2015: Kelly Ayotte Voted For A Bill That Repealed Portions Of The Affordable Care Act, Including Eliminating The Act’s Medicaid Expansion In 2018. In December 2015, Kelly Ayotte voted for a bill that according to Congressional Quarterly, would have “scrap[ed] in 2018 the law’s Medicaid expansion, as well as subsidies to help individuals buy coverage through the insurance exchanges.” Additionally, according to Congressional Quarterly the bill would have “repeal[ed] portions of the 2010 health care law and block[ed] federal funding for Planned Parenthood for one year. As amended, the bill would zero-out the law’s penalties for noncompliance with the law’s requirements for most individuals to obtain health coverage and employers to offer health insurance.” The vote was on passage of a reconciliation bill. The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 52 to 47. The bill was later passed by the full Congress, which the president then vetoed. The House was not able to override the veto. [Senate Vote 329, 12/3/15; Congressional Quarterly, 12/3/15; Real Clear Politics, 12/4/15; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3762]
2013: Kelly Ayotte Voted To Repeal The Affordable Care Act And The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. In March 2013, Kelly Ayotte voted for an amendment that, according to Huffington Post, “sought to ‘establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to provide for the repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.’” The amendment was to the Senate Budget for FY 2014. The vote was on the amendment, which the Senate rejected by a vote of 45 to 54. [Senate Vote 51, 3/22/13; Huffington Post, 3/22/13; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 202; Congressional Actions, S. Con. Res. 8]
2011: Kelly Ayotte Voted For Repealing The Affordable Care Act. In February 2011, Kelly Ayotte voted for an amendment, which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “repeal the 2010 health care overhaul law, which requires most individuals to buy health insurance by 2014, makes changes to government health care programs and sets new requirements for health insurers. The amendment would restore the provisions of law amended or repealed by the health care overhaul, and repeal certain provisions of the health care reconciliation law.” The amendment would have been made to the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) had made a point of order that the amendment would increase the federal deficit, the vote was on a motion to waive those budgetary requirements. The motion failed by a vote of 47 to 51. [Senate Vote 9, 2/2/11; Congressional Quarterly, 2/2/11; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 13; Congressional Actions, S. 223]
2015: Kelly Ayotte Voted To Make $430 Billion In Unexplained Cuts To Medicare, As Part Of The FY 2016 Conference Report Budget Resolution. In May 2015, Kelly Ayotte voted for the FY 2016 conference report budget resolution which, according to the Congressional Conference Report, “The agreement proposes the same amount of Medicare savings reflected in the Senate-passed fiscal year 2016 budget as a target to extend the life of the Hospital Insurance trust fund and tasks the committees of jurisdiction in the House and Senate with determining the specific Medicare reforms needed to bring spending levels under current law in line with the budget.” According to Bloomberg, the Senate’s original budget, “avoided a plan to partially privatize Medicare that the U.S. House of Representatives embraced in its budget [and] instead call[ed] for $430 billion in spending cuts without explaining where they would be made.” The vote was on the Conference Report; the Conference Report passed by a vote of 51 to 48. [Senate Vote 171, 5/5/15; Conference Report, 4/29/15; Bloomberg, 3/27/15]
2012: Kelly Ayotte Voted To Consider Sen. Pat Toomey’s Proposed Budget That Increased The Medicare Eligibility Age To 67 By 2034. In May 2012, Kelly Ayotte voted to consider the Ryan budget Medicare plan, as part of Sen. Pat Toomey’s (R-PA) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2013 to 2022. According to a press release from Sen. Toomey, his budget contained a provision that “Adopts the long term Medicare reform plan included in the House FY 2013 budget (effective 2023).” According to the Congressional Research Service, “The (Ryan) budget proposal would gradually increase the Medicare eligibility age to 67. Beginning in 2023, the age of eligibility for Medicare would increase by two months each year until it reached 67 in 2034.” The vote was on a motion to proceed to consider the resolution; the motion failed by a vote of 42 to 57. [Senate Vote 99, 5/16/12; Senator Pat Toomey Press Release, 4/18/12; CRS, 3/29/12]
2012: Kelly Ayotte Effectively Voted To Increase The Medicare Eligibility Age To 67 By 2034 As Part Of The FY 2013 Ryan Budget. In May 2012, Kelly Ayotte effectively voted to increase the Medicare eligibility age to 67 by 2034, as part of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2013 to 2022. According to the Congressional Research Service, “The budget proposal would gradually increase the Medicare eligibility age to 67. Beginning in 2023, the age of eligibility for Medicare would increase by two months each year until it reached 67 in 2034.” The vote was on a motion to proceed to consider the House-passed budget resolution, which the Senate rejected by a vote of 41 to 58. [Senate Vote 98, 5/16/12; CRS Report #R42441, 3/29/12; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 112]
