Budget Votes: Democrats on the Record
Over the past four years with no budget, Majority Leader Reid protected Senate Democrats from having to go on the record on difficult policy positions. That’s why it was important that the Senate passed the “No Budget, No Pay” Act earlier this year. During the budget debate, Senate Democrats were forced to choose between their constituents and President Obama on issues of taxes, health care, energy, the economy, and others. The votes demonstrated where Senators stand on critical policy issues, and Americans were paying attention to the budget headlines.
The Democrat voting bloc was broken on many issues, and the Obama agenda was rejected on others. Some Democrat Senators were given a pass and didn’t have to vote for a budget that narrowly passed 50-49. All Republicans voted against it, joined by Democrat Senators Baucus, Begich, Hagan, and Pryor. The other 50 Senate Democrats are clearly on the record: they rejected a path toward fiscal sustainability and economic growth in favor of the same old approach of more debt, more spending and more economic stagnation.
Republican Amendments Receiving Dramatic Democrat Support
Inhofe #139 – No UN Arms Trade Treaty (Passed, 53-46; Democrats, 8-46)
This amendment establishes a deficit neutral reserve fund intended to prevent the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.
Portman #154 – Require dynamic scoring (Passed, 51-48; Democrats, 6-48)
The amendment requires CBO and JCT to prepare an informational score that takes into account macroeconomic effects of the policy change for legislation affecting revenues.
Hatch #297 – Repeal medical device tax (Passed, 79-20; Democrats, 34-20)
The amendment creates a deficit neutral reserve fund to repeal the health care law’s $30 billion medical device tax.
Hoeven #494 – Keystone approval and construction (Passed 62-37; Democrats, 17-37)
The amendment establishes a deficit-neutral reserve fund to consider legislation that may result in strong growth in manufacturing, oil and gas production, and refining sectors of the economy through the approval and construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Vitter #689 – End "Too Big to Fail" (Passed, 99-0)
The amendment creates a deficit neutral reserve fund to end subsidies or funding advantages for banks with over $500 billion in assets.
Coburn #709 – Eliminate duplication in fed government (Passed, 62-37; Democrats, 17-37)
This amendment would consolidate several areas of extensive federal duplication as outlined by the Government Accountability Office.
PASSED: Republican Amendments (Selected)
Isakson #138 – Biennial budgeting (Passed, 68-31; Democrats, 29-25)
The amendment creates a deficit neutral reserve fund relating to establishing a biennial budget and appropriations process.
Barrasso #184 – NEPA re: greenhouse gas emissions (Passed, Voice Vote)
The amendment establishes a deficit-neutral reserve fund to consider legislation related to promoting the export of goods, including manufactured goods, from the United States through reform of environmental laws.
Coats #195 – Require disclosure of each taxpayer’s share of deficit (Agreed to by UC)
This amendment requires that CBO report on the cost per taxpayer of deficits in Presidential budget submissions.
Cornyn #247 – No pay for OMB Director if POTUS budget is late (Passed, Voice Vote)
The amendment establishes a deficit neutral reserve fund for legislation that would prohibit paying salaries of the OMB Director, Deputy Director, or Deputy Director for Management (or all three) during the period of time that the President’s budget submission is delayed past the legal deadline of the first Monday in February.
Graham #329 – Allow Members of Congress to donate 20% of their salaries to charity or to pay down national debt (Passed, voice vote)
The amendment creates a deficit neutral reserve fund to allow Members of Congress to donate 20% of their salaries to charity or to pay down national debt.
Coburn #409 – Re: Medicare hospital wage index floor (Passed 68-31; Democrats, 23-31)
The amendment creates a deficit neutral reserve fund to sunset a provision in the health care law that increases Medicare wage index payments to hospitals in a few states by reducing payments to the majority of states.
Coburn #412 – Address postal discount rate for political committees (Passed, Voice Vote)
This amendment creates a deficit-reduction reserve fund to address the nonprofit postal discounts that state and national political committees receive.
Boozman #527 – Restrict eminent domain (Passed, voice vote)
The amendment establishes a deficit-neutral reserve fund to restrict eminent domain abuse by state and local governments.
Johanns #624 – Health savings accounts (Passed, Voice Vote)
The amendment creates a deficit neutral reserve fund to restore families’ health care flexibility. The amendment accomplishes this by repealing the HSA and FSA restrictions implemented as part of the President’s health care law.
FAILED: Republican Amendments (Selected)
Sessions Motion to Recommit – Balanced Budget (Failed, 46-53; Democrats, 1-53)
The motion to recommit would send the budget resolution back to the Budget Committee and require it to report back a resolution that has a balanced budget in FY 2023.
Portman #152 – Medical malpractice reform (Failed, 43-56; Democrats, 1-53)
The amendment provides reconciliation instructions to the Senate Judiciary Committee to reduce the deficit by $63.86 billion from 2014 to 2023. The reconciliation instructions provide the Committee flexibility to enact sensible reforms to the medical liability system that reduce costs and ensure patient access to care.
Grassley #156 – Remove tax hikes (strike reconciliation) (Failed, 45-54; Democrats, 0-54)
The amendment would add a deficit neutral reserve fund for individual and corporate tax reform. Under the amendment, this tax reform must be revenue-neutral. It would also strike the reconciliation instructions that call for a $975 billion tax increase.
Ayotte #158 – No tax hikes when unemployment over 5.5% (Failed, 45-54; Democrats, 0-54)
The amendment would establish a point of order against the consideration of a budget resolution that includes tax hikes when the unemployment rate is above 5.5 percent.
