Significant majorities in Congress voted for aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan last month: 385 of 435 House members supported aid for allies in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan; 366 supported weapons for Israel and humanitarian aid for Gaza; 311 supported aid for Ukraine.
Conservative columnist George Will criticized “the cabal of grotesques” who “voted … to endanger civilization” by opposing aid to Ukraine, appeasing “Vladimir Putin’s attempt to erase a European nation.”
Only 14 House members — all Republicans and most supported by conservative Christian “pro-family” activist groups — voted against all three U.S. aid packages. Their opposition to aid to Israel and Gaza repudiated decades of strong evangelical support for Israel.
Many of the Nay Sayers are members of the far-right Freedom Caucus that voted to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last fall, and a few have promised to do the same for Speaker Mike Johnson, in part for his success in passing the three aid bills with the support of House Democrats.
Here’s a look at these 14 “Nay Sayers” and their fervent support among five politically active pro-family groups:
- The Eagle Forum, founded in 1972 by Phyllis Schlafly, a Catholic who battled Communism as a John Bircher in the 1950s and campaigned for Barry Goldwater in the ‘60s.
- American Family Association Action, the political arm of AFA, which was founded by Methodist pastor Donald Wildmon in 1977 and is best known for its boycotts against offending companies.
- Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, the political arm of CWA, founded by the late Beverly LaHaye in 1978 to protect Christian women from feminism.
- Family Research Council Action, the political arm of FRC, which was founded by James Dobson and others in 1981 and operated for years as part of Focus on the Family.
- The Campaign for Working Families, founded in 1998 by Gary Bauer, a former FRC leader.
Andy Biggs (Ariz.) first was endorsed by the Family Research Council Action PAC in 2016. “You have proven you will stand up for the Constitution and fight for the rights of the people,” said FRCA.
He worked with Trump to overturn the 2020 election, asked Trump for a preemptive pardon (which was not granted) and refused to cooperate with the House investigation into January 6. He has 100% endorsements from the Campaign for Working Families and Center for Arizona Policy, which is affiliated with Focus on the Family, and a 90% rating from Family Research Council Action.
Lauren Boebert (Colo.) won over Focus on the Family early on and was praised in a profile, “Newly Elected CO Representative Lauren Boebert Embodies the American Dream.”
The article did not address the pistol-packing representative’s fondness for QAnon, her past failures to appear in court for minor crimes or provide any insight about her Christian faith. Nor has Focus reported on Boebert’s recent downward spiral and the break-up of her marriage.
Boebert Tweeted that the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was a “1776” moment. When she set off metal detectors installed at the Capitol after the insurrection, Focus came to her defense in another article: “Democrat-Led Congress Introduces Metal Detector in Capitol, Pro-Gun Representatives Frustrated.”
Guns inform Boebert’s faith. She once told a crowd at Andrew Wommack’s Charis Bible College that Jesus “didn’t have enough (AR-15s) to keep his government from killing him.”
Family Research Council Action gave Boebert an 89% endorsement, and Eagle Forum gave her 88%. Two anti-abortion groups, National Right to Life Committee and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, endorse her 100%.
Andrew Clyde (Ga.) has earned entry to the Nay Sayers’ Hall of Fame with a series of no votes. He voted against:
- Certifying the 2020 election
- Honoring officers injured or killed during the January 6 attack on the Capitol
- Establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday
- Making lynching a federal hate crime (the Emmett Till Antilynching Act)
He was all in for one bill that would have designated the AR-15-style rifle as “the National Gun of the United States.”
Family Research Council Action, Eagle Forum and two anti-abortion groups endorse Clyde 100%.
Elijah Crane (Ariz.) earned fame on Shark Tank before running for Congress. He describes himself as: “Believer, Husband, Father, and Former Navy SEAL. Proudly serving Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District in Congress.” He’s endorsed by Family Research Council Action (95%), CWA (90%) and Eagle Forum (89%).
Matt Gaetz (Fla.) faces a years-long House ethics investigation into allegations he participated in trafficking teenage girls for sex, but that hasn’t dimmed his support among conservative Christian groups who endorse him 100%, with only a few giving lower grades (Family Research Council Action rated him 95% and Eagle Forum 89%).
Focus on the Family applauded Gaetz for his efforts to prevent “felons” from voting in the state. The felons are men and women with past convictions who have completed the terms of their sentence. In 2018, 65% of Florida voters voted to restore these citizens’ voting rights, but Gov. Ron DeSantis later signed a law that stymied their right to vote.
Bob Good (Va.) attended Liberty Christian Academy and later received degrees from Liberty University. He’s the current leader of the far-right Freedom Caucus and has 100% endorsements from most of the pro-family groups.
Good is a “biblical conservative” and Trump loyalist who claims Democrats were behind a vast conspiracy to steal the 2020 election. He has a long list of no votes.
Paul Gosar (Ariz.) has solid endorsements from pro-family groups, including the Focus-aligned Center for Arizona Policy, even though his actual family of six siblings considers him unfit for office and has endorsed his Democratic opponents.
Gosar has trafficked in conspiracy theories and spoken at white nationalist rallies. He gave a tour of the U.S. Capitol building to organizers of the Stop the Steal rally in the days before the January 6 attack. He also posted an animated video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York.
Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) is perhaps the most publicized member of the House, not because of her legislative record, but because she yells at President Joe Biden during State of the Union speeches and embraces of a series of out-there conspiracy theories.
Greene is currently leading efforts to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson. She has 100% endorsements from most of the pro-family groups.
Thomas Massie (Ky.) was named “Mr. No” in a 2020 Politico article for his consistent opposition to most bills Congress has considered during his six terms. He’s highly rated by pro-family groups.
Massie sent out a 2021 Christmas card that featured him and six family members in front of a Christmas tree, all of them holding guns. He’s also on board with Green’s effort to remove Mike Johnson as speaker.
Troy E. Nehls (Texas) is so MAGA he wore a “Never Surrender!” shirt featuring Trump’s Georgia indictment mugshot to President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union speech. He also wrote the book The Big Fraud: What Democrats Don’t Want You to Know about January 6, the 2020 Election, and a Whole Lot Else.
Nehls, the subject of a House ethics investigation into his campaign financing, has 100% endorsements from Family Research Council Action, Eagle Forum and CWA.
Ralph Norman (S.C.) is both the wealthiest and most conservative member of the House. He has 100% endorsements from most pro-family groups.
Norman wanted Trump to use martial law to prevent Biden from becoming president, supports impeaching Biden and says “gun violence is a spiritual, mental or people issue, not a gun issue.”
Matt Rosendale (Mont.) is a Catholic who is strong in opposition to aid for Ukraine. He has opposed bills for military aid, opposed a resolution supporting the sovereignty of Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion and opposed a resolution condemning the illegal abduction and forcible transfer of children from Ukraine to Russia. He’s highly rated by most pro-family groups.
Chip Roy (Texas) has 100% endorsements from many pro-family groups, even though the January 6 Commission found more than 100 text messages linking Roy to Trump’s concerted efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Then he escalated his battle by opposing the seating of 67 representatives elected in 2020. (The House voted 371 to 2 to seat the new members.) His tenure since has remained controversial.
This article originally appeared in Baptist News Global.