2011: Kelly Ayotte Effectively Voted For FY 2012 Ryan Budget, Which Raised The Medicare Eligibility Age To 67 By 2033. In May 2011, Kelly Ayotte effectively voted for increasing Medicare eligibility to 67 by 2034, as part of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2012 to 2021. According to CBO, “Starting in 2022, the age of eligibility for Medicare would increase by two months per year until it reached 67 in 2033.” The vote was on a motion to proceed to consider the House-passed budget resolution, which the Senate rejected by a vote of 40 to 57. [Senate Vote 77, 5/25/11; CBO, 4/5/11]
2013: Kelly Ayotte Voted For Converting State Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefits Into A Block Grant Program Beginning In 2016 And Adding Work Requirements As Part Of The FY 2014 Ryan Budget. In March 2013, Ayotte voted for converting SNAP benefits into a block grant program, as part of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2014 to 2023. According to the House Budget Committee, the “This budget retools federal aid to low-income families in two ways. First, it eliminates the incentive for states to sign up as many recipients as possible. After employment has recovered, it converts SNAP into a block grant, indexed for inflation and eligibility. […] Second, it calls for time limits and work requirements” The vote was on the House Republicans’ fiscal year 2014 budget resolution, which Senate Budget Committee chairwoman Patty Murray offered as a substitute amendment to the Senate’s fiscal year 2014 budget resolution. The Senate rejected the amendment by a vote of 40 to 59. [Senate Vote 46, 3/21/13; House Budget Committee, 3/12/13; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 433; Congressional Actions, S. Con. Res. 8]
2013: Kelly Ayotte Voted To Effectively Cut SNAP By Replacing The Program With A Nutrition Assistance Block Grant. In May 2013, Ayotte voted for an amendment that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “would [have] repeal[ed] the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, at the end of fiscal 2014 and establish[ed] a nutrition assistance block grant program for fiscal 2015 through 2022. It would [have] ma[d]e grants available to states that create nutrition assistance programs that include work requirements and drug testing for beneficiaries. States would [have] be[en] required to report annually on their program’s eligibility requirements, administration costs and participation figures. It would [have] authorize[d] $45.5 billion in grant funds in the first year and would increase funding for the program incrementally through 2022.” The Senate rejected the proposed amendment to the Senate’s 2013 Farm Bill by a vote of 36 to 60. [Senate Vote 132, 5/22/13; Congressional Quarterly, 5/22/13; Congressional Actions, S. 960; Congressional Actions, S. 954]
2012: Kelly Ayotte Effectively Voted For An Amendment That Would Have Changed The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Into A Block Grant Program. In June 2012, Ayotte voted against tabling and effectively voted for an amendment, that according to Congressional Quarterly, would have “replace[d] the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program with block grants to states to provide nutrition assistance. The motion would recommit the bill to the committee with instruction to report the bill back immediately with a Reid perfecting amendment no. 2391 that would replace the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program with block grants to states to provide nutrition assistance.” The amendment was to the Senate’s version of the 2012 Farm Bill. The vote was on a motion to table the amendment, so that a vote for the motion was a vote against the amendment. The Senate agreed to the motion by a vote of 65 to 33, killing the amendment. [Senate Vote 120, 6/13/12; Congressional Record, 6/12/12; Congressional Quarterly, 6/13/12; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 2392; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 2391; Congressional Actions, S. 3240]
2011: Kelly Ayotte Effectively Voted For FY 2012 Ryan Budget, Which Converted SNAP Into A Block Grant Program Beginning In 2015. In May 2011, Ayotte effectively voted for converting SNAP benefits into a block grant program, as part of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2012 to 2021. According to the House Budget Committee, the budget would “Convert the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) into a block grant tailored for each state’s low income population, indexed for inflation and eligibility beginning in 2015.” The vote was on a motion to proceed to consider the House-passed budget resolution, which the Senate rejected by a vote of 40 to 57. [Senate Vote 77, 5/25/11; House Budget Committee, 4/5/11; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 34]
2013: Kelly Ayotte Voted To Preserve A Provision In The 2013 Farm Bill That Tied A $10 Utility Assistance Requirement In Order To Qualify For SNAP Benefits. In May 2013, Kelly Ayotte voted against Senate Amendment 931 to the 2013 Farm Bill, which would have “struck provisions in the bill that required states to provide at least $10 in utility assistance to qualify a household for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. The amendment proposed offsetting the cost by limiting federal reimbursement of crop insurance providers’ operating costs to $924 million annually and capping providers’ guaranteed rate of return to 12 percent.” The Senate rejected the amendment by a vote of 26 to 70. [Senate Vote 131, 5/21/13; Congressional Quarterly, 5/21/13; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 931; Congressional Actions, S. 954]
2011: Kelly Ayotte Voted To Prohibit Categorical Eligibility For SNAP. In October 2011, Ayotte voted for an amendment, which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “eliminate categorical eligibility provisions for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - commonly known as food stamps. The substitute would provide about $128 billion in discretionary funds for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and for science programs and other related programs in fiscal 2012.” The amendment was to the fiscal year 2012 appropriations bill funding Agriculture, Commerce, Science, Justice, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Senate rejected the amendment by a vote of 41 to 58. [Senate Vote 182, 10/20/11; H.R.2112, 6/21/12; Congressional Quarterly, 10/21/11; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 810; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 738; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2112]
2012: Kelly Ayotte Effectively Voted Against Extending Tax Credits For Alternative And Renewable Energy, Paid For By Repealing Tax Breaks For The Five Largest Oil Companies. In March 2012, Kelly Ayotte effectively voted against a bill that would, according to the Evansville Courier and Press, “end several tax breaks worth $24 billion over ten years for the five largest oil companies: BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil and Shell. More than half of the savings would be allocated to deficit reduction, with the remaining $11 billion used for tax credits to promote natural gas and propane as vehicle fuels, make U.S. homes more energy-efficient and spur the production of renewable and alternative fuels to reduce U.S. consumption of fossil fuels.” According to Congressional Quarterly, “the bill that would roll back certain tax preferences for large oil and gas companies. The bill would use revenue generated from eliminating certain oil and gas tax incentives to pay for an extension of some renewable-energy tax credits and incentives.” The vote was on a motion to end debate on the bill, which failed 51 to 47; the motion required 60 votes to pass. [Senate Vote 63, 3/29/12; Evansville Courier and Press, 4/1/12; Congressional Quarterly, 3/29/12]
2015: Kelly Ayotte Voted Against Calling For Congress To Extend A Tax Credit For Wind Power Producers Through The Beginning Of 2020. In January 2015, Kelly Ayotte voted against an amendment to the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “would [have] express[ed] the sense of Congress that the production tax credit should be extended until Jan. 1, 2020 for facilities that use wind energy technology for electricity. The substitute amendment would immediately allow TransCanada to construct, connect, operate and maintain the pipeline and cross-border facilities known as the Keystone XL pipeline.” The Senate rejected the proposed amendment to the Senate’s version of legislation directing the approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline by a vote of 47 to 51. [Senate Vote 40, 1/28/15; Congressional Actions, S. 1; Congressional Quarterly, 1/28/15]
September 2015: Kelly Ayotte Effectively Voted For A Bill That Would Prohibit Abortions After 20-Weeks Of Gestation. In September 2015, Kelly Ayotte effectively voted for a bill that would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks of gestation and would impose criminal penalties on doctors that violated the ban. According to Congressional Quarterly, the bill would, “prohibit abortions in cases where the probable age of the fetus is 20 weeks or later, except in cases of rape, incest against a minor or when the life of the pregnant woman is in danger. Specifically, it would provide an exemption for pregnancies that are the result of rape against adult women if the woman obtained counseling or medical treatment for the rape at least 48 hours before the abortion. Pregnancies resulting from rape or incest against a minor would also be exempt from the ban if the rape or incest had been reported before the abortion to law enforcement or another government agency authorized to act on reports of child abuse. The measure would impose criminal penalties on doctors who violate the ban. The measure also would require health care practitioners to give the same level of care to an infant born alive during a failed abortion as they would give to an infant born at the same gestational age through natural birth.” The vote was on cloture and the Senate rejected the bill 54 to 42. The House had earlier passed the bill. [Senate Vote 268, 9/22/15; Congressional Quarterly, 9/22/15; Congressional Actions, H.R. 36]
May 2012: Kelly Ayotte Voted Against Allowing Military Health Insurance To Cover Abortion, If The Pregnancy Was The Result Of Rape Or Incest. In May 2012, Kelly Ayotte voted against an amendment, sponsored by Sen. Shaheen that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, brought “the Defense Department in line with federal policies by allowing military health insurance to cover abortion services for women in uniform who are the victims of rape or incest.” The underlying legislation was an FY 2013 defense authorization. The vote was on the amendment. The Senate Armed Services committee adopted the amendment by a vote of 16 to 10. The full committee later adopted the legislation. The full Senate later adopted the bill, but it was never signed into law. A related bill, HR 4310, which included the policy, was signed into law by President Obama. [Congressional Quarterly, 5/24/12; Congress.gov – S. Rept. 112-173, S. 3254; Congressional Actions, S. 3254; Congressional Actions, H.R. 4310]
