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Where They Stand |
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| Policy position: ABORTION | |||||||
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 Supports abortion rights. Would support late term abortion restrictions if exceptions were added to protect a woman's life and health. Opposes parental consent or notification. Supports an expansion of Medicaid abortions, which are currently provided in instances of rape, incest or to save a woman's life.
Supports FDA approval of abortion pill Mifeprex. Opposes a constitutional amendment to outlaw abortion. Would not impost a litmus test on Supreme Court nominees, but insists he would appoint pro-choice nominees. Opposes the "Mexico City Policy" which prohibits non-governmental organizations receiving U.S. funds from providing overseas abortion-related counseling or care. Opposes a ban on privately funded abortions at military bases overseas. |
 Opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest or to save a woman's life. Supports late-term abortion restrictions. Supports parental consent and notification. Opposes Medicaid-funded abortions except to save a woman's life. Opposes FDA approval of abortion pill Mifeprex. Supports a constitutional amendment to outlaw abortion, but doesn't believe there is enough public support for it. Would not require Supreme Court nominees to pass an anti-abortion "litmus test." Supports the "Mexico City Policy" which prohibits non-governmental organizations receiving U.S. funds from providing overseas abortion-related counseling or care. Supports a ban on privately funded abortions at military bases overseas.
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| Policy position: AGRICULTURE | |||||||
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Supports granting permanent normal trade relations status to China to open Chinese markets to U.S. agricultural products. Supports ethanol subsidies. Supports mandatory price reporting and federal assistance in dealing with the current farm crisis. Supported a 6 percent increase in the Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service in fiscal 2000 budget.
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Supports granting permanent normal trade relations status to China to open Chinese markets to U.S. agricultural products. Supports ethanol subsidies. Opposes efforts to increase farm prices by increasing federal price support levels. Opposes the Conservation Reserve Program, under which landowners are paid roughly $2 billion per year to idle 36 million acres of land. Supports "aggressive enforcement of antitrust laws" to protect farmers from anticompetitive practices. Opposes use of food as part of foreign policy sanctions.
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| Policy position: CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM | |||||||
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Supports public financing of congressional and presidential campaigns through his $7 billion "Democracy Endowment" fund. Supports banning "soft money" donations to political parties from all sources, including individuals. Opposes raising current campaign contribution limit to individual campaigns of $1,000. Opposes a ban on "issue" ads by independent parties, but would require them to disclose donor lists. Supports requiring television stations that air issue ads to provide free "rebuttal" air time to candidates. Supports increased disclosure of lobbying activities, including requiring lobbyists to file specific, monthly reports on the Internet. Supports free air time for political candidates in the final 30 days of a campaign.
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Opposes publicly financed congressional and presidential campaigns. Supports a ban on "soft money" donations from unions and corporations, but not individuals. Supports increasing the current campaign contribution limit to adjust for inflation, from $1,000 to nearly $3,400. Opposes a ban on "issue" ads for independent parties and specifically supports the right of groups to air them. Supports increased disclosure of lobbying activities, including prohibiting lobbyists from making donations while Congress is in session.
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| Policy position: CIVIL RIGHTS | |||||||
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Supports affirmative action. Opposes same-sex marriage for religious reasons. Supports allowing homosexuals to openly serve in the military. Supports delegating gay adoption decisions to adoption professionals on a case-by-case basis. Supports domestic partner protections for homosexuals. Supports the Employee Non-Discrimination Actwhich would prohibit termination of an employee based on sexual orientation. Supports tougher hate crime legislation, including coverage for sexual orientation.
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Opposes quotas and racial preferences. Opposes same-sex marriage. Supports current 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' policy. Opposes gay adoptions. Opposes domestic partner benefits for homosexuals. Opposes Employee Non-Discrimination Act. Opposes expanding hate crimes laws. | ||||||
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| Policy position: DEFENSE | |||||||
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Supports a policy of "forward engagement" that includes a limited national missile defense that would not threaten the anti-ballistic missile treaty with Russia. Supports use the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) to set a course for military strategy and to design an adequate force structure. Supports streamlining DOD bureaucracy under tenets of his "reinventing government" initiative. Supports continued investments in technology and defense industries. Supports lifting the ban on gays in the military. Supports an increase in defense spending and "transforming" the military to meet the needs of the 21st century. Supports the administration's proposed 3.7% across-the-board pay budget
increase, as well as providing adequate housing and medical care for the
nation's military personnel. Supports providing military retirees over 65 years of age with prescription drug
coverage. Supports creating "strong incentives" for the defense industry to draw on private
sector technologies in order to bring the capabilities of the best commercial firms into the defense market. Will resubmit the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty -- and urge ratification of the
treaty in the Senate.
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Supports deployment of a large-system scale national missile defense system akin to Reagan's "Strategic Defense Initiative" and would cancel the ABM treaty with Russia to do so. Supports reducing the U.S. nuclear stockpiles to their "lowest possible number" without sacrificing readiness or security levels; would order an immediate review of overseas deployments, but maintain longstanding U.S. commitments. Supports an increase in defense spending, including a $1 billion increase in military pay. Supports spending and additional $20 billion on defense R&D for post-Cold War weapons systems. Opposes lifting ban on gays in military; supports current 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' policy. More information on this issue. | ||||||
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| Policy position: ECONOMY/TAXES | |||||||
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Assumes a 10-year, $4.56 trillion surplus based on Office of Management and Budget estimates. Supports setting aside the entire projected Social Security surplus of $2.39 trillion. Supports using $432 billion to shore up the Medicare program, including prescription drug benefit. Supports the current child tax credit of $500. Supports increasing the Earned Income Credit earnings threshold. Supports providing marriage penalty relief by doubling the standard deduction for joint filers.
Supports raising the threshold for the phase-out of the child tax credit from $110,000 to $200,000 for married couples, and from $75,000 to $200,000 for single parents.
Supports extending the deduction for charitable contributions to those taxpayers who do not itemize. Supports the creation of Universal Savings Accounts to help low- and middle-income families without access to IRAs or 401Ks save for retirement. Supports the creation of a 401(j) Life-Long Learning Account to enable families and employers to contribute up to $2,500 a year for any education or qualified life-long learning expenses. Supports making the Research and Development tax credit permanent. The credit is currently scheduled to expire in 2004. Supports making the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) refundable. Supports providing tax relief for stay-at-home-parents and expanding family leave for those working outside the home. Supports expanding the low-income housing tax credit to expand and improve the quality of available low-income housing. Supports providing technology bonds to help underserved communities develop an information infrastructure. Supports a "New Markets Initiative" to provide tax credits to stimulate new private capital investments in economically distressed communities around the country. Supports a new, refundable After-School Tax Credit (ASTC) for children ages 16 and under. Would simplify estate tax exemptions and raising the tax exemption for small businesses and family farms. Proposes using the $2.17 non-Social Security surplus in the following manner: $480 billion in targeted tax cuts; $360 billion to shore up the Medicare program; $870 billion in spending on domestic programs; $300 billion would be left in reserve. Proposes $480 billion in targeted tax cuts over 10 years, with no change in the overall rate structure. Would eliminate the national debt by 2012.
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Assumes a 10-year, $4.56 trillion surplus based on Office of Management and Budget estimates. Supports setting aside the entire projected Social Security surplus of $2.39 trillion to shore up the program. Proposes using the $2.17 non-Social Security surplus in the following manner: $1.3 trillion tax cut; $475 billion in spending on domestic programs; and $265 billion in reserve Supports doubling the child tax credit to $1,000. Supports raising the threshold for the phase-out of the child tax
credit from $110,000 to $200,000 for married couples, and from
$75,000 to $200,000 for single parents.
