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Representative Randy Feenstra received a rating of 79 from the American Conservative Union for his 2021 work. According to ACU, Feenstra’s “weakest issues” are taxes, budget and spending.

His score of 79 put him 152nd overall among congressional Republicans. Congresswoman Liz Cheney, for comparison sake, received a 71.

Feenstra ranks in the bottom half of congressional Republicans when it comes to conservatism. Feenstra won his 2020 race by 24.18 percent. Fellow Iowan Rep. Ashley Hinson won by 2.6 percent, yet Feenstra’s ACU score is just two points higher than Hinson’s.

Congressman Steve King, who Feenstra replaced, finished his 18-year career in Congress with a 90.89 ACU rating. That rating was based on 433 votes taken by Congressman King.

Despite King serving for 17 more years than Feenstra, they both have the same amount of years scoring under 80. King scored under 80 in one of his 18 years while Feenstra scored under 80 in his only full year of Congressional service so far.

ACU had King’s strongest issues as “human dignity, foreign policy, health care, Second Amendment and labor.” It had n/a listed under King’s “weakest issues.”

Seventy-four Republicans scored 90 or higher, including 24 who were rated 100.

Here are the votes ACU dinged Feenstra 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 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 188 — Channeling Billions of Taxpayer Funds Oversees for Duplicative Initiatives via the “Global Health Security Act” (HR 391) – The Global Health Security Act of 2021, sponsored by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA, ACUF Lifetime 6%), would force taxpayers to send billions of additional dollars overseas for the creation of yet another international organization – the so-called Global Health Security Agenda Interagency Review Council. The council will supposedly be made up of 30 countries and advance global health and pandemic preparedness. ACU recognizes the U.S. already funds countless international organizations already performing these initiatives including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Health Security Initiative (GHSI), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), The Vaccine Alliance, and dozens of entities run by the United Nations. ACU supports an America First Agenda and President Trump’s actions to withdrawal the U.S. from corrupt international entities such as the WHO, opposes channeling even more taxpayer funds overseas to failed and duplicative initiatives and opposed this bill. The House passed the bill on June 28, 2021 by a vote of 307-112. (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 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.)

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