Card image cap

Earl Blumenauer'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.

Earl Blumenauer 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.

  • "Earl fundamentally believes in every person's right to make their own reproductive choices. In Congress, Earl has maintained a rock-solid commitment to reproductive rights. He is a member of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus and has a consistently earned a 100% pro-choice voting rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood. He has proposed and supported legislation to protect access to quality reproductive care and comprehensive sex education for everyone who calls this country home." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by NARAL Pro-Choice America. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3755 "Women's Health Protection Act of 2021." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1425 "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 95% by Alliance for Retired Americans. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Signed Letter to Administrator Verma: "We write to express strong bipartisan support for the Medicare Advantage program, which 40 percent of eligible Medicare beneficiaries, more than 22 million people, choose to enroll in.[1] We appreciate your ongoing commitment to preserving and strengthening the Medicare Advantage program for current and future Medicare beneficiaries. As the Administration considers updates to the program for plan year 2021, we urge you to ensure that the Medicare Advantage program will continue to offer affordable, high-quality, patient-centered coverage options for the diverse populations the program serves, including beneficiaries with End Stage Renal Disease who for the first time will be able to choose a Medicare Advantage plan." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The answer to rising health care costs is not to reduce Medicare benefits. Congressman Blumenauer has been working to reform how Medicare operates to improve the quality and value of health care. Currently, the Medicare payment system rewards doctors for the volume of procedures and services, not the value or quality of care or investments that improve care coordination. We need to tackle these perverse incentives so that seniors and people with disabilities are getting the right care in the right place at the right time." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by Common Cause. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The consideration of H.R. 1 comes at a critical moment in America's history. For far too long, too many Americans across the country have faced barriers to having their voice heard. We should not settle for the status quo. We know that free and fair elections are a cornerstone of our society, democracy, and country--and that they are under threat. Hostile foreign governments are trying to undermine our democracy and attack our democratic institutions. Meanwhile, people within our own democratic institutions are putting up barriers that impede the fundamental right to vote. We must take seriously these attempts to undermine the basic principles of democracy." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1 "For the People Act of 2021." (votesmart.org)
  • ""From Oregon to Massachusetts, we have repeatedly seen our country's policing system, and then the justice system, fail people of color," Blumenauer said. "Enough is enough. Systematic change is long overdue. Eliminating the problematic practice of qualified immunity is one critical step we must take toward accountability and justice."" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1280 "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021." (votesmart.org)
  • "We must continue striving for equality by ending qualified immunity, providing resources for alternatives to policing, & ending the failed war on drugs. We’re at a turning point in our nation's history. It's critical we remain focused & keep up the fight. #JusticeInPolicing" (twitter.com)
  • "From Oregon to Massachusetts, we have repeatedly seen our country's policing system, and then the justice system, fail people of color," Blumenauer said. "Enough is enough. Systematic change is long overdue. Eliminating the problematic practice of qualified immunity is one critical step we must take toward accountability and justice." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "We must continue striving for equality by ending qualified immunity, providing resources for alternatives to policing, & ending the failed war on drugs. We’re at a turning point in our nation's history. It's critical we remain focused & keep up the fight. #JusticeInPolicing" (twitter.com)
  • Rated 0% by Center for Security Policy. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "This was the entire DoD budget. Ukrainian military aid was tacked on, less than 1% of the entire bill. I consistently vote against increasing bloated defense spending. If it was just Ukraine aid—my vote would have been different." (twitter.com)
  • "Trump proposes to increase defense spending by $54B by cutting programs that invest in American families?!?! So much for 'America first'..." (twitter.com)
  • Voted against S 1605 "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022." (votesmart.org)
  • "This was the entire DoD budget. Ukrainian military aid was tacked on, less than 1% of the entire bill. I consistently vote against increasing bloated defense spending. If it was just Ukraine aid—my vote would have been different." (twitter.com)
  • "The #GreenNewDeal calls for us to step into the 21st century and create a sustainable future. High speed rail, green infrastructure, and investing in transportation options is how we'll get there." (twitter.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3684 "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5376 "Build Back Better Act." (votesmart.org)
  • "We are proving that America can afford what our families need. This is an unprecedented investment, and I'm proud that I authored several key provisions included in this legislation to help Oregon improve our public transit systems, enhance the safety of our streets, get lead pipes out of our schools, protect us from wildfires, and expand access to broadband--all while making polluters pay to clean up their toxic legacies. We have more work ahead of us to complement this legislation with a seismic investment in human infrastructure, but we've shown today that America can afford what it needs, and that we can get it done." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Small businesses across the country are being asked to do their part in keeping their workers, customers, and families safe. To support these efforts, on March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the CARES Act, which contains $376 billion in relief for American workers and small businesses. However, many state-legal cannabis small businesses are not eligible for this-relief and are being asked to protect workers and their families without the federal support available to other American small businesses. State-legal cannabis entrepreneurs and their workers are no different from those of other industries, and since COVID-19 does not discriminate, the inability of certain groups to protect themselves could inadvertently jeopardize the health of us all." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • ""The bipartisan popularity of the RESTAURANTS Act underscored how inadequate the original PPP provisions were for meeting the unique needs of independent restaurants, the area of the economy hardest hit by the pandemic and that suffered the greatest number of job losses. This wide support for our bill, which passed the House and has more than fifty co-sponsors in the Senate, helped us secure some changes to address shortcomings in PPP," Blumenauer said. "These changes include a larger loan amount available for hard-hit restaurants, expansions to forgivable expenses for restaurant-specific expenditures like supplier costs and perishable goods, PPE, and outdoor seating, and a simplified forgiveness process for smaller loans. But these changes are by no means adequate for the needs of our independent restaurants."" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of "Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "The bipartisan popularity of the RESTAURANTS Act underscored how inadequate the original PPP provisions were for meeting the unique needs of independent restaurants, the area of the economy hardest hit by the pandemic and that suffered the greatest number of job losses. This wide support for our bill, which passed the House and has more than fifty co-sponsors in the Senate, helped us secure some changes to address shortcomings in PPP," Blumenauer said. "These changes include a larger loan amount available for hard-hit restaurants, expansions to forgivable expenses for restaurant-specific expenditures like supplier costs and perishable goods, PPE, and outdoor seating, and a simplified forgiveness process for smaller loans. But these changes are by no means adequate for the needs of our independent restaurants." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Madam Speaker, this legislative package is something that refuses to die. It will reduce inflation, lower energy costs, and lower the cost of prescription drugs. But it is not just about inflation, it is about addressing the climate crisis and the crisis of confidence in government." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Signed Letter to Leader Schumer: "During the COVID-19 pandemic, the child care industry has faced numerous and steep challenges in their work to adequately serve the population most affected by the pandemic. Families were forced to choose between staying home to care for their children or returning to the workforce and relying on inefficient or scarce alternatives. Furthermore, as inflationary pressures increase and families face rising child care prices, this proposal will allow parents, families, and child care workers to offset part of that burden. The funding will allow those parents who have been unable to rejoin the workforce an opportunity to continue their careers, make sure that their children are adequately cared for, and support the existing child care workforce." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5376 "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • Signed Letter to President Biden: "Canceling student debt is one of the most powerful ways to address racial and economic equity issues. The student loan system mirrors many of the inequalities that plague American society and widens the racial wealth gap.10 Black students in particular borrow more to attend college, borrow more often while they are in school, and have a harder time paying their debt off than their white peers.11 They are more than three times as likely to go into default within four years on their federal loans as white borrowers12– and face wage garnishment, tax refund withholding, and federal benefit offsets. 13 While Latino borrowers often have lower loan balances than their white peers, they are more likely to struggle in repaying their loans, and have some of the lowest post-education earnings among all racial or ethnic groups." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5746 "Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "Expand and improve tax incentives for renewable energy, like wind and solar, for a decade, helping Americans save on long-term energy expenses by overcoming the upfront costs of transitioning away from fossil fuels." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Expand the Investment Tax Credit to include energy storage technologies, including batteries, pumped hydropower, fuel cells, and more. Strengthen incentives for energy-efficient upgrades in commercial buildings, with the highest tax deductions going to projects that meet prevailing wage and registered apprenticeship requirements, to encourage the creation of reliable, good-paying jobs." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 4447 "Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019." (votesmart.org)
  • "Despite consistent profitability, fossil fuel companies receive billions of dollars in federal tax breaks and subsidies, which underwrite the costs of oil and gas production. These forgone revenues undermine the United States' ability to combat the climate crisis and invest in critical initiatives like education, housing, infrastructure, and healthcare. The End Oil and Gas Tax Subsidies Act of 2021 would not only eliminate 11 of these provisions in the tax code, it would also ensure the United States is no longer providing tax subsidies to oil and gas at the expense of clean energy, increasing the competitiveness of the energy industry." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by League of Conservation Voters. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 9 "Climate Action Now Act." (votesmart.org)
  • "With the climate emergency, we must take every step possible to hold Big Oil accountable. Currently, there is a special tax loophole for oil companies that import or produce tar sands oil, a form of crude oil. Unlike for other types of oil, oil from tar sands are exempt from the taxes used to pay for cleaning up oil spills." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Congressman Blumenauer has voted for legislation to close the "private sale loophole" and implement uniform background checks." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The gun violence epidemic is a public health crisis that threatens the well-being and peace of mind of communities across the country. Congressman Blumenauer is proud of his "F' grade from the NRA. He supports comprehensive gun safety legislation to end this crisis." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1446 "Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021." (votesmart.org)
  • "Medicare for All. Congressman Blumenauer is an original cosponsor of Rep. Pramila Jayapal's Medicare for All bill and he is working in Congress to establish a single-payer system so that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Paid Family Leave. Working families should never have to choose between a paycheck and their well-being. He is a cosponsor of the FAMILY act to ensure that workers can take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for pregnancy, birth or adoption of a child, or to recover from or care for a serious illness to them or a family member." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Signed Letter to President Biden: “Furthermore, we cannot ignore the economic benefits of paid leave. Enacting paid leave also means that families will continue to earn some income at the very time when they need it most – when a family is growing or a member is sick and needs medical care. Workers will be able to continue to earn a portion of their wages, allowing them to continue to meet their basic needs and pay bills before returning to work. Moreover, lack of paid leave has meant that workers lose an estimated $22.5 billion in wages each year when that could have been used to keep a family afloat and spent in local economies." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6201 "Families First Coronavirus Response Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "Lowering Prescription Drug Prices. Drug companies have taken advantage of Americans for far too long. Congressman Blumenauer is standing up to Big Pharma's profiteering and price gouging. He's fighting to empower Medicare and Medicaid to negotiate for lower drug prices for not only senior citizens, but all Americans. As chairman of the Ways and Means subcommittee on trade, he is fighting for lower drug prices in any trade deal negotiated." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3 "Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6833 "The Affordable Insulin Now Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Fight for DREAMers and Refugees. In the face of the administration's termination of DACA, we must keep our promise to DREAMers, as well as stand up for the thousands of hardworking and otherwise law-abiding families who now call America home." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1333 "NO BAN Act." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6 "American Dream and Promise Act of 2021." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1333 "NO BAN Act." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6 "American Dream and Promise Act of 2021." (votesmart.org)
  • "I share President Biden's opposition to the deployment of American troops inside Ukraine and I applaud him for working with our allies to impose sanctions. The United States must use every tool at our disposal, short of armed conflict, to protect Ukraine's independence, including more severe economic sanctions and ending normal trading relationships. Putin and his cronies should not be insulated from the consequences of their actions." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The United States must use every tool at our disposal, short of armed conflict, to protect Ukraine's independence. Putin's unprovoked and unprecedented actions warrant a proportional response that includes terminating Permanent Normal Trading Relations and denying it WTO membership," said Rep. Blumenauer. "Putin and his cronies should not be insulated from the consequences of their unjustified actions and I intend to use my position as the chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade to ensure that." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 4695 "Protect Against Conflict by Turkey (PACT) Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6968 "Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "This was the entire DoD budget. Ukrainian military aid was tacked on, less than 1% of the entire bill. I consistently vote against increasing bloated defense spending. If it was just Ukraine aid—my vote would have been different." (twitter.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 7691 "Making emergency supplemental appropriations for assistance for the situation in Ukraine for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, and for other purposes" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of S 3522 "Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • "This is the largest transfer of wealth in American history with the tax bill of the Republicans. They kept the tax break for corporations and they are hitting middle class families in my district. Four in ten average about $15,000 a year." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5377 "Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "While working families in our community and across the nation are struggling to pay for basic goods like gas, groceries, and rent, ultra- wealthy corporations are raking in record profits. Inflation is hitting Americans hard while many corporations aren't paying their fair share. This legislation will enact a corporate minimum tax of 15 percent. Currently, hundreds of the largest corporations in America pay substantially less, or nothing, in taxes. This provision ensures that large corporations will pay a minimum of 15 percent in taxes. The legislation also makes polluters pay by including my legislation reinstating the Superfund tax on crude oil." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "In my role as Trade Subcommittee chair and member of Speaker Pelosi's working group tasked with taking on pharmaceuticals, major reforms to the biologics provisions was a top priority of mine. I am proud of the work we did to strip Trump's sweetheart deal for big pharma, which was defeated for the first time ever in a trade agreement by stripping out language that would have protected their patents. We were also able to secure a first-of-its-kind rapid-response labor enforcement mechanism, and provide new resources for enforcement of environmental protections." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "This was an unprecedented vote for an unprecedented trade agreement. This agreement got more Democratic votes than Republican votes, and we were able to thwart the efforts of big drug companies for the first time ever in a trade agreement. This should be a sign that the days of giving big pharma sweetheart deals are over. Protecting our workers and environment, addressing climate change, and putting people ahead of profit will be at the center of all new trade agreements as long as Democrats are in charge." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5430 "United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act." (votesmart.org)

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

arrow_upward