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Mike Pence on Government Reform
Republian nominee for Vice President; Governor of Indiana; former Representative (IN-6)
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Going to clean house among senior leadership at DOJ
I heard again and again from people about a deep concern about unequal treatment of the law. And it's why I said to people, if I'm elected president of the United States, we're not just going to have a new attorney general.
We're going to clean house among all the senior leadership at the Justice Department. And we're going to appoint men and women of integrity who will have the confidence of Americans across the political spectrum for their commitment to the rule of law.
Source: CNN SOTU interviews on 2023 Presidential primary hopefuls
, Jul 23, 2023
Irregularities, but elections are governed at state level
[On the 2020 presidential election and its certification on January 6th]: "On January 6th, I said that I believe there were irregularities about which I was concerned, and I wanted them to have a fair hearing before the Congress,"
Pence says. "But from the founding of this nation forward, it's been well established that elections are to be governed at the state level and that the only role that
Congress has is to open and count the electoral votes that are submitted by states across the country. No more no less than that.""I know in my heart of hearts that on that day, we did our duty, under the Constitution...
I don't know if President Trump and I will ever see eye to eye on that day. Or that many of our most ardent supporters will agree with my decision that day. But I know I did the right thing."
Source: Christian Broadcasting Network on 2020 Election Denialism
, Dec 1, 2021
Universal mail-in voting means massive voter fraud
When you talk about accepting the outcome of the election, Senator, your party has spent the last three and a half years trying to overturn the results of the last election. You and your colleagues tried to impeach the president over a phone call.
President Trump and I are fighting every day in courthouses to prevent Joe Biden and Kamala Harris from changing the rules and creating this universal mail-in voting that'll create a massive opportunity for voter fraud.
Source: 2020 Vice-Presidential Debate in Utah
, Oct 7, 2020
Citizens United ruling victory for First Amendment
[On allowing unlimited corporate campaign donations]: "Freedom won today in the Supreme Court. Today's ruling in the Citizens United case takes us one step closer to the Founding Fathers' vision of free speech,
a vision that is cherished by all Americans and one Congress has a responsibility to protect. This decision is a victory on behalf of those who cherish the fundamental freedoms protected by the First Amendment." [Office Of Rep. Mike Pence, 1/21/10]
[As a US.Rep.], Pence introduced H.R. 1316, which would have "amended the Federal Election Campaign Act to repeal the limit on the aggregate amount of campaign contributions that may be made by individuals during an election cycle, to repeal the
limit on the amount of expenditures political parties may make on behalf of their candidates in general elections for federal office." The bill was never considered by the full House. [CRS via Congressional Quarterly, 7/13/05]
Source: Trump Research Book on Mike Pence
, Sep 22, 2020
FactCheck: Yes, voter ID laws may increase voter turnout
[On voter ID]: "The reality is recent experience under Indiana's voter ID law shows that such laws do not diminish voter turnout at all. In fact, there's some evidence that they increase voter turnout. As was recently reported, voter turnout among
Democrats improved slightly last year in Indiana despite a new law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls." [Transcript--House Committee On The Judiciary, 2/27/08]FactCheck from Poverty Action Lab ("The Effects of Voter ID
Notification on Voter Turnout," 2012): To add evidence to this polarizing and often politicized debate, researchers evaluated the effect of sending various postcards describing relevant voter
ID requirements to different voters in Tennessee and Virginia. They found that notifying voters of the ID requirements did not negatively affect turnout, and certain messaging actually increased turnout by as much as 1.5 percentage points.
Source: FactCheck on 2020 Trump Research Book
, Sep 22, 2020
Impeachment 2020: Trump was acquitted forever
Best of all, just a few short weeks ago, after three years of endless investigations and a partisan impeachment, the
U.S. Senate cleared our president on all charges. Justice was served. Our Constitution defended and President Donald Trump was acquitted forever.
Source: Remarks by V.P. Pence at the 2020 CPAC Conference
, Feb 27, 2020
Campaign was for-profit business; later ruled illegal
[In 1990], in Pence's finance report, he registered his campaign as a for-profit business. Pence said he did it because he was serious about running this country like a business. Deep in the report, Pence was spending campaign cash on personal bills.
Pence had decided months ago to supplement Karen's salary with campaign cash. He spent $922 a month to pay their mortgage, $222 a month to pay Karen's car payments. He spent about $13,000 of campaign cash for personal use. He'd gotten a taste of the
campaign cash in 1988, making some of Karen's car payments and no one ever raised any concerns. So he went full blast in 1990. As the news trickled out, Pence became defensive: "I'm not embarrassed that I need to make a living."
