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National Key Votes

Date Bill No. Bill Title Outcome Vote
March 7, 2013 PN 48 Nomination of John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(63 - 34)
Yea
Feb. 26, 2013 PN 34 Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(58 - 41)
Nay
Feb. 26, 2013 PN 34 Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense Cloture Invoked - Senate
(71 - 27)
Yea
Feb. 14, 2013 PN 34 Nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel to be Secretary of Defense Cloture Not Invoked - Senate
(58 - 40)
Did Not Vote
June 20, 2012 S Amdt 2454 Prohibits Food Aid to North Korea Unless Waived by President Amendment Adopted - Senate
(59 - 40)
Nay
March 8, 2012 S Amdt 1537 Approving the Keystone XL Pipeline Project Amendment Rejected - Senate
(56 - 42)
Yea
Feb. 2, 2012 S Amdt 1491 Requires Disclosure of Financial Transactions by Executive Branch Employees Amendment Adopted - Senate
(58 - 41)
Yea
June 23, 2011 S Amdt 499 Prohibits the Appointment of Presidential "Czars" Without Senate Approval Amendment Rejected - Senate
(47 - 51)
Yea
Aug. 5, 2010 PN 1768 Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(63 - 37)
Nay
June 10, 2010 S J Res 26 Statement of Opposition to EPA Greenhouse Gas Rule Motion Rejected - Senate
(47 - 53)
Yea
May 27, 2010 S Amdt 4204 Requiring Afghanistan Troop Redeployment Plan and Timetable Amendment Rejected - Senate
(18 - 80)
Nay
May 18, 2010 S Amdt 4072 Inspector General Appointment Modification Amendment Adopted - Senate
(75 - 21)
Yea
Feb. 9, 2010 PN 1351-111 Craig Becker, Member of the National Labor Relations Board Cloture Not Invoked - Senate
(52 - 33)
Did Not Vote
Jan. 28, 2010 PN 959-111 Ben S. Bernanke, Federal Reserve Chairman Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(70 - 30)
Yea
Nov. 19, 2009 PN 187-111 David F. Hamilton, Seventh Circuit Judge Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(59 - 39)
Nay
Aug. 6, 2009 PN 506-111 Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(68 - 31)
Nay
April 28, 2009 PN 188 Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(65 - 31)
Nay
Jan. 26, 2009 PN 64-06 Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(60 - 34)
Yea
Nov. 8, 2007 PN 958 Michael B. Mukasey, Attorney General Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(53 - 40)
Yea
June 11, 2007 S J Res 14 Attorney General No Confidence Vote Cloture Not Invoked - Senate
(53 - 38)
Nay
March 20, 2007 S 214 United States Attorneys Act of 2007 Bill Passed - Senate
(94 - 2)
Yea
Dec. 7, 2006 PN 1396 Andrew von Eschenbach, Commissioner of Food and Drugs Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(80 - 11)
Did Not Vote
Dec. 6, 2006 PN 2191 Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(95 - 2)
Yea
July 11, 2006 S AMDT 4563 FEMA Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate
(32 - 66)
Nay
May 26, 2006 PN 1552 Michael Hayden, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(78 - 15)
Yea
Jan. 31, 2006 PN 1059 Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(58 - 42)
Yea
Sept. 29, 2005 PN 801 Judge John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court None - Senate
(78 - 22)
Yea
June 20, 2005 PN 326 John Bolton, Ambassador to the United Nations Cloture Not Invoked - Senate
(54 - 38)
Yea
June 14, 2005 PN 202 Thomas B. Griffith, Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(73 - 24)
Yea
June 9, 2005 PN 200 William H. Pryor, Jr., Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(53 - 45)
Yea
June 8, 2005 PN 201 Janice R Brown, Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(56 - 43)
Yea
May 26, 2005 PN 326 John Bolton, Ambassador to the United Nations Cloture Not Invoked - Senate
(56 - 42)
Yea
May 25, 2005 PN 194 Priscilla R. Owen, Fifth Circuit Judge Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(55 - 43)
Yea
May 24, 2005 PN 194 Priscilla R. Owen, Fifth Circuit Judge Cloture Invoked - Senate
(81 - 18)
Yea
Feb. 3, 2005 PN 12 Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(60 - 36)
Yea
Jan. 26, 2005 PN 8 Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(85 - 13)
Yea
Oct. 28, 2003 PN 884 Michael Leavitt, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency None - Senate
(88 - 8)
Yea
Nov. 19, 2002 HR 5005 Establishing the Department of Homeland Security Bill Passed - Senate
(90 - 9)
Yea
Nov. 1, 2001 HR 2590 Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act 2002 Conference Report Adopted - Senate
(83 - 15)
Yea
Feb. 1, 2001 PN 107 John Ashcroft, Attorney General Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(58 - 42)
Yea
Jan. 30, 2001 PN 96 Gale Ann Norton, Secretary of the Interior Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(75 - 24)
Yea
Feb. 3, 2000 PN 729 Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chairman Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(89 - 4)
Yea
Oct. 5, 1999 PN 49 Ronnie L. White, United States District Judge in Missouri Nomination Rejected - Senate
(45 - 54)
Nay
Sept. 14, 1999 S J Res 33 Puerto Rican Nationals resolution Joint Resolution Passed - Senate
(95 - 2)
Yea
Aug. 5, 1999 PN 100 Richard Holbrooke, Representative to the United Nations Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(81 - 16)
Yea
Feb. 25, 1998 HR 2631 Line Item Veto Cancellation bill Veto Override Passed - Senate
(78 - 20)
Yea
Feb. 10, 1998 PN 623 David Satcher, Surgeon General of the Public Health Service Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(63 - 35)
Yea
April 30, 1997 PN 82 Alexis M. Herman, Secretary of Labor Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(85 - 13)
Yea
June 20, 1996 PN 951 Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chairman Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(91 - 7)
Yea
June 20, 1996 PN 953 Alice M. Rivlin, Federal Reserve Vice-Chair Nomination Confirmed - Senate
(57 - 41)
Nay

About the Selection and Descriptions of Key Votes

Project Vote Smart provides easy access to Congressional and State voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Key votes typically include the initial passage of legislation and final conference report vote versions (the compromised versions of bills passed in separate House and Senate versions). Vote Smart uses the following criteria to select key votes:

  1. The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
  2. The vote should be clear for any person to understand
  3. The vote has received media attention
  4. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
  5. Occasionally, if a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Voter's Research Hotline, the vote will be added

Descriptions of the votes are written by Vote Smart staff and based on information included in the Congressional Record, State House Journals, or Senate Journals, with additional background information from newspapers, magazines, etc. Vote Smart provides summaries for each selected key vote. The summary does not necessarily reflect the final version of the bill.

The Key Votes Program follows Project Vote Smart's strict policies, procedures and structure that guarantee absolute impartiality and accuracy. In order to ensure that all Key Votes are non-partisan in their selection and language, each is approved by a group of over 160 political scientists and journalists from all fifty states.

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