Cynthia Axne

HR 2617 Omnibus 2023 Spending (Passed 225 to 201 on 12/23/2022, Roll Call 549). Spends $1.7 trillion on multiple unconstitutional programs and agencies. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

HR 8404 Marriage (Passed 258 to 169 on 12/8/2022, Roll Call 513). Repeals the Defense of Marriage Act and codifies the "right" to marry regardless of sexual orientation.

HR 6448 Federal Police Grants (Passed 360 to 64 on 9/22/2022, Roll Call 451). Spends a total of $300 million over five years on unconstitutional grants to local police, threatening their independence. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

This bill undermines election integrity, infringes upon state sovereignty, and makes changes that are inconsistent with Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution.

HR 5376 Inflation Reduction Act (Passed 220 to 207 on 8/12/2022, Roll Call 420). Spends at least $512 billion on multiple unconstitutional and left-wing programs and initiatives. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

This bill is a gross violation of the U.S. Constitution, especially the Second Amendment, which recognizes that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This is one step closer to a disarmed America — with the assistance of taxpayer dollars.

HR 4346 Semiconductor Incentives (Passed 243 to 187 on 7/28/2022, Roll Call 404). Spends $54.2 billion on multiple unconstitutional research, development, and manufacturing programs, and authorizes an additional $168.7 billion in spending. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

HR 1130 Expanding NATO (Passed 394 to 18 on 7/18/2022, Roll Call 364). Expresses support for Sweden and Finland joining NATO and calls on NATO member states to formally support the countries' accession.

The right to life is the most fundamental, God-given, and unalienable right asserted in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the Fifth and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

According to the U.S. Constitution, only Congress has the authority to declare war. It is long past time to bring the troops home from Syria, especially considering that Congress never issued a declaration of war in relation to the country.

S 2938 Gun Control (Passed 234 to 193 on 6/24/2022, Roll Call 299). Implements new federal gun controls and mental-health programs. See U.S. Const., amend. 2.

HR 7691 Ukraine Aid (Passed 368 to 57 on 4/7/2022, Roll Call 145). Unconstitutionally spends $40.1 billion in aid to Ukraine. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

HR 3807 Covid Aid (Passed 223 to 203 on 4/7/2022, Roll Call 123). Unconstitutionally spends $55 billion in grants to small businesses harmed by government Covid restrictions. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

Honoring the subpoenas would undermine the constitutional separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches of government. President Trump had invoked executive privilege, and as Navarro pointed out, “it is not my privilege to waive” it. The January 6 committee is not a court of law; it is a kangaroo court. In fact, it was rigged from the beginning, when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) took the unprecedented action of nixing two of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) choices for the committee — Representatives Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Pelosi instead put on the so-called bipartisan committee RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) Liz Cheney (Wy.) and Adam Kinzinger (Ill.).

The United States should stay clear of entangling alliances such as NATO, but also because NATO obligates the United States to go to war if any member of NATO is attacked. Specifically, under the North Atlantic Treaty that established NATO in 1949, member nations “agree that an armed attack against one or more of them … shall be considered an attack against them all.” This agreement undermines the provision in the U.S. Constitution that assigns to Congress the power to declare war. There are now 30 countries in NATO, and an attack on any one of them could pull the United States into a war that neither Congress nor the American people want.

HR 2471 Omnibus Appropriations (Passed 361 to 69 on 3/9/2022, Roll Call 65). Spends $927.4 billion on multiple unconstitutional programs and agencies. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

HR 2471 Omnibus Appropriations (Passed 260 to 171 on 3/9/2022, Roll Call 66). Spends about $600 billion on multiple unconstitutional programs and agencies. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

HR 4521 Competitiveness Package (Passed 222 to 210 on 2/4/2022, Roll Call 31). Unconstitutionally authorizes $350 billion over five years for federal funding of research and development programs, along with leftist-agenda items. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

The UNFCCC infringes on U.S. sovereignty and places an undue burden on American industry, workers, and taxpayers. Meeting the emission goals of the UNFCCC would significantly reduce U.S. economic output. Furthermore, the treaty requires the United States and other industrialized nations to provide economic assistance to fund climate-change action in “developing nations,” such as China.