Kelly Ayotte Voted To Defund Planned Parenthood Four Times In Her Senate Career
2016: Kelly Ayotte Voted To Defund Planned Parenthood Four Times And Voted Against Amendments To Restore Funding. According to a Planned Parenthood Press Release, “Kelly Ayotte has voted four times to ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood and voted against two separate amendments which would have restored funding for Planned Parenthood back into the underlying bill. She has even voted against equal pay legislation. This Senator has spent years calling for an end to safe, legal abortion and for Roe v. Wade to be overturned, and even went so far as to circulate a letter urging support for a bill to ban abortion after 20 weeks that included extreme provisions for rape survivors.” [Press Release – Planned Parenthood, 5/4/16]
April 2011: Kelly Ayotte Voted To Defund Planned Parenthood. In April 2011, Kelly Ayotte voted for prohibiting any funds appropriated in the recently-passed bill funding the government through the end of fiscal year 2011 from being made available to Planned Parenthood or any of its affiliates. The vote was on a continuing resolution that, according to the Congressional Quarterly, would “direct the House clerk to make a correction in the enrollment of a bill (HR 1473) to provide $1.055 trillion in discretionary funding for fiscal 2011, and insert a section that would bar the use of funds made available in the bill to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. or its affiliates.” That change would have been made prior to sending H.R. 1473 – which had already passed both the House and Senate – to the president. The Senate rejected the concurrent resolution by vote of 42 to 58. [Senate Vote 60, 4/14/11; Congressional Quarterly, 4/14/11]
2015: When Addressing Her Vote To Redirect Planned Parenthood Funding To Community Health Centers, Kelly Ayotte Said “I Do Not Support The Use Of Taxpayer Dollars To Fund A Private Organization That Performs Hundreds Of Thousands Of Abortions Each Year And Harvests Babies' Body Parts.” According to a press release by the Office of New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte via Archive.org, “U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) today voted in favor of a procedural motion to advance legislation introduced by Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) that would redirect federal funding for Planned Parenthood to community health centers. She released the following statement: ‘I do not support the use of taxpayer dollars to fund a private organization that performs hundreds of thousands of abortions each year and harvests babies' body parts, which is why I voted to redirect funding to community health centers that provide women's health services such as cancer screenings, mammograms, and contraceptives.’” [Press Release – Office of New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte via Archive.org, 8/3/15]
2014: Kelly Ayotte Voted Against Democrat-Introduced Legislation That Would “Ensure Access To Contraception For Women Who Get Their Health Insurance From Companies With Religious Objections.” According to the Associated Press, “Republicans blocked a bill designed to override a Supreme Court ruling and ensure access to contraception for women who get their health insurance from companies with religious objections. The vote was 56-43 to move ahead on the legislation - dubbed the ‘Not My Boss’ Business Act’ by proponents - four short of the 60 necessary to proceed. […] [Senate Minority Leader] McConnell joined with two Republican women, Fischer and Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, in backing separate legislation that would reaffirm current law on access to contraception and in calling for a Food and Drug Administration study on whether contraceptives could be sold over the counter without a prescription.” [Associated Press, 7/16/14]
2013: Kelly Ayotte Voted Against Protecting ACA’s Health Care And Contraception Coverage Provisions For Women. In March 2013, Kelly Ayotte voted against an amendment that, according to The Hill’s Floor Action Blog, would “protect women’s healthcare coverage and employer-provided contraceptive coverage authorized under the Affordable Care Act.” According to the Congressional Record, the purpose of the amendment was to “establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to protect women’s access to health care, including primary and preventative health care, family planning and birth control, and employer-provided contraceptive coverage, such as was provided under the Affordable Care Act.” The vote was on an amendment to the Senate version of the fiscal year 2014 budget resolution. The Senate adopted the amendment by a vote of 56 to 43. The underlying budget resolution later passed the Senate, but Congress had taken no further action on it as of September, 2013. [Senate Vote 54, 3/22/13; The Hill’s Floor Action Blog, 3/22/13; Congressional Record, 3/21/13; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt 438; Congressional Actions, S.Con.Res. 8]