Supports reducing the marriage penalty by restoring the 10 percent deduction for two-earner families, allowing them to deduct up to an additional $3,000. Supports eliminating the estate tax by 2009. Supports making the Research and Development tax credit permanent. The credit is currently scheduled to expire in 2004. Supports extending the deduction for charitable contributions to those taxpayers that do not itemize. Supports raising the cap on corporate giving. Pledges to veto any income tax increase. Would cut the current 15 percent tax bracket to 10 percent for the first $6,000 of
taxable income for singles, the first $10,000 for single parents, and the first
$12,000 for married couples. Supports cutting the maximum tax rate for the middle class to 25 percent from 28 percent and capping the top tax rate at 33 percent. Proposes a 10-year, $1.3 trillion tax cut that includes an overhaul of the current rate structure. Would eliminate the national debt by 2016. More information on this issue. | ||||||
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| Policy position: EDUCATION | |||||||
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Supports a 10-year, $115 billion plan paid for by an education trust fund financed with 10 percent of the surplus not dedicated to Social Security or debt reduction.
Opposed to school vouchers for private religious and home schools Supports national education standards Proposes creation of 401(j) Life-Long Learning Accounts. Employers and families can contribute up to $2500 annually; invested earnings can be withdrawn and used-tax free if they are used for education expenses or "qualified life-long learning"; can be used after age 30 to acquire new job skills; extra tax credit matching 50 percent of the individual contribution Proposes creation of a National Tuition Savings Program to help families invest their money in special trusts which help pay for their children's tuition at universities outside of their state Proposes mandatory teacher testing for all new teachers and rigorous evaluations after granting teacher licenses
Supports teacher merit pay Supports spending $170 billion over 10 years for children in public schools to achieve high standards. Supports raising teacher pay and will hire 100,000 new teachers in order to reduce class sizes in lower grades. Supports providing funding to help recruit, hire and train 1,000,000 new teachers over the next ten years, with incentives for those who commit to work in a high-
need school. Supports modernizing schools, including rebuilding outdated buildings, wiring every classroom to the Internet and training students and teachers to use that
technology. Supports increasing the federal matching funds to closer to the 40 percent for the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
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Federal government should require individual states to set education standards and commence a three-year testing period for each school. Supports further development of charter schools by investing $300 million in a charter school homestead fund to provide $3 billion in loan guarantees to 200 new charter schools Would triple federal funding for "character education" Supports the establishment of Education Savings Accounts Supports transferring responsibility for Head Start from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Department of Education and wants to expand the role and research of the DoE in Head Start Will allocate $5 billion to establish the "Reading First"initiative so every child can read by the third grade. Will allocate $1 billion to establish a "Math and Science Partnership Fund" lining states with colleges to strengthen K-12 math and science education. Supports providing additional college financial aid to high school students who take advanced courses in math and science. Supports providing $1 billion over five years to increase Pell Grants by $1,000 to students who take college-level math and science courses in high school. Would recruit math and science teachers by providing $345 million to increase
from $5,000 to $17,500 the amount of student loans that may be forgiven for
science, math, technology and engineering majors and minors who commit to
teach for at least five years. Would provide $2 billion in new funding for after school programs. More information on this issue. | ||||||
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| Policy position: ENERGY | |||||||
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Opposes oil and gas exploration in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. Would devote an unspecified portion of the projected budget surplus to establish
the Energy Security and Environment Trust Fund. Supports providing consumers with a tax credit for the purchase of more fuel-efficient cars, SUVs, trucks, and 18-wheelers. Would provide consumers with a tax credit up to $2,000 to purchase energy-efficient new homes or up to a $1,000 credit to upgrade the efficiency of their current homes, and extend a 20 percent tax credit to businesses for the purchase of energy-efficient building equipment. Supports expanding the current 10 percent tax credit provided to homes or businesses that use solar energy to generate electricity or heat water. Supports increasing funds for the Weatherization Assistance Program for low-income families. Would expand the tax credit for solar energy. Supports the creation of a tax credit for consumers who purchase energy from a cleaner source of energy. Would provide additional assistance to state and local government efforts to help
families and businesses cut energy bills and save money. Supports providing financial assistance to communities that develop comprehensive strategic plans to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, while promoting economic development and jobs. Supports tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to increase oil supplies, prevent winter shortages of home heating oil and stabilize oil prices. Supports the establishment of a permanent heating oil reserve in the Northeast with an appropriate trigger for its use. Supports electric utility deregulation.
