Frank Pallone, Jr.'s Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Office:
- U.S. House (NJ) - District 6, Democratic
On The Ballot: Running, Democratic for U.S. House (NJ) - District 6
Key
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What is the Political Courage Test?
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
New Jersey Congressional Election 2020 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I am a strong supporter of the Women's Health Protection Act, H.R. 2975, which would enact Roe v. Wade into federal law. My Committee held a hearing on this legislation earlier this year. | |||
| No | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Yes | Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare? | ||
| I would restore the corporate tax rate that was reduced by President Trump's 2017 tax overhaul. This tax scam hit New Jersyans especially hard when they got rid of state and local tax (SALT) deductions that were used by many families in our state. I will continue to fight for the repeal of this provision and work to ensure every American is paying their fair share. Social Security and Medicare are critical safety nets for the most vulnerable among us. I authored and led the House-passage of H.R. 3 reducing prescription drug prices and used the savings to expand Medicare | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| I strongly support campaign finance reform. In January, the first piece of legislation introduced and passed was H.R. 1, the For the People Act. It would transform how campaigns are funded to amplify the voices of ordinary Americans and bolster election security. The For the People Act would expand access to the ballot box, targeting institutional barriers to voting that disenfranchise voters creating major roadblocks to voting, especially for minorities. It will create automatic voter registration; ensuring individuals who've completed felony sentences have their rights restored; expand early voting, simplify absentee voting; and modernize the voting system. | |||
| No | Do you support the protection of government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct? | ||
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| No | Do you support increasing defense spending? | ||
| The Pentagon and the ever-increasing defense budget draws much-needed funding away from our country's domestic needs. For instance, I believe that instead of wasting trillions of dollars on the F-35 fighter program, we could have used those funds to fix our broken bridges and roads, replace lead pipes for safer drinking water, shore up our health care system to make it more affordable, and help to pay for the expansion of broadband to ensure internet connectivity for all American families. | |||
| Yes | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19? | ||
| U.S. corporate taxes are already some of the lowest in the world, allowing corporations to take advantage of the American education system, public infrastructure, and so much more without contributing back to our country. I also believe decisive action should be taken to track down and repatriate taxes from corporations who purposefully seek to hide their wealth in foreign tax havens. 3) but I believe most, if not all, of this aid should go toward smaller, locally owned businesses and should have strict oversight as to how these funds are being used. Right now, it is critical that we help | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
| In some instances, -- such as civil rights concerns -- the federal government will need to require nationwide standards while leaving curriculum decisions to state and local officials. | |||
| Yes | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| During my time as Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I have taken numerous steps to address the existential threats that climate change poses. I led legislation preventing Trump from withdrawing from the landmark Paris Climate Agreement, which passed the House of Representatives in May 2019. More recently, I drafted the CLEAN Future Act, which is comprehensive climate change legislation that would achieve a 100 percent clean economy. This bill also underscores the importance of protecting American workers and providing critical assistance to minority groups that are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change. | |||
| Yes | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| America has an epidemic of gun violence that is both heartbreaking and shameful. I support gun violence prevention measures and have consistently backed stricter background checks like the ones found in the Bipartisan Background Checks Act that passed the House of Representatives in March 2019. Even though an overwhelming majority of Americans support commonsense solutions to protect our communities from gun violence, those solutions have been hard to achieve because entrenched interests like the gun lobby have used big money and influence to stop Congress from acting. | |||
| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| Yes | Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | ||
| As one of the main authors of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), I've always fought for access to affordable, quality health care. We've seen Congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration consistently trying to repeal and sabotage the ACA. I sponsored several bills lowering the cost of prescription drugs, protecting patients from surprise billing, improving maternal care disparities, and addressing gun violence as a public health threat. I am also the lead author of legislation to make coronavirus testing, drugs, treatment and an eventual vaccine free for all. | |||
| No | Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border? | ||
| No | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| I am a strong supporter of an immediate pathway to citizenship for DREAMers and for our immigrant neighbors with Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Undocumented immigrants who have not been convicted of serious criminal offenses should also have a pathway to citizenship. The United States must continue to be open to asylum seekers. Our history is one of granting refuge to those who have been persecuted. | |||
| No | Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts? | ||
| Military force should only be used as a last resort. President Bush used the threat of weapons of mass destruction as an excuse to invade Iraq when in reality that country did not possess such weapons. | |||
| No | Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)? | ||
| American workers have suffered greatly because of bad trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA is structured in a way that puts corporations before people, allowing them to setup factories abroad that skirt health and safety standards and ignore environmental regulations. Free trade deals are generally unfavorable to the United States and our trading partners often do not live up to their obligations. | |||
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