Charles Schumer

[Congressional biography]

Born: November 23, 1950 in Brooklyn, NY

Education:

Career:

Elected Office:

Key Senate Vote Data for Charles Schumer in 2021

Date	Subject	Result	Conserv. Position	Schumer Voted
2021-01-01	Advancing $1.8 Trillion in New Social Spending via the "Build Back Better" Act
The so-called "Build Back Better" Act is nearly 2,500 pages long and contains nearly every leftist priority ranging from subsidies for renewable energy to government provided pre-K and childcare to a new federal paid leave program. The bill, which is a signature priority for the Biden administration, costs $1.8 trillion and includes numerous tax hikes on corporations and individuals. ACU opposes destroying economic growth and further growing the nation's $30 trillion national debt and opposed this bill. The bill was never advanced in the Senate due to opposition from Republicans and Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). All members who voiced opposition were recorded as supporting the ACU position.
2021-02-04	Duplicating Pandemic Spending in the Restaurant Industry [SCONRES5]	Agreed To (90-10)
Wicker (R-MS) and Sinema (D-AZ) amendment to the congressional budget which duplicates COVID-19 relief efforts by creating a special restaurant grant fund. Even though the restaurant industry is already eligible for numerous benefits under the so-called American Rescue Plan and its $1.9 trillion in spending, this amendment is expected to provide another $25 billion in taxpayer-funded grants to the industry. ACU opposes run-away spending and instead believes Congress should prioritize reopening the economy, especially considering the wide-scale distribution of the COVID-19 "vaccine".
2021-02-04	Preventing Illegal Immigrants from Receiving Stimulus Checks [SCONRES5]	Agreed To (58-42)
Young (R-IN) amendment to the congressional budget which would ensure that illegal immigrants do not receive new rounds of economic impact payments, such as the $1,400 stimulus payments proposed in the American Rescue Plan. ACU opposes rewarding individuals residing in the country unlawfully with taxpayer-funded benefits. (The provision was not included in the final budget resolution.)
2021-02-04	Ensuring Hydraulic Fracking Remains Legal [SCONRES5]	Agreed To (57-43)
Braun (R-IN) amendment to the congressional budget ensures that the Environmental Protection Agency cannot, through regulation or otherwise, ban fracking in the United States. ACU supports strengthening property rights and lowering energy costs through increased production of American energy.
2021-02-04	Advancing a Fiscally Responsible Budget -- the "Three Penny Plan" [SCONRES5]	Rejected (29-71)
Paul (R-KY) amendment to the congressional budget implements the "Three Penny Plan" federal budget. Under the plan, the federal budget will be balanced within five years by cutting the budget by 3 pennies on the dollar each year over the next five years, at which point spending increases are then limited to 2 percent per year. ACU supports restoring fiscal sanity to a Congress that continually grows deficit spending and has plunged our nation into nearly $30 trillion in debt.
2021-02-04	Supporting Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline [SCONRES5]	Agreed To (52-48)
Daines (R-MT) amendment to the congressional budget supports construction of the Keystone XL pipeline to expand North American energy production. The bill is in response to an executive order issued on President Biden's first day of office which revoked the permit for the pipeline that would carry oil from Alberta, Canada to refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas. Upon completion, the pipeline will transport 830,000 barrels of oil a day, roughly the entire amount of oil the U.S. imports from Russia. ACU supports lowering energy costs by expanding North American energy production. (The provision was later stripped from the Senate's budget resolution.)
2021-02-05	Preventing an Expansion of the Supreme Court [SCONRES5]	Rejected (50-50)
Cotton (R-AR) amendment to the congressional budget prevents packing the U.S. Supreme Court by requiring a three-fifths vote of the Senate to increase the number of justices. ACU opposes calls by the radical left to pack the Supreme Court in order to "legislate from the bench".
2021-02-05	Advancing an America First Agenda by Prioritizing Domestic Spending Over Foreign Aid [SCONRES5]	Rejected (8-92)
Paul (R-KY) amendment to the congressional budget reprioritizes spending "to build roads at home instead of building them around the world." Specifically, the amendment takes $26 billion in annual foreign aid for economic development programs and instead redirects the funds to domestic infrastructure projects. ACU supports advancing an America First agenda by prioritizing critical American needs over foreign aid.
