Washington, DC – Foreign Policy for America, today, unveiled its Legislative Scorecard that grades members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on the degree to which they support principled American engagement in the world. At a time in American politics where policies that embrace internationalism are under threat, the scorecard is a tool to empower and promote an engaged citizenry by shining a spotlight on how members of Congress have voted on key foreign policy issues. Foreign Policy for America believes Congress must take a leading role to ensure America leads through diplomacy and dialogue – to resolve the world’s biggest challenges by working with partners and allies around the world.
“Right now, the stakes couldn’t be any higher. Our members recognize that, and they’re looking for ways to be more engaged than ever before,” says Foreign Policy for America’s Executive Director Andrew Albertson. “That’s why we created our congressional scorecard: to equip citizens across the country to understand exactly how their representatives in Congress are voting, and ways they can take action to fight for our shared values.”
American foreign policy is dangerously adrift. The solution isn’t to continue with business as usual, but to engage the American public in a new conversation about our values, our lives in an interconnected planet, and the choices we face. By issuing this scorecard, FP4A seeks to give Americans the tools to engage fully with their congressional representatives and to call for policies that are consistent with our American values — openness to the world, empathy for the less fortunate, partnership with our democratic allies, and optimism about our shared future.
“A smart and effective American foreign policy requires not only a strong military but also robust diplomacy and development,” notes Michele Flournoy, advisor and co-chair of Foreign Policy for America’s biannual scorecard meeting. “Foreign Policy for America’s Congressional scorecard is a useful means of assessing Congress’ commitment to principled American engagement in the world.”
Foreign Policy for America is committed to issuing a scorecard for each Congress going forward — today’s scorecard grades Members from the previous 115th Congress – that over time will accumulate to give each elected official a lifetime rating. We work with our allies on both sides of the aisle to determine which issue areas to score. Each issue area reflects our values as an organization.
“The FP4A scorecard offers an across-the-board touchstone for revitalized US leadership. If you want to know if a legislator backs prudent, principled policy on stronger diplomacy, versatile defense, combating disease, or disenabling dictatorships, this is the one-stop resource,” says Mark Lagon, advisor to Foreign Policy for America.
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