Key Votes

The following list shows votes by Rick Santorum on the most important bills, nominations and resolutions that have come before Congress. The list is based on an analysis of the potential impact of the legislation on policy and politics. Post editors have compiled these key votes from the 109th Congress onward.

Date	Vote	Position	GOP opinion	DEM opinion
9/29/06	Vote 262: H R 6061: H.R. 6061; Secure Fence Act of 2006	Yes	Yes	Yes
9/28/06	Vote 259: S 3930: S. 3930 As Amended; Military Commissions Act of 2006	Yes	Yes	No
8/3/06	Vote 229: On the Cloture Motion: Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider H.R.5970; Estate Tax and Extension of Tax Relief Act of 2006	Yes	Yes	No
7/18/06	Vote 206: H R 810: This legislation would allow federal funding for research on stem cell lines derived from embryos that would otherwise be destroyed.	No	No	Yes
6/27/06	Vote 189: S J RES 12: This vote would have given Senate approval to a proposed constitutional amendment that would give Congress the authority to ban 'desecration of the American flag.'	Yes	Yes	No
6/22/06	Vote 182: S 2766: This amendment called on the president to withdraw troops from Iraq, but set no firm deadline.	No	No	Yes
6/22/06	Vote 181: S 2766: This amendment to the annual defense appropriations bill would have set a firm deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.	No	No	No
6/7/06	Vote 163: On the Cloture Motion: A Senate cloture vote on the gay marriage amendment failed, effectively killing the amendment.	Yes	Yes	No
5/25/06	Vote 157: S 2611: Would tighten border security and establish guest worker and "path to citizenship" programs	No	No	Yes
5/11/06	Vote 118: H R 4297: Extended the Bush tax cuts.	Yes	Yes	No
3/2/06	Vote 29: H R 3199: Reauthorized a slightly modified version of the 2001 USA Patriot Act.	Yes	Yes	Yes
1/31/06	Vote 2: On the Nomination: Confirmation of Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to be an Associate Supreme Court Justice.	Yes	Yes	No
12/21/05	Vote 363: On the Motion: Cut nearly $40 billion from the federal budget by imposing substantial changes on welfare, child support and student lending programs.	Yes	Yes	No
10/5/05	Vote 249: H R 2863: Supported a ban on cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees held by U.S. forces and to requires the military to follow the Army field manual for interrogations.	Yes	Yes	Yes
9/29/05	Vote 245: On the Nomination: Confirmation of John G. Roberts, Jr., to be Chief Justice of the United States.	Yes	Yes
7/29/05	Vote 213: H R 6: Offered tax breaks and incentives in what supporters said was an effort to spur oil and gas companies to provide innovative wasy to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil, conserve resources and reduce pollution.	Yes	Yes	Yes
6/30/05	Vote 170: S 1307: Established a free trade zone between the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua; a separate agreement with the Dominican Republican was also included in the measure.	Yes	Yes	No
6/20/05	Vote 142: On the Cloture Motion: Blocked, for the second time, the confirmation President Bush's choice for U.N. Ambassador, John Bolton. Those opposed to the confirmation voted "no" on a measure to limit debate. Those in favor of the confirmation fell short of the 60 votes needed to limit debate and move the nomination process forward.	Yes	Yes	No
3/10/05	Vote 44: S 256: Made it harder for people to erase debt by declaring bankruptcy.	Yes	Yes	No
2/10/05	Vote 9: S 5: Sought to curtail the ability of plaintiffs to file class-action lawsuits against corporations by making cases that were filed in multiple states the responsibility of federal courts.	Not Voting	Yes	No