2021-02-05	Lowering Oil Refining Costs by Capping an Ethanol Subsidy Scheme [SCONRES5]	Rejected (26-74)
Cruz (R-TX) amendment to the congressional budget which would provide the oil refinery industry nearly $15 billion in regulatory relief by placing a 10-cent cap on RINs which are part of a scheme to subsidize the ethanol industry. Under the crony Renewable Fuel Standard, refineries are forced to blend their gasoline with a certain amount of ethanol or purchase RIN credits which in recent years have surged to as much as $1.12 under the scheme. ACU opposes ethanol fuel mandates which cause significant damage to older vehicles and small engines due to ethanol's corrosive properties, and opposes driving up refinery costs to enrich a government-favored industry.
2021-02-13	Convicting President Donald J. Trump -- Second Impeachment [HRES24]	Not Guilty (57-43)
This resolution represents Speaker Pelosi's (D-CA) and Democratic Majority Leader Schumer's (D-NY) second politicized impeachment attack on President Donald J. Trump. This resolution wrongfully alleges that President Trump incited a crowd to breach the Capitol on January 6th and threatened the integrity of the democratic system by highlighting credible cases of vote fraud in the 2020 election. ACU recognizes that on multiple occasions President Trump called for the protests on that day to remain peaceful. ACU further recognizes that at the time of this vote President Trump was a private citizen and this impeachment solely served as a personal political attack to prevent President Trump from seeking a future term and deny him government benefits and Secret Service protection as a private citizen. (This vote is double-weighted due to the egregious nature of the political attack.)
2021-03-05	Increasing Unemployment by Hiking the Federal Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour [HR1319]	Rejected (42-58)
Sanders (I-VT) amendment to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 hikes the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. The increase is phased-in over the next four years and then set to further rise at the rate of inflation. ACU has long opposed minimum wage hikes which lead to greater unemployment and harm those who need work experience the most such as students.
2021-03-06	Advancing $1.9 Trillion in Unnecessary COVID-19 Relief Spending via the "American Rescue Plan" [HR1319]	Passed (50-49)
This resolution, the so-called American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, unnecessarily plunges the nation trillions of dollars into additional debt under the guise of relief for COVID-19. This massive bill includes $1,400 checks for all individuals earning under $75,000 and further extends the $300 weekly federal unemployment benefits throughout the summer. ACU recognizes this program is rife with fraud and waste, supports the full reopening of the economy and opposes discouraging employment and ruinous deficit spending.
2021-03-25	Fueling Run-Away Spending by Overriding the Sequester Budget Restraints [HR1868]	Passed (90-2)
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, and opposes Congress' continual action of "kicking the can down the road" at a time when the national debt is set to exceed $30 trillion.
2021-04-22	Providing DOJ Bureaucrats Over-Reaching New Authority via the "COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act" [S937]	Passed (94-1)
The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, sponsored by Sen. Hirono (D-HI), 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 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 doing things like tagging concerned parents as "domestic terrorists" for questioning actions of local school boards.
2021-04-28	Repealing Trump Administration Reforms to Draconian Obama-era Methane Emission Mandates [SJRES14]	Passed (52-42)
This resolution, sponsored by Sen. Heinrich (D-NM), would invoke the Congressional Review Act in an attempt to repeal the reforms made by the Trump administration to the draconian methane emission mandates implemented by the Obama administration. Under Obama's EPA, countless regulations were imposed on the oil and gas sector which were onerous and unworkable, especially for independent and small producers. ACU supported the Trump administration reforms which provided a better balance of environmental protection while unleashing American energy production.
2021-05-25	Protecting the Dignity of Aborted Fetal Remains [S1260]	Rejected (48-51)
Lee (R-UT) amendment to the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act prohibits any activities or research authorized under the bill from utilizing any fetal tissue or body parts that were obtained from an abortion. ACU believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports restrictions to end the practice and to ensure that the human remains from this tragedy be treated with the utmost respect.
