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/546
H.R. 4824 04/30/2024 Good: No Yes
Carbon Sequestration
The federal government has no authority under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution to engage in energy or environmental policy. Furthermore, carbon sequestration is closely connected to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is antithetical to the Constitution and U.S. sovereignty.

Representative Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) made a motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 4824, the “Carbon Sequestration Collaboration Act,” which would expand the Department of Energy’s carbon-storage program to include carbon-sequestration projects. The bill would also require the Energy Department to submit a report to Congress within two years “to identify and address scientific challenges for widespread adoption of terrestrial carbon sequestration.”

The House agreed to Lucas’ motion on April 30, 2024 by a vote of 364 to 44 (Roll Call 156). We have assigned pluses to the nays because the federal government has no authority under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution to engage in energy or environmental policy. Furthermore, carbon sequestration is closely connected to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is antithetical to the Constitution and U.S. sovereignty.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4824
H.R. 8035 04/20/2024 Good: No No
Ukraine Aid
The United States should not interfere in the war in Ukraine by providing aid to one of the combatants. Congress has not declared war, as required by the U.S. Constitution to go to war, and foreign aid, not being one of the powers delegated to the federal government, is unconstitutional. Moreover, the United States should pursue a sound foreign policy of noninterventionism, based on U.S. national interests and the intent of the Founding Fathers.

The “Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act” (H.R. 8035) would provide $60.8 billion for security assistance to Ukraine and replenishing U.S. stockpiles of military equipment already provided to Ukraine.

The House passed H.R. 8035 on April 20, 2024 by a vote of 311 to 112 (Roll Call 151). We have assigned pluses to the nays because the United States should not interfere in the war in Ukraine by providing aid to one of the combatants. Congress has not declared war, as required by the U.S. Constitution to go to war, and foreign aid, not being one of the powers delegated to the federal government, is unconstitutional. Moreover, the United States should pursue a sound foreign policy of noninterventionism, based on U.S. national interests and the intent of the Founding Fathers.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/8035
H.R. 7888 04/12/2024 Good: No No
FISA Reauthorization
FISA has been used to spy on U.S. citizens without a warrant in violation of the Fourth Amendment. While the bill includes provisions to ostensibly protect the privacy of U.S. citizens, those provisions fail to uphold Americans’ Fourth Amendment-protected rights.

H.R. 7888, titled the “Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act,” would reauthorize for two years, until 2026, Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which governs electronic surveillance of foreign terrorism suspects. Among other provisions, the bill would require additional procedures for searches by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) involving U.S. citizens and FBI surveillance requests to the secret FISA Court.

The House passed H.R. 7888 on April 12, 2024 by a vote of 273 to 147 (Roll Call 119). We have assigned pluses to the nays because FISA has been used to spy on U.S. citizens without a warrant in violation of the Fourth Amendment. While the bill includes provisions to ostensibly protect the privacy of U.S. citizens, those provisions fail to uphold Americans’ Fourth Amendment-protected rights.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7888
H.R. 2882 03/22/2024 Good: No No
Consolidated Appropriations
We oppose this bill because of the many unconstitutional agencies and programs that it would fund, because it funds our further entanglement in the Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas conflicts without a congressional declaration of war, and because this reckless spending is yielding record increases in the national debt.

Representative Kay Granger (R-Texas) made a motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 2882, the “Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” which would appropriate $1.2 trillion in total funding for fiscal 2024. Among other provisions, it would provide $825 billion for the Department of Defense; $224.7 billion for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; $89.8 billion for the Department of Homeland Security; and $58.3 billion for the Department of State. Furthermore, H.R. 2882 would provide $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and $500 million for Israel defense assistance; extend the National Flood Insurance Program through September 30, 2024; and prohibit funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency through fiscal 2025.

The House agreed to Granger’s motion on March 22, 2024 by a vote of 286 to 134 (Roll Call 102). 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 and Israel-Hamas conflicts without a congressional declaration of war, and because this reckless spending is yielding record increases in the national debt.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/2882
H.R. 4366 03/06/2024 Good: No No
Consolidated Appropriations
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 high inflation and record increases in the national debt.

