Vote Smart provides easy access to congressional and state voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Vote Smart uses the following criteria to select key votes:
Vote Smart provides a summary of the version of the bill text associated with each selected key vote. Our summaries are written by Vote Smart's staff and interns, who adhere to our strict policies and procedures in order to guarantee absolute impartiality and accuracy. They do not necessarily reflect the content of the final version of the bill, but rather the version voted on in that stage. While many procedural votes take place before a full chamber vote, our voting stages reflect the final reading of each chamber vote. Each key vote selection is reviewed by the project's community of advisors, who are political scientists and journalists from all fifty states.
For more information about the legislative process, see here.
Date | State | Bill No. | Title | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sept. 30, 1992 | National | HR 5318 | Conditional Extension of Most-Favored-Nation Trade Status to China | Veto Override Passed - House (345 - 74) |
Feb. 5, 1998 | National | HR 2631 | Line Item Veto Cancellation bill | Veto Override Passed - House (347 - 69) |
Feb. 25, 1998 | National | HR 2631 | Line Item Veto Cancellation bill | Veto Override Passed - Senate (78 - 20) |
Jan. 26, 2005 | National | PN 8 | Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (85 - 13) |
Feb. 10, 1998 | National | PN 623 | David Satcher, Surgeon General of the Public Health Service | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (63 - 35) |
Jan. 30, 2001 | National | PN 96 | Gale Ann Norton, Secretary of the Interior | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (75 - 24) |
Aug. 5, 1999 | National | PN 100 | Richard Holbrooke, Representative to the United Nations | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (81 - 16) |
Feb. 1, 2001 | National | PN 107 | John Ashcroft, Attorney General | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (58 - 42) |
Aug. 6, 2009 | National | PN 506 | Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (68 - 31) |
April 30, 1997 | National | PN 82 | Alexis M. Herman, Secretary of Labor | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (85 - 13) |
June 24, 1998 | National | S Amdt 2912 | Bosnia and Herzegovina Withdrawal Amendment | Amendment Tabled - Senate (65 - 31) |
Feb. 10, 1994 | National | H Amdt 436 | Bryant Amendment to Independent Counsel Reauthorization Act of 1993 | Amendment Adopted - House (230 - 188) |
June 25, 1998 | National | S Amdt 2981 | Military Closure Amendment | Amendment Adopted - Senate (48 - 45) |
June 9, 1994 | National | H Amdt 611 | Lifting Arms Embargo on Bosnia Amendment | Amendment Adopted - House (244 - 178) |
Nov. 15, 1995 | National | HR 2020 | Appropriations bill FY96, Treasury, Postal Service | Conference Report Adopted - House (374 - 52) |
March 29, 1996 | National | HR 956 | Product Liability bill | Conference Report Adopted - House (259 - 158) |
Nov. 15, 1995 | National | HR 2020 | Appropriations bill FY96, Treasury, Postal Service | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (63 - 35) |
March 21, 1996 | National | HR 956 | Product Liability bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (59 - 40) |
March 27, 1996 | National | S 4 | Line-Item Veto bill | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (69 - 31) |
May 10, 1995 | National | HR 956 | Product Liability bill | Bill Passed - Senate (61 - 37) |
March 20, 2007 | National | S 214 | United States Attorneys Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - Senate (94 - 2) |
Nov. 19, 2002 | National | HR 5005 | Establishing the Department of Homeland Security | Bill Passed - Senate (90 - 9) |
June 3, 2011 | National | H Res 292 | Ground Forces in Libya | Resolution Passed - House (268 - 145) |
Nov. 8, 1997 | National | HR 2631 | Line Item Veto Cancellation bill | Bill Passed - House (352 - 64) |
July 9, 2008 | National | HR 5811 | Electronic Communications Preservation Act | Bill Passed - House (286 - 137) |
Dec. 19, 1998 | National | H Res 611 | Impeachment Resolution: Article One | Resolution Passed - House (221 - 212) |
March 23, 1995 | National | S 4 | Line-Item Veto bill | Bill Passed - Senate (69 - 29) |
June 22, 2006 | National | HR 4890 | Line Item Veto Bill | Bill Passed - House (247 - 172) |
July 21, 1992 | National | HR 5318 | Conditional Extension of Most-Favored-Nation Trade Status to China | Bill Passed - House (339 - 62) |
July 19, 1995 | National | HR 2020 | Appropriations bill FY96, Treasury, Postal Service | Bill Passed - House (216 - 211) |
May 22, 2007 | National | S 214 | United States Attorneys Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - House (306 - 114) |
Feb. 6, 1995 | National | HR 2 | Line Item Veto Act | Bill Passed - House (294 - 134) |
July 26, 2002 | National | HR 5005 | Establishing the Department of Homeland Security | Bill Passed - House (295 - 132) |
Dec. 19, 1998 | National | H Res 611 | Impeachment Resolution: Article One | Resolution Passed - House (228 - 206) |
Sept. 14, 1999 | National | S J Res 33 | Puerto Rican Nationals resolution | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (95 - 2) |
Sept. 15, 2009 | National | H Res 744 | Resolution of Disapproval of Representative Joe Wilson's Conduct | Resolution Passed - House (240 - 179) |
Sept. 9, 1999 | National | H Con Res 180 | Puerto Rican Nationals resolution | Resolution Passed - House (311 - 41) |
Feb. 26, 2013 | National | PN 34 | Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (58 - 41) |
March 14, 2019 | National | H J Res 46 | Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on February 15, 2019 | Bill Passed - Senate (59 - 41) |
Feb. 14, 2019 | National | PN 17 | Nomination of William Pelham Barr to be Attorney General of the Department of Justice | (54 - 45) |
Feb. 8, 2017 | National | PN 30 | Nomination of Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 47) |
Feb. 1, 2017 | National | PN 25 | Nomination of Rex W. Tillerson to be Secretary of State | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (56 - 43) |
Feb. 7, 2017 | National | PN 37 | Nomination of Elisabeth Prince DeVos to be Secretary of Education | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (51 - 50) |
Feb. 13, 2017 | National | PN 26 | Nomination of Steven T. Mnuchin to be Secretary of the Treasury | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (53 - 47) |
Feb. 10, 2017 | National | PN 33 | Nomination of Thomas Price to be Secretary of Health and Human Services | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 47) |
Feb. 17, 2017 | National | PN 44 | Nomination of Scott Pruitt to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 46) |
April 27, 2017 | National | PN 88 | Nomination of Alexander Acosta to be Secretary of Labor | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (60 - 38) |
May 2, 2017 | National | PN 47 | Nomination of Jay Clayton to be a Member of the Securities and Exchange Commission | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (61 - 37) |
May 11, 2017 | National | PN 42 | Nomination of Robert Lighthizer to be a United States Trade Representative | (82 - 14) |
July 11, 2018 | National | PN 1402 | Nomination of Brian Allen Benczkowski to be Assistant Attorney General | (51 - 48) |
April 11, 2019 | National | PN 503 | Nomination of David Bernhardt as the Secretary of the Interior | (56 - 41) |
May 16, 2019 | National | PN 526 | Nomination of Jeffrey Rosen to be Deputy Attorney General for the Department of Justice | (52 - 45) |
July 23, 2019 | National | PN 934 | Nomination of Mark Esper as the Secretary of Defense | (90 - 8) |
Sept. 26, 2019 | National | PN 1099 | Nomination of Eugene Scalia as the Secretary of Labor | (53 - 44) |
Oct. 22, 2019 | National | PN 110 | Nomination of Andrew Bremberg to be the Representative of the United States of America to the Office of the United Nations | (50 - 44) |
Nov. 13, 2019 | National | PN 410 | Nomination of Chad Wolf to be Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans for the Department of Homeland Security | (54 - 41) |
Dec. 2, 2019 | National | PN 1268 | Nomination of Dan Brouillette as the Secretary of Energy | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (70 - 15) |
May 21, 2020 | National | PN 1615 | Nomination of John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (49 - 44) |
Jan. 20, 2021 | National | PN 78-10 | Nomination of Avril Haines as the Director of National Intelligence | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (84 - 10) |
Jan. 22, 2021 | National | PN 78-1 | Nomination of Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (93 - 2) |
Jan. 25, 2021 | National | PN 78-24 | Nomination of Janet Yellen as Secretary of the Treasury | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (84 - 15) |
Jan. 26, 2021 | National | PN 78-3 | Nomination of Antony Blinken as Secretary of State | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (78 - 22) |
Feb. 2, 2021 | National | PN 78-4 | Nomination of Peter Buttigieg as Secretary of Transportation | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (86 - 13) |
Feb. 2, 2021 | National | PN 78-13 | Nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (56 - 43) |
Feb. 8, 2021 | National | PN 78-14 | Nomination of Denis McDonough as Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (87 - 7) |
Feb. 23, 2021 | National | PN 78-21 | Nomination of Linda Thomas-Greenfield as Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (78 - 21) |
Feb. 23, 2021 | National | PN 78-22 | Nomination of Thomas J. Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (92 - 7) |
Feb. 25, 2021 | National | PN 78-8 | Nomination of Jennifer Granholm as Secretary of Energy | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (64 - 35) |
March 1, 2021 | National | PN 78-5 | Nomination of Miguel Cardona as Secretary of Education | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (64 - 33) |
March 2, 2021 | National | PN 78-15 | Nomination of Gina Raimondo as Secretary of Commerce | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (84 - 15) |
March 10, 2021 | National | PN 78-6 | Nomination of Marcia Fudge as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (66 - 34) |
March 10, 2021 | National | PN 78-7 | Nomination of Merrick Garland as Attorney General | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (70 - 30) |
March 10, 2021 | National | PN 78-16 | Nomination of Michael Regan as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (66 - 34) |
March 15, 2021 | National | PN 78-11 | Nomination of Debra Haaland as Secretary of the Interior | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (51 - 40) |
March 18, 2021 | National | PN 78-2 | Nomination of Xavier Becerra as Secretary of Health and Human Services | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (50 - 49) |