Carol Shea-Porter

Decisions regarding human interaction with various animal species, if handled by government at all, should be handled at the state and local levels. The U.S. Constitution does not give the federal government the authority to declare animals endangered and thus off-limits to hunt or otherwise manage. The growing gray wolf population has been a menace to farmers and ranchers in many states, and farmers are not allowed to protect their own property owing to federal regulations. Working to overturn such regulations is a good thing.

HR 6760 Tax Cuts (Passed 220 to 191 on 9/28/2018, Roll Call 414). Would make permanent the tax cuts for individuals in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that were set to expire at the end of 2025.

HR 6 Opioid Abuse Prevention and Health Programs (Passed 393 to 8 on 9/28/2018, Roll Call 415). Expands Medicare and Medicaid to cover medication-assisted treatment for substance abuse.

HR 6157 Defense-Labor-HHS-Education and Continuing Appropriations (Adopted 361 to 61 on 9/26/2018, Roll Call 405). Would provide $855.1 billion in discretionary funding for fiscal 2019.

HR 302 FAA Reauthorization and Supplemental Disaster Appropriations (Passed 398 to 23 on 9/26/2018, Roll Call 407). Reauthorizes appropriations for the FAA and TSA, as well as $1.7 billion for Hurricane Florence disaster relief. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

The Constitution does not give the federal government authority to get into the insurance business. Having the federal government as an insurer essentially subsidizes risky behavior, such as building in flood-, fire-, and earthquake-prone areas, and forces the taxpayer to pick up the tab. Insurance policies for natural disasters should be offered by private insurers, with the market setting the rates for such coverage.

This particular excise tax was put in place to help pay for an unconstitutional program — the Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare. Repealing part of the funding for such an unconstitutional federal healthcare program is a good thing and should be supported.

HCR 119 Carbon Tax (Adopted 229 to 180 on 7/19/2018, Roll Call 363). Declares that a carbon tax would be "detrimental to American families and businesses" and "not in the best interest of the United States.”

The Constitution does not authorize the federal government to regulate the environment in general, let alone regulate methane emissions that accompany oil and natural gas production, processing, and distribution.

HR 3 Appropriations Cuts (Passed 210 to 206 on 6/7/2018). Would cut nearly $15 billion from previously approved, unspent, and wasteful spending. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

HR 3249 Law Enforcement Partnership Grants (Passed 394 to 13 on 6/6/2018, Roll Call 239). Authorizes $50 million a year from 2019-2021 for the Project Safe Neighborhoods Block Grant Program.

S 204 Experimental Drugs (Passed 250 to 169 on 5/22/2018, Roll Call 214). Would allow patients with life-threatening conditions to seek access to experimental drugs directly from a manufacturer without FDA approval.

The U.S. Constitution does not give the federal government any authority over what foods a person chooses to consume. In other words, it is illegal for the federal government to make raw milk illegal. While the federal government does have authority to “regulate Commerce … among the several States,” there is no reason for federal interference in a scenario such as this, where a product is legally sold in each of the states in question.

Rep. Jim Banks' (R-Ind.) amendment to HR 2 Waters of the United States (Adopted 238 to 173 on 5/18/2018, Roll Call 203). To repeal the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2015 “Waters of the United States” rule.

Rep. Tom McClintock's (R-Ca.) amendment to HR 2 Agricultural Crop Subsidies (Rejected 34 to 380 on 5/17/2018, Roll Call 194). Would have phased out agricultural crop subsidies by fiscal year 2030.

HR 1625 Omnibus Appropriations (Passed 256 to 167 on 3/22/2018, Roll Call 127). Would provide $1.3 trillion in wasteful and unconstitutional government spending. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

HR 4909 STOP School Violence Act (Passed 407 to 10 on 3/14/2018, Roll Call 106). Would authorize $75 million a year through 2028 for the Justice Department’s Secure Our Schools grant program. See U.S. Const., amend. 10.

HR 3326 World Bank (Passed 237 to 184 on 1/17/2018, Roll Call 24). Would authorize $3.29 billion in foreign aid to the World Bank International Development Association.

Rep. Justin Amash's (L-Mi.) amendment to S 139 Warrantless Surveillance (Rejected 183 to 233 on 1/11/2018, Roll Call 14). To end NSA collection of communications data that is neither to nor from an approved foreign target, but rather communications “about” a foreign target entirely between American citizens.