Not only does this bill undermine election integrity, but it infringes upon federalism and state sovereignty as established under the Constitution and its 10th Amendment.

HR 5376 Build Back Better Act (Passed 220 to 213 on 11/19/2021). Spends $1.75 trillion on a wide range of left-wing, Great-Reset programs. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

HR 3684 Infrastructure (Passed 228 to 206 on 11/5/2021). Spends $1.2 trillion on wasteful projects and socialized programs. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

Abortion has nothing to do with the protection of women’s health, despite the name of the bill; and there is no right to an abortion in the Constitution, the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision notwithstanding.

Not only does this bill undermine election integrity, but it infringes upon state sovereignty as established under the 10th Amendment, subjugating it to the whims of federal bureaucrats.

HR 4373 State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill (Passed 217 to 212 on 7/28/2021). Spends $62.2 billion on the State Department and other foreign-affairs matters. Loaded with foreign aid and climate-change provisions. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' lawsuit, which describes the committee’s actions as “unconstitutional,” rightfully points out, “To the extent Congress seeks to utilize subpoenas to investigate and punish perceived criminal wrongdoing, it unconstitutionally intrudes on the prerogatives of the Executive Branch.” Furthermore, the January 6 Committee is part of a growing trend toward tyranny and political persecution.

HR 567 North and West Africa Interventionism (Passed 395 to 15 on 6/29/2021). Establishes a counterterrorism program in North and West Africa, dragging the U.S. into an unconstitutional, entangling alliance. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

HR 2225 National Science Foundation (Passed 345 to 67 on 6/28/2021). Authorizes $77.9 billion for federal funding of science and engineering research and development. Promotes a radical climate-change agenda. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

HR 391 Global Health Security Strategy (Passed 307 to 112 on 6/28/2021). Requires the president to take actions promoting U.S. integration in globalist, UN-tied health programs. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

HR 256 Iraq AUMF Repeal (Passed 268 to 161 on 6/17/2021). Repeals the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq, which unconstitutionally abdicated Congress's war powers. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8, Cl. 11.

The United States already observes 10 other federal holidays. Furthermore, seeing as slavery ended on December 6, not June 19, the inclusion of the words “National Independence Day” to Juneteenth creates the appearance of supplanting July 4 as America’s Independence Day. This perpetuates a false and dangerous notion that the United States has different days of independence depending on one’s race or ancestry, and is consistent with the communist tactic of “dividing the people” along racial lines.

H.R. 51 Washington, D.C., Statehood (Passed 216 to 208 on April 22, 2021, Roll Call 132). Would admit most of the District of Columbia as the 51st state and give it full representation in Congress, with two U.S. senators and one U.S. representative.

HR 1603 Agricultural Migrant Amnesty (Passed 247 to 174 on 3/18/2021). Gives amnesty to over 1.5 million illegal aliens in the agriculture industry and changes the H-2A visa program to make it more attractive to migrants and increase chain migration.

H.R. 8 Background Checks (Passed 227 to 203 on March 11, 2021, Roll Call 75). Would criminalize most private firearms transactions unless they include an FBI background check, representing a major infringement on our God-given right to keep and bear arms.

HR 1319 Coronavirus Appropriations (Passed 220 to 211 on 3/10/2021). Spends $1.9 trillion on unconstitutional programs in the name of coronavirus relief. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

HR 842 Collective Bargaining (Passed 225 to 206 on 3/9/2021). Ends state right-to-work laws, empowers the feds to force employees to unionize against their will, encourages illegal aliens to join unions, and aligns U.S. labor laws with the USMCA's requirements. See U.S. Const., amend. 10.

H.R. 1280 Police Reform (Passed 220 to 212 on March 3, 2021, Roll Call 60). Would establish national standards for police departments, another step toward a federal takeover of local police, and aims to defund police departments in favor of leftist “community organizations.”

