Club for Growth

You are viewing the Key Vote Alert category

January 18, 2007

HOUSE Key Vote Alert - Feeney Letter

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 40,000 members, plans to score the signatures of a recent coalition letter to President Bush, led by Congressman Tom Feeney, as a pro-economic growth measure in its annual Congressional Scorecard.

Signers of the letter pledge to sustain any veto made by the President on any tax increase submitted to him by Congress.

The problem in Washington hasn’t been a lack of revenue; it’s been a lack of spending restraint. Tax hikes are counterproductive and anti-growth and Congress should vigorously oppose them.

A copy of the letter is reprinted below. To sign onto it, please contact Tonnie Wybensinger in Rep. Feeney’s office at t.wybensinger@mail.house.gov.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 110th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 11:33 AM, January 18, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #

January 12, 2007

SENATE Key Vote Alert - Paycheck Protection

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 40,000 members, plans to score a "YES" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in its annual rating of Congress on the "paycheck protection" amendment (Amdt #14) offered by Senator Jim DeMint on the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 (S. 1).

The amendment would prevent labor unions from using a member's dues for political activities without the member's prior consent.

Union dues, especially in non-right-to-work states, are similar to taxes - they're compulsory. Worse, these funds are often used to support policies the employee disagrees with and that often would harm economic growth.

Also, as the Wall Street Journal recently wrote, "Compulsory dues are the financial foundation of Big Labor's political power…every other special interest group trying to raise money for a political cause has to contact people and persuade them to contribute. That includes the National Rifle Association, Emily's List, the trial lawyers and Chamber of Commerce."

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 110th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 1:22 PM, January 12, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #

January 11, 2007

SENATE Key Vote Alert - Earmark Reform

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 40,000 members, plans to score a "YES" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in its annual rating of Congress on the earmark reform amendment (Amdt #11) offered by Senator Jim DeMint on the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 (S. 1).

The amendment would strengthen earmark reform, bringing more transparency and accountability to the process, which would help reduce wasteful spending.

Currently within S. 1, the Senate is proposing weak earmark reform rules that would apply to very few earmarks (it exempts federal projects and it doesn't explicitly apply to earmarks not contained within the bill text). In contrast, the House recently passed earmark reform that is demonstrably better, and would apply to almost all earmarks. If passed, the DeMint Amendment, which is identical to the House proposal, would apply those rules to the Senate.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 110th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 6:55 PM, January 11, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #

HOUSE Key Vote Alert - Medicare Bill

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 40,000 members, plans to score a "NO" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in its annual rating of Congress on H.R. 4, a bill that would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to "negotiate" lower drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries. The House is scheduled to debate and vote on this proposal on Friday, January 12, 2007.

This bill is nothing more than an effort to impose price controls, which would stifle innovation, and over time, prevent the development of new potentially life-saving drugs.

As the Heritage Foundation notes, "If it is allowed, government "negotiation" with drug makers would not be negotiation in the common meaning of the term but rather fixing prices below those reductions already achieved in the market in order to get, on paper at least, larger discounts than [Pharmacy Benefit Managers] do today. To achieve those additional savings, Congress would need to wield a hammer that is unavailable to PBMs. And the only real tool the government has that private plans do not is the ability to deny all seniors access to specific drugs if the manufacturers refuse a government-set price. This would be, in effect, a price control scheme, enforced by denying patients access to drugs. The effectiveness of this approach would depend on Congress's willingness to deny seniors access to some, or even many, prescription drugs."

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 110th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 10:30 AM, January 11, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #

January 9, 2007

HOUSE Key Vote Alert - Minimum Wage Hike

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 40,000 members, plans to score a "NO" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in its annual rating of Congress on H.R. 2, a bill that would increase the minimum wage. The House is currently scheduled to vote on this proposal on Wednesday, January 10, 2007.

This bill, if passed, would raise the minimum wage (which is a price control on labor) from its current federal level of $5.15 to $7.25, a whopping 41% increase.