S 139 Warrantless Surveillance (Passed 256 to 164 on 1/11/2018, Roll Call 16). Would reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) through 2023, allowing secret FISA Court-approved surveillance of American citizens. See U.S. Const., amend. 4.

HR 1 Tax Cuts (Passed 224 to 201 on 12/20/2017, Roll Call 699). Would cut the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent and individual income tax rates through 2025, and effectively eliminate the tax penalty on Americans who do not purchase health insurance.

The Constitution does not authorize the federal government to interfere in healthcare, let alone ration it by deciding who should and should not receive medical care.

HR 36 Abortion (Passed 237 to 189 on 10/3/2017, Roll Call 549). Bans abortion when the age of the pre-born baby is 20 weeks or longer.

Going into homes to check up on the physical, emotional, and economic “wellness” of families not only goes way beyond the few and defined federal powers authorized by the Constitution, but also is part of a dangerous trend of government further interjecting itself into the family.

Rep. Salud Carbajal's (D-Calif.) amendment to HR 3354 Fracking (Rejected 177 to 230 on 9/8/2017). Would effectively prohibit fracking in the Pacific outer continental shelf. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

Rep. Ted Yoho's (R-Fla.) amendment to HR 3354 UN Human Rights Agencies (Rejected 199 to 212 on 9/7/2017, Roll Call 470). Prohibits the use of federal funds for making contributions to various UN human rights agencies. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

HR 3180 Intelligence Authorization (Passed 380 to 35 on 7/28/2017, Roll Call 437). Authorizes classified amounts of funding through fiscal 2018 for 16 U.S. intelligence agencies and intelligence-related activities, including the Office of the National Intelligence Director, the CIA, and the National Security Agency.

This bill provides temporary relief from having to immediately implement the new ozone reduction standards. Ideally, the EPA should be abolished and the Clean Air Act repealed, since both are unconstitutional infringements on state responsibilities.

HR 397 NATO (Passed 423 to 4 on 6/27/2017, Roll Call 328). "[S]olemnly reaffirms" the U.S. commitment to NATO based on principle of "collective defense."

HR 10 Dodd-Frank Financial Regulations (Passed 233 to 186 on 6/8/2017, Roll Call 299). Would overhaul financial industry regulations and repeal many provisions of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law.

Providing federal equipment and training to state and local law-enforcement officers not only is unconstitutional, but also further federalizes the police system.

HR 1628 ObamaCare Replacement (Passed 217 to 213 on 5/4/2017, Roll Call 256). Would retain much of ObamaCare under the guise of "repeal and replace."

HR 244 Omnibus Appropriations (Passed 309 to 118 on 5/3/2017, Roll Call 249). Would provide $1.16 trillion in wasteful and unconstitutional government spending over the span of just under five months. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

This bill expands the "War on Terror" to include the fictitious and non-existent threat of "agro-terrorism" in the American homeland, thereby further interjecting the U.S. government into the agriculture sector, despite the absence of any constitutional power to manage this or any other sector of the American economy.

HR 1181 Veteran Gun Purchases (Passed 240 to 175 on 3/16/2017, Roll Call 169). Prohibits the U.S. government from preventing individuals from purchasing a gun simply by claiming the individual is "mentally incompetent." See U.S. Const., Amend. 2.

This legislation reaffirms Alaska's sovereign power to manage its wildlife. Since the power of wildlife management was not granted to the federal government by the Constitution, it is reserved to Alaska and the other 49 states according to the 10th Amendment.

This bill limits the power of an unconstitutional federal government agency. The U.S. Constitution does not authorize the federal government to get involved in healthcare, much less establish a Department of Health and Human Services, so any attempt to limit the power of an unconstitutional federal agency is a step in the right direction.

HJR 38 Stream Protection Rule (Passed 228 to 194 on 2/1/2017, Roll Call 73). Would nullify the "Stream Protection Rule" issued in 2016 by the Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

HR 7 Federal Funding for Abortion (Passed 238 to 183 on 1/24/2017, Roll Call 65). Would prohibit both federal funds and the District of Columbia's funds from being used to pay for abortions.

HR 26 Major Regulations (Passed 237 to 187 on 1/5/2017, Roll Call 23). Would require congressional approval before any "major rule" issued by an executive branch agency could go into effect. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 1.

HR83 Omnibus Appropriations (Passed 219 to 206 on 12/11/2014, Roll Call 563). Provides $1.013 trillion in discretionary appropriations in fiscal 2015 for federal departments and agencies.

