Values Action Team

The Values Action Team (VAT) was "an offshoot of the Values Summit held in 1998. As a result of this summit, [then] Majority Whip Tom DeLay identified the lack of coordination between the outside pro-life/pro-family coalitions and similar-minded Members of Congress. In turn, the Whip tapped then-freshman Representative Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA) to spearhead this new inside/outside coalition, which would come to be known as the Values Action Team (VAT).

"The goal of this group was to unite conservative Members with pro-family coalitions by establishing legislative goals, identifying key tasks for Members and coalitions to perform, and executing action items that would lead to conservative victories. VAT has successfully followed this model, achieving pro-life/pro-family victories since the 2nd session of the 105th Congress." --Rep. John Shadegg's House Republican Study Committee website.

Former House Majority Leader DeLay operated "the Values Action Team (VAT), a congressional group set up after James Dobson (Focus on the Family) threatened to lead a walkout of religious organizations from the Republican party. Dobson had charged that the GOP was abandoning key legislative items concerning abortion, school prayer, gay rights and [school] voucher aid in exchange for more voter-friendly tax cut legislation." 

Key issues for VAT

 * Pro-family tax bills (marriage tax penalty relief, death tax elimination, education savings accounts, adoption tax credit, parent tax credit)
 * Life (abortion, assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research)
 * Education (school choice, local control, no national testing, dollars and decisions to the classroom)
 * Parental Rights (notification for Title X, parental freedom of information in schools)
 * Pornography (internet pornography, urging the prosecution of obscenity by DOJ)
 * Religious Liberty (Ten Commandments Defense Act, religious freedom amendment)

Contact Details

 * Values Action Team, Representative John Shadegg's Republican Study Committee (RSC) website.

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Alliance Defense Fund
 * Alliance for Marriage
 * American Values Agenda
 * Federal Marriage Amendment
 * Flag burning amendment
 * traditional family values
 * values voters