As the Heritage Foundation correctly observes, "Increasing the minimum wage is frequently proposed as a means of helping the working poor, but high minimum wages only harm unskilled, low-wage workers. By artificially increasing the cost of unskilled labor, minimum wage laws encourage employers to minimize their need for low-wage employees, either by using more machines or by changing the way that they offer services. This in turn means that there are fewer jobs available for unskilled workers. The relatively few beneficiaries of an increased minimum wage are more likely to be students working part-time than they are to unskilled workers with children to support."

Posted at 8:20 AM, January 9, 2007 | Trackback | Print | #

December 7, 2006

HOUSE Key Vote Alert - Defense Spending Report Card Act

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 40,000 members, plans to score a “YES” vote on the Defense Spending Report Card Act (H.R. 6375) as a pro-economic growth vote in our annual rating of Congress.

According to a nearly identical bill that passed the Senate on two separate occasions earlier this year, this bill would simply require the Secretary of Defense to describe, assess, and grade each congressional initiative made available to the Department of Defense for the previous fiscal year.

In other words, this bill is a good governance proposal that would bring much needed transparency and accountability to how taxpayers’ money is being spent on defense.

According to Citizens Against Government Waste, the FY07 defense appropriations bill contained at least 2,600 pork-barrel projects worth $12 billion. And yet we don’t necessarily know where these funds will be spent, if they will be effectively put to use, or even if they are necessary. This bill will help resolve those problems.

For more information, here is a recent article about this bill by columnist Robert Novak.

UPDATE: The bill failed 70 - 330.

Posted at 3:53 PM, December 7, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

September 29, 2006

SENATE Key Vote - Amtrak

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 36,000 members, plans to score a "NO" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in our annual rating of Congress on the Amtrak Reauthorization bill (S. 1516) if it comes up for a vote.

This bill would provide an unprecedented financial crutch of $11.4 billion to Amtrak over six years. This includes $1.8 billion for 2007, which is double what President Bush requested.

As Heritage Foundation expert Ronald Utt stated, "The bill would also substantially change the federal statutes governing Amtrak's operations in ways that would hinder reform and interrupt the modest operational reforms being implemented by Amtrak's new management."

For more information, please click here.

Posted at 1:36 PM, September 29, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

September 25, 2006

SENATE Key Vote - Schumer Graham Tax Bill

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 36,000 members, plans to score a "NO" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in our annual rating of Congress on the Schumer-Graham tariff bill (S. 295) if it comes up for a vote.

This bill would slap a destructive 27.5% tariff on all Chinese imports if China doesn't re-evaluate its currency. Such a move would cause a price increase on billions of dollars worth of goods and services - in other words, a direct tax on American consumers.

Worse still, this tax hike could set off a trade war with China, which would destroy jobs.

As economist Larry Kudlow warned, "[this] bill echoes the catastrophic tariff legislation that set off the stock market crash and Great Depression of decades ago."

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 4:15 PM, September 25, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

September 19, 2006

HOUSE Key Vote Alert - Pence-Cantor Bill

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 36,000 members, plans to score co-sponsorship of the Pence-Cantor bill (HR 6057) as a pro-economic growth vote in our annual rating of Congress.

Right now, American taxpayers are required to pay taxes on capital gains, including the “gains” made through inflation. This bill is a matter of tax fairness. It does away with the tax on inflation, allowing taxpayers to index for inflation the cost basis used in calculating the capital gains tax.

Inflation erodes the real economic gains that can be made by investing capital in the marketplace. Inflation is itself a stealth tax so it’s absurd that Americans should be double taxed on assets that they expose to risk. Removal of this hidden tax will encourage investment that will lead to more innovation, more production, and more wealth.

To become a co-sponsor of this bill, or if you need more information, please contact Ryan Fisher with Rep. Pence’s office at ryan dot fisher at mail dot house dot gov.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 11:01 AM, September 19, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

September 13, 2006

HOUSE Key Vote Alert - Earmark Reform

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 36,000 members, plans to score a "YES" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in our annual rating of Congress on the upcoming House vote for earmark reform (H.Res. 1000).

