Kelly Loeffler

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.

HR 133 Appropriations/Coronavirus (Passed 92 to 6 on 12/21/2020). Spends $1.4 trillion in discretionary appropriations and another $900 billion in Covid aid. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

We oppose. The Affordable Care Act is an unconstitutional monstrosity of government intervention into the healthcare sector and is anything but affordable. ObamaCare reduced individual choice in the health-insurance market, increased costs for many Americans, and has been a poorly run boondoggle from the beginning, exactly what is to be expected when the federal government attempts to regulate and subsidize healthcare, something it has no constitutional authority to do.

We oppose. Congress needs to cut spending to avoid fiscal disaster. Additionally, Congress’ inability to promptly pass a 2021 budget, instead using a continuing appropriations bill, illustrates the breakdown of the federal budgeting process.

We support killing the amendment. The U.S. government should not be attempting to regulate healthcare or health insurance in any way, shape, or form. The Constitution clearly does not allow the federal government to involve itself in healthcare. Decisions about health insurance coverage should be left up to insurance companies. Federal regulations and/or subsidies in the healthcare sector tend to distort the market and have in large part caused the current out-of-control insurance prices we see today.

We oppose. National defense is an essential function of the federal government. This is not to say that the budget is not “bloated” (the Pentagon budget does contain waste, and not all military spending is defense spending), but unnecessary military spending should be cut, not transferred to social-welfare programs falling outside the Constitution’s specified powers.

We oppose. Nowhere in the Constitution is the federal government authorized to subsidize private businesses. If such subsidies are allowed, then any business could potentially be subsidized at the expense of any other, with the government essentially picking winners and losers in the marketplace, causing great economic distortion.

We oppose the Senate's decision to table Senator Paul's amendment. It is long past time to bring the troops home. The AUMF that the amendment would repeal has been used broadly by presidents to send troops into foreign conflicts, despite the fact that under the Constitution only Congress may declare war.

HR 1957 Public Lands (Passed 73 to 25 on 6/17/2020). Permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million annually. Creates the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (NPPLLRF), funded at $1.9 billion annually for five years. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

We oppose. Profligate spending needs to be immediately brought under control and deficits eliminated to avoid fiscal disaster. Congress is failing to address its fiscally and constitutionally irresponsible spending habits that yielded an annual federal deficit of $3.1 trillion in fiscal 2020.

Senator Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) amendment to HR 6172 Surveilling Americans (Rejected 11 to 85 on 5/14/2020). Prohibits surveillance of American citizens under FISA authorities. See U.S. Const., amend. 4.

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 oppose. Nowhere in the Constitution is Congress authorized to bail out businesses, industries, and people.

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. 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. Congress is not authorized by the Constitution to surrender our national sovereignty to any transnational regional government, including the nascent North American Union.

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.

HR 1158 Appropriations (Passed 81 to 11 on 12/19/2019). Provides $860.3 billion in discretionary spending for four of the 12 fiscal 2020 appropriations bills. See U.S. Const., Art. I, Sec. 8.

We oppose. The United States should stay out of entangling alliances like NATO. Also, the NATO provision that obligates the United States to go to war if any NATO member is attacked undermines the U.S. Constitution’s assignment to Congress the power to declare war.

Senator Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) amendment to HR 4378 Spending Cut (Rejected 24 to 73 on 9/26/2019). Cuts the appropriation bill’s funding for federal operations and services by 2 percent.

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.

We support Senator Udall's amendment. Hostilities conducted against a sovereign nation – in this case Iran – constitute an act of war and, thus, constitutionally requires a declaration of war by Congress.

We support Senator Rand Paul’s amendment and oppose the Senate’s vote to kill it. Nowhere in the Constitution is Congress authorized to fund the foreign aid funding that Paul sought to eliminate, and which had nothing to do with border appropriations. These types of programs should be handled privately, not with U.S. taxpayers’ money.

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.

We support. Congress has 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.

We oppose. Most of the bill’s spending programs are unconstitutional and unacceptably expand our debt and deficit.

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.”

S 109 Abortion Funding (Rejected 48 to 47 on 1/17/2019). Prohibits the use of federal funds to cover the cost of most abortions.