Representative Kay Granger (R-Texas) made a motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 4366, the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” which would appropriate $467.5 billion in federal funding for fiscal 2024. Among other provisions, it would provide $307.8 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs; $103 billion for federal transportation and housing programs; $50 billion for the Department of Energy; $38.6 billion for the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency; $37.5 billion for the Department of Justice; $26.3 billion for the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration; and $24.9 billion for NASA.

The House agreed to Granger’s motion on March 6, 2024 by a vote of 339 to 85 (Roll Call 64). 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 high inflation and record increases in the national debt.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4366
H.Res. 863 02/13/2024 Good: Yes Yes
Mayorkas Impeachment
Secretary Mayorkas deserves impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold office in the future. He has failed to uphold his duty to support and defend the U.S. Constitution by repeatedly violating laws enacted by Congress regarding immigration and border security. His unlawful conduct has allowed illicit drugs and millions of illegal aliens to enter and remain in the United States annually by means of insecure borders. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress power to “establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization,” as well as to call forth “the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions,” and Article II, Section 4 provides that “all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of … high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

The articles of impeachment (“Willful and Systemic Refusal to Comply With the Law” and “Breach of Public Trust”) contained in House Resolution 863 would impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas for high crimes and misdemeanors, including for his handling of issues involving immigration and border security.

The House adopted the articles of impeachment on February 13, 2024 by a vote of 214 to 213 (Roll Call 43). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because Secretary Mayorkas deserves impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold office in the future. He has failed to uphold his duty to support and defend the U.S. Constitution by repeatedly violating laws enacted by Congress regarding immigration and border security. His unlawful conduct has allowed illicit drugs and millions of illegal aliens to enter and remain in the United States annually by means of insecure borders. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress power to “establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization,” as well as to call forth “the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions,” and Article II, Section 4 provides that “all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of … high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/863
H.R. 5894 11/14/2023 Good: Yes Yes
Defunding OSHA
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution does not authorize Congress to establish a federal regulatory agency, such as OSHA, to inspect workplace conditions. Nor does the Constitution empower the federal government to require Americans to take vaccines, especially experimental mRNA injections, as a condition of their employment, as OSHA tried to do.

During consideration of the fiscal 2024 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill (H.R. 5894), Representative Mary Miller (R-Ill.) offered an amendment to defund the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) by $536,922,000 — its total earmarked budget for fiscal 2024.

The House rejected Miller’s amendment on November 14, 2023 by a vote of 131 to 300 (Roll Call 648). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution does not authorize Congress to establish a federal regulatory agency, such as OSHA, to inspect workplace conditions. Nor does the Constitution empower the federal government to require Americans to take vaccines, especially experimental mRNA injections, as a condition of their employment, as OSHA tried to do.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5894
H.R. 4664 11/08/2023 Good: Yes Yes
IRS Firearms and Ammunition
The federal government is not constitutionally authorized to engage in domestic law enforcement, as the 10th Amendment clarifies. IRS agents should not be armed with guns, ammunition, or military-style equipment. Rather, the IRS ought to be defunded and abolished. The American people must demand that Congress end the weaponization of the federal bureaucracy, reject all efforts to create a nationalized police force, and work to repeal the 16th Amendment (income tax).

During consideration of the fiscal 2024 financial-services appropriations bill (H.R. 4664), Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.) offered an amendment to strike all funding for firearms and ammunition for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The House rejected Harshbarger’s amendment on November 8, 2023 by a vote of 187 to 238 (Roll Call 625). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the federal government is not constitutionally authorized to engage in domestic law enforcement, as the 10th Amendment clarifies. IRS agents should not be armed with guns, ammunition, or military-style equipment. Rather, the IRS ought to be defunded and abolished. The American people must demand that Congress end the weaponization of the federal bureaucracy, reject all efforts to create a nationalized police force, and work to repeal the 16th Amendment (income tax).

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4664
H.R. 4820 11/07/2023 Good: Yes Yes
Defunding “Kill-switch” Mandate
This federal “kill-switch” mandate to forcibly “monitor the performance” of every driver and automatically “prevent or limit motor vehicle operation” is a violation of the fundamental right of the American people to travel freely, with a reasonable expectation of privacy. The Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution not only protect against “unreasonable searches and seizures” of persons and their possessions, but also provide that no person shall be deprived of “liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

During consideration of the fiscal 2024 Transportation-HUD appropriations bill (H.R. 4820), Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) offered an amendment that would prohibit the use of federal funds to implement Section 24220 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which requires that all new passenger motor vehicles be equipped with “advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology.”