Wasteful spending in Washington has spiraled out of control over the last several years. Just in appropriations bills, money spent on pork projects has gone from "only" 4,326 earmarks worth $17.7 billion in 2000 to 13,997 projects worth $27.3 billion in 2005, according to Citizens Against Government Waste. And that doesn't include authorization bills like the 2005 Highway Bill, which included over 6,000 earmarks totaling a whopping $24 billion.

While the earmark reform resolution isn't a perfect solution to the egregious spending problem, it is a solid first step at shedding some light on the earmarking process, which is without oversight and accountability and is an enabling "currency of corruption" in Washington.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 3:38 PM, September 13, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

July 17, 2006

HOUSE Key Vote Alert - Oman Free Trade Pact

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 36,000 members, plans to score a “YES” vote as a pro-economic growth vote in our annual rating of Congress on the upcoming House vote on the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (H.R. 5684).

Congressional approval of the free trade agreement with Oman will both strengthen our dynamic market economy and continue progress on freer trade.

As noted by the Heritage Foundation, “most American exports to Oman face a tariff rate of 5 percent, while the bulk of imports from Oman enter the U.S. market duty-free or face very low tariffs. Under the [agreement], all bilateral trade in manufactured goods would become duty-free. Oman would immediately eliminate the tariffs that 87 percent of U.S. agriculture exports to Oman now face and phase out the remaining product tariffs within 10 years.” More information on the agreement can be found at here.

Eliminating barriers to trade is a win-win for countries and their citizens. Higher standards of living, peaceful relations, economic stability, respect for property rights, and greater individual liberty are just some of the innumerable benefits of free trade.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 11:10 AM, July 17, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

July 14, 2006

HOUSE Key Vote Alert - Metro Pork Bill

Andrew Roth

If the House schedules a vote for the National Capital Transportation Amendments Act of 2005 (H.R. 3496), the Club for Growth, with its 36,000 members, plans to score a "NO" vote on it as a pro-economic growth vote in our annual rating of Congress.

Sponsored by Rep. Tom Davis, H.R. 3496 would provide the nation's capital transit system, better known as the Metro, with an additional taxpayer subsidy of $1.5 billion. If passed, the Davis earmark would be one of the largest ever passed by Congress.

At a time of high deficits and runaway spending, passage of this egregious earmark is the last thing our nation's economy needs. It is high time that this mature transit system has the incentive to be self-sufficient or be funded by local taxpayers who rely on the service, rather than once again relying on taxpayers from across the country to bail it out.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 4:06 PM, July 14, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

June 20, 2006

HOUSE Key Vote Alert - Line Item Veto

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 35,000 members, plans to score a "YES" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in our annual rating of Congress on the Legislative Line-Item Veto Act of 2006 (H.R. 4890).

The Line-Item Veto Act would be a useful weapon in the fight against wasteful and excessive spending.

Under the proposal, after a spending bill becomes law, the president could suggest rescissions of selected projects to Congress. There would then be an expedited vote in Congress on whether or not the spending would be cancelled. If either house of Congress failed to pass the rescission, the spending would continue.

Giving presidents a more effective, if modest, check on runaway federal spending is constitutional, consistent with the primary conservative value of limited government, and in the best interest of taxpayers.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 10:57 AM, June 20, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

June 8, 2006

SENATE Key Vote Alert - Death Tax Repeal

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 35,000 members, plans to score a "YES" vote in our annual rating of Congress on the expected upcoming Senate vote of H.R. 8, a bill to permanently repeal the Death Tax. We may include procedural votes on, or amendments to, H.R. 8 in the rating.

The Death Tax inhibits economic growth, job creation and higher wages by discouraging saving and investment, placing family-run businesses at a competitive disadvantage, and creating huge and wasteful death tax planning burdens. After a lifetime of paying income taxes it is simply unconscionable to tax a hardworking American one more time at death.

