The Club for Growth urges all House members to vote "NO" on the Interest Rate Reduction Act (HR 4628). The House may consider it on the floor as early as today. A vote on this plan, and perhaps procedural votes, will be included in the Club's 2012 Congressional Scorecard.

Regardless of the merits, the government should not be in the business of subsidizing student loans.

Before 2007, the interest rate for subsidized Stafford student loans was 6.8%, but House Democrats voted that year to lower the rate to 3.4% for the next four years. This bill would extend that rate for new loans for another year, costing taxpayers $6 billion. It's bad policy to subsidize student loans in the first place, but the net result will likely drive up tuition costs for all students, making the overall cost of the bill much higher than its current price tag. House Republicans want to offset this subsidy by repealing the Prevention and Public Health Fund that was created with the passage of ObamaCare. That fund should indeed be repealed, but fiscal conservatives should only try to repeal the entire law, not just parts of it. And for the most part, the offset is irrelevant. Fiscal conservatives should not be promoting bad policy, which this bill contains.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 112th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

UPDATE: The bill passed 215-195.

The Club for Growth urges all House members to vote "YES" on the Republican Study Committee's FY13 alternative budget. The House may consider it on the floor as early as this week. A vote on this plan, and perhaps procedural votes, will be included in the Club's 2012 Congressional Scorecard.

Unlike the Ryan Budget, the RSC plan balances within five years and it complies with the sequestration cuts outlined in the Budget Control Act of 2011.

The RSC budget also implements some strong, pro-growth reforms. It flattens the tax code, ends the Death Tax, and lowers the corporate rate down to 25%. It also privatizes Fannie and Freddie, and reforms the farm program. It eliminates wasteful and unneeded agencies, block-grants both Medicaid and SCHIP, and permanently ends earmarks, among other things.

Overall, it puts the federal budget on a path to balance in a few years, and it fulfills the government's pledge to enact spending cuts already in the law. It's a pro-growth, fiscally responsible budget that should be supported by all House members.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 112th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

The Club for Growth strongly opposes Discharge Petition No. 0001 that would force a House vote on HR 639, a bill that would make it easier to apply tariffs on Chinese imports unless China increases the value of its currency. Passage of such legislation, or similar legislation, could lead to a costly trade war that would destroy jobs.

A signature on this discharge petition, or any similar petition, will count heavily as an anti-growth action on the Club for Growth's 2011 Congressional Scorecard.

Supporters of this underlying bill believe that cheap imports from China are harming our nation's manufacturers, but they fail to realize that China ships intermediary goods and raw materials to the United States, not just final consumer products. These cheap goods are used by our nation's businesses to produce final products that can be sold at competitive prices. And even if supporters of this bill had a valid argument, the better course of action to spur our nation's economy is not to punish another country through higher taxes on ourselves, but by lowering taxes on corporate income, capital gains, and dividends. This would ignite economic growth, expand our access into foreign markets, and make American companies more competitive and innovative. Likewise, cheap imports are not a drag on the economy. They give consumers more choice and the extra resources to save and invest. We strongly oppose this petition, and urge all members to not only vote against this bill if it comes up for a vote, but to decline co-sponsorship of it.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 112th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

The Club for Growth strongly supports the Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act (H.R. 2587), introduced by Rep. Tim Scott, and urges all House members to support it. We expect a vote on this proposal later this week. This vote will be included in the Club for Growth's 2011 Congressional Scorecard.

This bill would "prohibit the National Labor Relations Board from ordering any employer to close, relocate, or transfer employment under any circumstance."

The government was out of bounds earlier this year when the NLRB blocked Boeing from building a new plant in South Carolina. As long as no property rights are being violated, there is no basis in a free society for the government to dictate the voluntary and peaceful decisions made by a company in the private sector. The government is already hamstringing businesses with burdensome taxes and regulation. In order for the economy to grow and thrive, companies need to have the freedom to make decisions that will build their businesses, create jobs, and innovate.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 112th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

The Club for Growth strongly opposes the Boehner Debt Limit plan, otherwise known as the Budget Control Act of 2011 (it's currently being offered as a substitute amendment to S. 627). We expect a vote on this proposal will take place on Wednesday, July 27, 2011. This vote will be included in the Club for Growth's 2011 Congressional Scorecard.

From the start of this debt ceiling debate, the Club has advocated strongly for a plan that makes large, immediate spending cuts to the budget, a hard spending cap on all federal spending, and a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution that limits spending and requires a supermajority to approve tax increases. The Boehner Plan does not achieve these tenets. It cuts almost nothing immediately, it caps only discretionary spending, and it does not require passage of a balanced budget amendment.

Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, it simply doesn't fix the country's fiscal problems. We strongly oppose it and we urge a NO vote.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 112th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

The Club for Growth strongly supports Rep. Joe Walsh's letter opposing the McConnell-Reid "Cut, Run, and Hide" plan. Additionally, the Club is key-voting the signing of this letter. Signers will receive positive points on the Club for Growth's 2011 Congressional Scorecard.

