Card image cap

Vern Buchanan's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Office:

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.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Vern Buchanan did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2022 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

What is the Political Courage Test?

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 2022.

  • "I am pro-life. I will work hard to defend life from conception to natural death. I oppose embryonic stem cell research and think we should instead encourage use of adult stem cells or umbilical cord cells. I support parental notice and consent and oppose partial birth abortion. I oppose federal funding of abortion. I will work to promote traditional family values and I will be a strong defender of life." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by National Right to Life Committee. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 36 "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 20% by Alliance for Retired Americans. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "I just sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader McConnell telling them to protect Social Security and Medicare. As the budget process gets underway, there are plenty of other areas we can and should cut. Seniors deserve to retire with the benefits they have earned." (twitter.com)
  • "Key Federal safety net programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, must be protected and their long-term solvency be ensured to help retirees and seniors in their post-employment years. We need a non-partisan Blue Ribbon Commission to make recommendations about how best to guarantee Social Security and Medicare's long-term future. In the early Reagan Administration, the "Greenspan Commission" helped save Social Security for 30 years. We need a 21st Century version of this to help keep Social Security and Medicare safe for the Baby Boom generation." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted against S 610 "Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act." (votesmart.org)
  • "Left-wing politicians are making it easier to sue police officers for doing their job. New York City already slashed $1 billion from its police budget. Now it's about to eliminate the "qualified immunity” that protects officers from being sued in civil court. The chilling effect on law enforcement and harm to recruitment and retention is obvious. I stand with our men and women in blue who risk their lives to protect us. Where do you stand?" (twitter.com)
  • Voted against HR 1280 "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021." (votesmart.org)
  • "No one deserves a raise more than the brave men and women of the Armed Forces," Buchanan said, adding, "They put it all on the line in defense of our freedoms." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 95% by Center for Security Policy. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of S 1605 "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022." (votesmart.org)
  • "Good news: @Port_Manatee will receive $800,000 in federal funds to protect the port’s infrastructure, security and the 24,000 area jobs it supports through the Port Security Grant Program. I requested additional funding for this program to help Port Manatee and other FLA ports." (twitter.com)
  • "Toured the @SRQAirport this morning with airport CEO Rick Piccolo and Chairman Peter Wish. Looking forward to seeing continued growth at the airport after it received $9 million in federal funding for infrastructure projects. BIG things happening on the Suncoast!" (twitter.com)
  • Voted against HR 3684 "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act." (votesmart.org)
  • "This relief package will help Americans through an unprecedented period of health and economic challenges," Buchanan said. "The scope of the aid is expansive, from direct payments to Americans to assistance for businesses, hospitals, and state and local governments." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 266 "Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "If too much spending caused the problem in the first place, this bill fails to reverse that trend in the short or medium term. CBO estimates that the legislation increases government spending and debt by $54 billion in the first five years. That's right. This bill spends MORE -- not less -- over the next five years!" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Like hapless baseball players in a big-time slump, President Biden and Democrats in Congress just keep striking out when it comes to lowering the historic levels of inflation they caused by massive spending and threats of tax increases. Eighteen months of unified Democratic control in Washington have taught us that it's easier to break an economy than to fix it -- and this economic hardship isn't on track to end anytime soon. Still, there are some commonsense steps we can take to bring some relief to the American people." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Stuart Varney hits the nail on the head here. The so-called “Inflation Reduction Act,” which would do nothing of the sort, is chock-full of tax increases that get passed along to consumers through increased prices and will inevitably harm middle-class Americans." (twitter.com)
  • Voted against HR 5376 "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • "As a blue-collar kid who worked his way through college, I know firsthand the sacrifices people make to receive an education. Biden’s reckless, unilateral student loan giveaway is unfair to the 87 percent of Americans without student loan debt and those who played by the rules." (twitter.com)
  • Signed Letter to Speaker Pelosi: "We write to you concerned with the massive executive overreach by President Joseph R. Biden to illegally cancel federal student loan debt. On Wednesday, August 24, President Biden announced that he would cancel $10,000 in federal student debt for individual Americans earning $125,000 or less per year or married couples making less than $250,000 a year. In addition, those who receive federal Pell Grants and make less than $125,000 a year would be eligible for total forgiveness of $20,000. Unfortunately, this policy will cost us over $300 billion and establishes a terrible precedent that will drive up the cost of higher education, exacerbating the very problem President Biden pretends to address." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 2547 "Comprehensive Debt Collection Improvement Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "In what can only be described as a win for common sense, the NY Supreme Court struck down a NYC law allowing noncitizens to vote in elections. Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress are pushing legislation that would gut state voter ID laws (something supported by 80% of Americans)." (twitter.com)
  • Voted against HR 4 "Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "Just toured Florida Power & Light’s solar plant in Parrish. FPL is now building the world’s largest solar-powered battery right here in Manatee County. Enormous investment in clean energy. Investing in alternative energy sources will create thousands of new jobs in southwest FLA." (twitter.com)
  • Rated 100% by American Energy Alliance. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The White House and Congress need to take rational steps to promote domestic energy production and lower costs on businesses. This isn't going to happen overnight, and it requires an all-of-the-above approach. That's why I've unveiled a comprehensive energy plan to increase gas and oil production by lifting restrictions and encouraging investment in domestic energy sources." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 4447 "Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019." (votesmart.org)
  • "Climate change is a serious threat to the Suncoast and the rest of Florida, which has two coastlines vulnerable to rising waters," Buchanan said. "Environmental protection and economic growth are not mutually exclusive. We should be doing everything possible to accomplish both." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 84% by Independent Petroleum Association of America. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 9 "Climate Action Now Act." (votesmart.org)
  • "We should also expand natural gas and liquified natural gas (LNG) production and exports. The U.S. is the top natural gas producer in the world with a 23.7 percent share of global production, and there is plenty more potential to further our lead. There are currently 6 export licenses pending at the Department of Energy when, if authorized, would increase U.S. natural gas capacity by 25 percent. That's why I support the American Energy Independence from Russia Act (H.R. 6858), which will streamline the approval process for natural gas pipelines and LNG export facilities. I also support legislation reauthorize the Keystone XL pipeline and prohibit the president from unilaterally imposing a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on public lands in the future. Approving this pipeline will create thousands of American jobs and deliver an additional 830,000 barrels of oil to the U.S. every day -- almost 20 percent more than the 670,000 barrels of oil we previously imported from Russia." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Signed Letter to Leader McConnell: "Like you, I am a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, but our laws cannot be effective if there are gaping loopholes that allow criminals and deranged individuals to purchase firearms over the Internet or at gun shows without background checks. A staggering 22 percent of gun owners who purchased a firearm within the last two years did so without a background check. That's why I voted in favor of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act (H.R. 8), legislation to expand background checks for gun purchases and close these dangerous loopholes. It provides several common-sense exemptions, allowing the transfer of guns between close family members, law enforcement and hunters." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 38 "Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 8 "Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021." (votesmart.org)
  • "Today, I urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to swiftly pass legislation I voted for in the House to expand gun background checks when the Senate reconvenes next month. More than 90 percent of gun owners - and the rest of America - support this approach." (twitter.com)
  • Voted against S 2938 "Bipartisan Safer Communities Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 1425 "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "BREAKING: The U.S. Senate just passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act providing free testing as well as paid emergency leave. We need to help people who are economically impacted by this deadly disease." (twitter.com)
  • "The U.S. House early today approved a coronavirus relief bill that will provide free testing for all Americans. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which I voted for, also includes paid emergency leave and enhanced unemployment insurance. The bill now goes to the Senate." (twitter.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6201 "Families First Coronavirus Response Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "Democrats also had a chance to work with Republicans to find commonsense solutions to the rising cost of prescription drugs for seniors by capping their out-of-pocket costs. I know from my position serving on the Ways and Means Committee that such a solution was possible. Instead, Democrats went their own way, again pursuing partisan policies that impose federal price controls, potentially limiting access to medical innovations and new cures to save lives." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 3 "Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 6833 "The Affordable Insulin Now Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "As President Trump looks to secure the southern border, Congress should pass this commonsense measure to use seized drug money to staunch the flow of drugs and violence into our communities." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Signed Letter to President Biden: "For the sake of public health, rule of law, and the security of this nation, we urge you to keep Title 42 in place. We also request an in-person Member-level briefing with senior Administration officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and DHS on your Administration's rationale for ending Title 42 and actions it intends to take to improve border security and deter illegal immigration at our southern border." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Taxpayer dollars should not be going to jurisdictions that provide safe harbor to dangerous criminals," Buchanan said. "These two bills ensure we prioritize public safety. Washington must send a strong signal to these cities: you don't get federal funds if you ignore federal law." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3003 "No Sanctuary for Criminals Act." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3004: "Kate's Law" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3003 "No Sanctuary for Criminals Act." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3004: "Kate's Law" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6968 "Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "The United States stands in solidarity with Ukraine, one of our strongest democratic allies in Europe. America and her partners will not tolerate Putin's wanton aggression and authoritarianism. The Biden administration was slow to react to Putin's military buildup over the past month. Economic sanctions should have been imposed weeks ago. Now, as missiles are launched into Ukraine and casualties continue to mount, the U.S. must take the danger that Putin poses very seriously. We can and should impose the strongest sanctions possible on Russia, the Kremlin and all who support this attack." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 4695 "Protect Against Conflict by Turkey (PACT) Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of S 2938 "Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • "Tax Reform: Broadly restructure our tax system in order to help struggling families and to encourage businesses to keep their jobs in America." (www.vernbuchanan.com)
  • "The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) provides small businesses with significant tax relief by establishing a new 9 percent tax rate on the first $75,000 in income earned by small businesses under $150,000 a year. Currently, some small businesses face a tax rate as high as 39.6 percent. This change will allow American manufacturers, retailers and other small businesses to keep more of their earnings, expand and create jobs." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "This bill provides the tax relief that hardworking Floridians have needed for a long time," Buchanan said. "The average family of four will receive a tax cut of more than $2,000 a year while small businesses will see a significant tax reduction that allows them to expand and create good-paying jobs." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1 "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "International trade is critical to my home state of Florida, where exports and imports support 2.3 million jobs," Rep. Buchanan said. "Leveling the playing field for Florida and the rest of the nation, as well as increasing access to foreign markets, is essential to growing the U.S. economy and creating good-paying jobs." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5430 "United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act." (votesmart.org)
  • "Trade: Support free and fair trade to open global markets and create jobs in the United States." (www.vernbuchanan.com)

Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.

arrow_upward