RATINGS of CONGRESS 2015 RATINGS of ... - ACU Ratings

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2015 RATINGS of CONGRESS 45th Edition

114thth United States Congress, First Session

ACUConservative

@ACUConservative #ACURatings

Conservative.org

Letter from the Chairman

2

ACU & ACUF Board Members

3

How We Selected the Votes

3

2015 Winners & Losers

4

Senate Vote Descriptions

6

Senate Scores

9

House Vote Descriptions

16

House Scores

19

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION’S

2015 Ratings of Congress | 114th Congress, First Session

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN I'm pleased to present the American Conservative Union Foundation’s (ACU) ratings for the First Session of the 114th Congress. Now in its 45th year, our Congressional Ratings reflect how elected officials view the role of government in an individual's life. The Members of Congress with the strongest scores voted most consistently with the ideals articulated in the U.S. Constitution: limited and transparent government, individual rights, personal responsibility, and a healthy culture. Adhering to this approach every year since 1971, the ACU ratings are the most consistent measure of Congress. Our comprehensive scoring covers all issues of interest to conservatives, seeking to balance President Ronald Reagan's three-legged stool of economic, national security, and cultural conservatism. His presidential term ended years ago, but his legacy lives on and continues to guide conservatives in our modern era. Circumstances on such critical issues as energy security and religious liberty shift over time, but the conservative principles in defense of these are timeless. In 2015, the Republicans held majorities in both chambers of Congress for the first time since 2006. By examining these ratings, we can see how this has affected the votes that were taken and which Members of Congress have best applied conservative principles to the issues before them. I know that this guide will provide you with the most comprehensive evaluative tool to learn how your legislators measure up. We hope that our ratings will continue to encourage Members of Congress to govern in a more conservative manner. Sincerely,

Matt Schlapp Chairman American Conservative Union

2



ACU BOARD MEMBERS Matt Schlapp Chairman Charlie Gerow First Vice Chairman Carolyn D. Meadows Second Vice Chairman Bob Beauprez Treasuer Amy Frederick Secretary Thomas Winter Executive Committee Member

Larry Beasley Kimberly Bellissimo Morton C. Blackwell John Bolton Jose Cardenas Ron Christie Muriel Coleman Kellyanne Conway Tom DeLay Becky Norton Dunlop John Eddy

Luis Fortuno Alan M. Gotleib Van D. Hipp, Jr. Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser James V. Lacy Michael R. Long Ed McFadden Grover G. Norquist Ron Robinson Mike Rose Ned Ryun

Peter Samuelson Sabrina Schaeffer Fred L. Smith, Jr. Matt Smith Ed Yevoli

ACU FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBERS Matt Schlapp Chairman Millie Hallow Vice Chairman Van D. Hipp, Jr. Treasurer Amy Frederick Secretary

Kimberly Bellissimo Jose Cardenas Jonathan Garthwaite Charlie Gerow Colin Hanna Niger Innes Willes Lee

Carolyn D. Meadows Randy Neugebauer Thomas Winter

HOW WE SELECTED THE VOTES ACU researched and selected a range of bills before Congress that determine a member’s adherence to conservative principles. We selected bills that focus on Ronald Reagan’s philosophy of the “three-legged stool”: 1) fiscal and economic: taxes, budgets, regulation, spending, healthcare, and property; 2) social and cultural: 2nd amendment, religion, life, welfare, and education; and 3) preserving our nation’s security by maintaining a strong national defense. The wide range of issues covered are designed to give citizens an accurate assessment of how Members of Congress best defend the principles of a free society: Life, Liberty and Property. The votes selected by the ACU are not always considered the “most important” votes as defined by others; instead the votes we score help reflect the ideological distinction among our elected officials. oots conservatives and the public – in an unbiased, transparent manner – on where individual members of Congress fall on the ideological spectrum.

To contact ACU, please call 202-347-9388

1331 H Street NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-9388

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2015 WINNERS & LOSERS FOR CONSERVATIVE 90-100% AWARD EXCELLENCE SENATE

SENATE

HOUSE

HOUSE

HOUSE

HOUSE

HOUSE

HOUSE

HOUSE

BOOZMAN

LANKFORD

AMASH

CHAFFETZ

GARRETT

HUNTER

MASSIE

RATCLIFFE

STUTZMAN

CASSIDY

LEE, M.

BABIN

CLAWSON

GOHMERT

HURT

McCLINTOCK

RIBBLE

TIPTON

COTTON

PAUL

BISHOP, M.

COLLINS, D.

GOODLATTE

JENKINS, L.

MEADOWS

ROE

WALBERG

CRAPO

RISCH

BLACK

CONAWAY

GOSAR

JOHNSON, S.

MESSER

ROHRABACHER

WALKER

CRUZ

RUBIO

BLACKBURN

DeSANTIS

GOWDY

JORDAN

MILLER, J.

ROKITA

WILLIAMS

DAINES

SASSE

BLUM

DesJARLAIS

GRAVES, G.

LABRADOR

MULVANEY

ROUZER

WITTMAN

ENZI

SCOTT, T.

BRAT

DUNCAN, JEFF

GRAVES, T.

LaMALFA

NEUGEBAUER

SALMON

WOODALL

FISCHER

SESSIONS

BRIDENSTINE

DUNCAN, JOHN

HARRIS

LAMBORN

OLSON

SANFORD

YOHO

GRASSLEY

SHELBY

BROOKS, M.

FARENTHOLD

HENSARLING

LATTA

PALMER

SCHWEIKERT

INHOFE

VITTER

BUCK

FINCHER

HICE

LONG

PERRY

SCOTT, A.

BURGESS

FLEMING

HOLDING

LOUDERMILK

POE

SENSENBRENNER

BYRNE

FLORES

HUDSON

LOVE

POMPEO

SMITH, ADRIAN

CARTER, E. L.

FORBES

HUELSKAMP

LUMMIS

POSEY

SMITH, J.

CHABOT

FRANKS

HUIZENGA

MARCHANT

PRICE, T.

SMITH, L.

HOUSE

HOUSE

HOUSE

HOUSE

HOUSE

HOUSE

HOUSE

FOR CONSERVATIVE 80-89% AWARD ACHIEVEMENT SENATE BLUNT

PERDUE

ABRAHAM

EMMER

HULTGREN

McHENRY

RICE, T.

WALORSKI

YOUNG, DAVID

ERNST

SULLIVAN

ALLEN

FLEISCHMANN

HURD

MICA

ROTHFUS

WEBER

YOUNG, T.

ISAKSON

TOOMEY

BILIRAKIS

FOXX

ISSA

MOONEY

ROYCE

WEBSTER

BRADY, K.

GIBBS

JONES

PALAZZO

SESSIONS

WENSTRUP

COFFMAN

GROTHMAN

KING, S.

PAULSEN

STEWART

WESTERMAN

CRAWFORD

HILL

MCCAUL

PITTENGER

THORNBERRY

YODER

MORAN

4

SENATE
