Barbara Boxer refused to tell citizens where she stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2010 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.
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 2010.
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.
a) Abortions should always be illegal. | |||
b) Abortions should always be legal. | |||
c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy. | |||
d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape. | |||
e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered. | |||
f) Prohibit the dilation and extraction procedure, also known as "partial-birth" abortion. | |||
g) Prohibit public funding of abortions and of organizations that advocate or perform abortions. | |||
I support the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that the right to privacy protected by the Constitution includes the right of every woman - in consultation with her doctor, her loved ones, and her God - to choose whether to bear a child or to terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability. |
Using the key, indicate what federal funding levels you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category.Budget Priorities
a) Agriculture | |||
b) Arts | |||
c) Defense | |||
d) Education | |||
e) Environment | |||
f) Homeland security | |||
g) International aid | |||
h) Law enforcement | |||
i) Medical research | |||
j) National parks | |||
k) Public health services | |||
l) Scientific research | |||
m) Space exploration programs | |||
n) Transportation and highway infrastructure | |||
o) Welfare | |||
The federal budget priorities should be to invest in the future and safety of our people. As such, our top investments should be in health, education, infrastructure, law enforcement, and homeland security. |
Defense Spending
a) Armed Forces personnel training | |||
b) Intelligence operations | |||
c) Military hardware | |||
d) Modernization of weaponry and equipment | |||
e) National missile defense | |||
f) Pay for active duty personnel | |||
g) Programs to improve troop retention rates | |||
h) Research and development of new weapons | |||
i) Troop and equipment readiness | |||
I support maintaining a strong national defense. I voted to increase military pay 24 times, including the largest military pay raise in history. I support modernization of our forces and research/development. I have been a staunch crtic of waste and abuse in the defense budget and have voted against wasteful and unnecessary weapons systems. |
Using the key above, indicate what federal tax levels you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category.TaxesIncome Taxes:Family IncomeRetiree IncomeOther Taxes:Deductions/Credits:
a) Less than $25,000 | |||
b) $25,000-$75,000 | |||
c) $75,000-$150,000 | |||
d) Over $150,000 | |||
e) Other or expanded categories | |||
f) Over $40,000 | |||
g) Other or expanded categories | |||
a) Alcohol taxes | |||
b) Capital gains taxes | |||
c) Cigarette taxes | |||
d) Corporate taxes | |||
e) Gasoline taxes | |||
f) Inheritance taxes | |||
g) Other or expanded categories | |||
a) Charitable contributions | |||
b) Child tax credit | |||
c) Earned income tax credit | |||
d) Medical expense deduction | |||
e) Mortgage deduction | |||
f) Student loan credit | |||
I support targeted tax reductions for middle-class Americans, such as a tax deduction for the costs of a college education and my bill to provide a tax deduction for the cost of health insurance. I also support business tax reductions that are aimed at putting Americans back to work and stimulating the economy, such as the bipartisan Ensign-Boxer "Invest in the U.S.A. Act" and the research and development tax credit. |
4) Do you support permanent repeal of the federal estate tax? | |||
5) Do you support eliminating taxes on dividends paid to individual investors? | |||
6) Should a married couple filing jointly pay the same taxes as if they were an unmarried couple filing separately? | |||
I support targeted tax reductions for middle-class Americans, such as a tax deduction for the costs of a college education and my bill to provide a tax deduction for the cost of health insurance. I also support business tax reductions that are aimed at putting Americans back to work and stimulating the economy, such as the bipartisan Ensign-Boxer "Invest in the U.S.A. Act" and the research and development tax credit. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.
a) Support public taxpayer funding for federal candidates who comply with campaign spending limits. | |||
b) Increase the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns. | |||
c) Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office. | |||
d) Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees. | |||
e) Allow ads paid for by soft money that support or attack a candidate for federal office. | |||
f) Allow issue advocacy commercials by corporations, labor unions, and non-profit groups which appear within 60 days of a general election and within 30 days of a primary election. | |||
g) Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties. | |||
h) Do you support instant run-off voting (IRV)? | |||
i) Should Election Day be a national holiday? | |||
j) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | |||
k) Should marriage be restricted to a union only between a man and a woman? | |||
I support and voted for the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform law to lessen the influence of special interest money in the political process. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.
a) Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes. | |||
b) Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes. | |||
c) Impose "truth in sentencing" for violent criminals so they serve full sentences with no chance of parole. | |||
d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released. | |||
e) Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment. | |||
f) Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes. | |||
g) Support additional criminal penalties if a fetus is killed in the commission of a federal crime against a pregnant woman. | |||
h) Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, and disability be prosecuted as federal hate crimes. | |||
i) Support programs that provide job training and placement services for at-risk youth. | |||
j) Impose stricter penalties for those convicted of white-collar crimes. | |||
k) Enforcement of civil rights should primarily be the responsibility of the federal government. | |||
l) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults. | |||
X | m) Other or expanded principles | ||
I supported the 1994 Crime Bill, which included tougher sentences, truth-in-sentencing, and the death penalty for heinous crimes. I support mandatory minimum sentences, while also expanding drug treatment. I was the original House sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act, and I have introduced legislation to combat violent crimes against children. I also support the expansion of the COPS program to put more police officers on the streets and in our schools. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding drugs.
a) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs. | |||
b) Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs. | |||
c) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. | |||
d) Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes. | |||
e) Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. | |||
f) Eliminate federal funding for programs associated with the "war on drugs." | |||
g) Other or expanded principles |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
a) Support national standards for and testing of public school students. | |||
b) Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any public school. | |||
c) Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any private or religious school. | |||
d) Allow teachers and professionals to receive authorization and funding to establish charter schools. | |||
e) Increase funding for block grants to states to aid in the hiring of additional teachers. | |||
f) Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay. | |||
g) Increase funding for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings, infrastructure, technology). | |||
h) Support granting states limited control over Head Start programs. | |||
i) Support changing the mission of Head Start to emphasize improving the math and reading skills of disadvantaged children. | |||
j) Providing education is not a responsibility of the federal government. | |||
k) Support affirmative action in public college admissions. | |||
l) Increase funding of programs such as Pell grants and Stafford loans to help students pay for college. | |||
m) Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college. | |||
X | n) Other or expanded principles | ||
I am the author of the federal law to increase the number of local after-school programs, and I believe the federal government should increase funding for education, including putting more teachers in the classrooms. I support a tax deduction to help parents and students pay for the cost of college, and I have introduced a bill to allow those repaying student loans to pay lower interest rates. |
1) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.2) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding affirmative action.
a) Increase funding for national job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market. | |||
b) Reduce government regulation of the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion. | |||
c) Provide tax credits or grants to businesses that offer child care services to employees. | |||
d) Encourage employers to offer flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies. | |||
e) Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment. | |||
f) Increase the federal minimum wage. | |||
g) Support the right of workers to strike without fear of being permanently replaced. | |||
h) Allow workers to sell company stock and to diversify their company retirement funds into other investment options. | |||
X | i) Other or expanded principles | ||
a) The federal government should consider race and gender in government contracting decisions. | |||
b) The federal government should discontinue affirmative action programs. | |||
c) The federal government should continue affirmative action programs. | |||
d) Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws. | |||
e) Other or expanded principles | |||
I strongly support increasing the minimum wage, extending unemployment benefits for those who have lost their jobs, and expanding job training programs for displaced workers, especially for those who lose their jobs to foreign competition. I believe that outsourcing of American jobs is a growing problem that must be addressed. I am also opposed to proposed regulations that would take away overtime pay for millions of Americans. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
a) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act. | |||
b) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act. | |||
c) Require states to compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses of privately-owned land. | |||
d) Relax logging restrictions on federal lands. | |||
e) Relax standards on federal lands to allow increased recreational usage. | |||
f) Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil). | |||
g) Strengthen emission controls and fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles. | |||
h) Support opening a select portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration. | |||
i) Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels to reduce pollution. | |||
j) Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel. | |||
k) Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits. | |||
l) Support the U.S. re-entering the Kyoto treaty process to limit global warming. | |||
X | m) Other or expanded principles | ||
I am the author of bipartisan legislation to ensure that polluters - not taxpayers and local communities - pay to cleanup their pollution. I have been the leading voice in the Senate in opposing the more than 300 environmental rollbacks of the last three years. I led the successful fight to stop the proposal to allow more arsenic in drinking water and authored the amendment in 2003 to prevent drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. U.S. energy policy should emphasize alternative and renewable sources of energy. In the Senate, I opposed the energy bill because it would have promoted more oil, coal, and nculear power - and it would have let MTBE companies off the hook from cleaning up the poisoned drinking water in California. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.
