Mike Enzi

Enzi was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996. He endured a tough primary challenge during his first campaign before winning the general election by an 8-point margin. At the time of his election, Enzi was the only accountant in the U.S. Senate.[11] Enzi won reelection by a large margin in 2002. He became the senior U.S. Senator from Wyoming when his colleague Craig L. Thomas died of leukemia on June 4, 2007. His new colleague is fellow Republican John Barrasso, a former State Senator from Casper, whom Enzi, as a then-State Senator himself, narrowly defeated in the 1996 senatorial primary, 32% to 30%.

In 2008 Enzi was reelected to his third term in the U.S. Senate with over 76% of the vote against Democratic opponent Chris Rothfuss, a professor of political science at the University of Wyoming.[12]

Dick Cheney criticized Enzi for receiving funding mainly from Washington-based PACs rather than supporters in his state.[13]

In July 2014 Enzi declared his intention to run for a fourth term and was reelected in November with 71% of the vote.[14] No incumbent Wyoming Republican Senator running for reelection in the direct vote era has failed to win his party's nomination.[15] In 2013, Enzi was accused of lying about his friendship with Cheney and relying on political action committee funding in preparation for his reelection campaign and a primary challenge by Liz Cheney.[16] The National Republican Senatorial Committee and Wyoming Republicans supported Enzi.[17]

In 2005 Enzi became the ninth U.S. Senator from Wyoming to ascend to the rank of Chairman on one of the 16 standing committees in the U.S. Senate. He has been a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee since his arrival in the U.S. Senate in 1997. During his time as Chairman of the HELP Committee, 37 bills were reported out of the committee, 23 bills passed the Senate, 352 nominations were reported favorably, and 15 laws came through the committee that were signed by President George W. Bush.

In March 2007 National Journal ranked Enzi the sixth-most conservative U.S. Senator.[18]

Enzi supports imposing a new sales tax on internet sales and other sales of interstate commerce. On November 9, 2011 he introduced Senate Bill 1832 which would require businesses to calculate, collect and pay the new tax whenever they sell products or services to consumers from another state, regardless of the manner in which the sale is transacted. The bill provides no exemption for businesses in tax-free states, so even sellers within states that have no sales tax would be required to calculate and pay the new tax.

After the Marketplace Fairness Act (S.1832) failed in the 112th Congress, Enzi reintroduced it (twice) in the 113th Congress as the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 (S.336 and S.743).[19]

Enzi has voted for the repeal of legislation governing such things as the estate tax and the "marriage penalty." Enzi is a signer of Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge.[20]

He supports partial privatization of Social Security and has consistently voted against measures to expand Medicare or to enroll more children or lower-class individuals in public health care.

A strong supporter of the coal industry, Enzi also rejects alternative energy proposals and advocates Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and offshore drilling. Enzi's committee led the first revisions to mine safety laws in 28 years by promoting the use of new technologies to improve mine safety and save lives. He has a somewhat mixed record on trade issues: he has voted to approve most free trade bills but has rejected the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), one of the largest pieces of such legislation, and is opposed to presidential fast-tracking of trade relation normalization.[21]

Enzi takes a hard-line view on illegal immigration and has been rated highly by groups that support tighter border controls. He has voted in favor of the construction of a fence along the U.S.-Mexican border and against the implementation of guest worker programs. Enzi has voted to uphold the PATRIOT Act and is opposed to calls to cut down on wiretapping and to extend rights to Guantanamo Bay detainees. Enzi also rejected calls for a timetable for military withdrawal from Iraq.[21]

Enzi opposed President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009,[22] and he voted against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.[23]

Enzi was one of the Gang of Six senators working to find a bipartisan solution to health care reform.[24] Speaking on the topic, Enzi told the media, "We all want health care reform that will reduce costs, improve quality and expand access without breaking the bank. The bipartisan talks we're having in the Finance Committee represent the best chance we have of achieving our shared goals, and I urge Democrat (sic) leaders not to close the door on these productive discussions."[25] In 2017, Enzi was part of the group of 13 Senators drafting the Senate version of the AHCA behind closed doors.[26][27][28][29]

Enzi was one of 22 senators to sign a letter[30] to President Donald Trump urging the President to have the United States withdraw from the Paris Agreement. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Enzi has received over $270,000 from the oil and gas industry since 2012.[31]

Despite his strong support of the War in Iraq, he was one of 14 U.S. Senators to vote against the Iraq War funding bill in May 2007 because he opposed the clauses of the bill which increased domestic spending.

In December 2010, Enzi was one of 26 senators who voted against the ratification of New Start,[32] a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation obliging both countries to have no more than 1,550 strategic warheads and 700 launchers deployed during the next seven years, and providing for a continuation of on-site inspections that halted when START I expired the previous year. It was the first arms treaty with Russia in eight years.[33]

On social issues, Enzi is strongly conservative. He opposes all types of abortion and has voted in favor of proposals that would provide restrictions on the procedure for minors, those stationed on military bases, and other groups. He has voted in favor of failed constitutional amendments that suggested banning gay marriage and flag desecration. However, in August 2013, Enzi was the only Republican to sign a letter in support of ending the national ban on donated blood from men who have sex with men.[34] Enzi also is a strong supporter of gun rights and is ranked very favorably by the National Rifle Association (NRA).[21]

In April 2013, Enzi was one of 46 senators to vote against the passing of a bill which would have expanded background checks for all gun buyers. Enzi voted with 40 Republicans and 5 Democrats to stop the passage of the bill. In his blog FiveThirtyEight, statistician Nate Silver predicted a 0% chance of Enzi voting “aye” on the final bill.[35]

Enzi opposed the FIRST STEP Act. The bill passed 87-12 on December 18, 2018.[36]

On May 4, 2019, Enzi announced that he would not seek reelection to a fifth term in the Senate.[37]

• Committee on the Budget (Chairman)
• Committee on Finance
  • Subcommittee on Health Care
  • Subcommittee on Taxation, IRS Oversight, and Long-Term Growth
  • Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
  • United States Senate Health Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security (Chairman)
• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship