Top 10 Bad Votes by Lindsey Graham
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1. Graham Voted for the No Child Left Behind Act
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) cosponsored and voted for the federal takeover of K-12 education known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This unconstitutional law takes away local control of schools by requiring states to implement federal standards and tests. No Child Left Behind has undermined the quality of U.S. education and costs taxpayers about $25 billion annually.
2. Graham Voted for the Patriot Act
Senator Graham voted for the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (PATRIOT) Act. Despite the seemingly well-intended title, the so-called Patriot Act violates our Fourth Amendment right to privacy. The law includes unprecedented surveillance powers that permit the federal government to spy on U.S. citizens without a warrant.
3. Graham Voted for TARP
Senator Graham voted for the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street. Taxpayers should have never been forced to pay for the mistakes of the big banks. He continues to make excuses for why he voted for the massive bank bailout. According to Graham, “I think TARP was necessary because the whole economy was going to collapse and Bernanke, Paulson, and everybody that I know and quite frankly trust, after Lehman brothers went down, that if we had not involved ourselves quickly you’d have a financial meltdown.”
4. Graham Voted to Increase the Federal Minimum Wage
Senator Graham voted for the Fair Minimum Wage Act that increased the federal minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour in 2007. Raising the minimum wage is a bad idea because it reduces employment, especially among low-skilled workers. The cost of raising the minimum wage is passed onto consumers in the form of higher prices for goods and services.
5. Graham Voted for the Fiscal Cliff Deal
The fiscal cliff was a fake crisis created by Congress and President Obama. Senator Graham voted for the infamous New Year’s Day 2013 fiscal cliff deal that raised taxes on 77 percent of U.S. households and contained no real spending cuts.
6. Graham Cosponsored Cap and Trade Legislation
Senator Graham co-sponsored the Cap and Trade bill in Congress with Senators Joe Lieberman and John Kerry. The bill aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent by 2020, and 80 percent by 2050. In a New York Times op-ed co-written with John Kerry, Graham wrote, “first, we agree that climate change is real and threatens our economy and national security. That is why we are advocating aggressive reductions in our emissions of the carbon gases that cause climate change.”
7. Graham Cosponsored a Internet Regulation Bill
Senator Graham cosponsored the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) that would have stifled free speech and innovation online. Under PIPA, the government would have the power to shut down millions of websites. This is a destructive violation of our constitutional right to free speech.
8. Graham Voted to Confirm Liberal Supreme Court Justices
Senator Graham voted to confirm Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. During Kagan’s confirmation hearing, she was unable to answer whether a law requiring Americans to eat vegetables was constitutional. Both Kagan and Sotomayor joined the 5-4 majority opinion to uphold the “constitutionality” of the individual mandate in ObamaCare.
9. Graham Voted to Raise Debt Ceiling Six Times
Senator Graham has irresponsibly voted to raise the debt ceiling six times. Raising the debt limit only encourages reckless spending in Washington. Congress needs to cut spending—not continue to raise the debt ceiling without any strings attached.
10. Graham Voted for NDAA with Indefinite Detention Provisions
Senator Graham voted for the NDAA with the indefinite detention clause. This controversial clause grants the president unlimited power to detain a U.S. citizen without charge or trial. The indefinite detention clause violates our constitutional right to a speedy and public trial in all criminal prosecutions.
