Representative Ashley Hinson received a rating of 77 from the American Conservative Union for her 2021 work. According to ACU, Hinson’s “weakest issues” are taxes, budget and spending.
Her score of 77 put her 183rd overall among congressional Republicans. Congresswoman Liz Cheney, for comparison sake, received a 71.
Sixty-seven Republicans ranked below 77.
Seventy-four Republicans scored 90 or higher, including 24 who were rated 100.
Here are the votes ACU dinged Hinson for:
RC 98 — Fueling Run-Away Spending by Overriding the Sequester Budget Restraints (HR 1868) – This bill further fuels run-away government spending by overriding the automatic spending cuts to Medicare put in place under the 2011 Budget Control Act, also known as the sequester. Specifically, the bill continues to exempt Medicare from sequestration (2% cut) until 2022 at a cost to taxpayers of $12.2 billion. The bill contains no other reforms or spending offsets. ACU believes the tea-party era sequester serves as one of the last hopes for fiscal responsibility, opposes Congress’s continual action of “kicking the can down the road” at a time when the national debt is set to exceed $30 trillion and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on April 13, 2021 by a vote of 384-38 and the bill later became law.
RC 143 — Expanding Lawsuit Abuse and Excessive Labor Mandates via the “Pregnant Workers Fairness Act” (HR 1065) – The so-called Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY, ACUF Lifetime 3%), would subject businesses to lawsuit abuse by imposing a series of excessive workplace mandates on employers. Under the bill, employers with 15 or more employees would be forced to alter operations in order to afford pregnant women a series of expanded benefits including modified work schedules, job restructuring, the acquisition or modification of equipment, and various other requested accommodations. Additionally, employers would be prohibited from placing pregnant employees on leave if there is another “reasonable accommodation” available. ACU recognizes the challenges of choosing life and raising a child but believes this measure will merely empower plaintiffs’ attorneys to pursue frivolous litigation against employers. ACU opposes this excessive government mandate that interferes with private business operations and holds businesses hostage through lawsuit abuse and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on May 14, 2021 by a vote of 315-101. (The bill failed to advance in the Senate.)
RC 145 — Providing DOJ Bureaucrats Over-Reaching New Authority via the “COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act” (S 937) – This bill, known as the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, provides overly broad authority to bureaucrats within the Department of Justice to advance the enforcement of “hate crimes.” Under the bill, the DOJ must issue guidance to state and local governments regarding hate crimes and establish online reporting, telephone hotlines and education campaigns. Additionally, the bill establishes new grant programs which direct millions of potentially wasteful spending to local governments and community organizations. ACU believes in equal rights under the law for all and that it is the duty of government to ensure all laws are applied equally. ACU recognizes that “hate crime” statutes violate the double jeopardy clause of U.S. Constitution by allowing individuals to be tried for the same crime twice. ACU opposes providing bureaucrats within the DOJ over-reaching new authority – especially at a time when they are tagging concerned parents as “domestic terrorists” for questioning actions of local school boards – and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on May 18, 2021 by a vote of 364-62 (a two-thirds vote was required due to the expedited process) and the bill later became law.
RC 182 — Hiking Regulatory Costs in the Lending Industry via the “LGBTQ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act” (HR 1443) – The so-called LGBTQ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act, sponsored by Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY ACUF Lifetime 3%), saddles banking and lending firms with even greater regulatory costs and serves as yet another tool for plaintiff attorneys to advance frivolous litigation. Specifically, the bill forces financial institutions to collect and report application data regarding LGBTQ owned businesses under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s fair lending laws. ACU supports equal rights under the law for all, vehemently opposes discrimination, and recognizes those that do discriminate will face repercussions in the marketplace. ACU opposes this measure which imposes yet another regulatory cost on businesses and is designed to enrich plaintiff attorneys through frivolous litigation and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 24, 2021 by a vote of 252-176. (The bill failed to advance in the Senate.)
RC 186 — Fueling Run-Away Spending by Doubling the Budget of the National Science Foundation (HR 2225) – The National Science Foundation for the Future Act, sponsored by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX, ACUF Lifetime 6%), further fuels run-away government spending by more than doubling the budget of the National Science Foundation over the next five years from $8.5 billion to $18.3 billion. Much of the new funding would go towards unnecessary initiatives best performed by the private sector, as well as Leftist initiatives such as research in “climate change and environmental sustainability” and “social and economic inequality”. ACU supports cutting and eliminating all unnecessary government initiatives, especially at a time when the national debt is soaring past $30 trillion and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 28, 2022 by a vote of 345-67 (a two-thirds vote was required due to the expedited process) but the bill failed to advance in the Senate.
RC 187 — Mandating $50 Billion in New Spending on Climate Change and Unnecessary Initiatives via the “Department of Energy Science for the Future Act” (HR 3593) – The Department of Energy Science for the Future Act, sponsored by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX, ACUF Lifetime 6%), further fuels run-away government spending by providing the Department of Energy’s Office of Science an additional $50 billion over the next 5 years. The funds will be used for numerous research initiatives best performed by the private sector as well as Leftist projects relating to climate change and energy efficiency. ACU supports cutting and eliminating all unnecessary government initiatives, especially at a time when the national debt is soaring past $30 trillion and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 28, 2022 by a vote of 351-68 (a two-thirds vote was required due to the expedited process). (The bill failed to advance in the Senate.)
RC 318 — Increasing Unnecessary Government Spending in the Pharmaceutical Industry (HR 4369) – The National Centers of Excellence in Advanced and Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Act of 2021, sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ, ACUF Lifetime 9%), rams through $100 million in unnecessary spending within the pharmaceutical industry. The funds are to be doled out to institutions of higher education to “support the development and implementation of continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing.” ACU recognizes higher education subsidies represent one of the largest transfers of wealth from lower-income individuals to higher-income individuals. ACU believes the private sector is the best institution to advance and fund this research, opposes socializing these costs onto taxpayers, and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on October 19, 2021 by a vote of 368-56 (a two-thirds vote was required due to the expedited process). (The bill failed to advance in the Senate.)
RC 388 — Advancing a $400 Million Government Vaccine Tracking System via the “Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act” (HR 550) – The Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2021, sponsored by Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH, ACUF Lifetime 5%), serves as a slippery slope to a creeping Federal Vaccine Database. The bill authorizes $400 million to fund a “confidential, population-based, computerized database that records immunization doses administered by any health care provider to persons within the geographic area covered by that database.” ACU supports strong privacy rights, opposes the surveillance state and government tracking of vaccination status which may be used to infringe individual liberties and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on November 30, 2021 by a vote of 294-130. (The bill failed to advance in the Senate.)
RC 420 — Expanding Government Bureaucracy via the “Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act” (HR 4555) – The Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act of 2021, sponsored by Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA, ACUF Lifetime 6%), further grows the role of government by expanding the Public Health Service Act to include “oral health literacy and awareness” in public education campaigns. ACU recognizes that there are countless initiatives already being conducted at the state and local levels surrounding oral health. ACU believes the private sector and charitable organizations are best equipped to solve these issues, opposes further expanding the size and scope of government and opposed this bill. The House passed the resolution on December 8, 2021 by a vote of 369-58 (a two-thirds vote was required due to the expedited process). (The bill failed to advance in the Senate.)
RINO. Hope people figure this out soon. And the rest of the RINOs also.