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2017
July 27, 2017, 3:05 p.m.
On July 25, your social media feed was likely filled with victory cries from those seeking to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with the still-evolving Senate version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA). Opponents also took to social media with messages of defeat. However, the debate is anything but finished.
So what’s actually going on with the Senate healthcare bill? Is the Affordable Care Act repealed? And, what is the Senate voting on?
Well, it’s tricky, so bear with me—I’m not even sure if someone currently voting in the capitol can easily explain where the debate stands. I’ll simplify the issue and provide a brief timeline of how we got to where we are today.
June 19, 2017, 4:26 p.m.
“Good afternoon. Today, the United States of America is changing its relationship with the people of Cuba.” These were the opening lines of Barack Obama’s announcement of his plans to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba back in December of 2014. Those words could have also opened President Trump’s speech on Friday where he announced plans to roll back some of the changes set forth by the Obama administration.
“We will not lift sanctions on the Cuban regime,” President Trump proclaimed, ”until all political prisoners are freed, freedoms of assembly and expression are respected, all political parties are legalized, and free and internationally supervised elections are scheduled. Elections.”
These plans come just weeks after the bipartisan coalition consisting of US Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced legislation that would lift the Cuban trade embargo.
June 8, 2017, 1:51 p.m.
On May 9, FBI Director James Comey was let go from his position by President Donald Trump–leaving many to wonder what incidents led to such a serious end.
June 2, 2017, 8:19 p.m.
James Comey, health care, and foreign policy in under 140 characters. Read on to find out what has kept Congress and President Trump's Twitter account so busy.
2016
June 27, 2016, 2:31 p.m.
Have you seen a recent headline about Congress passing an omnibus bill? Curious about what this obscure sounding piece of legislation is? Below we provide a non-partisan explanation of omnibus bills.....
March 11, 2016, 5:56 p.m.
Emerging onto the floor of numerous state legislatures across the United States of America is a new and divisive kind of legislation: “bathroom bills.” Bathroom bills are proposed legislation that address whether individuals may use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender they identify with or with the gender they were assigned at birth.
2015
Oct. 29, 2015, 6:59 p.m.
Did you miss our Live-Tweet event for the Republican Debate? You can get a recap of all we did here!
2014
Sept. 7, 2014, 8:27 p.m.
Vote Smart (VoteSmart.org), the leading non-partisan national research organization focused on politicians and elections, announced a series of massive additions to its factual database on over 150,000 current and former elected officials and candidates.
2013
April 26, 2013, 6:25 p.m.
Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter here...
April 22, 2013, 6:32 p.m.
We here at Project Vote Smart often lament the lack of civility in Congress and in state legislatures across this nation.
March 7, 2013, 10:55 p.m.
Vote Smart exists to help citizens and organizations trying to provide citizens with easy access to abundant, accurate, relevant information about those who govern or those who wish to replace those who do.
2012
Nov. 16, 2012, 3:17 p.m.
During the 2012 election cycle, 1.5 million NEW users discovered Vote Smart adding to the millions already "voting smart."
Aug. 16, 2012, 9:35 p.m.
For those of you living under rocks, Mitt Romney announced his running mate last Saturday – Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan. You've probably heard a fair amount about Ryan, probably about his time spent as chair of the House Budget committee, and the budget proposal he crafted. But what about the information voters really want to know, like the fact that he's a fan of Monty Python*? At votesmart.org you can find out all you need to know (and more) about both vice-presidential contenders.
July 27, 2012, 2:54 p.m.
The opening ceremony for the 2012 summer Olympics officially begins on Friday July 27th, but here at Project Vote Smart we’re interested in a different race – the Presidential Election. And while the 10,500 athletes are proudly representing their respective countries, Project Vote Smart staff and interns are hard at work researching the over 40,000 candidates and officials fighting to represent us.
June 1, 2012, 9:51 p.m.
The US unemployment rate was published at 8.2% for the month of May, rising a tenth of a point from April's 8.1%. Here's what several congress members had to say about it...
Jan. 20, 2012, 5:49 p.m.
The South Carolina Republican Presidential Preference Primary is scheduled for Saturday, January, 21st and while in most of our minds there are only four candidates still vying for the GOP nomination, one look at the ballot will tell a slightly different story.
