2014: Schweikert Voted Against The Congressional Black Caucus Substitute To The FY 2015 Budger. In April 2014, Schweikert voted against , according to Congressional Quarterly, the "substitute amendment that would provide for $3.443 trillion in new budget authority in fiscal 2015, not including off-budget accounts. It would call for an additional $500 billion over the first three years for infrastructure and jobs programs, including $230 billion for infrastructure repairs; $100 billion for a national direct job creation program; $50 billion for school modernization; $50 billion to fund teacher, law enforcement and first responder jobs; $50 billion to rebuild neighborhoods; $13 billion for job training and $7 billion for summer jobs. It also would call for $388 billion increase in funding for anti-poverty programs such as the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program and extending unemployment insurance. It also would recommend raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour and assume repeal of the automatic spending cuts under the sequester. To pay for the spending increases, it would recommend a number of revenue increases including lowering tax deductions and eliminating tax breaks for corporations and wealthy Americans and a number of policy changes such as adding a public option to health insurance exchanges, passing comprehensive immigration overhaul and ending spending from the Defense Department's Overseas Contingency Operations account." The vote was on the substitute amendment. The House rejected the substitute by a vote of 116 to 300. [House Vote 172, 4/9/14; Congressional Quarterly, 4/9/14; Congressional Actions, H.Con.Res. 96]
September 2014: Schweikert Voted Against Legislation Funding Government Through December 11, 2014, And Reauthorizing Export-Import Bank Through End Of June, 2015. In September 2014, Schweikert voted against legislation that, according to Congressional Quarterly, "provide[d] funding for federal government operations until Dec. 11, 2014, at an annualized rate of $1.012 trillion. It [] provide[d] $88 million for government efforts to fight the Ebola virus, provide[d] U.S. border agencies with budget flexibility to maintain current border protection and enforcement activities, and extend[ed] the Export-Import Bank's operating authority through June 30, 2015." The House passed the joint resolution by a vote of 319 to 108. Subsequently, the Senate also adopted the joint resolution, and the president signed it into law. [House Vote 509, 9/17/14; Congressional Quarterly, 9/17/14; Congressional Actions, H.J.Res. 124]
2014: Schweikert Voted Against The Democratic Substitute FY 2015 Budget Resolution Which Repealed The Sequester, Assumed An Increase Of The Minimum Wage To $10.10 And The Passage Of The Gang Of Eight. In April 2014, Schweikert voted against the Democratic FY 2015 substitute budget resolution. According to Congressional Quarterly, the resolution would "provide for $3.078 trillion in new budget authority in fiscal 2015, not including off-budget accounts. The plan would call for repealing the sequester, including cuts to Medicare. It also would propose eliminating the non-defense discretionary sequester starting in 2016. The substitute would assume an increase of the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and enactment of the Senate-passed immigration overhaul. It would propose extending expired unemployment benefits for one year and extending the tax credits from the 2012 extension of Bush-era income and other tax cuts due to expire at the end of 2017. It would assume implementation of the 2010 health care overhaul and assume increases in physician fees for primary care services under Medicaid. It would accommodate deficit-neutral legislation to permanently address the Medicare physician reimbursement rate issue known as the 'doc fix.' The plan would propose expanding tax incentives aimed at encouraging low- and middle-income taxpayers to attend college and save for retirement. It would call on Congress to raise revenue by ending tax breaks for special interests and the very wealthy." The vote was on the substitute amendment to the FY 2015 Ryan budget. The House rejected the amendment by a vote of 163 to 261. [House Vote 176, 4/10/14; Congressional Quarterly, 4/10/14; Congressional Record, 4/10/14; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 616; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 96]
2014: Schweikert Voted Against Providing $1.013 Trillion To Fund The Federal Government -- Except For The Department Of Homeland Security -- Through The End Of FY 2015. In December 2014, Schweikert voted against legislation that, according to Congressional Quarterly, "provide[d] $1.013 trillion in discretionary appropriations in fiscal 2015 for federal departments and agencies covered by the 12 unfinished fiscal 2015 spending bills. Included in that total is: $20.6 billion for Agriculture; $61.1 billion for Commerce-Justice-Science; $554.2 billion for Defense, including $64 billion for overseas contingency operations associated with the war in Afghanistan, the fight against ISIS and other counterterrorism operations; $34.2 billion for Energy-Water; $43.2 billion for Financial Services; $30 billion for Interior-Environment; $158.2 billion for Labor-HHS-Education; $4.3 billion for the Legislative Branch; $71.8 billion for Military Construction-VA; $52 billion for State-Foreign Operations; and $53.5 billion for Transportation-HUD. [...] It also [...] provide[d] $5.4 billion in emergency funding to address the Ebola outbreak and $6.5 billion in disaster aid." The vote was on a motion to concur in the Senate Amendment with an Amendment. The House agreed to the motion 219 to 206. The Senate agreed to by a vote of 56 to 40. Afterwards, the amended legislation was sent to the president, who signed it into law. [House Vote 563, 12/11/14; Congressional Quarterly, 12/13/14; Public Law 113-235, 12/16/14; Congressional Actions, H.R. 83]
2014: Schweikert Voted Against The Congressional Progressive Caucus Substitute To The FY 2015 Budget. In April 2014, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against the "Grijalva, D-Ariz., substitute amendment that would provide for $3.248 trillion in new budget authority in fiscal 2015, not including off-budget accounts. The plan would assume repeal of the automatic spending cuts under the sequester. It would call for spending increases on a wide variety of workforce initiatives, social programs and other activities, including: $100 billion for K-12 schools and teacher support; $21 billion to restore Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit cuts; $95 billion for block grants for first responders, safety net programs and Medicaid and $116 billion for public works jobs programs to aid distressed communities. It would recommend restoring federal unemployment benefits to a 99-week maximum, at a cost of $78 billion, and would direct $138 billion to be used to permanently address the Medicare physician reimbursement rate issue known as the 'doc fix.' It would call for changes to the tax code to generate additional revenue, including the addition of five higher marginal tax rates for individual incomes in the tax code, capping the value of itemized deductions, repealing the step-up for capital gains at death and the elimination of the home deduction credit for vacation homes and yachts. It also would recommend the creation of a public insurance option within the health insurance exchanges and propose allowing Medicare to negotiate rates for prescription drugs and services. It would call for cuts in non-emergency Defense Department spending, the elimination of funding for Overseas Contingency Operations after fiscal 2015 and the implementation of a comprehensive immigration overhaul. It also would call for transparency in national security budgets and funding for the public financing of campaigns." The substitute was rejected by a vote of 89 to 327. [House Vote 173, 4/9/14; Congressional Quarterly, 4/9/14; Congressional Actions, H.Con.Res. 96]