a) Renew the ban on the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting. | |||
b) Maintain and strengthen the current level of enforcement of existing federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | |||
c) Ease federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | |||
d) Repeal federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | |||
e) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns. | |||
f) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns. | |||
g) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows. | |||
h) Require a license for gun possession. | |||
i) Establish a national database of ballistic "fingerprints" to track guns used in criminal activities. | |||
j) Support legislation that would protect manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and importers of firearms from civil lawsuits by crime victims. | |||
X | k) Other or expanded principles | ||
I support common-sense gun safety measures to make our streets and communities safer. Specifically, I strongly support renewing the ban on semi-automatic assault weapons, and I have introduced legislation to require that child safety locks be sold with every handgun and to ban junk guns. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health care.
a) Providing health care is not a responsibility of the federal government. | |||
b) Implement a universal health care program to guarantee coverage to all Americans regardless of income. | |||
c) Support a Patient's Bill of Rights which includes appeal mechanisms when claims are denied. | |||
d) Support a Patient's Bill of Rights which includes the right to sue when claims are denied. | |||
e) Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts. | |||
f) Establish limits on the amount of punitive damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits. | |||
g) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare. | |||
h) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under private managed care plans. | |||
i) Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage. | |||
j) Support automatic enrollment of children in federal health care programs such as CHIP and Medicaid. | |||
k) Allow 55-65 year-olds to buy into Medicare. | |||
l) Support stem cell research on existing lines of stem cells. | |||
m) Allow laboratories to create new lines of stem cells for additional research. | |||
I have introduced the Patient's Bill of Rights that will ensure that medical decisions are made by doctors, not HMO bureaucrats. I have also introduced a bill to provide a tax deduction for the cost of a person's health insurance. And I have proposed allowing individuals to join the same health insurance program as members of Congress. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding immigration.
a) Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country. | |||
b) Establish English as the official national language. | |||
c) Increase the number of visas issued for agricultural workers. | |||
d) Relax restrictions barring legal immigrants from using social programs (e.g. public housing, food stamps). | |||
e) Support amnesty for certain illegal immigrants who already reside in the United States. | |||
f) Support the detention of asylum seekers from countries known to sponsor terrorism. | |||
X | g) Other or expanded principles | ||
I oppose the Bush immigration plan because it will put downward pressure on wages, allow for the exploitation of workers, and result in more illegal immigrants. Instead, I support the bipartisan Craig-Kennedy plan to provide a path for temporary agricultural workers to became permanent residents. |
International AidIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding United States economic assistance.
a) Aid should be granted to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives. | |||
b) Aid should be granted to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States. | |||
c) Aid should be eliminated for any nation with documented human rights abuses. | |||
d) Aid programs should be scaled back and eventually eliminated. | |||
I believe that increasing the levels of foreign aid, including humanitarian assistance, is in the national interests of the United States by promoting democracy and human rights. Senator Gordon Smith and I have been leaders in the bipartisan effort to provide assistance to fight the global AIDS and tuberculosis epidemics. |
International Policy1) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the Middle East.2) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Central and East Asia.3) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the United Nations.
a) Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process? | |||
b) Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state? | |||
c) Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq? | |||
d) Discuss your proposals for the reconstruction of Iraq. What funding sources would you use to implement these proposals? (75 words or less. Please use an attached page if the space below is not adequate.) | |||
e) Other or expanded principles | |||
a) Should the United States use diplomatic and economic pressure to encourage North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program? | |||
b) Should the United States use military force to destroy the North Korean nuclear weapons program? | |||
c) Should the United States remove the North Korean government from power? | |||
d) Should the United States increase financial support to Afghanistan? | |||
e) Should the United States increase military support to Afghanistan? | |||
f) Other or expanded principles | |||
a) Should the United States maintain its financial support of the United Nations? | |||
b) Should the United States decrease its financial support of the United Nations? | |||
c) Should the United States commit troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions? | |||
d) Other or expanded principles | |||
4) Should the United States lift the travel ban to Cuba? | |||
5) Should the United States increase its financial support to Colombia to combat "the war on drugs"? | |||
6) Should aid to African nations for AIDS prevention programs fund distribution of contraceptives? | |||
7) Should aid to African nations for AIDS prevention fund abstinence education? | |||
U.S. foreign policy must always put the interests of the United States first. As the only global superpower, we have a responsibility to lead the world. We must not retreat into isolation. But we should lead international coalitions that share the risks and burdens. I believe that NATO and the United Nations must continue to play a role in ensuring stability and security throughout the world. The fight against international terrorism should be a top priority of our foreign policy. I wrote the law, along with Republican Senator Rick Santorum, to expand U.S. diplomatic and economic sanctions against Syria in order to hold Syria accountable for its support of terrorist groups. |
International TradeIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international trade.