The McConnell-Reid plan, as public reports have revealed, is completely devoid of fiscally conservative principles. Congress abdicating its responsibilities by giving the President the authority to raise the debt ceiling is a non-starter. The plan also lacks structural budget reforms, like a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, that are necessary to solve our fiscal crisis. If it became law, it would jeopardize the country's Triple-A credit rating and our ability to re-start the economy.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 112th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

The Club for Growth strongly supports the Republican Study Committee's FY12 budget and urges members of the House to vote "YES" on it. We expect the bill to be considered as early as this week. This vote will be included in the Club for Growth's 2011 Congressional Scorecard.

This proposal helps correct the country's fiscal problems by balancing the budget within ten years, fully repealing ObamaCare, enacting pro-growth tax reforms, and reining in out-of-control entitlements.

Among the bill's most important details include the $300 billion spending decrease in FY12 from FY11, the prohibition of earmarks, the elimination of direct farm payments, block-granting Medicaid, lowering the corporate tax rate to 25%, and giving people the option to purchase private health insurance instead of using the traditional Medicare program.

Without a doubt, these are sensible pro-growth reforms that will make our economy stronger, keep inflation at bay, and dramatically improve our fiscal outlook. We will be key-voting passage, but we also strongly urge members to co-sponsor this vital legislation.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 112th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

The Club for Growth urges members of the House to vote "YES" on the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act (HR 471). We expect the bill to be considered today or later this week. This vote will be included in the Club for Growth's 2011 Congressional Scorecard.

Education, like any industry, should be subjected to vigorous competition to ensure the highest quality and innovation available. Allowing families the opportunity to send their kids to the school of their choice enables that outcome.

This bill would re-implement the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, allowing eligible students the ability to attend a private or public school of their choice rather than locking them into a public school that their family does not prefer or could be failing them. While this bill does not completely open up the K-12 education system to full competition in the District of Columbia, it moves it in the right direction. It fosters competition and weakens the teachers union, which has an incentive structure that isn't always aligned with the best interest of the children.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 112th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

 Washington, DC - Today, three leading organizations in the conservative movement made clear their opposition to any additional short-term continuing resolutions and announced their intent to key vote the next such measure.

"A strategy of short-term extensions from now until the end of the fiscal year makes no sense," Heritage Action's CEO Michael A. Needham said. "If we blink now and allow the proponents of big government to drag out negotiations, it will undercut our ability to fight for conservative policies and result in fewer reforms and less cuts."

"In 2008, Planned Parenthood vowed to spend $10 million to elect pro-abortion Democrats," Family Research Council's President Tony Perkins said. "In return Planned Parenthood was handed a health care bill that includes abortion funding as well as access to a slush fund containing billions of tax dollars. In the last few months, we have seen Planned Parenthood pass the 5 million abortions performed mark, watched videos exposing Planned Parenthood's latent racism and complicity in covering up crimes such as sex trafficking of children. The abortion giant finally admitted that not only do they NOT perform mammograms as they previously claimed but they also ordered all of its affiliates to perform abortions or leave the Planned Parenthood umbrella.

"The time to bring our fiscal house in order is now, and defunding organizations that work against the principles of a majority of Americans needs to be done to show that this Congress is serious," Perkins concluded.

"It appears that fiscal conservatives in the House are walking into a spending trap with this series of short term CRs," Club for Growth's President Chris Chocola said. "When the debt ceiling debate happens in a few weeks, the big spenders will offer a so-called "compromise" in exchange for raising the debt ceiling and giving them a series of new credit cards. Such a "deal" would be a complete sell-out of America's taxpayers, who deserve major spending reductions and structural reforms that will solve our debt crisis. Rather than going down that road to disaster, fiscally conservative House members should insist on more than a short-term CR now."

Twenty days ago, the House of Representatives passed a modest $61 billion in spending cuts, but these cuts pale in comparison to $474 billion in spending increases since 2008. It also contained numerous policy riders, which would block implementation of things like Obamacare, EPA's global warming regulation and federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

Enacting these cuts now and fighting for the policy riders are important trust building measures between the American people and Washington. Now is the time for bold leadership, and Heritage Action, Family Research Council and Club for Growth stand united ready to support those efforts.

Press Contacts:
Dan Holler, Heritage Action, 202.548.5284
JP Duffy, FRC Action, 877.372.2808
Stacy French, Club for Growth, 202.955.5500

UPDATE (March 15, 2010): The House passed the CR, 271-158.

The Club for Growth urges members of the House to vote "YES" on the Rep. Steve King amendment (#273) to the FY11 continuing resolution (HR 1). This vote will be included in the Club for Growth's 2011 Congressional Scorecard.

The amendment would prohibit funds from being used to administer Davis-Bacon "prevailing wage" requirements with respect to any project or program funded in this bill.

These artificially higher wages, usually corresponding to union wage rates, would result in a higher cost to taxpayers, less return per dollar spent, and fewer jobs. It would also shield unions from much-needed competition.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 112th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

UPDATE:  The House rejected this amendment, 189-233.