Freedom Index 119-2

H.R. 1919, the "Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act," would prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency directly to individuals or through intermediaries, bar its use as a tool of monetary policy, and prevent the creation of a federally controlled digital-dollar system that could enable financial surveillance, transaction censorship, and centralized control over Americans' economic lives.

The House passed H.R. 1919 on July 17, 2025 by a vote of 219 to 210 (Roll Call 201). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because Article I, Sections 8 and 10 of the Constitution state that only Congress has the power to "coin Money," referring to precious metals such as gold and silver. The Federal Reserve's fiat system already departs from these limits, and a central bank digital currency would further erode liberty by enabling constant tracking of transactions and unprecedented government surveillance and control over Americans' financial lives.

During consideration of the fiscal 2026 defense appropriations bill (H.R. 4016), Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) offered an amendment stating: “None of the funds made available by this Act may be used for assistance to Ukraine.”

The House rejected Greene’s amendment on July 18, 2025 by a vote of 76 to 353 (Roll Call 209). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the United States should not be interjecting itself into the Russia-Ukraine war by providing aid to one of the combatants, and should instead follow a noninterventionist foreign policy that puts America first. Moreover, Congress has not declared war as required by the Constitution for military activity.

During consideration of the fiscal 2026 energy-water appropriations bill (H.R. 4553), Representative Scott Perry (R-Pa.), acting for Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas), offered an amendment to strike all funding for the now-defunct Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

The House rejected Scott's amendment on September 4, 2025 by a vote of 127 to 297 (Roll Call 236). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because Congress should end all unconstitutional federal control over the domestic energy sector, in accordance with Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. The push for a "green" or "renewable" economy is part of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which seeks to implement extreme "climate change" policies. It is nothing other than a fanatical attempt by globalist elites to increase their taxing authority. Rather than undermining American sovereignty, energy independence, and free-market principles, Congress must refrain from exercising regulatory powers that the 10th Amendment reserves to the "States respectively, or to the people."

During consideration of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 3838), Representative Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) offered an amendment to prohibit the Department of Defense from covering or providing “gender-related medical treatment” under TRICARE.

The House adopted Mace’s amendment on September 10, 2025 by a vote of 221 to 207 (Roll Call 246). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because Congress has every duty to forbid grossly illicit acts of sexual perversion in the armed forces. Members of the Military Health System have no right to undergo or perform “gender-affirming” treatment, let alone force taxpayers to pay for it through the federal TRICARE program. Sex mutilation is a grotesque practice that not only violates the “unalienable” right to life and limb, but absurdly conflates biological sex with fictional “gender identity” constructs. Since the Obama administration, “gender-neutral” policies have been used to socially engineer an effeminate and subversive culture in the armed forces, resulting in homosexuals serving openly in the ranks, women in combat, and transgendered troops. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress the power to restore the order, discipline, and very purpose of the military.

During consideration of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 3838), Representative Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) offered an amendment to prohibit the Defense Department (aka War Department) from, in its military recruitment advertising, entering into contracts with entities that “rate or rank news or information sources for the factual accuracy of their content.”

The House adopted McCormick’s amendment on September 10, 2025 by a vote of 219 to 211 (Roll Call 258). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because freedom of speech is a right enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution, and the government trespasses on this right when it contracts with entities that (as Congress.gov puts it in its description of the amendment) “perform fact-checking and information-grading services for purposes of censoring their political opponents.” McCormick noted on the House floor that his amendment is necessary because “the DOD, or now the Department of War, has contracted with organizations such as NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index,” whose ratings display a decidedly left-wing bias. He also said, “We should not be excluding large swaths of Americans [from military recruiting efforts] simply because they watch or read conservative news.”

H.R. 5125, the “District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act of 2025,” would abolish the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission, allow the U.S. president to nominate D.C. judges without its involvement, and transfer authority to appoint chief judges from the commission to the president. Currently, the president can only nominate individuals recommended by the commission.

The House passed H.R. 5125 on September 17, 2025 by a vote of 218 to 211 (Roll Call 274). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission infringes upon the president’s authority to “nominate” and “appoint … Officers of the United States” under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution. Article II, Section 2 checks the president’s appointment powers by requiring Senate confirmation for “Officers of the United States” and allowing Congress to “vest the Appointment of … inferior Officers” in “Courts of Law” or “Heads of Departments,” but it does not permit the use of technocratic commissions to check the president’s authority.

H.R. 1069, the “PROTECT Our Kids Act,” would prohibit federal education funds from being awarded to any elementary or secondary school that directly or indirectly receives support from the government of the People’s Republic of China. This includes partnerships with Confucius Institutes or Classrooms and other arrangements involving Chinese government-backed funding, materials, or personnel.

The House passed H.R. 1069 on December 4, 2025 by a vote of 247 to 164 (Roll Call 313). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution does not permit Congress to fund or legislate on education. Furthermore, federal funds should not subsidize foreign governments’ propaganda, especially adversarial communist regimes with a documented record of censorship and influence operations. Allowing China to finance curricula, personnel, or materials in American schools threatens national sovereignty, undermines parental authority, and exposes students to ideological indoctrination incompatible with American principles.