"President Obama's grant of deferred action to more than four million unlawfully present aliens, as directed in a November 20, 2014, memorandum issued by Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Charles Johnson, is without any constitutional or statutory basis," as correctly stated in the bill.

This bill essentially gets the federal government out of the way of economic development. While one could correctly argue that the federal government should not have been involved in this issue in the first place, and that from a constitutional standpoint it should be left up to the states, private property owners, and TransCanada to work out an arrangement, this bill is definitely a step in the right direction since it would remove unconstitutional federal regulatory roadblocks against the pipeline project.

The Federal Reserve System, essentially a cartel of private banks functioning as a central bank, is unconstitutional and is responsible for much of the nation's current financial problems via its control of money and credit. An audit of the Fed would shed light on its otherwise secretive practices and perhaps lead to its eventual abolishment.

Both federal water regulations and the EPA are unconstitutional, and if the rule were to pass, activities such as farming would become nearly unfeasible, since farmers would have to get federal permits to do many farm activities, such as cleaning out ditches.

The federal government should not hinder the development and utilization of the nation's natural resources, including oil and gas. Encouraging and allowing such development is in line with the Constitution and should therefore be supported. Additionally, such a move would place America further along the road to energy self-sufficiency, which is important for national security and insulation from various global political crises.

HR4870 Surveillance (Passed 293 to 123 on 6/19/2014, Roll Call 327). Prevents defense funds from being used to allow U.S. intelligence agencies to sift through electronic metadata that contains the personal information of U.S. citizens.

Arming "moderate" rebels in a foreign country is tantamount to going to war, which would require a declaration of war by Congress. Also, the United States should follow the Founders' advice not to become involved in foreign quarrels.

Amendment to HR4870 Militarizing Local Police (Rejected 62 to 355 on 6/19/2014, Roll Call 329).  Prohibited any funding in the bill from being used to transfer excess military equipment for police.

Presidents have been able to claim broad authority to go to war whenever or wherever they choose under the AUMF, despite the fact that the Founding Fathers never intended for one man to make this decision and under the Constitution only Congress may "declare war."

Any attempt to limit or prohibit indefinite military detention is desirable, especially since persons detained may include U.S. citizens. Indefinite military detention is a blatant violation of the Sixth Amendment, and an executive who can wield such powers is akin to a monarch or dictator. As Rep. Smith said during consideration of the amendment: "That is an enormous amount of power to give the Executive: to take someone and lock them up without due process. It is not necessary. This President has not used the authority. President George W. Bush did not use it after about 2002 and then only in a couple of instances. It is not necessary. It is an enormous amount of power to grant the Executive, and I believe places liberty and freedom at risk in this country."

The Authorization for the Use of Military Force, while granted by Congress, gives the president almost unlimited powers to invade countries, overthrow governments, and assassinate people under the pretext of waging the "war on terror." Congress essentially handed over its constitutional authority to declare war to the executive branch, thus giving the executive unconstitutional abilities. Any attempt to end the Authorization for the Use of Military Force is a step in the right direction.

HR4152 Ukraine Aid (Passed 378 to 34 on 4/1/2014, Roll Call 149). Provides $150 million for direct aid to Ukraine.

Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution requires that the president "shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." When instead the president picks and chooses which laws to enforce and which to ignore, he is usurping the powers of Congress, which under the Constitution possesses sole legislative powers.

Restricting greenhouse-gas emissions would be harmful to the economy, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are not pollutants, and the federal government has no constitutional authority to limit such emissions.

The federal government should live within its means, suspending the debt limit is even worse than raising it, and most of the spending responsible for the ballooning national debt is unconstitutional.

Both farm aid and food aid are unconstitutional. The food subsidy programs are supposed to help the poor, but in practice they have done little to lift people out of poverty, as evidenced by the growing number of recipients of these programs.

The government should not be subsidizing the killing of innocent human life. There is no constitutional authority for the government to manage or finance the healthcare sector.

With this budget agreement Congress is failing to address its fiscally and constitutionally irresponsible budgeting and appropriating process that is currently yielding annual federal deficits measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars that contribute directly to the dramatic growth of our $17 trillion national debt.

With this budget agreement Congress is failing to address its fiscally and constitutionally irresponsible budgeting and appropriating process that is currently yielding annual federal deficits measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars that contribute directly to the dramatic growth of our $17 trillion national debt.

