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The final segment of our Member of the Week series continues with an issue profile as discussed by the Congressman. Yesterday, we presented Rep. Jason Chafettz's (R-UT) answers to five questions, including one about what aspect of government he would reform. He has sponsored the Federal Employee Tax Accountability Act (H.R.828), which would terminate the employment of current federal employees who have a "seriously delinquent tax debt." The bill would...

In the waning days of 2010, the Senate ratified President Obama's New START Treaty. Many Republicans Senators supported the treaty based on a promise from President Obama to modernize America's remaining nuclear arsenal - it was a typical Washington quid pro quo. Just days before the vote, former energy secretary Spencer Abraham warned: ...it is misguided to suggest that support is warranted as a quid pro quo for the administration's...

Congressman Lou Barletta (R-PA) has pulled his name from the co-sponsorship list of the NAT GAS Act (H.R.1380). We've been fighting this bill for nearly a year now, and are excited that Rep. Barletta has become the 20th Congressman to remove his name from the list. Twenty Congressmen removing their names from co-sponsorship of a bill is unheard of in Washington. We've never seen it before. The NAT GAS Act...

Thanks to the efforts of good conservatives, we sent a message to Washington that the highway bills (H.R.7 and S.1813) are unacceptable, but the fight isn't over. Right now, Congress is not in session, which means lawmakers are back home in their districts trying to defend these terrible pieces of legislation. And they're getting help. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is doing its part to tout the bill and it's...

Today, National Journal released its official 2011 Vote Ratings. In Washington, this is an annual rite of passage. Lawmakers will tout their top conservative ranking, or their top liberal ranking, or the fact that they have no principle at all! National Journal used 97 Senate votes and 105 House votes to calculate the scores, with a rough balance of half economic votes, a quarter foreign and defense votes, and a...

"YES" on the Blunt Amendment

Next week, the House may vote reauthorize and expand the federal Export-Import Bank. The ExIm Bank provides taxpayer-subsidized loans to American exporters. The Heritage Foundation has described "the ExIm Bank as Fannie Mae for exporters" which ultimately means taxpayers end up "holding the bag for bad loans." Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal editorial board came out swinging against the reauthorization: If you thought Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Solyndra would...

Congressman Trey Gowdy (R-SC) currently scores a 96% on our Legislative Scorecard and was part of the Tea Party wave that rode into Congress in the historic 2010 elections. Rep. Gowdy holds a firm belief that conservative principles and limited government are what will rescue our economy, and it is those principles that guide him in Congress. He has said that his test for supporting legislation in Congress is whether...

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) was originally created to enforce the National Labor Relations Act that was enacted in 1934. Unfortunately, under the Obama Administration, the NLRB has become empowered to tell businesses where they can and cannot locate, and deny businesses adequate time to build a case against unionization. The NLRB has clearly switched from an agency of enforcement to one of activism. To counteract this overreach, Congressman...

"NO" on the Stabenow Amendment

"YES" on the DeMint Energy Freedom Amendment

"YES" on the DeMint State Authority Amendment

"NO" on the NAT GAS Act Amendment

CO-SPONSORSHIP of the Energy Freedom and Economic Prosperity Act (Senate Version)

This week, the Senate will take up a version of the House-passed JOBS Act (H.R.3606). According to CQ (sub. req'd) there will be some key differences: By including the Ex-Im reauthorization, the Senate also is significantly expanding the scope of the debate. Obama has pressed for the proposal in recent weeks, but congressional conservatives, including tea party allies, have taken issue with the tiny government agency that finances the purchase...

Moments ago, the Senate defeated the Burr-Menendez-Reid amendment to the Senate transportation bill. The amendment, the long-stall New Alternatives to Give Americans Solutions (NAT GAS) Act, would have provided significant subsidies for nearly every aspect of the natural gas vehicle industry, while levying a new tax on natural gas. Heritage Action's CEO Michael Needham made the following statement: The defeat of the NAT GAS Act is a signal of how...

Congressman Addison (Joe) Wilson (R-SC) currently scores a 95% on our Legislative Scorecard and has held fast to his conservative principles even after serving in the House of Representatives for over a decade. Rep. Wilson was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1947. In many ways, his life has paralleled the development of Republican Party and conservative movement. In 1960, he and his mother were volunteers at the Coastal Carolina...

When someone supports something whole-heartedly, it's funny to watch them stumble over their own arguments. But that's just what happened last night on CNBC's Mad Money with Jim Cramer: While chewing out the Senate for rejecting the NAT GAS Act amendment yesterday, Mr. Cramer and his guest, Co-founder and CEO of Clean Energy Fuels, Andrew Littlefair, continuously impeded their own arguments by consistently claiming that the natural gas industry is...

Did you know that the average Congressman collects a salary nearly three-and-a-half times higher than what the average American household earns? Current rank-and-file Members in the both the House and Senate earn $174,000 a year; Senate and House Majority and Minority Leaders earn $193,400; and the Speaker of the House earns $223,500. The average American household income is $49,909. And despite record low approval ratings for Congress, every year they...

Dear Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor: We understand the House of Representatives is scheduled next week to consider legislation--the Medicare Decisions Accountability Act (H.R.452)--to repeal Obamacare's Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), and we write to express our concerns with this strategy. IPAB is an unelected and unaccountable board of 15 bureaucrats empowered to set Medicare reimbursement rates in order to control costs, and it will mean rationed health care...