Sanders is the junior senator from Vermont and is an Independent caucusing with the Democrats. He has served since Jan 4, 2007. Sanders is next up for reelection in 2024.
He was previously the representative for Vermont’s at-large district as an Independent caucusing with the Democrats from 1991 to 2006.
![Photo of Sen. Bernard “Bernie” Sanders [I-VT]](/static/legislator-photos/400357-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2018 Report Card for Sanders.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Sanders is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot is a member of the Senate positioned according to our liberal–conservative ideology score (left to right) and our leadership score (leaders are toward the top).
The chart is based on the bills Sanders has sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 6, 2015 to Apr 11, 2019. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Committee Membership
Bernard “Bernie” Sanders sits on the following committees:
- Ranking Member, Senate Committee on the Budget
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Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security
- Member, Subcommittee on Children and Families
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Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Member, Subcommittee on Energy
- Member, Subcommittee on National Parks
- Member, Subcommittee on Water and Power
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Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
- Member, Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
- Member, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife
- Member, Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Enacted Legislation
Sanders was the primary sponsor of 7 bills that were enacted:
- S. 885 (113th): A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 35 Park Street in Danville, Vermont, as the “Thaddeus Stevens Post Office”.
- S. 2782 (113th): A bill to amend title 36, United States Code, to improve the Federal charter for the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, and for other ...
- S. 893 (113th): Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2013
- H.R. 5245 (109th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1 Marble Street in Fair Haven, Vermont, as the “Matthew Lyon Post Office Building”.
- H.J.Res. 129 (104th): Granting the consent of Congress to the Vermont-New Hampshire Interstate Public Water Supply Compact.
- H.R. 1353 (102nd): Entitled the “Taconic Mountains Protection Act of 1991”.
- H.J.Res. 132 (102nd): To designate March 4, 1991, as “Vermont Bicentennial Day”.
We consider a bill enacted if one of the following is true: a) it is enacted itself, b) it has a companion bill in the other chamber (as identified by Congress) which was enacted, or c) if at least about half of its provisions were incorporated into bills that were enacted (as determined by an automated text analysis, applicable beginning with bills in the 110th Congress).
Bills Sponsored
Issue Areas
Sanders sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Health (24%) Labor and Employment (22%) Taxation (13%) Energy (10%) Government Operations and Politics (9%) Armed Forces and National Security (9%) Finance and Financial Sector (7%) Social Welfare (6%)
Recent Bills
Some of Sanders’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- S. 1129: Medicare for All Act of 2019
- S. 962: Community Health Center and Primary Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2019
- S. 677: Equitable Nutrition Assistance for the Territories Act of 2019
- S. 611: Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Act of 2019
- S. 478: Social Security Expansion Act
- S. 309: For the 99.8 Percent Act
- S.J.Res. 7: A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from ...
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Sanders’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| Yea |
H.J.Res. 31: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019
Feb 14, 2019. Conference Report Agreed to 83/16.
This bill, in its final form, funded the parts of the federal government whose funding was to lapse on February 15, 2019. On December 22, 2018 the 115th Congress was unable to reach a deal to fund some federal agencies through fiscal year 2019 after ... |
| Nay |
H.R. 6157: Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019
Sep 18, 2018. Conference Report Agreed to 93/7.
H.R. 6157 provides $674.6 billion in total discretionary budget authority for the Department of Defense for fiscal year (FY) 2019. The bill provides $606.5 billion for the Department of Defense base budget, which is an increase of $17.1 billion above FY18 levels, and $68.1 billion ... |
| Nay |
H.R. 6157: Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2019
Aug 23, 2018. Bill Passed 85/7.
H.R. 6157 provides $674.6 billion in total discretionary budget authority for the Department of Defense for fiscal year (FY) 2019. The bill provides $606.5 billion for the Department of Defense base budget, which is an increase of $17.1 billion above FY18 levels, and $68.1 billion ... |
| Nay |
H.R. 1892: Further Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018; Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2018, the SUSTAIN Care Act of 2018; Family First Prevention Services Act.; Honoring Hometown ...
Feb 9, 2018. Motion Agreed to 71/28.
This bill became the vehicle for passage of funding for the federal government through March 23, 2018, to avert a government shutdown that would have occurred on February 9, 2018 had this bill not been enacted. The bill was introduced as the Honoring Hometown Heroes ... |
| Nay |
H.J.Res. 43: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule submitted by Secretary of Health and Human Services relating ...
Mar 30, 2017. Joint Resolution Passed 51/50.
Joe Biden never got the opportunity to break a single 50-50 Senate tie in eight years as vice president. Mike Pence has already broken two. One from last month has since become law: a measure allowing states to withhold federal Planned Parenthood funding. (The other ... |
| Nay |
On the Nomination PN51 and PN50: Nikki R. Haley, of South Carolina, to be the Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the ...
Jan 24, 2017. Nomination Confirmed 96/4.
|
| Not Voting |
H.R. 5325: Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2017
Sep 28, 2016. Bill Passed 72/26.
The Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act (H.R. 5325) is an appropriations bill which extended funding at the previous year's levels up to December 9, 2016 (10 weeks). After this, a continuing ... |
| Not Voting |
H.R. 22: Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act
Dec 3, 2015. Conference Report Agreed to 83/16.
H.R 22, formerly the Hire More Heroes Act, has become the Senate’s vehicle for passage of the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act or DRIVE Act (S. 1647). The DRIVE Act is a major bipartisan transportation bill that would authorize funding ... |
| Nay |
H.J.Res. 124 (113th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015
Sep 18, 2014. Joint Resolution Passed 78/22.
|
| Nay |
H.R. 3304 (113th): National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014
Dec 19, 2013. Motion Agreed to 84/15.
|
| Nay |
H.R. 4853 (111th): Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010
Dec 15, 2010. Motion Agreed to 81/19.
The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (Pub.L. 111–312, H.R. 4853, 124 Stat. 3296, enacted December 17, 2010), also known as the 2010 Tax Relief Act, was passed by the United States Congress on December 16, 2010, and signed into ... |
Missed Votes
From Jan 2007 to Apr 2019, Sanders missed 239 of 3,674 roll call votes, which is 6.5%. This is much worse than the median of 1.4% among the lifetime records of senators currently serving. The chart below reports missed votes over time.
Primary Sources
The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:
- unitedstates/congress-legislators, a community project gathering congressional information
- The House and Senate websites, for committee membership and voting records
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills
