ACU Conservative Ratings Released

The American Conservative Union has released its ratings of Congress for 2008.

ACU Ratings: 2008

Here are the ratings for Michigan.
ACU Ratings: Michigan 2008

Local Congressman Fred Upton received a 44% conservative rating.

Here is a description of the votes on which he took the opposite position of ACU.

1. Housing Bill HR 3524 (Roll Call 18). The House passed a bill that authorized a 700% increase in spending on the HOPE VI Public Housing Program that has $2 billion in unspent funds and was recommended for elimination by the Bush Administration. ACU opposes this reckless spending but it passed January 17, 2008 by a vote of 271-130.TOP

2. Children’s Health Insurance Veto HR 3963 (Roll Call 22). The House sustained the president’s veto of a bill to more than double spending on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for poor children but prohibited HHS from requiring poor children to be covered first. The bill included a 156% increase in the federal excise tax on tobacco. ACU opposed this effort to expand government-run health care. The veto was sustained January 23, 2008, by a vote of 260-152 (under the Constitution, two-thirds of those voting are needed to override a veto, in this case 275).TOP

6. Mortgage Bailout Program HR 3221 (Roll Call 301). The House adopted a bill expanding the government-sponsored housing authorities, guaranteeing loans made by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while reducing their capital by creating a $4 billion trust fund available to ACORN and other groups. ACU opposed the federal takeover of these entities but the bill was passed May 8, 2008 by a vote of 266-154.TOP

8. Supplemental Appropriations HR 2642 (Roll Call 330). The House passed additional appropriations for various agencies in three sections. This portion included an income tax surcharge as an offset for veterans’ benefits and prevented HHS from implementing Medicaid reforms already approved by Congress. ACU opposes this kind of “emergency” spending as well as tax increases, but the bill was adopted May 15, 2008 by a vote of 256-166.TOP

9. Tax Provision Extensions HR 6049 (Roll Call 344). The House passed a bill extending expiring and expired tax provisions. The bill extended tax credits for so-called “renewable” and alternative energy sources for one year while permanently increasing some business taxes. ACU objects to this legislative sleight-of-hand, but the bill passed May 21, 2008 by a vote of 263-160.TOP

10. Missile Defense HR 5658 (Roll Call 356). The House defeated an amendment to strengthen the nation’s immediate antiballistic missile program. ACU regards national defense as the first priority of the federal government and supported this amendment, which was rejected May 22, 2008 by a vote of 186-229.TOP

11. Farm Bill Veto Override HR 6124 (Roll Call 417). The House passed, over the president’s veto, a bill that continues subsidies for farmers making up to $2 million annually and for crops that have increased in price. ACU opposes federal interference in the nation’s agriculture, but the bill was passed June 18, 2008 by a more than two-thirds Constitutional majority vote of 317-109.TOP

12. Paid Parental Leave HR 5781 (Roll Call 428). The House passed a bill providing that four of the 12 weeks of parental leave provided by the federal government to its employees would be paid leave, and removing the requirement that employees demonstrate a medical need for sick leave used. ACU opposes liberalizing these federal leave provisions, but the bill passed June 19, 2008 by a vote of 278-146.TOP

17. Davis-Bacon Act The House rejected an amendment eliminating the “prevailing wage,” or union wage requirements on military construction projects which adds billions to the project costs. ACU opposes this Davis-Bacon Act requirement, but the amendment was defeated August 1, 2008 by a vote of 143-275.TOP

21. Tax Extensions HR 7060 (Roll Call 649). The House passed a bill extending a number of expired and expiring energy-related and other business-targeted tax breaks for one year while permanently increasing taxes on domestic energy producers and others. ACU opposed this effort, which passed September 26, 2008 by a vote of 257-166.TOP

22. “Stimulus” Spending Bill HR 7110 (Roll Call 660). The House gave final passage to a bill providing additional spending for roads and bridges, energy development, housing and nutrition assistance, and water and sewer projects. The bill also added aid to states that were in financial difficulty due to overspending. ACU objects to this kind of “emergency” appropriating, since it gives too much leeway for “earmarked” pork barrel projects. The bill passed September 26, 2008 by a vote of 264-158.TOP

23. Financial Services Industry Bailout HR 3997 (Roll Call 674). The House refused to agree to Senate amendments bailing out the financial services industry by giving sole authority to the Secretary of the Treasury to disburse $700 billion “without restriction.” ACU opposes nationalization of an industry and the bill was temporarily defeated September 29, 2008 by a vote of 205-228.TOP

24. Financial Services Industry Bailout HR 1424 (Roll Call 681). Following its first defeat of this bailout package, House leadership brought the bill back from the Senate that combined the original bill with the business tax extension bill (see #21) and a one-year modification to the Alternative Minimum Tax. ACU is opposed but in this form it passed the House October 3, 2008 by a vote of 263-171.TOP

25. Automobile Industry Bailout HR 7321 (Roll Call 690). The House voted to pass a bill bailing out the three Detroit-based auto manufacturers to the tune of more than $14 billion. ACU opposed this effort, but the House passed it December 10, 2008 by a vote of 237-170.TOP