2021-05-26	Growing Government Bureaucracy by Establishing the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation [S1260]	Agreed To (83-14)
Coons (D-DE) amendment to the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act unnecessarily expands bureaucracy to advance a leftist climate agenda. Specifically, the amendment creates a quasi-government non-profit known as the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation which is directed to "accelerate the commercialization of energy technologies" (i.e., "green" energy) and would cost taxpayers $30 million in 2023 and likely much higher amounts in future years. ACU supports all sources of energy and believes government should not favor one source of energy over another. ACU further believes the real solution to reduce energy costs is to overturn draconian regulations imposed by the left.
2021-05-28	Advancing a Partisan Political Attack Through the Establishment of a January 6th National Commission [HR3233]	Rejected (54-35)
This bill establishes a January 6th national commission which is touted as a tool to investigate the breach of the U.S. Capitol, but instead will be used to conduct a political witch hunt. The commission is given multiple powers, including subpoena power. ACU opposes utilizing taxpayer funds and resources to carry out baseless attacks on political opponents.
2021-06-08	Advancing Countless Anti-Competitive and Wasteful Spending Projects via the "U.S. Innovation and Competition Act" [S1260]	Passed (68-32)
The so-called U.S. Innovation and Competition Act sponsored by Senators Schumer (D-NY) and Young (R-IN), is nearly 2,400 pages in length and expected to cost taxpayers over $250 billion. The bill authorizes funding for the National Science Foundation and countless special interest initiatives and pet projects of lawmakers. The bill also contains a myriad of protectionist procurement mandates and anti-competitive regulations. ACU opposes wasteful spending and unnecessary regulations that drive up taxpayer and consumer costs.
2021-06-08	Subjecting Businesses to Frivolous Litigation via the "Paycheck Fairness Act" [HR7]	Rejected (49-50)
The so-called Paycheck Fairness Act serves as a new mechanism to enrich greedy plaintiff attorneys through frivolous litigation. Under the bill, employers are prohibited from asking about an applicant's salary history and must abide by multiple new mandates when determining wages for prospective employees. Additionally, the resolution forces employers to turn over detailed private wage data to the government. ACU opposes this measure which has the potential to devastate small businesses by exposing them to lawsuit abuse.
2021-06-24	Blocking Federal Interference in the Energy Market [S1251]	Rejected (11-89)
Lee (R-UT) amendment to the so-called Growing Climate Solutions Act, which would prevent additional government interference within the energy market. Specifically, the amendment would block the underlying bill's "self-certification" program which will inevitably lead to government mandates and a federalized "cap and trade" bureaucracy. Instead, the amendment would allow for the sharing of information voluntarily. ACU opposes additional interference in the energy market and a federalized cap and trade program.
2021-08-03	Enacting Conservative Reforms to Reduce Wasteful Infrastructure Spending [HR3684]	Rejected (20-78)
Lee (R-UT) amendment to the infrastructure bill, which would implement numerous reforms that would allow federal infrastructure projects to be built more quickly and affordably. For example, the bill would repeal the Davis-Bacon Act, reduce and eliminate countless unnecessary regulations and return the national Highway Trust Fund to solvency. As a result of these reforms, the federal gas tax would be reduced by more than eleven cents per gallon.
2021-08-10	Authorizing Countless Wasteful Spending Initiatives via the $1 Trillion "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" [HR3684]	Passed (69-30)
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act contains over $1 trillion dollars in spending, with only a small fraction of the funds directed to actual infrastructure such as roads and bridges. Instead, the bill contains funding for an endless list of liberal priorities such as electric vehicles, green energy and special programs to benefit labor unions. The bill also contains countless new costly regulations (such as automatic emergency braking systems for new vehicles) and various other protectionist mandates. ACU opposes this grab bag of wasteful spending to benefit special interests under the guise of improving the nation's roadways.
