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Bill Foster's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Office:

On The Ballot: Running, Democratic for U.S. House (IL) - District 11

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.

Bill Foster has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2024 Political Courage Test.

What is the Political Courage Test?

Illinois Congressional Election 2024 Political Courage Test

Pro-choice Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
No Do you support the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade?
I believe that the decision to have an abortion should be between a woman and her doctor, not controlled by politicians and the government. I was proud to cosponsor and vote for the Women?s Health Protection Act last Congress, which would codify Roe v. Wade into law. I will oppose any nationwide abortion ban. I am proud to have been endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and to have a 100% Lifetime Pro-Choice rating from them.
Yes Do you support expanding federal funding to support social safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicare?
No Do you support a decrease in income taxes in order to balance the budget?
Yes Do you support a wealth tax in order to pay for public programs?
In the next 20 Years, roughly $80 Trillion will be passed from wealthy Boomers to their fortunate children. A fraction of this inherited wealth would be sufficient to retire our $30T national debt. While I would support some income tax decreases for middle-class and lower-income families to help them better afford life?s necessities, it?s clear from the Republicans? disastrous Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that cutting taxes is not a way to decrease the deficit. Our current top tax bracket is 37%. When my little brother and I started our business, the top marginal tax rate was 70% and we knew that if we became very, very successful, we would be paying much more in taxes. That seemed like a fair deal and did not stop us from working day and night to get our business up and running. We should also reestablish a corporate alternative minimum tax, which would prevent large corporations from getting away with paying $0 in taxes.
Yes Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations, unions, and individuals?
Last Congress I cosponsored and voted for H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a once-in-a-generation transformation of our country?s election laws to strengthen our democracy. This includes requiring indirect ?dark money? contributions to fully disclose their identity. This year I have also been awarded an ?A? rating by End Citizens United on their 2024 Legislative Scorecard, which grades Members of Congress on their votes and their support for voting rights and anti-corruption measures, and their personal ethical behavior.
No Do you support protecting government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct?
I was proud to cosponsor and vote for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which makes meaningful reforms to our nation?s policing system to stop the excessive use of force and murder of our black and brown neighbors. This includes ending unlimited qualified immunity, which prevents us from holding police officers personally accountable for abuse of power.
No Do you support increasing defense spending?
Our country has already built up the strongest military in the world. I support giving our troops the funds they need to keep us safe, but that additional spending should go toward more cost-effective weapons systems and our diplomatic efforts so we can more peacefully resolve conflicts and take care of Americans in need. One of the biggest problems with our military budget is that it contains billions of dollars in obsolete military systems and bases that the Pentagon does not even want, but are inserted to provide jobs for politically connected regions. The war in Ukraine has shown that inexpensive drone systems are much more cost-effective and lethal than traditional tanks, armor and artillery, but the Military-Industrial Lobby supports overpriced incumbent weapon systems. Another problem is that for decades, it has been unable to pass an audit at a level that would be expected for a commercial enterprise.
Yes Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth (e.g. grants, tax incentives)?
Yes Do you support the federal government increasing funding for affordable housing programs?
Yes Do you support the federal government taking action, beyond those of the Federal Reserve, to alleviate inflation?
It has been proven beneficial again and again for the government to provide economic stimulus in a time of crisis. This was needed to end the Great Depression, to reverse the Financial Crisis of 2007, and to heal the financial crisis from the Covid pandemic.
Unknown Position Do you support the forgiveness of federal student loan debt?
Student loan borrowers are in desperate need of relief, but we must pair any loan forgiveness with additional reforms to ensure that we don?t end up back in this exact same situation in a few years, when another generation of borrowers would have to cross their fingers and hope for relief. As a general principle, I favor forgiveness of student loan debt when the amount of payments made have exceeded the amount originally borrowed - which is typically the case for former students who have been carrying debt for decades. I also believe that special consideration should be made for students who have been scammed by for-profit colleges. In addition, to make loans more affordable, as well as bills like the College Affordability Act that incentivize increased state investment in their public schools and increase federal aid to students like Pell Grants.
No Do you support requiring a government-issued identification in order to vote at the polls?
Yes Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)?