Roberts #187 – No funds for PPACA marketing (Failed, Voice Vote)
The amendment would create a deficit neutral reserve fund to prohibit the use of funds for promotional or marketing materials advocating the health care law and its “benefits”.
Cruz #202 – Repeal PPACA (Failed, 45-54; Democrats, 0-54)
The amendment would create a deficit neutral reserve fund to 1) repeal the health care law and 2) encourage step-by-step, patient-centered reforms that improve health outcomes, reduce health care costs, and promote economic growth.
Johnson #213 – Make Social Security and Medicare solvent (Failed, 46-53; Democrats, 1-53)
The amendment would establish a point of order against budget resolutions that do not maintain 75 year solvency for Social Security and Medicare.
Crapo #222 – Repeal PPACA taxes on low/middle income (Failed, 45-54; Democrats, 0-54)
The amendment would create a deficit neutral reserve fund to repeal the health care law’s tax increases on low and middle income Americans.
Blunt #261 – No carbon tax (Motion to Waive Budget Act (Failed 53-46; Democrats, 8-46)
The amendment would establish a budget point of order against any legislation that creates a federal tax or fee imposed on carbon emissions from any product or entity that is a direct or indirect source of the emissions.
Rubio #292 – Supporting the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (Motion to Waive Budget Act Failed 48-51; Democrats 5-49)
The amendment expresses the Sense of the Senate that legislation should be enacted to require that a physician, before performing an abortion on a minor from a different state, must first notify one parent 24 hours before performing the abortion. There are exceptions to the notification requirements: if the minor is the victim of sexual abuse, faces a life-endangering emergency, or has received permission from a court.
Thune #307 – Permanently eliminate estate tax (Failed, 46-53; Democrats, 2-52)
The amendment would establish a deficit neutral reserve fund for legislation that would eliminate the Federal estate tax.
Crapo #318 – Save $275B in mandatory health spending (Failed, 47-52; Democrats, 2-52)
The amendment amends the reconciliation instructions (Title II, Section 201) to include further instructions to the Senate Finance Committee to achieve the budget’s stated goal of $275 billion in mandatory health care savings.
Vitter #338 – End subsidized mobile phone service (Failed, 46-53; Democrats, 1-53)
The amendment would establish a deficit neutral reserve fund for legislation prohibiting the Universal Service Fund from subsidizing commercial mobile service.
Shelby #340 – Fin Regs must have cost-benefit analysis (Failed, 47-52; Democrats, 2-52)
The Shelby amendment seeks to establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund for legislation that requires financial regulators to conduct rigorous cost benefit analysis on all proposed regulations.
Inhofe #359 – Prohibit funding for GHG regulations (Failed, 47-52; Democrats, 3-51)
The amendment reduces budget authority by $280 million to prohibit regulation of greenhouse gas emissions for the purpose of addressing climate change.
Lee #373 – Don’t spend more on interest than defense (Failed, 46-53; Democrats, 1-53)
This amendment would create a point of order against consideration of any budget resolution that would cause interest payments (function 900) to exceed Defense spending (Function 050) in any fiscal year.
Coats #514 – Allow presidential exemptions from EPA Mercury and Air Toxins Standard rule (Failed, 46-53; Democrats, 4-50)
The amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to consider legislation that may allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enable the President to be adequately informed and take prompt action to issue, on a case-by-case basis, presidential exemptions, which may include exemptions under the Clean Air Act.
Alexander #515 – School choice (Failed 39-60; Democrats, 0-54)
The Alexander amendment would establish a Deficit Neutral Reserve Fund related to the education of low-income children, which may include allowing funding under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to follow children from low-income families to the school of their choice.
Vitter #526 – Photo ID to vote in federal elections (Failed, 44-54; Democrats, 1-52)
This amendment would create a deficit-neutral reserve fund to ensure election integrity by requiring a valid government-issued photographic ID for voting in federal elections.
Toomey #535 – Repeal PPACA tax on catastrophic medical expenses (Failed, 45-54; Democrats, 0-54)
This amendment repeals the health care law’s tax increase on catastrophic medical expenses.
Scott #597 - Prohibit union dues from being deducted from federal employee pay (Failed, 43-56; Democrats, 0-54)
This amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to the prohibition of taxpayer dollars and resources being used to automatically deduct union dues from the pay of Federal employees.
Fischer #630 – Protect women's health care access and protect rights of conscience (Failed 44-55; Democrats, 2-52)
This amendment establishes a deficit-neutral reserve fund to protect women’s access to health care including basic primary and preventative care while protecting providers’ rights of conscience.
Lee #673 – Point of order against legislation restricting 2nd Amendment rights (Motion to Waive Budget Act Failed, 50-49; Democrats, 6-48)
The Lee Amendment creates a budget point of order against any future legislation that further restricts the right of law-abiding Americans to own a firearm. This amendment re-affirms the importance of the Second Amendment and that additional consideration should be given before passing legislation that infringes this fundamental constitutional right.
Burr #697 – No tax increases on veterans (Motion to Waive Budget Act Failed, 45-54; Democrats, 0-54)
This amendment would establish a point of order against any legislation that would increase taxes on veterans. This amendment also strikes the tax reconciliation instructions that would raise taxes by nearly $1 trillion.
Cruz #702 – Prohibit funds to UN while any UN member nation forces involuntary abortions (Failed, 38-61; Democrats, 1-53)
The amendment creates a budget point of order against the consideration of legislation that would make funds available to any United Nations organization while any Member-state compels its citizens to undergo abortions involuntarily.
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