The Tennessee Scorecard

Every year it seems like everyone in Washington creates a scorecard picking a few votes to illustrate the records of United States senators. On some of these Lamar's score is high, on other scorecards there is room for disagreement. So, we thought we would highlight Lamar's positions on issues important to Tennessee voters to help you come to your own conclusions. We hope you find the information below useful.

"If I were making a scorecard for Senator Alexander, I would start with his 'A' rating from the NRA, his '100 percent' rating from the National Right to Life, and his '100 percent' rating with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce."  - David Keene, founder and former chairman, American Conservative Union; former chairman, NRA


The Tennessee Scorecard

CONSERVATIVE

Leading the Conservative Fight Against Obamacare

  • Gave opening remarks on behalf of all congressional Republicans in opposition to Obamacare. The senator told the president the proposal would raise individual premiums. President Obama disagreed, but multiple studies have proved Alexander correct. 
  • Voted to repeal, defund or oppose Obamacare or its provisions every time on the U.S. Senate floor, more than 90 times. 
  • Supported the Cruz Amendment prohibiting federal funding for Obamacare. 
  • Supported repeal of Obamacare’s “1099” provision. 
  • Laid out principles of step-by-step health care reform that offered patients more choice and lowered health care costs.
  • Supported Repeal of the CLASS Entitlement Act.

Working to Fix the Debt, Control Spending

  • Opposed increasing the debt limit because it failed to address the federal government’s most urgent need: reducing the growth of mandatory entitlement spending that is driving our $17 trillion debt
  • Opposed President Obama’s $1.2 trillion stimulus package. 
  • Supports a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
  • Supported the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act to cut federal spending, cap all future spending and require Congress pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Stand with Lamar in favor of a Balanced Budget amendment at PassABalancedBudget.com.
  • Supported the No Budget, No Pay Act to cut off pay to members of Congress if Congress doesn’t pass a budget. 
  • Supported the Budget Control Act to reduce federal spending and put discretionary spending on a controlled path over 10 years.
  • Opposed raiding Medicare to pay for new entitlement programs.
  • Supported consolidation of more than 1,000 duplicative and overlapping federal programs. 
  • Voted against raiding Social Security to pay for extending unemployment benefits Sponsored an amendment to stop wind energy projects from double dipping and receiving multiple federal benefits for the same project.
  • Sponsored the Earmark Transparency Act to ban earmarks. 
  • Supported the American Taxpayer Relief Act to lower tax rates for 99 percent of Americans.
  • Supported effort to permanently repeal the federal Death Tax.
  • Supported the One Page Flat Tax Act to create an optional 17 percent federal flat tax.

Standing up for the rights of the unborn

  • 100 percent rating from National Right to Life.
  • Opposed taxpayer funds for abortion.
  • Supported ban on use of federal funds to perform abortions.
  • Supported law preventing the federal government from forcing health care providers to sell contraceptives and violate their conscience and religious beliefs.
  • Opposed Kathleen Sebelius to serve as secretary of HHS.
  • Supported legislation preventing the federal government from forcing health care providers to sell contraceptives and violate their conscience and religious beliefs.
  • Supported the Life of Conception Act to declare that the right to life is guaranteed by the Constitution.

Defending our Second Amendment rights
  • Earned "A" rating from the National Rifle Association.
  • Opposed gun background check amendment that could have resulted in a national gun registry.
  • Opposed the U.N. Small Arms Treaty.
  • Supported prohibiting funding for Operation Fast and Furious "gunwalking" programs that resulted in misplaced weapons used in crimes.

Statement of Art Laffer in support of Sen. Lamar Alexander

  • "No one is more responsible for Tennessee’s low taxes, correct spending policies and pro-growth economic environment than former Governor Lamar Alexander. That environment is the primary reason that our family on July 1, 2006, moved from California to Tennessee. Lamar has continued those policies in the United States Senate, which is why I am voting for him in the Republican primary on August 7."
  • Click here to read the rest of the statement.
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    SOLVING PROBLEMS
    Working to solve our nation's greatest problem, reducing the federal debt
    • Proposed Fiscal Sustainability Act to reduce growth of automatic spending by $1 trillion. 
    • Offered resolutions to oppose any new unfunded mandate on state and local governments and creating new entitlement programs.
    • Voted against Ryan-Murray budget because it did not address long-term debt problem and was a bad deal for veterans.

    No National School Board

    • Introduced the alternative to the Democrats efforts to create a de facto national school board.
    • Sponsored legislation which presents a different point of view that trusts parents, teachers, principals, state and local leaders instead of bureaucrats in Washington to determine how best to reform our nation’s schools and improve the quality and skills of our teachers.
    • On June 12, 2013 Lamar also voted to defend states' rights regarding Common Core education standards.
    • Stand with Lamar against a national school board at NoNationalSchoolBoard.com.