2021-08-10	Authorizing States to Provide Tax Cuts Under the American Rescue Plan [SCONRES14]	Agreed To (86-13)
Braun (R-IN) amendment to the congressional budget ensures states can implement tax cuts even if they accepted funds under the American Rescue Plan (ARP). The amendment is in response to a provision within the ARP that prevents states which receive funds from lowering their taxes in any way through 2024. ACU opposed the ARP, especially the provision designed by radical leftists to block tax relief and grow the size of government.
2021-08-10	Preventing Additional Methane Regulations in the Farming and Ranching Industry [SCONRES14]	Agreed To (66-33)
Ernst (R-IA) amendment to the congressional budget prohibits the implementation of any new federal methane requirements (i.e., a "cow tax") that would increase the cost of beef or other critical products. Additionally, the amendment prohibits any limitations on the issuance of permits for farmers or ranchers under the Clean Air Act. ACU opposes driving up food costs for all Americans through unnecessary regulations.
2021-08-10	Ensuring Enforcement of Immigration Laws at the Southern Border [SCONRES14]	Agreed To (76-23)
Moran (R-KS) amendment to the congressional budget ensures enforcement of existing immigration laws during the humanitarian crisis at the southern border. The amendment also requires increased resources for smart and effective border security, to improve asylum processing and to reduce immigration court backlogs. ACU recognizes that at the time of this vote over 200,000 illegal border crossings were attempted in the previous month due to the Biden administration's roll back of immigration laws and failed border policies. ACU supports efforts to strengthen national security and immigration enforcement, especially at a time when tens of thousands of migrants are camped out at the southern border.
2021-08-11	Combatting "Critical Race Theory" at Public Schools [SCONRES14]	Agreed To (50-49)
Cotton (R-AR) amendment to the congressional budget prevents taxpayer funds from being used to indoctrinate students in grades K-12 with critical race theory (CRT). ACU recognizes that CRT is a tool used by the radical left to advance division amongst Americans and expand the role of government.
2021-08-11	Protecting Life by Restricting Abortion Once an Unborn Child is "Pain Capable" at 20 Weeks [SCONRES14]	Rejected (48-51)
Kennedy (R-LA) amendment to the congressional budget helps protect life by directing the establishment of penalties for providers who perform elective abortions on unborn children at 20 weeks gestation or later.
2021-08-11	Protecting Life by Prohibiting Funding of Down-Syndrome Abortion [SCONRES14]	Rejected (49-50)
Inhofe (R-OK) amendment to the congressional budget helps protect life by prohibiting taxpayer funds from being used to perform an abortion due to the unborn child having down-syndrome.
2021-08-11	Ensuring Adequate Funding to Deport Illegal Immigrants Convicted of Crime [SCONRES14]	Agreed To (53-46)
Hagerty (R-TN) amendment to the congressional budget ensures that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has sufficient resources to detain and deport illegal immigrants who have been convicted of crimes in the United States. The amendment is in response to actions taken by the Biden administration which have drastically reduced deportations to roughly a quarter of the level compared to the previous year. ACU supports efforts to strengthen national security and combat crime in communities.
2021-08-11	Defunding Localities which Fail to Prosecute Violent Crime [SCONRES14]	Rejected (47-52)
Hyde-Smith (R-MS) amendment to the congressional budget helps combat the practices of leftists and Soros-funded prosecutors who fail to prosecute crime and protect local communities. Specifically, the amendment blocks localities from receiving federal funds under various grant programs if their district attorney prohibits the prosecution of certain violent offenses or serious offenses that result in damage to property or individuals. ACU opposes the left's quest to defund the police and promote lawlessness, and supports protecting property rights and victims of crime.
2021-09-30	Strengthening National Security by Ensuring Proper Vetting of Afghanistan Refugees [HR5305]	Rejected (50-50)
Cotton (R-AR) amendment to the continuing resolution strengthens national security by ensuring Afghan refugees follow normal vetting procedures prior to receiving REAL ID driver's licenses. Additionally, the amendment establishes a reasonable 18 month limit on the housing, food and medical benefits provided to the refugees. The amendment is in response to the Biden administration's plan to carelessly dole out green cards to refugees and bypass normal vetting procedure. ACU recognizes the Biden administration's disastrously planned Afghanistan withdrawal resulted in countless Americans being left stranded and tens of billions of dollars of weapons and equipment being seized by the Taliban, and supports strengthening national security by ensuring the proper vetting of all individuals entering the country.