The House rejected Massie’s amendment on November 7, 2023 by a vote of 201 to 229 (Roll Call 616). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because this federal “kill-switch” mandate to forcibly “monitor the performance” of every driver and automatically “prevent or limit motor vehicle operation” is a violation of the fundamental right of the American people to travel freely, with a reasonable expectation of privacy. The Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution not only protect against “unreasonable searches and seizures” of persons and their possessions, but also provide that no person shall be deprived of “liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4820
H.R. 4821 11/02/2023 Good: Yes Yes
National Monument Declarations
Although the Founding Fathers did not envision the federal government indefinitely “owning” 30 percent of the land area of the states as it now does, they did grant Congress, not the president, the “Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States” (Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution). As to whether the federal government has the right to ownership and control of a large percentage of the land area of the states for an indefinite period of time, here’s Founding Father Thomas Jefferson’s answer in his Kentucky Resolutions of 1798: “The several states composing the United States of America, are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their General Government; but that by compact under the style and title of a Constitution for the United States and of amendments thereto, they constituted a General Government for special purposes, delegated to that Government certain definite powers, reserving each state to itself, the residuary mass of right to their own self Government; and that whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force.”

During consideration of the fiscal 2024 environment-interior appropriations bill (H.R. 4821), Representative Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) offered an amendment to prohibit funds from being used to provide additional funding for national monument designations under the Antiquities Act. According to Ogles, “In the 8 years that Joe Biden was Vice President under the Obama administration, the Antiquities Act was weaponized for 550 million acres of land. That is roughly a quarter of the land by acreage in the United States. That is a problem that goes beyond the scope and intent of this act.”

The House rejected Ogles’ amendment on November 2, 2023 by a vote of 175 to 244 (Roll Call 592). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because, although the Founding Fathers did not envision the federal government indefinitely “owning” 30 percent of the land area of the states as it now does, they did grant Congress, not the president, the “Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States” (Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution). As to whether the federal government has the right to ownership and control of a large percentage of the land area of the states for an indefinite period of time, here’s Founding Father Thomas Jefferson’s answer in his Kentucky Resolutions of 1798: “The several states composing the United States of America, are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their General Government; but that by compact under the style and title of a Constitution for the United States and of amendments thereto, they constituted a General Government for special purposes, delegated to that Government certain definite powers, reserving each state to itself, the residuary mass of right to their own self Government; and that whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force.”

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4821
H.R. 5860 09/30/2023 Good: No No
Continuing Resolution
Congress needs to cut spending to avoid fiscal disaster. Additionally, Congress’ inability to promptly pass a 2024 budget, instead using a continuing appropriations bill that funds the federal government at bloated fiscal 2023 levels, illustrates the breakdown of the federal budgeting process.

Representative Kay Granger (R-Texas) made a motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 5860, the “Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act,” which would appropriate federal government funding at fiscal 2023 levels from October 1, 2023 through November 17, 2023. Additionally, it would appropriate $16 billion in disaster relief for fiscal 2024 and extend federal authorization for multiple programs, including certain Medicare, Medicaid, and Federal Aviation Administration programs. Notably, the bill does not include funding for Ukraine.

The House agreed to Granger’s motion on September 30, 2023 by a vote of 335 to 91 (Roll Call 513). We have assigned pluses to the nays because Congress needs to cut spending to avoid fiscal disaster. Additionally, Congress’ inability to promptly pass a 2024 budget, instead using a continuing appropriations bill that funds the federal government at bloated fiscal 2023 levels, illustrates the breakdown of the federal budgeting process.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5860
H.R. 4665 09/28/2023 Good: Yes Yes
Prohibiting UNESCO Funding
Nowhere in the Constitution is Congress authorized to allocate federal funding to international organizations such as UNESCO. Such organizations threaten U.S. sovereignty and constitutionally protected freedoms, and the United States has no business being involved in them.