The negotiated deal contained in this bill constituted a cave-in by 87 Republicans that ended the government shutdown as well as the Republican attempt to defund the unconstitutional ObamaCare law.

Even though the bill contains appropriations for huge amounts of unconstitutional spending, it would completely defund unconstitutional ObamaCare in fiscal 2014.

In recent decades the executive branch, via various federal agencies and executive orders, has exercised a great deal of unconstitutional power. An executive who can write laws and regulations apart from the legislature is basically a king or a dictator, and this abuse of power is precisely what the Founding Fathers tried to prevent with the separation of powers.

Communist China is a self-proclaimed enemy of the United States, responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people in the 20th century; continues to persecute countless political dissenters, Christians, and other religious minorities; and has recently threatened to target and destroy U.S. cities with nuclear-tipped ICBMs. Military collaboration with the Chinese regime will not diminish the security threat it poses to the United States but, if anything, heighten it.

Only Congress has the constitutional authority to declare war and appropriate funds to pay for it. Authorizing the president to use military force without a declaration of war is a shifting of responsibility from Congress to the executive branch that essentially allows the president to exercise dictator-like powers and should be opposed.

Any effort to limit the collection of Americans' personal information by the surveillance state is a good thing. Blanket collection of electronic records of citizens who are not under investigation is a violation of the Fourth Amendment's prohibition on search and seizure without a warrant.

It is preposterous that the United States would take U.S. taxpayer dollars to purchase helicopters for the new Afghan military from Rosoboronexport, a Russian state-owned export company that has manufactured and supplied arms to enemy states, such as Iran and Syria.

Increased exploration and utilization of the country's energy resources would greatly assist economic growth and energy independence for our nation.

This legislation would call for nearly $1 trillion in unconstitutional spending. The constitution does not authorize the federal government to subsidize food, farmers, or poverty. These subsidies have resulted in large market distortions as the government essentially picks winners and losers in the food production industry, and the fact that the number of people enrolled in food stamp programs has grown consistently illustrates that these programs do little to lift people out of poverty.

Indefinite detention without trial is a serious violation of long-cherished legal protections including the right to habeas corpus, the issuance of a warrant based on probable cause (Fourth Amendment), and the right to a "speedy and public" trial (Sixth Amendment). Under the National Defense Authorization Act, the president may abrogate these rights simply by designating terror suspects, including Americans, as "enemy combatants." A government that would lock up anyone indefinitely without trial is certainly moving toward tyranny, and legislation to prevent this abuse of power is needed.

Only Congress has the power under the Constitution "to establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization."

The size of DHS ammunition purchases is alarming - particularly considering that under our constitutional system domestic law enforcement is a local and state responsibility.

HR3 Keystone XL Pipeline (Passed 241 to 175 on 5/22/2013, Roll Call 179). Declares that "no Presidential permit shall be required for the pipeline described in the application filed on May 4, 2012, by TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P."

ObamaCare is obviously unconstitutional, and it is causing healthcare costs to rise dramatically.

the massive sharing of private citizens' online data by Internet companies with federal government agencies authorized by this bill violates "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures" as set forth in the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution.

Passage of this mammoth continuing resolution provided a way for Congress to perpetuate its fiscally irresponsible, unconstitutional spending habits with a minimum of accountability to its constituents.

It is unconstitutional for the government to prohibit citizens from working for less than a government-set wage.

The runaway federal spending needs to be reined in. Though the sequestration cuts are too small to solve the fiscal crisis, they are better than no cuts at all.

HR325 Short-term Debt Limit Increase (Passed 285 to 144 on 1/23/2013, Roll Call 30). Would suspend the public debt limit through May 18, 2013 and, in effect, allow the Treasury Department to borrow as much as it needs in order to pay its bills over the next four months.

Disaster relief - which should be provided through private charitable efforts - is not a federal responsibility.

Even though a lame-duck session is not unconstitutional, it undermines the representative government established by the Constitution.

The federal government has no constitutional authority to pay for healthcare for the poor or to fund education. Also, there is no statistical evidence showing that federal involvement in education has increased learning -- though it certainly has increased federal bureaucracy and control.

Federal spending needs to be cut back and the appropriations are unconstitutional.

The bill is unaffordable and most of the spending is unconstitutional.

The spending is over and above what the federal government already budgeted, Congress never declared war against Iraq and Afghanistan, and some of the spending (e.g., foreign aid) is unconstitutional.