Current law repeals the Death Tax, but only for one year, 2010. This uncertainty is causing unnecessary tax planning complexity, which should be resolved now through permanent repeal. Heritage Foundation "economists estimate that the federal estate tax alone is responsible for the loss of between 170,000 and 250,000 potential jobs each year." An excellent overview of the case for permanent repeal may be found at here.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 9:31 AM, June 8, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

May 23, 2006

HOUSE Key Vote Alert - Flake Amendments

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 35,000 members, plans to score a "YES" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in its annual rating of Congress on ALL of the amendments offered by Rep. Jeff Flake that strike earmarks from the FY2007 Agriculture Appropriations bill (H.R. 5384).

Congress needs to get serious about removing the wasteful earmarks that are contained in spending bills. Despite a public outcry demanding that the abuse stop, the funding of pet projects has remained a favorite habit of too many lawmakers. By approving all of Congressman Flake's amendments that would strip the bill of various earmarks, the House would be providing the public with strong evidence that it is regaining some fiscal sanity.

Likewise, Citizens Against Government Waste, a non-profit watchdog group that monitors the wasteful spending in Congress, has issued a "Pork Alert" for the Agriculture Appropriations bill. For more details, go here.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 1:39 PM, May 23, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

May 17, 2006

HOUSE Key Vote Alert - RSC Substitute Budget

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 35,000 members, plans to score a "YES" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in its annual rating of Congress on the alternative budget resolution submitted by the Republican Study Committee, and sponsored by Rep. Jeb Hensarling.

Passing this substitute amendment to the budget resolution (H. Con. Res. 376) would send a strong statement to the public that House Republicans have returned to their fiscally conservative ideals. The amendment would propose, among other things, a solid cut in discretionary spending that would balance the budget by 2011 and would eliminate over 150 wasteful programs. It would also seek $358 billion in reconciliation savings. For more information, please contact the RSC or go to their website.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

UPDATE: The House failed to pass the RSC budget (as expected) by a vote of 94-331.

Posted at 3:06 PM, May 17, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

May 10, 2006

HOUSE & SENATE Key Vote Alert - Tax Reconciliation

Andrew Roth

The Club for Growth, with its 35,000 members, plans to score a "YES" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in its annual rating of Congress on the tax reconciliation bill (HR 4297 & S 2020).

It is imperative that this bill pass because it will extend the capital gains and dividend tax cuts that were enacted in 2003. Those tax cuts were instrumental in the country's economy recovery and are desperately needed to continue its upward trend. As the Wall Street Journal reports, the latest evidence that the pro-growth tax cuts are working "is Treasury's monthly budget report for May that tax receipts were up by $137 billion, or a remarkable 11.2%, for the first seven months of Fiscal 2006 through April. That's more than triple the inflation rate. And it comes on top of the $274 billion, or 14.6%, increase in federal revenues for all of Fiscal 2005, which ended last September 30.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 4:38 AM, May 10, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

April 27, 2006

SENATE Key Vote Alert - Coburn Amendments

Matt Prasse

The Club for Growth, with its 35,000 members, plans to score a "YES" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in its annual rating of Congress on all of the amendments contained in Senator Tom Coburn's #3641 Amendment as part of the war supplemental bill (H.R. 4939). This includes all motions to table the Coburn amendments, for which we plan to score "NO" votes.

As the overall war supplemental bill stands now, there are various provisions of wasteful pork spending, corporate welfare, and non-emergency funding. The Coburn amendments, which total a savings of $2.68 billion if passed, are a brave effort to curtail this unnecessary and egregious spending and would avoid a possible veto by the President.

For a detailed explanation on why these amendments need to be passed, please read the Heritage Foundation's report, "The Senate's Deadly Sin: Larding Up Emergency Appropriations".