During consideration of the fiscal 2024 state-foreign operations appropriations bill (H.R. 4665), Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) offered an amendment to prohibit funding in the bill from aiding the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The House rejected Steube’s amendment on September 28, 2023 by a vote of 198 to 232 (Roll Call 494). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because nowhere in the Constitution is Congress authorized to allocate federal funding to international organizations such as UNESCO. Such organizations threaten U.S. sovereignty and constitutionally protected freedoms, and the United States has no business being involved in them.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4665
H.R. 4665 09/28/2023 Good: Yes Yes
Migration and Refugee Assistance
This program encourages increased immigration, which is a tool of the Deep State to fundamentally transform the United States by deliberately changing the country’s demographics, thus radically altering the voting patterns of the nation.

During consideration of the fiscal 2024 state-foreign operations appropriations bill (H.R. 4665), Representative Scott Perry (R-Pa.) offered an amendment to eliminate all $2,548,250,000 of funding for the State Department’s Migration and Refugee Assistance program.

The House rejected Perry’s amendment on September 28, 2023 by a vote of 121 to 311 (Roll Call 469). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because this program encourages increased immigration, which is a tool of the Deep State to fundamentally transform the United States by deliberately changing the country’s demographics, thus radically altering the voting patterns of the nation.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4665
H.R. 4368 09/27/2023 Good: Yes Yes
Electronic Identification Ear Tag Mandate
The federal government has no authority under the Constitution to regulate agriculture. Furthermore, Hageman’s amendment would push back against the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, which is inherently contrary to the Constitution. Congress should eliminate all federal involvement in agriculture.

During consideration of the fiscal 2024 agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 4368), Representative Harriet Hageman (R-Wy.) offered an amendment to prevent funds from being used to mandate electronic identification ear tags for cattle and bison.

The House rejected Hageman’s amendment on September 27, 2023 by a vote of 97 to 336 (Roll Call 419). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the federal government has no authority under the Constitution to regulate agriculture. Furthermore, Hageman’s amendment would push back against the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, which is inherently contrary to the Constitution. Congress should eliminate all federal involvement in agriculture.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4368
H.R. 3935 07/20/2023 Good: No Yes
FAA Reauthorization
This bill amounts to unconstitutional federal overreach. The federal government should stay out of the regulation of unmanned aerial systems and vehicles, which should instead be managed by local ordinances or (at most) state laws. Ultimately, the Constitution does not authorize the federal government to control or regulate private or commercial aviation. Instead, such matters should be under the auspices of local and state governments, and left up to the market to determine.

The Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (H.R. 3935) would reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through fiscal year 2028. It would gradually increase annual authorizations for federal aviation programs from $12.7 billion in fiscal 2024 to $14 billion in fiscal 2028. It would also transfer federal oversight authority over unmanned aircraft systems, which support and control unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, from the Department of Transportation to the FAA.

The House passed H.R. 3935 on July 20, 2023 by a vote of 351 to 69 (Roll Call 364). We have assigned pluses to the nays because of the bill’s unconstitutional federal overreach. The federal government should stay out of the regulation of unmanned aerial systems and vehicles, which should instead be managed by local ordinances or (at most) state laws. Ultimately, the Constitution does not authorize the federal government to control or regulate private or commercial aviation. Instead, such matters should be under the auspices of local and state governments, and left up to the market to determine.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3935
H.R. 3935 07/19/2023 Good: Yes Yes
DEI Funding
Nowhere in the Constitution is Congress authorized to allocate federal funding for DEI initiatives. Moreover, DEI is part of the broader Marxist-inspired “Black Lives Matter” agenda and has its roots in Marxist “Critical Theory.” The federal government has no business promoting this extremist, anti-American agenda — including in aviation.

During consideration of a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (H.R. 3935), Representative Mary Miller (R-Ill.) offered an amendment to prevent funds in the bill from being used to hire diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) officials or conduct DEI training.

The House rejected Miller’s amendment on July 19, 2023 by a vote of 181 to 254 (Roll Call 353). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because nowhere in the Constitution is Congress authorized to allocate federal funding for DEI initiatives. Moreover, DEI is part of the broader Marxist-inspired “Black Lives Matter” agenda and has its roots in Marxist “Critical Theory.” The federal government has no business promoting this extremist, anti-American agenda — including in aviation.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3935
H.R. 2670 07/13/2023 Good: Yes Yes
Ukraine
Using American taxpayer dollars to provide financial and military support to Ukraine is unconstitutional. Providing foreign aid, including the more than $113 billion in funding for Ukraine, is not one of the enumerated powers delegated to Congress under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. Moreover, the United States should pursue a sound, traditional foreign policy of noninterventionism, based on U.S. national interests and the intent of the Founding Fathers.