    Scholarships for Kids

    • Authored the most ambitious proposal ever to use existing dollars to enable states to expand school choice.

    PREEMIE Act

    • Authored a law to expand research, education and intervention related to preterm birth, which is the number one cause of infant death in America and impacts 12 percent of babies born in Tennessee.

    Drug Quality and Security Act

    • Sponsored legislation to make compounded drugs safer for all Americans, like those tied to the tragic meningitis outbreak.

    Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act

    • Sponsored legislation to make student loans for 11 million students cheaper, simpler and more fair to taxpayers.

    Freedom to Fish Act
    • Introduced law that stopped the federal government’s prohibition of fishing below dams on the Cumberland River.  Stand with Lamar at www.OurFreedomtoFish.com.

    Teach Our American Values

    • Continues to lead the efforts to put the teaching of American history and civics back in to our classrooms so our children can grow up learning what it means to be an American. Stand with Lamar at www.TeachOurAmericanValues.com.

    IRS Abuse Protection Act

    • Introduced legislation that requires the U.S. Treasury secretary to notify a taxpayer each time his or her tax information is accessed.

    Immigration Reform

    • Voted for immigration reform to uphold the rule of law and adhere to the constitutional responsibility of the Congress. 
    • The legislation was supported by the Tennessee Farm Bureau and conservatives across the country, including American Conservative Union Chairman Al Cardenas who said of the vote, "Let me be clear about the choices we face.  They are a continuation of our current unacceptable executive fiat or a bipartisan solution which may be imperfect but at the very least significantly improves the status quo."

    American COMPETES Act

    • Sponsored legislation to “keep our brainpower advantage” by investing in scientific research and improving math and science education.

    SMART Jobs Act

    • Sponsored bill to create a path forward for foreign-born, American-educated holders of masters and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to remain in the U.S. to work and create jobs.
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    STANDING UP FOR TENNESSEE
    Defending the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
    • Awarded the Restoring the Balance Award from the National Conference of State Legislatures.
    • Gave opening remarks on behalf of all congressional Republicans in opposition to Obamacare. The senator told the president the proposal would raise individual premiums. President Obama disagreed, but multiple studies have proved Alexander correct.
    • Voted to repeal, defund or oppose Obamacare or its provisions every time on the U.S. Senate floor, more than 90 times and has repeatedly said that every senator who voted for Obamacare ought to go home and serve as governor and try to implement this unfunded mandate.
    • Supported the REFUND Act to rescind federal funds identified by states as unwanted and use the funds to reduce the federal debt.
    • Introduced the alternative to the Democrats efforts to create a de facto national school board.  Sponsored legislation which presents a different point of view that trusts parents, teachers, principals, state and local leaders instead of bureaucrats in Washington to determine how best to reform our nation’s schools and improve the quality and skills of our teachers.
    • Authored "Scholarships for Kids," the most ambitious proposal ever to use existing dollars to enable states to expand school choice.
    • Supported Market Place Fairness Act to take Congress out of the business of picking winners and losers between online retailers and brick and mortar businesses. 
    • Proposed the Grand Swap: the federal government would take over Medicaid and states would assume responsibility for public education. Lamar proposed this idea to President Reagan and the President agreed and highlighted it in his State ofthe Union address as a commonsense conservative solution.
    • Awarded the Senator Henry 2013 Guardian of Federalism Award from The Council of State Governments to expand states’ rights.

    Creating Tennessee Jobs, Keeping Tennessee Working

    AWARDS AND RATINGS

    • 100 percent Rating from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 
    • 100 percent Rating from the NFIB. 
    • Awarded Spirit of Enterprise award by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 
    • Awarded Spirit of Enterprise award by the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 
    • Awarded The Hero of Main Street Award by the National Retail Federation. 
    • Awarded the Guardian of Small Business Award from the NFIB.

    SUPPORTING PRO-GROWTH ECONOMIC POLICIES

    • Supported the American Job Protection Act to protect against Obamacare’s job-crushing employer mandate. 
    • Supported the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. 
    • Opposed collective bargaining rights and expansion of unions. 
    • Supported legislation to prevent air pollution from crossing state lines that could potentially harm tourism, which has a $15 billion annual economic impact in Tennessee. 
    • Led the fight against the administration’s attack on Boeing and right-to-work laws. 
    • Led the challenge against the unconstitutional recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board. 
    • Opposed Dodd-Frank. 
    • As Governor, Lamar's leadership is credited with recruiting good paying automotive jobs to the state, making Tennessee the best state for automotive manufacturing in the country.
    • Supported federal highway construction programs to ensure Tennessee goods can get to markets across the country. 
    • Supported improving national waterway transportation system and Tennessee waterways.
    • Supported free trade treaties so Tennessee businesses can expand their reach and sell products to foreign markets. 
    • Opposed burdensome EPA regulations.
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