Practically, both
were right: Campaigning full time cut into time for most regular folks to make a living. Unless they were rich or incumbent, would-be pols would have to stop their primary work to run for office. [The FEC later ruled the practice illegal. --Ed.]
Source: Piety & Power, by Tom LoBianco, p. 69-70
, Sep 14, 2019
JustIN: state news bureau quickly abandoned
Pence raised eyebrows in 2015 after The Indianapolis Star discovered his intentions to create a news bureau--called "JustIN"--overseen by his administration, and to hire a "managing editor" to assist in the production of "news stories."
Despite quickly abandoning the plan, Pence's project set the media world ablaze, and drew comparisons to government-backed news outlets in communist countries.
Source: Rollcall.com on 2016 vice-presidential hopefuls
, Sep 19, 2016
Americans do not want D.C. elites to run their lives
The American people are tired of being told that this is as good as it gets. Tired of hearing politicians in both parties tell us that we will get to that tomorrow while we pile a mountain range of debt on our children and grandchildren.
As Reagan used to say, we're tired of being told that a little intellectual elite in a far distant capital can plan our lives better for us than we can plan them for ourselves.
Source: Speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention
, Jul 20, 2016
Campaign finance reform is on the road to political serfdom
Mike Pence voted against the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act; declared the Citizens United ruling a "major victory." Pence joined Sen. Mitch McConnell's legal challenge to McCain-Feingold and attached a rider to Justice Department
funding that would have prevented DoJ from enforcing McCain-Feingold's ban on electioneering communication spending. He said, "We are on the road to serfdom in American politics with campaign-finance reform."
Source: EndCitizensUnited.org on 2016 Veepstakes
, Apr 1, 2015
Campaign Finance Reform is censorship
The future of conservatism demands that we oppose censorship, whether it takes the form of the so-called Fairness Doctrine or takes the form of Campaign Finance Reform.
Our freedom to speak and listen to who we want when we want is a blood-bought American right. We must not permit the Democrats to bring back the so-called Fairness Doctrine.
Source: Speech at 2008 Conservative Political Action Conference
, Feb 8, 2008
Prohibit non-legislated earmarks.
Pence co-sponsored prohibiting non-legislated earmarks
OFFICIAL CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: A bill to prohibit Federal agencies from obligating funds for appropriations earmarks included only in congressional reports.
SPONSOR`S INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Sen. McCAIN: This bill would prohibit Federal agencies from obligating funds which have been earmarked only in congressional reports. This legislation is designed to help reign in unauthorized, unrequested, run-of-the-mill pork barrel projects.
Report language does not have the force of law. That fact has been lost when it comes to appropriations bills and reports. It has become a standard practice to load up committee reports with literally billions of dollars in unrequested, unauthorized, and wasteful pork barrel projects.
We simply must start making some very tough decisions around here if we are serious about improving our fiscal future.
It is simply not fiscally responsible for us to continue to load up appropriations bills with wasteful and unnecessary spending, and good deals for special interests and their lobbyists. We have had ample opportunities to tighten our belts in this town in recent years, and we have taken a pass each and every time. We can`t put off the inevitable any longer.
LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME:Referred to Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management & Government Information; hearings held; never came to a vote.
Source: Obligation of Funds Transparency Act (S.1495/H.R.1642) 05-S1495 on Jul 26, 2005
Sunset Act: review every federal agency every 12 years.
Pence signed H.R. 393
Establishes the Federal Agency Sunset Commission to: - submit to Congress a schedule for review by the Commission, at least once every 12 years, of the abolishment or reorganization of each agency;
- review and evaluate the efficiency and public need for each agency using specified criteria;
- recommend whether each agency should be abolished or reorganized; and
- report to Congress on all legislation introduced that would establish a new agency or a new program to be carried out by an existing agency.
- Terminates the Commission on December 31, 2033.
Requires the abolishment of any agency within one year of the Commission`s review, unless the agency is reauthorized by Congress. Authorizes the deadline for abolishing an agency to be extended for an additional two years by legislation enacted by a super majority of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Source: Federal Sunset Act 09-HR393 on Jan 9, 2009
Member of House Judiciary Committee.
Pence is a member of the House Judiciary Committee
The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, known as the House Judiciary Committee, is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, administrative agencies and Federal law enforcement entities. The Judiciary Committee is also the committee responsible for impeachments of federal officials. Because of the legal nature of its oversight, committee members usually have a legal background, but this is not required.
Source: U.S. House of Representatives website, www.house.gov 11-HC-Jud on Feb 3, 2011
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