No Do you support the federal government allowing permits for drilling on public lands?
Thanks to decades of federal R&D investment, we have now reached the point where electric vehicles and renewable energy are now cost-competitive with fossil fuels. The next strategic targets for federal research are low-cost energy storage to allow more renewable energy to be put on the grid, advanced nuclear energy, and fusion energy.
Yes Do you generally support gun-control legislation (e.g. red flag laws, boyfriend loopholes)?
I am proud to have an ?F? rating from the Gun Owners of America
No Do you support a government-run (e.g. single-payer) healthcare program, such as Medicare-for-All?
Yes Do you support expanding paid family AND/OR medical leave benefits (e.g. maternity leave)?
Yes Should the government be able to regulate the cost of prescription drugs?
I am a strong supporter of universal health coverage, but I believe there are better ways to get there than Medicare for All. For instance, I support lowering the Medicare age, as well as strengthening the ACA and closing the Medicaid gap so that low-income and middle class families can access health coverage. I also believe the government should negotiate the cost of prescription drugs and was proud to vote to make this happen. At the same time we must be careful to preserve incentives for innovation. We must find a balance that both allows innovation to thrive while ensuring every person can access its benefits.
Yes Do you support increasing security along the southern US border?
No Do you support requiring immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship, regardless of their immigration status?
We must increase our border security because, along with asylum-seekers, drug cartels carrying deadly opioids are illegally crossing our southern border. I support smart border security investments, such as thermal cameras and other sensors, that are much more effective and cost-efficient than physical barriers like a wall or fence. Additionally, I support additional investments in our immigration court system so asylum-seekers can get fair and quick rulings, preventing them from hanging in the balance for what can be a years-long process.
Yes Do you support economic intervention as a means of resolving international conflicts?
Yes Do you support the US providing increased offensive military aid to Ukraine?
Sanctions have historically been successful in resolving some international conflicts while minimizing the lives lost in combat. Additionally, foreign aid, especially humanitarian aid, has allowed our allies and innocent civilians to get the resources they need amid combat, without U.S. soldiers being put in harm?s way. We should use diplomatic tools whenever possible to avert military conflict. I believe the free world has a special duty to support Ukraine because it gave up its nuclear weapons in return for a guarantee of territorial integrity.
Yes Do you generally support increased regulations on social media companies (e.g. Tik Tok, Facebook, etc.)?
We should place guardrails on social media companies to the extent it is necessary to protect U.S. national security and election security, prevent internet-based crimes, and protect childrens? physical and mental health.
There are dozens of critically important issues the federal government must address. Three that I will focus on are climate change, reproductive rights, and fairness in our financial system. Climate change poses an existential crisis to our world. I spent decades of my career working as a physicist at a Department of Energy laboratory, so I have a deep understanding of the key research and engineering that is needed for our country to reach net-zero emissions. I was proud for my Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Act to become law in 2020, which funds research into how we can best store energy on the electric grid. This storage is critical for people to get a steady flow of electricity when our renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, are intermittent. I?ve also successfully pushed for funding for this research in the years since the law?s passage. I was also proud to support the Inflation Reduction Act, which was the largest clean energy and climate investment in our nation?s history. I?m also focused on energy transmission, since renewable energy is often produced far from where it is needed; we can build solar farms out here in Chicagoland, but they will never produce as much electricity as can be transmitted from solar farms in the always-sunny American Southwest. My record on reproductive rights is discussed more deeply in the next question, but suffice it to say that reproductive rights are basic human rights, and they are under attack. If a family can not decide if and when to have children, the health and financial consequences can be catastrophic. Ensuring access to a broad spectrum of reproductive health services, including abortion and birth control, is critical. Finally, though it may not be as popular as the other issues, I believe building a fairer financial system is critical. As a member of the Financial Services Committee, I?m focused on ensuring all Americans have access to credit and a bank account with fair terms. By putting up common sense safeguards, we can help families of all races and incomes achieve the dream of home ownership, keep lower-income families safe from loans with catastrophically high interest rates designed to keep them in debt forever, and prevent people from being charged exorbitant fees for overdrafts and other simple mistakes. To that end, I?ve been a strong supporter of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, signing an amicus brief in support of them as Republicans try to destroy the agency in court. I also cosponsored the Overdraft Protection Act to protect families from unfair or deceptive fees from their banks, among many other bills.

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