During consideration of the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2670), Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) offered an amendment that would prohibit the use of federal funds to provide security assistance to Ukraine.

The House rejected Gaetz’ amendment on July 13, 2023 by a vote of 70 to 358 (Roll Call 304). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because using American taxpayer dollars to provide financial and military support to Ukraine is unconstitutional. Providing foreign aid, including the more than $113 billion in funding for Ukraine, is not one of the enumerated powers delegated to Congress under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. Moreover, the United States should pursue a sound, traditional foreign policy of noninterventionism, based on U.S. national interests and the intent of the Founding Fathers.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/2670
H.R. 2670 07/13/2023 Good: Yes Yes
Abortion Services
The right to life is the most fundamental, God-given, and unalienable right asserted in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the Fifth and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

During consideration of the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2670), Representative Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) offered an amendment to prohibit the Department of Defense from paying or reimbursing expenses for abortion services. It would also repeal an October 2022 Defense Department memo titled “Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health Care.” Under the policy established by this memo, the Defense Department reimburses travel expenses for service members who travel to get an abortion in another state where abortion is legal.

The House adopted Jackson’s amendment on July 13, 2023 by a vote of 221 to 213 (Roll Call 300). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the right to life is the most fundamental, God-given, and unalienable right asserted in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the Fifth and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/2670
H.R. 3746 05/31/2023 Good: No Yes
Bipartisan Debt-limit Deal
Continuing reckless spending and debt accumulation will result in economic catastrophe, and most federal spending is for programs not authorized by the Constitution.

H.R. 3746, titled the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, would suspend the debt limit through January 1, 2025 and create caps on “discretionary” spending for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. In fiscal 2024, defense spending would increase three percent, to $886.4 billion, and nondefense spending would decrease five percent, to $703.7 billion; both limits would increase by one percent for fiscal 2025. Among multiple other provisions, H.R. 3746 would provide $44.8 billion for the veterans’ toxic exposure fund and $22 billion for a Commerce Department fund, rescind $27.7 billion in unspent federal Covid-related funds, rescind $1.4 billion of the $79.3 billion provided in 2022 for IRS enforcement, enact time limits on environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, and raises the age of SNAP work requirements for able-bodied individuals to 55 while exempting certain other groups. Furthermore, the bill requires discretionary spending to decrease by one percent if Congress fails to enact on-time appropriations legislation for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. In an April 28, 2023 op-ed opposing a previous iteration of the bill, Representative Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) stated, “Going off the cliff at the Republicans’ 60-mph or the Democrats’ 80-mph results in the same thing: A horrific crash.”

The House passed H.R. 3746 on May 31, 2023 by a vote of 314 to 117 (Roll Call 243). We have assigned pluses to the nays because continuing reckless spending and debt accumulation will result in economic catastrophe, and most federal spending is for programs not authorized by the Constitution.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3746
H.R. 1 03/29/2023 Good: Yes Yes
Federal Air-pollutants Law
Section 115 of the Clean Air Act has for decades served to disguise the federal government’s unconstitutional seizure of control over the domestic energy sector — a plan designed to not only erode state sovereignty, but implement United Nations-led global “climate change” policy. The 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution clearly reserves any such regulatory powers to the “States respectively, or to the people,” as opposed to unelected, unaccountable foreign bureaucrats.

During consideration of an energy and permitting package (H.R. 1), Representative Scott Perry (R-Pa.) offered an amendment to repeal Section 115 of the Clean Air Act, which allows the Environmental Protection Agency to impose emissions-reduction requirements on state governors if an “international agency” or the Department of State determines that “pollutants” emitted in the United States “endanger public health or welfare in a foreign country.”