H.R. 1 Federalizing Voting (Passed 220 to 210 on March 3, 2021, Roll Call 62). Would implement a sweeping federalization of American elections with provisions that would severely damage election integrity, including nationwide Internet, automatic, and same-day voter registration, mail-in voting, and early voting.

H.R. 5 Equality Act (Passed 224 to 206 on February 25, 2021, Roll Call 39). Expands definition of protected classes in federal law to include “gender identity.” Males who identify as females would be able to use public restrooms of the opposite sex — and vice versa. Lacks any religious exemptions.

House Resolution 24 Trump Impeachment (Adopted 232 to 197 on January 13, 2021, Roll Call 17). Trump had not committed any crime — much less “high Crimes and Misdemeanors” (the constitutional standard for impeachment).

We oppose. The act includes spending not only for legitimate national defense, but also for military interventionism in foreign lands that does not make America safer. Also, the legislation undercuts the president’s legitimate authority as commander-in-chief by restricting his ability to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Germany, and South Korea.

We oppose. Congress is failing to address its profligate spending that yielded an annual federal deficit of $3.1 trillion in fiscal 2020. Moreover, Congress is minimizing its accountability to voters by combining all “discretionary” federal spending and coronavirus aid into one gigantic bill and only holding two votes on that bill in the House.

We oppose. Congress is failing to address its fiscally and constitutionally irresponsible budgeting and appropriating process that yielded an annual federal deficit of $3.1 trillion in fiscal 2020. Congress is minimizing its accountability to voters by combining all “discretionary” federal spending and coronavirus aid into one gigantic bill and only holding two votes on that bill in the House. Moreover, most of the coronavirus aid provisions, including direct checks, federal unemployment benefits, and subsidization of the economy, exceed the federal government’s authority.

We oppose. The bill advances a radical environmentalist agenda and increases federal government meddling in the energy market. Under the Constitution’s Interstate Commerce Clause, the federal government is empowered “to regulate Commerce … among the several States” only to prevent the restriction of the free flow of goods among the states. Moreover, H.R. 4447 infringes on U.S. sovereignty and will cause energy costs to skyrocket.

We oppose. Nowhere in the Constitution is the federal government authorized to regulate private employers, and federal requirements for covered benefits usually mean decreased pay. This is a matter reserved for the states and the people under the 10th Amendment.

We oppose. This bill irresponsibly increases the federal deficit and diverts energy royalties from being spent for needed constitutional purposes. Additionally, the Constitution does not authorize Congress to purchase private property except “for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings.” Moreover, the federal government already owns a huge percentage of land directly —about 28 percent of the nation — and is a demonstrably poor steward of public lands.

We oppose. The statues that fill the National Statuary Hall are sent by the states at their discretion, and Congress should not be assuming the authority to tell the states which statues they are and are not allowed to place in the hall. This is plainly an attempt to erase American history.

We oppose. The federal government should not be funding highways, addressing transportation-related “climate-change” issues, promoting motor-vehicle safety, or imposing a tax on driving in order to pay for highway construction and maintenance. Such projects should be left in the hands of state or municipal governments, where the Constitution intends such issues to be handled.

We oppose. The push for D.C. statehood is merely a politically motivated effort to gain two Democratic Party senators and thus more easily advance a left-wing agenda. Moreover, granting statehood to the District of Columbia violates Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. H.R. 51 purports to circumvent this constitutional prohibition by reducing D.C. to basically the Capitol and surrounding governmental buildings.

We oppose. Law enforcement is a local or state matter, and that is where decisions such as requiring police officers to wear body cameras should be made. By contrast, H.R. 7120 would move the country further in the direction of a federalized police force beholden to Washington.

It is unconstitutional for Congress to bail out the U.S. economy.

We oppose. Nowhere in the Constitution is the federal government authorized to disburse loans to small businesses or cover the salaries of laid-off employees. It is not the responsibility of the federal government to bail out businesses or the unemployed.

