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Heidi Heitkamp's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Key

Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
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Heidi Heitkamp has failed to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2018 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

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Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2018.

  • Rated 100% by Planned Parenthood Action Fund (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 12% by Campaign for Working Families (votesmart.org)
  • "Family planning services, like those provided at Planned Parenthood and other family planning centers, should be available to all women, no matter where they live or how much money they make." (votesmart.org)
  • "On abortion, she’s against defunding Planned Parenthood but supports the 40-year-old ban on federal financing and state laws requiring parental consent." (www.heitkamp.senate.gov)
  • "As the state’s former Tax Commissioner, Heidi strongly supports permanently reforming the nation’s tax code to benefit middle-class families – not just millionaires or special interests." (heidifornorthdakota.com)
  • "The partisan tax bill not only explodes the deficit & leaves working families behind, it makes it even harder to do your taxes. Instead, I'm in favor of permanent tax cuts for middle class North Dakotans — & I won't stop fighting for that." (twitter.com)
  • "I'm in favor of permanent, meaningful tax cuts for the middle class — not a partisan tax bill that explodes the deficit and burdens our children and grandchildren for years to come." (twitter.com)
  • "#GOPTaxBill scams middle-class NDans out of the permanent tax cuts they deserve & saddles our kids w/ more than $1 trillion in debt. Giving millionaires 80% of the benefits doesn't put working families 1st. The middle-class needs REAL #TaxReform—not phony, temporary tax breaks." (twitter.com)
  • "As long as our adversaries continue to build and maintain nuclear weapons in large numbers, a nuclear arsenal will remain an essential component of defending our nation and deterring rivals from attacking us or our closest allies. The U.S. nuclear arsenal is one of our country's toughest and smartest national security tools-- and the brave airmen and women at Minot will continue to play a vital role in this important mission." (votesmart.org)
  • " Heidi has been a tireless advocate for North Dakota’s two military bases in Minot and Grand Forks and their communities. Whether it is defending the nuclear mission in Minot Air Force Base, or supporting federal resources for the Arctic mission from Grand Forks Air Force base, she knows that these bases are critical for both our state and our national defense strategy." (heidifornorthdakota.com)
  • "This defense authorization bill is certainly not perfect, but I voted for it because the legislation supports North Dakota's military interests -- particularly missions performed at Minot and Grand Forks Air Force Bases, as well as those performed by the North Dakota National Guard which I advocated for." (votesmart.org)
  • "Billionaires who couldn't pick out North Dakota on a map shouldn't have more sway in our elections than hard-working North Dakotans who raise families in our state and vote in our state, but can only afford to chip in a few dollars to support the candidates and causes they choose. For too long, court decisions and legal loopholes have taken the political process out of the hands of voters and yielded undue influence for special interests, corporations, and secret money with fewer rules. We can change that. This package of reforms would help return integrity to our political system, giving voters the voices they deserve." (votesmart.org)
  • "Raised in the small town of Mantador by a father who worked a range of jobs, from truck driver to seasonal construction worker, Heidi understands how much North Dakotans rely on safe roads to transport their families and to get to and from work safely – which is why we need a federal investment in our nation’s infrastructure." (heidifornorthdakota.com)
  • "It's Congress' job to put our country on a strong path forward. Unfortunately, this bill does the opposite. It will put nearly $1.5 trillion on the country's credit card, passing those costs on to our children and grandchildren. And it will increase costs for most North Dakotans in the long-term, while corporations and the wealthy reap permanent benefits. I've long said I wanted to work on tax reform that supports workers, families, and retirees across North Dakota, but this bill was hastily crafted and pushed through by one party. That produced bad results that don't serve North Dakota or rural America" (votesmart.org)
  • "Senator Heitkamp has fought for funding for early childhood education programs, so children can get the education they deserve starting at a young age."  (www.heitkamp.senate.gov)
  • "I learned the value of public education from my mom who was a school cook & janitor — but Betsy DeVos has made it her priority to dismantle it. As NDans head back to school, I’ll keep putting teachers, students and families first — 100% of the time." (twitter.com)
  • "Senator Heitkamp believes we need to give our kids the opportunities to succeed starting at a young age and continue those opportunities and resources as they get older. That means boosting early childhood education and investing in Head Start programs for families struggling to get by. It means helping students do their best in school all the way through high school and college." (www.heitkamp.senate.gov)
  • Rated 80% by Environment America (votesmart.org)
  • "Just as she brought 10 Democratic senators on board to push for the Keystone XL pipeline’s construction, Heidi is continuing to reach across the aisle, fighting for federal tax incentives that will bolster wind and alternative energy production." (heidifornorthdakota.com)
  • "Senator Heitkamp believes North Dakota is a model for an all-of-the-above approach when it comes to taking advantage of our abundant energy resources in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. Oil and natural gas drilling are booming. Wind energy and biofuels are only continuing to grow. And coal continues to be a vital and abundant source of energy." (www.heitkamp.senate.gov)
