As Donald Trump struggles to unite Republicans around his “big, beautiful bill,” the nation’s leading conservative influencer group is warning lawmakers to stick with the president.
Just hours before he planned to release his group’s annual 2024 conservative ratings chart, Conservative Political Action Conference Foundation Chairman Matt Schlapp said siding with Trump “is a line in the sand,” and those who cross it will be criticized.
“We’re calling out those who delivered for the American people and holding accountable those who didn’t,” Schlapp said as he prepared to release the 54th annual scorecard, a critical tool used by conservative voters to size up their House and Senate members. “Our country deserves leaders who stand up, not sell out.”
The scorecard, previewed by Washington Secrets, found that Democrats are united in opposing Trump, while the conservative might in the House and Senate has slipped a bit since last year.
In the House, Democrats received just a 2% conservative rating. In the Senate, it was 6%.
CPAC Foundation will host its 54th Annual Ratings of Congress Award Ceremony TONIGHT at the Capitol Hill Club. The event will celebrate the conservative lawmakers who stood strong in the face of pressure, voted with conviction, and earned top marks
https://t.co/br1Bx6mxtQ
— CPAC (@CPAC) May 20, 2025
Republicans in the House received a 78% conservative rating in 2024, down from 81% in 2023. In the Senate, Republicans had a 73% conservative rating in 2024, down from 79% in 2023.
And in a Congress where just a few defections can kill the president’s agenda, just 64 House members won CPAC’s “Conservative Excellence Award” for voting right 90% or more on the key conservative issues on the group’s list. In 2023, 71 members won the award.
In the Senate, 16 members were award winners, better than the 10 in 2023. Included was former Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who is now vice president.
NEW @ClubforGrowth & @jmclghln POLL: Americans overwhelmingly support common-sense Medicaid reform.
68% say waste, abuse, and fraud in Medicaid is a problem (just 29% disagree)
— Club for Growth (@club4growth) May 20, 2025
Schlapp plans to host a ceremony Tuesday night to hand out the top awards and call for unity behind Trump.
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The event and release of the annual report card came as a new McLaughlin & Associates poll found that voters will reward embattled Republicans for sticking with Trump in his bid to cut taxes.
The poll was done for the group Club for Growth. “We are releasing this poll now while Republicans finalize negotiations on President Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ so members are well informed: they will be rewarded by voters after they take a tough vote despite the Democrats’ lies and misinformation,” Club for Growth President David McIntosh said. “That is the key to winning and keeping the majority in the next election.”