The House rejected Perry’s amendment on March 29, 2023 by a vote of 96 to 336 (Roll Call 173). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because Section 115 of the Clean Air Act has for decades served to disguise the federal government’s unconstitutional seizure of control over the domestic energy sector — a plan designed to not only erode state sovereignty, but implement United Nations-led global “climate change” policy. The 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution clearly reserves any such regulatory powers to the “States respectively, or to the people,” as opposed to unelected, unaccountable foreign bureaucrats.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1
H.R. 5 03/24/2023 Good: Yes Yes
Terminating Department of Education
Education is not the role of government, let alone among the limited and specified powers enumerated for Congress in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. A child’s education is the responsibility of, as well as a fundamental right of choice retained by, his or her parents. Forcing American citizens to furnish taxpayer money for a compulsory, failing, and government-run K-12 school system violates their individual liberties.

During consideration of an education-policy bill (H.R. 5), Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) offered an amendment to express the sense of Congress that the authority of the Department of Education “to operate or administer any office or program related to elementary or secondary education should be terminated on or before December 31, 2023.”

The House rejected Massie’s amendment on March 24, 2023 by a vote of 161 to 265 (Roll Call 156). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because education is not the role of government, let alone among the limited and specified powers enumerated for Congress in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. A child’s education is the responsibility of, as well as a fundamental right of choice retained by, his or her parents. Forcing American citizens to furnish taxpayer money for a compulsory, failing, and government-run K-12 school system violates their individual liberties.

View vote details at congress.gov/amendment/118th-congress/house-amendment/124
H.R. 406 03/23/2023 Good: No Yes
ASEAN Relations
ASEAN is a political and economic union, as opposed to an individual sovereign nation. Providing a permanent ASEAN mission in the United States with the same privileges and immunities as embassies further accelerates globalist designs of collectivizing nations into regional unions rather than dealing with them as individual sovereign states. Furthermore, two of the 10 member-states that comprise ASEAN officially have Marxist-Leninist governments: the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. This resolution expands U.S. relations with the communist regimes that oppress those two nations and that heavily influence the policies of the ASEAN union.

H.R. 406 would extend provisions of the International Organizations Immunities Act of 1945 to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). If enacted, the United States would formally recognize ASEAN as an international organization, providing for a permanent ASEAN mission to the United States with the same diplomatic immunities and privileges enjoyed by other foreign embassies.

The House passed H.R. 406 on March 23, 2023 by a vote of 388 to 33 (Roll Call 148). We have assigned pluses to the nays because ASEAN is a political and economic union, as opposed to an individual sovereign nation. Providing a permanent ASEAN mission in the United States with the same privileges and immunities as embassies further accelerates globalist designs of collectivizing nations into regional unions rather than dealing with them as individual sovereign states. Furthermore, two of the 10 member-states that comprise ASEAN officially have Marxist-Leninist governments: the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. This resolution expands U.S. relations with the communist regimes that oppress those two nations and that heavily influence the policies of the ASEAN union.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/406
H. J. Res. 27 03/09/2023 Good: Yes Yes
Federal Water Rule
Both federal water regulations and the EPA are unconstitutional, and if the latest Biden administration rule were allowed to stand, activities such as farming and real estate development would be greatly hampered, since farmers and developers would be subject to increased unconstitutional permit requirements and fines concerning their treatment of almost any body of water, no matter how small.

H. J. Res. 27 would disapprove of a rule submitted by the Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense, and Environmental Protection Agency on January 18, 2023 that again revises the definition of the “Waters of the United States.” During House debate on the bill, Representative Tracey Mann (R-Kan.) declared, “Agricultural producers have been forced to operate their businesses under three different definitions of water in the last 10 years, and this most recent rule removes long-standing bipartisan exemptions for common water features like ponds and streams found on family farms and other private property. With this vote, Congress has a golden opportunity to stand up not only for people who feed, fuel, and clothe us all, but also for all Americans whose businesses and private lives will be affected by this Big Government encroachment onto their property.”

The House passed H. J. Res. 27 on March 9, 2023 by a vote of 227 to 198 (Roll Call 142). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because both federal water regulations and the EPA are unconstitutional, and if the latest Biden administration rule were allowed to stand, activities such as farming and real estate development would be greatly hampered, since farmers and developers would be subject to increased unconstitutional permit requirements and fines concerning their treatment of almost any body of water, no matter how small.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-joint-resolution/27
H. Con. Res. 21 03/08/2023 Good: Yes No
U.S. Military in Syria
The military intervention in Syria was initiated by the president without congressional approval, despite the fact that the power to declare war belongs to Congress.