We oppose. While many of the proposed FISA modifications positive from a freedom and privacy standpoint, Congress should have instead voted to not reauthorize the FISA and let it expire. Despite the program’s title, the act permits surveillance of Americans who are not charged with any crime.

We support. According to the U.S. Constitution, only Congress may declare war. It is unfortunate that Congress has to pass a resolution enforcing this, but doing so puts a check on the war powers assumed by recent presidents.

We oppose. The time to ratify the ERA has long ended. Any further attempt to resurrect it to continue the ratification process is unconstitutional and inconsistent with the amendment ratification process as laid out in Article V of the Constitution.

HR 5430 USMCA (Passed 385 to 41 on 12/19/19). Contains the most dangerous provisions of NAFTA and the TPP. It will lead to a North American regional government similar to the European Union.

We oppose. In his actions on Ukraine, Trump did not commit “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors,” the constitutional requirement for impeaching and removing a president or other U.S. “civil officer.” The House presented no evidence of any “high crimes.” Trump was accused of withholding aid from Ukraine, but the aid was provided. Also, there is no crime in making a request to investigate Hunter Biden and Burisma, as was alleged.

We oppose. The “obstruction of Congress” charge does not rise to the level of the “high crimes and misdemeanors” for which a president may be impeached and removed. There is uncontestable truth to the charge: Trump did direct the executive branch to ignore subpoenas issued by highly partisan, pro-impeachment House committees. What is contested is whether a president may constitutionally ignore such subpoenas. But that is an issue for the federal judiciary, not impeachment, to decide.

We oppose. Most of the spending programs in this appropriations bill are unconstitutional. Also, congressional spending for fiscal 2020 is grossly fiscally irresponsible. In mid-2020, our national debt was about $26 trillion, and the federal budget deficit for 2020 was expected to be an astounding $3.8 trillion.

We oppose. Many programs within this defense-related minibus are unconstitutional. This bill also is fiscally irresponsible, considering the $26 trillion national debt and projected $3.8 trillion budget deficit.

We oppose. Congress is failing to address its fiscally- and constitutionally-irresponsible budgeting and appropriating process that is yielding annual federal deficits of about $1 trillion. This directly contributes to the national debt’s growth.

We oppose. Spending must be brought under control, and deficits must be eliminated to avoid fiscal disaster — not “down the road,” but now. Additionally, much of the bill’s spending is unconstitutional.

HR 2500 Amendment Indefinite Military Detention (Failed 187 to 236 on 7/12/19). Would prohibit indefinite military detention of any person (including Americans). Indefinite detention without trial violates habeas corpus.

We oppose. The federal government has no constitutional authority to rebuild areas stricken by natural disasters. Such activity should be undertaken by private companies and charities first, and, as a last resort, handled by local or state governments. Disasters would arguably be handled more effectively this way compared to the feds.

H.R. 5 Equality Act (Passed 236 to 173 on 5/17/19). Expands definition of protected classes in federal law to include “gender identity.” Males who identify as females would be able to use public restrooms of the opposite sex — and vice versa.

H.R. 9 Paris Agreement (Passed 231 to 190 on 5/2/19). Would prohibit the use of federal funds for withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Fulfilling the agreement would stifle U.S. economy without impacting on alleged man-made global warming

We support. Congress is vested with the power to declare war, and it has not authorized any intervention or war in Yemen. Nor should Congress do so since the civil war in Yemen does not threaten the U.S.

HR 8 Firearms Background Checks (Passed 240 to 190 on 2/27/19). Extends federal background checks to private sales, severely and unconstitutionally infringing on the right to keep and bear arms.

We oppose. The Constitution does not authorize Congress to purchase private property except “all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings.”

HJR 31 Consolidated Appropriations (Passed 300 to 128 on 2/14/19). Provides $333 billion in “discretionary” spending for the seven remaining fiscal 2019 appropriations bills. Most of the bill’s spending programs are unconstitutional.