Is Your Congressman A Global Slacker? 10 Facts From The 2014 Congressional Report Card

The 2014 Congressional Report grades lawmakers on the most important legislative votes in the past year on issues of climate change, non-proliferation, funding international organizations and programs, and human rights.

1.

More Representatives received a D-, and more Senators received an F, than any other grade.

2.

Representatives voted in a bipartisan manner only 3 out of 10 times, and Senators only 2 out of 10 times.

3.

The only dissenting votes on a Law to improve child rights were 27 Republican Representatives.

4.

No Democratic or Independent Senator voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, but 22 Republican Senators did.

5.

There was bipartisan support in Congress for the containment of Iran’s nuclear program through diplomatic and economic means, the sanctioning of a Russian arms dealer accused of selling weapons to Syrian President Assad, and the accelerated transition of military operations from U.S. to Afghan forces. Bipartisanship comes alive on direct national security issues.

6.

Climate change and energy policy is the most polarizing global issue, dividing congress along party lines across many votes.

7.

Guantanamo Bay policy is split along party lines.

8.

Ratifying treaties and funding international organizations is supported by most democrats and opposed by most Republicans.

9.

There has been a clear and wide partisan gap on foreign policy matters over the past decade.

10.

Averaging the scores of each state’s members of Congress together, Vermont and Rhode Island tied for 1st with perfect 100s. Oklahoma scored the worst of all the states with an average of 13.