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/wm1038.cfm

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 3:10 PM, April 27, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

HOUSE Key Vote Alert - Lobbying Reform Rule

Matt Prasse

The Club for Growth, with its 35,000 members, plans to score a "NO" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in its annual rating of Congress on BOTH the rule and final passage of H.R. 4975 (lobbying reform). If the rule adopted by the Rules Committee late yesterday is changed so that H.R. 513 (the 527 bill) is not added to lobbying reform, then we will not score a vote against H.R. 4975 or the rule.

We have made this unprecedented decision to score both the rule and the final vote because the two proposed acts by the House would together result in the text of H.R. 513 being added to the bill upon passage. H.R. 513 contains language that proposes a breathtaking assault on First Amendment free speech rights and would deprive Club members of important associational rights also guaranteed by the Constitution. Its provisions are completely unrelated to the issue of lobbying and are an attempt to circumvent Senate debate on this horrific attack on the First Amendment.

Since the House passage of H.R. 513, columnist George Will said the action was "traducing the Constitution and disgracing conservatism." Forbes Magazine called that bill "McCain-Feingold on steroids" and said "the move is like banning printing presses because your opponents use them to publish brochures criticizing you." The Rocky Mountain News called it "noxious legislation." Earlier, National Review said "There's nothing conservative about trying to regulate your opponent to defeat."

The provisions from H.R. 513 go far beyond the reviled prohibitions on ads imposed by the so-called Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA). This unprecedented provision would ban any such ads placed anywhere at any time in any kind of medium by a 527 group unless sponsored by a highly-regulated PAC.

Free speech is vital to a healthy debate on public policies, including policies that create economic growth. Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 3:08 PM, April 27, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

March 22, 2006

SENATE Key Vote Alert - Free Speech Limits

Matt Prasse

The Club for Growth, with its 35,000 members, plans to score a “NO” vote as a pro-economic growth vote in its annual rating of Congress on any bill that contains restrictions on free speech that would force all 527 groups to become political action committees (PACs). Such a measure proposes a breathtaking assault on First Amendment free speech rights and would deprive Club members of important associational rights also guaranteed by the Constitution.

One such proposal is S. 1053. This bill goes far beyond the reviled prohibitions on ads imposed by the so-called Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA). Those limits barred “only” TV and radio ads from most groups if the ads mention the name of a candidate within 60 days of a November election. It exempted PACs.

S. 1053 is an unprecedented proposal that would ban any such ads placed anywhere at any time in any kind of medium by a 527 group unless sponsored by a highly-regulated PAC. If passed, money currently donated to 527s will instead flow to other nonprofit groups and business associations where it will be hidden from the public disclosure currently mandated for 527 groups. Under the logic and precedent of BCRA and S. 1053, Congress would, presumably, then apply these same anti-free speech restrictions to these other groups, perhaps until First Amendment-guaranteed free political speech has been thoroughly shredded.

The Club’s rating will also score other actions for or against such a proposal such as sponsoring S. 1053 or other bills with a similar provision or signing a letter urging action on these proposed free speech restrictions by leadership, a committee, or the President.

Free speech is vital to a healthy debate on public policies, including policies that create economic growth. Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 3:37 PM, March 22, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #

March 16, 2006

SENATE Key Vote Alert - DeMint-Crapo Amendment

Matt Prasse

The Club for Growth, with its 34,000 members, plans to score a "YES" vote as a pro-economic growth vote in its annual rating of Congress on the DeMint-Crapo Amendment to "Stop the Raid on Social Security", which is being offered on the Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Resolution (S. Con. Res. 83) in the Senate.

Social Security long-term unfunded liability is $5.7 trillion through 2080. Unless the program is reformed, either substantial benefit cuts with little warning to beneficiaries or job-killing tax increases will be the result.

If adopted, this amendment would demonstrate that Congress is serious about finally taking steps toward meaningful reform. While the amendment would not commit the Senate to any particular plan, it contains a workable framework for proceeding with modernization of Social Security so that it is fiscally sound for the future.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 109th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Posted at 3:27 PM, March 16, 2006 | Trackback | Print | #