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Supports oil and gas exploration in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. Would instruct the Energy Department to identify other federal lands that could be opened to exploration. Supports the construction of new pipelines, and would expand refining capacity by tearing down "regulatory hurdles." Supports allocating federal funds to clean coal technology and hydroelectric
power. Opposes tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve except in instances of war or a national emergency. Supports the establishment of a privately managed Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve and allocating to the program $100 million over 10 years. Supports electric utility deregulation.
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| Policy position: ENVIRONMENT | |||||||
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Supports the Kyoto global warming agreement. Supports ban on off-shore drilling on undeveloped leases off the California and Florida coasts. Supports using $1 billion in federal funds to promote "smart growth" policies dealing with urban sprawl. Supports spending $2 billion over 10 years to create new parklands and open spaces: $1 billion in tax cuts to landowners who conserve property; $1 billion for cities and states to create local parks. Would increase funding for clean water programs, tighten standards, and ensure a more comprehensive watershed approach to improve water quality. Supports expanding the Conservation Reserve Program that establishes protective buffer strips along waterways and to assist farmers with conservation and environmental efforts. Supports making the "brownfields" tax incentive permanent. Supports Superfund cleanup of the worst environmental problems in the country and further strengthening the standards that give people and communities the "Right to Know about toxic releases in their neighborhoods.
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Opposes the Kyoto global warming agreement. Supports increased state control over environmental polices. Supports curbing the sulfur content of gasoline. Supports increased "brownfield" redevelopment and setting high environmental
standards for brownfields clean ups. Supports "conservation partnerships" between the federal government and state
governments, local communities and private landowners to meet environmental
standards. Would encourage local and private land conservation by fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund to its authorized level of $900 million and providing another $60 million in grants to landowners. Supports continued research into the causes and impact of global warming and
the development of new technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Supports the moratorium against new leases for oil and gas drilling off the coasts of California and Florida and will work with California and Florida leaders and local affected communities to determine on a case-by-case basis whether or not drilling should go forward on existing leases. Opposes breaching dams in the Pacific Northwest. Supports the improvement and repair of the nation's existing public lands, wildlife refuges and national parks.
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| Policy position: HEALTH CARE | |||||||
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Supports expanding the federal children's health insurance program (CHIP) to include children living within 250 percent of the federal poverty level. Supports allowing low-income parents to buy into CHIP. Supports allowing seniors 55-65 to buy into the Medicare program. Supports providing a 25 percent refundable tax credit for individuals lacking access to employer-based health coverage to purchase private insurance. Supports using part of the federal budget surplus to offer a voluntary prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries. Supports providing low-income seniors with 'catastrophic' prescription drug coverage for chronic illnesses. Supports Patients' Bill of Rights legislation that includes the direct access to specialists; the right to use the nearest emergency room; choice of providers; and a patient's right to appeal a health plan decision. Proposes a Medicare Trust Fund "lock box" plan that would extend the life of the program until at least 2030 by devoting the interest savings from debt reduction to Medicare solvency. Would strengthen Medicare by encouraging price competition among managed care plans and cost savings for competitive pricing. Supports a $3,000 tax credit for long-term care. Supports the creation of a "National Family Caregiving Program;" a one-stop support center for families who care for elderly relatives.
