John Barrasso on Budget & Economy

	John Barrasso on Budget & Economy Republican Jr Senator

Disapprove of increasing the debt limit.

Barrasso co-sponsored Joint Resolution on Debt Limit

Congressional Summary:JOINT RESOLUTION: Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives: That Congress disapproves of the President`s exercise of authority to increase the debt limit, as submitted on Jan. 12, 2012.

Congressional Vote: Vote #4 in the House: 239 Yeas; 176 Nays; Senate declined to vote on the Resolution.

OnTheIssues Explanation: On Jan. 12, 2012, Pres. Obama notified Congress of his intent to raise the nation`s debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion, two weeks after he had postponed the request to give lawmakers more time to consider the action. Congress then had 15 days to say no before the debt ceiling is automatically raised from $15.2 trillion to $16.4 trillion. Hence the debt ceiling was increased.

In Aug. 2011, the US government was nearly shut down by an impasse over raising the debt ceiling; under an agreement reached then, the President could raise the debt limit in three increments while also implementing $2.4 trillion in budget cuts. The agreement also gave Congress the option of voting to block each of the debt-ceiling increases by passing a `resolution of disapproval.` The House disapproved; the Senate, by declining to vote in the 15-day window, killed the Resolution. Even if the resolution were passed, Pres. Obama could veto it; which could be overridden by a 2/3 majority in the House and Senate. The House vote only had 57% approval, not enough for the 67% override requirement, so the Senate vote became moot. The same set of actions occurred in Sept. 2011 for the first debt ceiling increase.

Source: HJRes.98/SJRes34 12-SJR34 on Jan 23, 2012

Audit the Federal Reserve & its actions on mortgage loans.

Barrasso co-sponsored Federal Reserve Transparency Act

The Federal Reserve Transparency Act directs:

the completion, within 12 months, the audit of the Federal Reserve System and of the Federal Reserve Banks; with a detailed report of audit findings and conclusions.
Audit and report on the loan files of homeowners in foreclosure in 2009 or 2010, required as part of the enforcement actions taken by the Federal Reserve against supervised financial institutions.

Prescribes audit contents, including:

the guidance given by the Federal Reserve to independent consultants retained by the supervised financial institutions regarding procedures to be followed in conducting the file reviews,
the factors considered by independent consultants when evaluating loan files and the results obtained pursuant to those reviews, and
the determinations made by such consultants regarding the nature and extent of financial injury sustained by each homeowner as well as the level and type of remediation offered.

Source: H.R.24&S.209 13-S0209 on Feb 4, 2013

CC:Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment.

Barrasso supports the CC survey question on Balanced Budget Amendment

The Christian Coalition Voter Guide inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'Passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution' Christian Coalition's self-description: "Christian Voter Guide is a clearing-house for traditional, pro-family voter guides. We do not create voter guides, nor do we interview or endorse candidates."

Source: Christian Coalition Survey 18CC-20 on Jul 1, 2018

Voted YES on $900 billion COVID relief package.

Barrasso voted YEA Consolidated Appropriations Act (COVID Relief bill)

NPR summary of HR133:

$600 checks for every adult and child earning up to $75,000, and smaller checks if earning up to $99,000.
Unemployment: extend enhanced benefits for jobless workers, $300 per week through March.
Rental assistance: $25 billion to help pay rent; extends eviction moratorium until Jan. 31.
SNAP assistance: $13 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
PPP loans: $284 billion for Paycheck Protection Program loans, expanding eligibility to include nonprofits, news/TV/radio media, broadband access, and movie theaters & cultural institutions
Child care centers: $10 billion to help providers safely reopen.
$68 billion to distribute COVID-19 vaccines and tests at no cost.
$45 billion in transportation-related assistance, including airlines and Amtrak.
$82 billion in funding for schools and universities to assist with reopening
$13 billion for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program for growers and livestock producers.

Argument in opposition: Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV-2) said after voting against H.R. 133: `Congress voted to spend another $2.3 trillion [$900 billion for COVID relief], which will grow our national debt to about $29 trillion. The federal government will again have to borrow money from nations like China. This massive debt is being passed on to our children and grandchildren. With multiple vaccines on the way thanks to President Trump and Operation Warp Speed, we do not need to pile on so much additional debt. Now is the time to safely reopen our schools and our economy. HR133 was another 5593-page bill put together behind closed doors and released moments prior to the vote.`

Legislative outcome: Passed House 327-85-18, Roll #250, on Dec. 21. 2020; Passed Senate 92-6-2, Roll #289, on Dec. 21; signed by President Trump on Dec 27 [after asking for an increase from $600 to $2,000 per person, which was introduced as a separate vote].

Source: Congressional vote 20-HR133 on Jan 15, 2020

Opposed $1.9 trillion ARPA bill for COVID relief.

Barrasso voted NAY American Rescue Plan Act

This bill provides additional relief to address the continued impact of COVID-19 on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals, and businesses:

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program);
schools and institutions of higher education;
child care and programs for older Americans and their families;
COVID-19 vaccinations, testing, treatment, and prevention;
emergency rental assistance, homeowner assistance, and other housing programs;
payments to state and local governments for economic relief;
small business assistance, including restaurants;
and state capital projects that enable work, education, and health monitoring in response to COVID-19

Rep. Kevin McCarthy in OPPOSITION (3/11/21): The so-called American Rescue Plan imposed a $1.9 trillion new burden on American families. Despite being branded as `COVID relief,` only 9% of funds in this bill actually goes to defeating the virus, and almost half of the money, including more than 95% of the education funds, will not be spent until 2022 or later. After a year of struggle and sacrifice, students and parents get no answer to the vital question of when they can expect schools to reopen full time. President Biden wants Americans to believe `help is on the way.` But under this bill, it isn`t; waste is.

Biden Administration in SUPPORT (2/26/21): ARPA provides the tools and support critical to tackle the urgent public health and economic crises the Nation faces as a result of COVID-19. The bill also provides eligible Americans with a $1,400 payment in addition to the $600 payment provided in December of 2020. The bill also extends key emergency unemployment benefits, and raises the minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Legislative Outcome: Passed House 219-212-1 on 2/27/21; passed Senate 50-49-1 on 3/6/21; signed by President on 3/11/21.

Source: Congressional vote 21-HR1319 on Feb 27, 2021