2021-09-30	Funding Biden's Unconstitutional Vaccine Mandates and Reckless Spending [HR5305]	Passed (65-35)
This is the first continuing resolution that funds the federal government through early December 2021, including the enforcement of the Biden administration's unconstitutional vaccination mandates on private businesses. The resolution also represents a lost opportunity to force significant spending cuts and combat the ludicrous fiscal agenda of the Biden administration such as "Build Back Better". ACU opposes the Biden administration's attack on individual liberties through vaccination mandates and supports all efforts to reign in the nation's out-of-control spending and nearly $30 trillion national debt.
2021-10-07	Fueling Out-of-Control Spending by Raising the Debt Limit [S1301]	Agreed To (61-38)
This motion allows the U.S. debt ceiling to be raised by $480 billion to fund the government through the first week of December 2021. As a result, a major opportunity was lost to rein in out-of-control spending ahead of the November election season and deflate outrageous liberal initiatives such as the multi-trillion dollar "Build Back Better" social welfare package. ACU supports all efforts to rein in the nation's out-of-control spending and nearly $30 trillion national debt and opposes raising the debt limit without tremendous reforms.
2021-11-03	Federalizing State Elections and Weakening Ballot Integrity via the "John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act" [S4]	Rejected (50-49)
The "John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act", sponsored by Sen. Leahy (D-VT), federalizes state elections and makes unelected bureaucrats within the Department of Justice arbiters of election law. Specifically, the bill revives a section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was thrown out by the Supreme Court. This section requires states and localities to get "preclearance" before altering election rules (e.g. implementing fraud reduction measures such as voter ID). ACU opposes this attempt to federalize state elections and weaken election integrity. (Senate Majority Leader Schumer is recorded as opposing the ACU position because his "nay" vote was tactically designed to keep the bill alive.)
2021-12-02	Further Funding Bidens Unconstitutional Vaccine Mandates and Reckless Spending [HR6119]	Passed (69-28)
This is the second continuing resolution that funds the federal government through February 2022, including the enforcement of the Biden administration's unconstitutional vaccination mandates on private businesses. The resolution also represents a lost opportunity to force significant spending cuts and combat the ludicrous fiscal agenda of the Biden administration such as "Build Back Better". ACU opposes the Biden administration's attack on individual liberties through vaccination mandates and supports all efforts to reign in the nation's out-of-control spending and nearly $30 trillion national debt.
2021-12-08	Overturning Biden's Unconstitutional Vaccine Mandate on Private Businesses [SJRES29]	Passed (52-48)
This resolution, sponsored by Sen. Braun (R-IN), would invoke the Congressional Review Act in an attempt to repeal the Biden administration's vaccination-or-testing mandate placed on private-sector employers. This mandate under the Department of Labor forces businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure their workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or conduct weekly testing. ACU opposes this attack on individual liberties by unelected bureaucrats within the Biden administration and the enormous regulatory burden and cost placed on the private sector. The Supreme Court later ruled the mandate unconstitutional.
2021-12-09	Raising the Debt Limit and Fueling Run-Away Spending via the "Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act" [S610]	Agreed To (59-35)
The Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act, sponsored by Sen. Kaine (D-VA), further fuels Congress' spending free-for-all by bypassing the filibuster and permitting the debt limit to be raised with only 51 votes in the Senate. Additionally, the bill once again overrides the sequester spending cuts applied to Medicare by preventing a 4% statutory cut through 2023 and delaying the other 2% cut through March 31, 2022. ACU believes the tea-party era sequester serves as one of the last hopes for fiscal responsibility and opposes Congress' continual action of "kicking the can down the road" at a time when the national debt is set to exceed $30 trillion.

Represents a "Yes" vote.   Represents a "No" vote.   Indicates that this member voted against the conservative position on a particular vote. "No vote" means that this member did not cast a vote (or voted 'Present' instead of Yes or No).