Extending unemployment benefits provides a disincentive for finding work while adding to the cost of government and doing nothing to create jobs. Indeed, if unemployment benefits were a good solution to the unemployment problem, then why not make unemployment benefits permanent? The solution, instead, is to end government and Fed intervention in the market so the market can create more and better jobs.

Ramping up regulatory control of the financial sector by the Fed and the federal government is not only unconstitutional but will make it exceedingly more difficult for the economy to recover.

Government should not infringe on the right to free speech of corporations, unions, and other interest groups.

The unconstitutionality and wrongness of requiring anyone to purchase a product or service -- in this case health insurance.

Entrepreneurs and not government should decide which technologies to invest in and to what extent.

Entrepreneurs and not government should decide which technologies to invest in and to what extent.

The federal government has no constitutional authority to manage the healthcare industry or the student-loan industry.

The federal government cannot afford to add to existing spending and because the federal government has no constitutional authority to provide disaster relief or jobs funding.

HR3590 ObamaCare (Passed 219 to 210 on 3/21/2010, Roll Call 165). Popularly known as "ObamaCare," this bill essentially completed the government takeover of the American healthcare system.

HCR248 Withdrawing U.S. Soldiers From Afghanistan (Rejected 65 to 356 on 3/10/2010, Roll Call 98). Would direct the President to remove the U.S. Armed Forces from Afghanistan within 30 days of enactment, or by the end of the year.

The provisions violate the right of the people to (in the words of the Fourth Amendment) "be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures."

Raising the national debt allows the federal government to borrow more money and continue its gross fiscal irresponsibility.

Spending federal dollars to create jobs is unsustainable and unconstitutional.

More government control of the economy will do more harm than good.

HR3288 Omnibus Appropriations (Passed 221 to 202 on 12/10/2009, Roll Call 949). This legislation is comprised of six appropriations bills that Congress failed to complete separately. The price tag in the final version of H.R. 3288 is about $1.1 trillion.

A federal government takeover of our healthcare system is not authorized by the Constitution and will cost most Americans more for healthcare.

The majority of funding in the bill is unconstitutional and wasteful.

Federal aid to farmers and federal food aid to individuals are not authorized by the Constitution.

The Department of Energy is not authorized by the Constitution.

The federal government should not be subsidizing the car industry and because it is unconstitutional and wasteful.

The array of social welfare programs funded by this bill is unconstitutional and has failed historically.

Virtually every dollar assigned to this bill, whether it is for transportation or housing assistance, is unconstitutional and unaffordable.

Foreign aid is unconstitutional and unworkable.

HR2454 Cap and Trade (Passed 219 to 212 on 6/26/2009, Roll Call 477). Would not merely "cap" carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gas emissions, ostensibly to fight global warming, but would reduce the amount of allowable emissions over time.

The spending is over and above what the federal government had already budgeted, the United States never declared war against Iraq and Afghanistan, and some of the spending (e.g., Cash for Clunkers and foreign aid) is unconstitutional.

The federal government should not be subsidizing the automotive companies via vouchers to customers. Besides, it's unconstitutional.

HR2200 Body Image Screening (Passed 310 to 118 on 6/4/2009, Roll Call 305). Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) offered an amendment that would prohibit the use of Whole-Body Imaging as the primary method of screening at airports.

The spending is over and above what the federal government had already budgeted, the United States never declared war against Iraq and Afghanistan, and some of the spending (e.g., foreign aid) is unconstitutional.

SCR13 Budget Resolution (Passed 233 to 193 on 4/29/2009, Roll Call 216). The final version of the Fiscal 2010 Budget Resolution (SCR13) calls for $3.56 trillion in federal spending for the fiscal year.

This legislation would further federalize the criminal code as well as punish not only criminal acts, but the thoughts behind them.

Providing federal aid to local law-enforcement programs is not only unconstitutional, but also further federalizes the police system.

National-service programs are not authorized by the Constitution.

HR1 Economic Stimulus (Passed 248 to 183 on 2/13/2009, Roll Call 70). Provide $787 billion — $575 billion in new spending and $212 billion in tax cuts — to stimulate the economy.

Federal healthcare programs are unconstitutional and would likely lower the quality of healthcare.

The Constitution does not authorize Congress to grant financial aid or loans to private companies, e.g., banks and automakers.