H. Con. Res. 21 would direct the president to remove U.S. armed forces from Syria within 180 days of the adoption of the resolution.

The House rejected the resolution on March 8, 2023 by a vote of 103 to 321 (Roll Call 136). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the military intervention in Syria was initiated by the president without congressional approval, despite the fact that the power to declare war belongs to Congress.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/21
H. J. Res. 30 02/28/2023 Good: Yes Yes
ESG Fiduciary Rule
“Woke” ESG policies, which corporations and governments are increasingly embracing, are aligned with the United Nations’ Agenda 2030. The UN’s Agenda 2030 is inherently contrary to the Constitution, and ESG promotes leftist policies including radical environmentalism, gun control, and the LGBT agenda. Plus, the U.S. Constitution does not authorize the federal government to regulate retirement plans.

H. J. Res. 30 would reverse the December 2022 Labor Department rule modifying standards under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act to allow retirement-plan fiduciaries to consider environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in making investment decisions and exercising shareholder rights, including when voting on shareholder resolutions and board nominations.

The House passed H. J. Res. 30 on February 28, 2023 by a vote of 216 to 204 (Roll Call 124). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because “woke” ESG policies, which corporations and governments are increasingly embracing, are aligned with the United Nations’ Agenda 2030. The UN’s Agenda 2030 is inherently contrary to the Constitution, and ESG promotes leftist policies including radical environmentalism, gun control, and the LGBT agenda. Plus, the U.S. Constitution does not authorize the federal government to regulate retirement plans.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-joint-resolution/30
H. J. Res. 24 02/09/2023 Good: Yes None
Noncitizen Voting in Washington, D.C.
The right to vote and choose representatives in America is retained solely by citizens of the United States, who, owing true faith and allegiance to the Constitution, are not subject to any foreign power. According to Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the Constitution, Congress is granted the authority to “exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever” involving Washington, D.C.

H. J. Res. 24 would nullify the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, enacted by the Council of the District of Columbia, which allows noncitizens — including illegal aliens — to vote in local elections beginning in 2024.

The House passed H. J. Res. 24 on February 9, 2023 by a vote of 260 to 162 (Roll Call 118). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the right to vote and choose representatives in America is retained solely by citizens of the United States, who, owing true faith and allegiance to the Constitution, are not subject to any foreign power. According to Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the Constitution, Congress is granted the authority to “exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever” involving Washington, D.C.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-joint-resolution/24
H. J. Res. 7 02/01/2023 Good: Yes Yes
Terminate Covid-19 National Emergency
It is unconstitutional to suspend the Constitution by declaring national public-health emergencies.

According to H. J. Res. 7, “the national [Covid-19] emergency declared by the finding of the President on March 13, 2020, in Proclamation 9994 … is hereby terminated.”

The House passed H. J. Res. 7 on February 1, 2023 by a vote of 229 to 197 (Roll Call 104). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because it is unconstitutional to suspend the Constitution by declaring national public-health emergencies.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-joint-resolution/7
H.R. 497 01/31/2023 Good: Yes Yes
Forced Vaccinations
An executive branch agency, such as HHS, has no lawmaking power according to Article I, Section 1 of the Constitution, and therefore cannot impose vaccine mandates via executive decree. Even with an act of Congress, Covid-19 vaccine mandates would still be unconstitutional due to the lack of constitutional authority for Congress to pass a law mandating what you must put into your body.

H.R. 497, the “Freedom for Health Care Workers Act,” would eliminate the Health and Human Services (HHS) Covid-19 vaccine mandate on healthcare providers furnishing items and services in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified facilities. It would also prohibit HHS from publishing any substantially similar rule.

The House passed H.R. 497 on January 31, 2023 by a vote of 227 to 203 (Roll Call 98). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because an executive branch agency, such as HHS, has no lawmaking power according to Article I, Section 1 of the Constitution, and therefore cannot impose vaccine mandates via executive decree. Even with an act of Congress, Covid-19 vaccine mandates would still be unconstitutional due to the lack of constitutional authority for Congress to pass a law mandating what you must put into your body.

View vote details at congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/497