  • "When we talk about an all-of-the-above energy strategy, oil, natural gas and wind are all critical — but so are biofuels. I know that there’s a lot of uncertainty for our farmers right now. That’s part of the reason I’ve worked across the aisle to get the EPA to increase the Renewable Fuel Standard volumes — something my opponent supports eliminating altogether. That’d be just plain bad for our energy economy and bad for North Dakota." (www.facebook.com)
  • "When we talk about an all-of-the-above energy strategy, oil, natural gas and wind are all critical — but so are biofuels. I know that there’s a lot of uncertainty for our farmers right now. That’s part of the reason I’ve worked across the aisle to get the EPA to increase the Renewable Fuel Standard volumes — something my opponent supports eliminating altogether. That’d be just plain bad for our energy economy and bad for North Dakota." (www.facebook.com)
  • Rated 80% by Environment America (votesmart.org)
  •  "This bipartisan bill – led by the same four senators who drove the drafting and passage of my FUTURE Act – will promote efficient and effective regulations for expediting CO2pipeline permitting, require ongoing work on overall guidance for the development and use of CCUS technologies and pipelines, and direct EPA to support CCUS research." (www.heitkamp.senate.gov)
  • Rated 86% by National Rifle Association (votesmart.org)
  • "if you look at all these cases, an enhanced background check would not have changed, would [not have] prevented anyone from getting a gun." (www.heitkamp.senate.gov)
  • "You’re going to take away someone’s gun rights just by saying we think you have a diagnosis of mental health challenges, so we’re going to take away your gun rights without due process" (www.heitkamp.senate.gov)
  • "Heidi understands that as with any sweeping legislation, the Affordable Care Act has its problems – that’s why she’s introduced several practical legislative fixes to the ACA and help improve care, and reduce costs for North Dakota families". (heidifornorthdakota.com)
  • "The Affordable Care Act also aims to slow growing costs throughout the health care system, and protects and strengthens the Medicare program. With any major legislation, there are improvements that need to be made so that it works as well as possible, and that holds true for the health care reform law. That’s why Senator Heitkamp is committed to making reasonable reforms to pieces of the law so it works better for families and businesses across the country, including many of which she proposed." (www.heitkamp.senate.gov)
  • Rated 0% by Federation for American Immigration Reform (votesmart.org)
  • "'Our proposal would represent the most significant change to immigration law in the past thirty-five years,' said Senator Graham. 'Providing President Trump with $25 billion for the Wall system he campaigned on is a giant step forward for border security. As to the DACA population, we mirror President Trump's proposal allowing DACA eligible individuals to obtain legal status and over a ten to twelve-year period, they can become green card holders.' […]' This agreement is full of tough compromises, but it shows that when senators really want to find bipartisan solutions, it's possible,' said Senator Heitkamp. 'That's the whole purpose of the Common Sense Coalition -- to work together, Republicans and Democrats, to reach results for the American people -- and I hope Congress passes our deal. I'm proud to have been part of this group that worked together to reopen the government in 2013 and last month. And now we're doing it again by forging a deal that both provides a permanent solution to those who came to our country as children through no fault of their own while boosting border security at all of our borders.' (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by Federation for American Immigration Reform (votesmart.org)
  • "Helped introduce a commonsense bipartisan bill w/ Sen @JeffFlake to extend #DACA protections & strengthen our border security. Isn’t the permanent fix many of us would like to see, but it’s a bipartisan path fwd & allows Congress to work toward a long-term solution for DREAMers" (twitter.com)
  • Rated 17% by National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (votesmart.org)
  • "The DOJ decision to rescind years of legal guidance on marijuana could be very disruptive to states like North Dakota, whose residents decided to approve medical marijuana. State laws on the issue should be preserved and respected. North Dakota should have the right to enforce its own laws on the matter, and I’m working to ensure Congress and the administration respect the will of residents in our state." (www.heitkamp.senate.gov)
  • "North Dakotans voted overwhelmingly in favor of medical marijuana—the federal government shouldn't be getting in the way." (twitter.com)
  • "Heitkamp has consistently worked to protect resources for nuclear forces in North Dakota and across the country. As a member of the U.S. Senate's ICBM Coalition, Heitkamp continues to advocate for the deterrent our nuclear forces provide in protecting our national security. […] 'Our brave men and women serving in our nuclear forces right here in Minot are vital to maintaining our national security,' said Heitkamp. 'It is absolutely critical that we continue to modernize our nuclear forces and support the service members who maintain this critical mission.'" (votesmart.org)
  • "Going forward, Congress must be involved in decisions about further action and must vote to authorize military force. Congress can examine the best long-term strategy to stabilize the region, protect lives, and pressure Assad’s Russian and Iranian backers to acknowledge the serious nature of the Syrian government’s chemical weapons use and violation of international norms" (www.heitkamp.senate.gov)
  • "The images of chemical weapons attacks on innocent civilians in Syria – including children – are incredibly sad and disturbing. The international community must condemn such horrific actions and not allow them to take place. Assad must be held accountable for his egregious human rights violations and the gassing of his own people—a crime against international law and humanity as well as an act of unspeakable cowardice." (www.heitkamp.senate.gov)
  • "Additionally, while our priority needs to be preventing Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon, we cannot tolerate Iran’s support for terrorism, destabilizing behavior in the region, or human rights abuses. That’s why I have consistently supported and helped pass the sanctions now in place against Iran to punish it for pursuing ballistic missiles and for supporting terrorism." (www.heitkamp.senate.gov)

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