HR1424 Bailout Bill (Passed 263 to 171 on 10/03/2008, Roll Call 681). Authorizes the Treasury Department to use $700 billion of taxpayer money to purchase troubled mortgage-related securities from banks and other financial-related institutions.

The Constitution does not authorize the federal government to assume regulation, much less micromanagement, of the energy industry.

Social Security numbers were not intended to be used and should not be used as the basis for a national ID database. An alternative measure (H.R. 5515) would have the screening for employment eligibility verification provided by state-administered private companies that already track employee verification for child-support enforcement.

Foreign aid is unconstitutional.

The federal government acting as an insurer, a micromanager of markets, and a wealth redistributor is unconstitutional and will undoubtedly affect market behavior, leading to more and worse market strife.

No federal or state government investigation (and there have been many over the years) has ever found broad market manipulation in the oil industry. Furthermore, there is no clear definition of "price gouging." Hence, this bill would likely have been counterproductive, as it would have created an incentive for retailers to close, rather than risk penalties for simply following the economic laws of supply and demand. Besides, the federal government has no business trying to dictate prices in the private sector, under any circumstances.

Warrantless searches are a violation of the Fourth Amendment, which protects Americans against unreasonable searches and seizures, and requires that any searches be conducted only upon issuance of a warrant under conditions of probable cause. Moreover, Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution forbids "ex post facto laws" -- laws having a retroactive effect.

Federal aid to farmers and federal food aid to individuals are not authorized by the Constitution.

Foreign aid is not authorized by the Constitution.

S Con Res 70 Budget Resolution (Passed 214 to 210 on 6/5/2008, Roll Call 382). Drafted by the Democrats, this $3.03 trillion budget sets nonbinding limits for the 12 annual appropriations bills. 

Federal aid to farmers and federal food aid to individuals are not authorized by the Constitution.

The federal government acting as an insurer, micro-manager of markets, and wealth redistributor is unconstitutional. Also, the morphing of H.R. 3221 from an energy bill into a foreclosure prevention bill was a procedural travesty.

The act would expand an unconstitutional federal power grab to control elections that was initiated through the disastrous Help America Vote Act of 2002 with its establishing of the EAC. That act fostered and financed a huge increase in the use of electronic voting equipment which can be hacked, lacks credible auditing, and vastly increases the potential for wholesale voter fraud. Politicians who caused that problem now seek its remedy through even more federal control and tax dollars. It is better (and constitutional!) for each state to manage and pay for its own elections.

Foreign Aid is unconstitutional.

The American welfare state this budget expands is unconstitutional. It should initially be frozen at least and then reduced.

Increasing taxes for the largest U.S. oil producers would drive gasoline prices higher and because Congress should not be subsidizing energy development, including renewable energy. The increased tax expense to corporations would simply be passed on to consumers. Targeting the top U.S. oil companies for making record profits is a disincentive to increasing exploration and production; undermines the exceedingly large capital base required to rebuild when Katrina-type hurricanes devastate the oil patch; and is unfair. Other companies and sectors with record profits would be untouched, not to mention foreign oil producers larger than Exxon.

HR5140 Economic Stimulus (Passed 385 to 35 on 1/29/2008, Roll Call 25).  Would provide about $150 billion in economic stimulus, including $101.1 billion in direct payments of rebate checks (typically $600) to most taxpayers in 2008

Federal healthcare programs are unconstitutional.

Social-welfare programs are unconstitutional.

The bill advances the federalizing of the educational system, and federal involvement in education is unconstitutional.

HR3688 Peru Free Trade Agreement (Passed 285 to 132 on 11/8/2007, Roll Call 1060). Transfers the power to regulate trade (and other powers as well) to regional arrangements.

This bill threatens legitimate dissent.

Warrantless surveillance of American citizens is a violation of the Fourth Amendment provision against "unreasonable searches and seizures." Although the bill includes a sunset provision causing it to expire after six months, President Bush has already called for making the bill permanent.

Federal aid to farmers and federal food aid to individuals are not authorized in the Constitution.

Federal healthcare funding is unconstitutional.

The NAFTA Superhighway threatens our national security and economy.

The federal government should not subsidize the housing of illegal aliens. (Of course, it should end housing subsidies to American citizens as well since such aid is unconstitutional.)

Amendment to HR2643 Global Climate Change (Rejected 153 to 274 on 6/26/2007, Roll Call 555).  Strikes from the bill nonbinding language calling for a mandatory program to combat global warming.