Vote Smart provides easy access to congressional and state voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Vote Smart uses the following criteria to select key votes:
Vote Smart provides a summary of the version of the bill text associated with each selected key vote. Our summaries are written by Vote Smart's staff and interns, who adhere to our strict policies and procedures in order to guarantee absolute impartiality and accuracy. They do not necessarily reflect the content of the final version of the bill, but rather the version voted on in that stage. While many procedural votes take place before a full chamber vote, our voting stages reflect the final reading of each chamber vote. Each key vote selection is reviewed by the project's community of advisors, who are political scientists and journalists from all fifty states.
For more information about the legislative process, see here.
| Date | State | Bill No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 6, 2025 | National | S 331 | Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act (HALT Fentanyl Act) | Cloture Invoked - Senate (82 - 12) |
| March 5, 2025 | National | PN 12-5 | Nomination of Todd Blanche to be Deputy Attorney General | Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 46) |
| March 3, 2025 | National | PN 11-10 | Nomination of Linda McMahon to be Secretary of Education | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (51 - 45) |
| March 3, 2025 | National | S 9 | Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (51 - 45) |
| Feb. 27, 2025 | National | PN 11-10 | Nomination of Linda McMahon to be Secretary of Education | Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 47) |
| Feb. 25, 2025 | National | PN 11-10 | Nomination of Linda McMahon to be Secretary of Education | Motion Agreed - Senate (51 - 47) |
| Feb. 21, 2025 | National | S Con Res 7 | An original concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034. | Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (52 - 48) |
| Feb. 18, 2025 | National | PN 11-9 | Nomination of Howard Lutnick to be Secretary of Commerce | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (51 - 45) |
| Feb. 18, 2025 | National | S Con Res 7 | An original concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034. | Motion Agreed - Senate (50 - 47) |
| Feb. 13, 2025 | National | PN 11-8 | Nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (52 - 48) |
| Feb. 13, 2025 | National | PN 11-9 | Nomination of Howard Lutnick to be Secretary of Commerce | Cloture Invoked - Senate (52 - 45) |
| Feb. 12, 2025 | National | PN 11-8 | Nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services | Cloture Invoked - Senate (53 - 47) |
| Feb. 6, 2025 | National | PN 11-8 | Nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services | Motion Agreed - Senate (52 - 47) |
| Feb. 6, 2025 | National | PN 11-9 | Nomination of Howard Lutnick to be Secretary of Commerce | Motion Agreed - Senate (52 - 46) |
| Feb. 5, 2025 | National | PN 11-14 | Nomination of Eric Turner to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (55 - 44) |
| Feb. 4, 2025 | National | PN 11-14 | Nomination of Eric Turner to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | Cloture Invoked - Senate (55 - 45) |
| Jan. 30, 2025 | National | PN 11-3 | Nomination of Douglas Burgum to be Secretary of the Interior | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (79 - 18) |
| Jan. 28, 2025 | National | HR 23 | Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (54 - 45) |
| Jan. 23, 2025 | National | PN 11-19 | Nomination of John Ratcliffe to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (74 - 25) |
| Jan. 23, 2025 | National | PN 11-19 | Nomination of John Ratcliffe to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | Cloture Invoked - Senate (72 - 26) |
| Jan. 21, 2025 | National | PN 11-19 | Nomination of John Ratcliffe to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | Motion Agreed - Senate (54 - 46) |
| Jan. 20, 2025 | National | S 5 | Laken Riley Act | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 35) |
| Jan. 20, 2025 | National | S 5 | Laken Riley Act | Bill Passed - Senate (64 - 35) |
| Jan. 20, 2025 | National | PN 11-13 | Nomination of Marco Rubio to be Secretary of State | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (99 - 0) |
| Jan. 17, 2025 | National | S 5 | Laken Riley Act | Cloture Invoked - Senate (61 - 35) |
| Jan. 17, 2025 | National | S 5 | Laken Riley Act | Cloture Invoked - Senate (61 - 35) |
| Jan. 13, 2025 | National | S 5 | Laken Riley Act | Motion Agreed - Senate (82 - 10) |
| Jan. 13, 2025 | National | S 5 | Laken Riley Act | Motion Agreed - Senate (82 - 10) |
| Jan. 8, 2025 | National | S 5 | Laken Riley Act | Cloture Invoked - Senate (84 - 9) |
| Jan. 8, 2025 | National | S 5 | Laken Riley Act | Cloture Invoked - Senate (84 - 9) |