Time After Time This Congress, Democrats Have Stood in the Way of Additional Economic Relief for Americans, Solutions Americans Overwhelmingly Agree on, and Important National Security Legislation
WHETHER IT WAS BLOCKING CONSUMER PROTECTIONS FROM DATA CENTERS LAST WEEK OR OPPOSING HISTORIC TAX RELIEF, DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN STANDING IN THE WAY OF MAKING LIFE MORE AFFORDABLE
- Ratepayer Protection Act: “Senate Democrats closed the door Thursday to any significant data center legislation passing Congress before the midterms.” (Punchbowl News: PM: Senate Dems block data center bill – 9/17/26)
- “By blocking Sen. Jon Husted’s (R-Ohio) unanimous consent request to pass the Ratepayer Protection Act, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) all but ensured lawmakers will go home without acting on an issue worrying a lot of voters.” (Punchbowl News: PM: Senate Dems block data center bill – 9/17/26)
- “The House version of the bill, led by Reps. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.) and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), was bipartisan from the start.” (Politico: Democrat blocks fast-track passage for data center ratepayer bill – 9/17/26)
- “The legislation would require states to consider a framework to ensure data centers foot the bill for all electricity and grid updates that they require.” (Politico: Democrat blocks fast-track passage for data center ratepayer bill – 9/17/26)
- Working Families Tax Cuts: Last summer, every single Senate Democrat voted against the Working Families Tax Cuts law, which prevented a $4+ trillion tax hike on all Americans from taking effect at the end of 2025. (H.R. 1: Roll Call Vote #372 – 7/1/25; U.S. Senate Committee on Finance: Working Families Tax Cuts – accessed 9/22/26)
- The standard deduction, which reduces a taxpayer’s taxable income and is claimed by nearly 90% of filers, would have been cut roughly in half. (Tax Foundation: Nearly 90 Percent of Taxpayers Are Projected to Take the TCJA’s Expanded Standard Deduction – 9/26/18)
- Instead, “Over 127 million filers (90% of all tax filers) have claimed the permanently doubled standard deduction” this past tax season, allowing Americans to keep more money in their pockets. (U.S. Department of the Treasury: New Analysis: The Working Families Tax Cuts Delivers the Largest Share of Tax Relief to American Families and Workers – 6/2/26)
- In addition to preventing a tax increase, the Working Families Tax Cuts resulted in 97% of taxpayers receiving an additional tax cut this past filing season. (U.S. Department of the Treasury: New Analysis: The Working Families Tax Cuts Delivers the Largest Share of Tax Relief to American Families and Workers – 6/2/26)
TIME AFTER TIME, DEMOCRATS HAVE BLOCKED LEGISLATIVE SOLUTIONS TO THE ISSUES THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT
- Protecting Women’s Sports: Every Senate Democrat this Congress has voted to block measures stopping biological men from playing women’s sports. (S. 9: Roll Call Vote #100 – 3/3/25; S. 1383: Roll Call Vote #60 – 3/21/26)
- 79% of respondents to a January 2025 New York Times/Ipsos poll believe that athletes who are biologically male but who identify as female “[s]hould not be allowed to compete in women’s sports,” including 67% of Democrat/Lean Democrat respondents and 64% of Independent/Something else respondents. (New York Times/Ipsos Survey – Jan. 2025)
- Basic Voter ID: On numerous occasions, Senate Democrats blocked Sen. Jon Husted’s (R-Ohio) legislation, a simple up-or-down vote on commonsense photo ID requirements to vote. (Fox News: GOP senator’s gambit exposes false Dem claims about supporting voter ID – 3/21/26; S.Amdt. 4732 to S.Amdt. 4420 to S. 1383 – Roll Call Vote #73 – 3/26/26; S. 5271: Roll Call Vote #231 – 8/8/26; S.Amdt. 5779 to S.Amdt. 5453 to S. 2: Roll Call Vote #144– 6/4/26)
- 80% of Americans favor requiring having a valid photo ID to vote, including 65% of Democrats and 79% of independents. (CBS News Poll – 3/19/26)
- Clarity Act: “The Senate [last] Tuesday voted to block the Clarity Act from advancing, dealing a major blow to the crypto industry’s push for a comprehensive market structure framework. The procedural vote leaves the bill stalled on Capitol Hill after months of negotiations aimed at building bipartisan support.” (CNBC: Senate cloture vote on Clarity Act fails, dealing regulatory blow to crypto industry – 9/15/26)
- “One in five American adults—about 52 million people—own crypto, highlighting just how widespread crypto use has become.”
- “Among the 52 million U.S. crypto owners, 83%—roughly 43 million people—agree there should be stronger crypto regulations.” (Coinbase Institute: Fact-Finding: Crypto & Americans – accessed 9/22/26)
DEMOCRATS HAVE ALSO BEEN NEEDLESSLY BLOCKING HISTORICALLY BIPARTISAN NATIONAL SECURITY REAUTHORIZATIONS AND EVEN BLOCKED PAYING LAW ENFORCEMENT AND BORDER SECURITY OFFICERS
- Bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): The $1.15 trillion NDAA heavily emphasizes innovation and procurement of munitions, Air Force fighters, shipbuilding, and unmanned systems and includes over 1,100 member priorities from every senator and 86 bipartisan amendments. (U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services: Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act – accessed 9/22/26; Sen. Wicker: Chairman Wicker Issues Statement on the NDAA – 7/15/26)
- “The NDAA typically passes with strong bipartisan support… Historically seen by both parties as ‘must-pass legislation,’ the NDAA is one of the few major bills that always passes, having become law annually for more than six decades.” (Reuters: US Senate Democrats block $1.15 trillion defense bill over Iran war objections – 7/14/26)
- By blocking consideration of the NDAA, Senate Democrats voted against priorities such as cracking down on Russia’s shadow fleet and a slew of authorization provisions. (The Hill: Senate Democrats block $1.15 trillion defense authorization bill – 7/14/26;U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services: Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act – accessed 9/22/26)
- Section 702 of FISA: “Senate Democrats [in June] blocked a motion to begin debate on extending the nation’s enhanced surveillance authorities… Every Senate Democrat except for Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) voted against the motion to proceed to the House measure, which would have served as the legislative vehicle for passing an extension of enhanced surveillance authorities under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) before they expire on June 12.” (The Hill: Senate Democrats block extension of spy powers to protest Trump’s choice of Pulte for DNI – 6/5/26)
- Up until this past June, Congress had never let authority for Section 702 of FISA lapse. Before Senate Democrats voted down an extension, “Democrats had been working with Republicans on the measure and had been expected to deliver the votes necessary to move ahead with the extension…” (Politico: Spy law on track to lapse after House rejects extension – 6/11/26; The New York Times: Deal to Renew Surveillance Law Falters in the Senate Amid Revolt Over Pulte – 6/5/26)
- Defunding Border Security and Law Enforcement: After ending Democrats’ historic 76-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, Republicans passed the Secure America Act, “a roughly $70 billion package to fund ICE and the Border Patrol through the end of President Donald Trump’s term.” (CBS News: Trump signs bill funding DHS, ending record-breaking 76-day shutdown – 4/30/26; NBC News: Republicans pass bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the end of Trump’s term – 6/9/26; U.S. Congress: S. 2 – Secure America Act – accessed 9/22/26)
- “Unlike during Trump’s first term, it’s not just progressives taking up the ‘defund ICE’ banner. The idea is proliferating even among the more moderate and establishment wings of the party.” (Axios: Inside Democrats’ brewing war over the resurgence of “defund ICE” – 1/12/26)