1) Do you support the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? | |||
2) Do you support the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)? | |||
3) Do you support continued U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO)? | |||
4) Should a nation's human rights record affect its normal trade relations (most favored nation) status with the United States? | |||
5) Do you support the trade embargo against Cuba? | |||
6) Should trade agreements include provisions to address environmental concerns and to protect workers' rights? | |||
My efforts on international trade have focused on expanding foreign markets for California's agricultural products. I opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement, and I believe that trade agreements must include provisions to protect workers and the environment. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding national security.
a) Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical? | |||
b) Should the United States adopt stricter rules for student visa applications from nations known to sponsor terrorism? | |||
c) Should the United States grant law enforcement agencies greater discretion to read mail and email, tap phones, and conduct random searches to prevent future terrorist attacks? | |||
d) Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country? | |||
e) Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security? | |||
f) Do you support a policy of pre-emptive strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to national security? | |||
Since September 11, homeland security has been one of my top priorities. I wrote the laws placing air marshals on all high-risk flights, allowing pilots to carry guns in the cockpit, and creating an anti-terrorism training certification for flight attendants. I also helped to write a law strengthening port security and have introduced legislation to provide even more security at our ports. Also, I have introduced legislatoin to equip all commercial aircraft with defenses against shoulder-fired missles. I believe we must dramatically increase our funding for first responders. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Social Security.
a) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts which they manage themselves. | |||
b) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts managed by private firms contracted by the government. | |||
c) Invest a portion of Social Security assets collectively in stocks and bonds instead of United States Treasury securities. | |||
d) Increase the payroll tax to better finance Social Security in its current form. | |||
e) Lower the annual cost-of-living increases. | |||
f) Raise the retirement age for when individuals are eligible to receive full Social Security benefits. | |||
X | g) Other of expanded principles | ||
I believe that Social Security is the foundation of retirement security and is a promise that must not be broken. I oppose privatizing Social Security. I support expanding retirement security by giving individuals the opportunity to place a portion of their income in addition to Social Security in private retirement accounts. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding technology and communication.
a) Collect taxes on commercial Internet transactions. | |||
b) Continue the moratorium on Internet taxation. | |||
c) Implement regulation of Internet content. | |||
d) Support government mandates to curtail violent and sexual content on television. | |||
e) Support strict penalties for Internet crimes (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses). | |||
f) Support legislation to detail how personal information can be collected and used on the Internet. | |||
g) Regulating the Internet is not a responsibility of the federal government. | |||
h) Impose regulations on "spam" emails. | |||
X | i) Other or expanded principles | ||
The high-tech industry is crucial to the economy of California. Last year, Senator Allen and I in a bipartisan effort were successful in pushing the Federal Communications Commission to make it easier for companies to provide consumers with access to high-speed wireless Internet connections. I authored the law that gives companies a tax deduciton for donating computer equipment to schools. I also wrote the law that prohibits companies from harvesting e-mail addresses from web sites for the purposes of sending spam. I support extending the Internet tax moratorium, and I believe more must be done to protect our children from pornography on the Internet. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty.
a) Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs. | |||
b) Increase funding for child care programs. | |||
c) Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants. | |||
d) Direct federal poverty aid through religious, community-based, or other non-profit organizations. | |||
e) Abolish all federal welfare programs. | |||
f) Support housing assistance for low-income families. | |||
X | g) Other or expanded principles | ||
I support federal efforts to move people from welfare to work. To be successful, however, we must increase child care and job training opportunities. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.