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Supports returning CHIP to its original design as a flexible block-grant program to provide states with the freedom to innovate and expand coverage of the greatest number of eligible uninsured. Supports offering medical savings accounts to all Americans. Supports private-sector based prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries. Supports prescription drug subsidies for low-income seniors. Supports a limited patients' right to sue HMOs over care denials. Supports providing taxpayers with a 100 percent above-the-line deduction for long-term care insurance premiums. Everyone will be eligible for the deduction, except for those who already receive employer-subsidized long-term care coverage. Would provide a $2,000 health credit to families ($1,000 for individuals) that do not qualify for Medicaid and other government assistance and are not covered by an employer sponsored plan. Supports allowing small businesses to purchase "Association Health Plans" from multi-state trade associations and to lower the cost of insurance for small business owners. More information on this issue. | ||||||
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| Policy position: INTERNATIONAL POLICY | |||||||
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Supports extending permanent normal trade relations to China and the one-China policy. Opposes the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act, which calls for closer ties to Taipei. Supports the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Supports the Kyoto global warming treaty. Supports payment of United Nations dues in full. Supports engagement and cooperation with Russia. Co-chaired the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Commission for five years. Supports the embargo on Cuba. Supports continued U.S. participation in NATO-led peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo. Supports the current administration's position of freezing North Korea's nuclear weapons program, but provides fuel oil to and constructs civil nuclear reactors for that country. Supports current administration policy of economic sanctions and "containment" of Iraq. Opposes moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during peace negotiations. Recently told Jewish leaders on moving of the embassy: "My desires are your desires." Supports the North American Free Trade Agreement. Supports moderate changes in International Monetary Fund lending practices.
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Supports extending permanent normal trade relations to China and the one-China policy. Supports the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act. Opposes the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Opposes the Kyoto global warming treaty. Supports moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Supports restoring "fast track" authority to the president when approving trade agreements. Supports expanding NAFTA throughout the Americas. Supports payment of United Nations dues only if the UN bureaucracy is reduced and the U.S. share of the total cost is reduced. Pledges to never place U.S. Troops under UN command. Opposes further IMF loans to Russia on the basis of a decade of "deliverance and disappointment" and, more specifically, Russia's military intervention in Chechnya. Promises to refocus U.S.-Russian relations strictly on security issues. Supports the embargo on Cuba until there are "free elections, free speech, and freedom for political prisoners." Would develop a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Kosovo and would transfer leadership of the mission to America's European allies. Supports economic sanctions against Iraq. Urges increased support for opposition forces seeking to oust Hussein. Supports air-strikes on any Iraqi site producing weapons of mass destruction. Supports extending the North American Free Trade Agreement throughout the Americas. Supports moderate changes in International Monetary Fund lending practices, including greater transparency and accountability.
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| Policy position: SOCIAL SECURITY | |||||||
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Supports using $2.2 trillion of the Social Security surplus to shore up the program and pay down the debt, thus saving billions of dollars in interest, which can be redirected to ensuring the solvency of the Social Security trust fund until at least 2050. Supports the elimination of the Social Security earnings limit, which the president signed into law on April 7, 2000. Supports an increase in benefits for widows and eliminating the "motherhood penalty" -- the resulting reduction in benefits for women who take time off from work to raise children. Supports the creation of "Retirement Savings Plus Accounts," maintained by private financial institutions; the accounts would operate similar to traditional
IRAs and 401(k)s, but would allow for tax deductible contributions of up to $2,000 Annually. Supports expanding pension portability. Supports placing a "lock box" on payroll taxes to prohibit borrowing against the Social Security trust fund.
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Supports partial privatization of Social Security by allowing participants to invest a portion (2 percent) of their payroll taxes in the stock market. Does not rule out the possibility of raising the eligibility age for baby boom-era recipients as part of trade-off for private investment accounts. Supports the elimination of the Social Security earnings limit. Supports the system's current provision to pay benefits to widows, widowers and the disabled. Opposes an increase in the current 12.4 percent payroll tax. Supports placing a "lock box" on payroll taxes to prohibit borrowing against the Social Security trust fund. Opposes direct government investment of Social Security funds in the stock
market. More information on this issue. | ||||||
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