Joni Ernst On The Record

[PAF]

Joni Ernst On The Record


Senator (R), Iowa
Data taken from https://thenewamerican.com/freedom-i...egislator/7370


- Joni Ernst voted YES on HR1799 [bad vote] - Paycheck Protection Program Extension - The Constitution does not authorize the federal government to bail out or lend funds to business.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on TD 116-1 [bad vote] - Protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on the Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia - 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.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on HR1158 [bad vote] - Omnibus Appropriations I - 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.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on HR1865 [bad vote] - Omnibus Appropriations II - 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.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on HR5430 [bad vote] - USMCA - Congress is not authorized by the Constitution to surrender our national sovereignty to any transnational regional government, including the nascent North American Union.

- Joni Ernst voted NO on SJRes68 [bad vote] - War Powers - 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.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on HR748 [bad vote] - $3.2 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus - Nowhere in the Constitution is Congress authorized to bail out businesses, industries, and people.

- Joni Ernst voted NO on HR6172 [bad vote] - FISA - We support Senator Rand Paul’s amendment to the bill. The amendment would limit FISA authorities and place specific surveillance powers in the hands of non-FISA courts.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on HR1957 [bad vote] - Public Lands - 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.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on S4049 07/01/2020 [bad vote] - Defense Bill - 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.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on S4049 07/21/2020 [bad vote] - Defense Bill - 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.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on S47 [bad vote] - Public Lands - 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.”

- Joni Ernst voted YES on HJRes31 [bad vote] - Consolidated Appropriations - Most of the bill’s spending programs are unconstitutional and unacceptably expand our debt and deficit.

- Joni Ernst voted NO on SJRes7 [bad vote] - Yemen - 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.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on HR2157 [bad vote] - Disaster Supplemental Appropriations - 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.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on HR3401 [bad vote] - Supplemental Border Appropriations - 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.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on HR3877 [bad vote] - Budget Deal - 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.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on S139 [bad vote] - Warrantless Surveillance - During consideration of the bill (S. 139) reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Representative Justin Amash (R-Mich.) introduced an amendment 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. It would prohibit the FBI and intelligence agencies from searching the NSA database for information on U.S. citizens without first obtaining a warrant.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on PN1857 [bad vote] - On the Nomination PN1857: Haspel Nomination - In March 2018, President Trump nominated Gina Haspel to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who opposed Haspel’s nomination, explained why in a Politico Magazine article: “Haspel ran a secret [CIA ‘black site’] center in Thailand where prisoners were tortured”; “Haspel participated in and helped develop the program that our own government has labeled torture”; and “she helped destroy the very evidence of this program.”

- Joni Ernst voted YES on HR2 [bad vote] - Agricultural Crop Subsidies - This bill (H.R. 2) would reauthorize and extend federal farm and nutrition programs through fiscal 2023, including crop subsidies, conservation, rural development and agricultural trade programs, and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (aka food stamps). The Congressional Budget Office estimates that direct spending on agricultural and nutrition programs under this bill would total $867 billion over 10 years.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on HR5515 [bad vote] - NATO, Indefinite Detention - During consideration of the Defense authorization bill (H.R. 5515), Senator Jack Reed (DR.I.) moved that Senate members in the House-Senate conference committee insist that the final version of the bill reaffirm the commitment of the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance. Under the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO, member nations “agree that an armed attack against one or more of them … shall be considered an attack against them all.”

- Joni Ernst voted NO on SCRes3 [bad vote] - Balancing the Budget and Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid - During consideration of the congressional budget for fiscal 2017 (Senate Concurrent Resolution 3) on January 4, 2017, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) pointed out in a speech on the Senate floor that this proposed budget would add nearly $10 trillion to our national debt over the next 10 years without ever balancing the budget. He added: I'm not for it. That's not why I ran for office. It's not why I'm here. It's not why I spend time away from my family and from my medical practice. It's because debt...

- Joni Ernst voted YES on TD 114-12 [bad vote] - On the Resolution of Ratification Treaty Doc. 114-12: Montenegro NATO Membership - This resolution of ratification (Treaty Document 114-12) would allow the Balkan country of Montenegro to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The NATO military alliance was created in 1949 for the stated purpose of countering the threat posed by the Soviet bloc. Under the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO, member nations "agree that an armed attack against one or more of them ... shall be considered an attack against them all."

- Joni Ernst voted NO on SJRes42 [bad vote] - Motion: Blocking U.S. Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia - Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced this bill (Senate Joint Resolution 42) to block the sale of "certain defense articles" to Saudi Arabia, including laser-guided weapons systems and fighter aircraft. Paul has opposed selling arms to Saudi Arabia because the regime oppresses its own people, is engaged militarily in the civil war in Yemen, and has supported ISIS. "Who in their right mind would give money, arms, or share our technology with a country that has been supporting ISIS?" Paul asked.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on S722 [bad vote] - NATO - During consideration of the Iranian and Russian sanctions bill (S. 722), Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) introduced an amendment to “affirm that the United States remains fully committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and will honor its obligations enshrined in Article 5.” Under Article 5, the member nations of the NATO military alliance “agree that an armed attack against one or more of them ... shall be considered an attack against\nthem all.”

- Joni Ernst voted YES on HR636 [bad vote] - On Passage of the Bill H.R. 636: FAA Reauthorization - During consideration of the FAA reauthorization bill (H.R. 636), Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced an amendment that would authorize funding for additional Transportation Security Administration (TSA) teams for fiscal 2016 and 2017. Heinrich’s amendment would also expand the definition of law-enforcement terrorism-prevention activities to include mass shooting preparedness exercises.

- Joni Ernst voted YES on HR2028 [bad vote] - H R 2028: Continuing Appropriations - This bill (H.R. 2028) perpetuates Congress’ growing habit of avoiding hard decisions about the level of federal spending by kicking the can down the road into the middle of the new fiscal year, with a continuing resolution that would provide funding for federal government operations at the fiscal year 2016 level through April 28, 2017 at an annualized “discretionary” rate of $1.07 trillion.



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