Mike Pence on Homeland Security Republian nominee for Vice President; Governor of Indiana; former Representative (IN-6)

Supports Reagan Doctrine: peace through strength

If we give in to Putin to give him his land [in Ukraine], it's not going to be too long for he rolls across a NATO border. And frankly, our men and women of our armed forces are going to have to go and fight him. I want to let the Ukrainians fight and drive and the Russians back out.

Vladimir Putin has been saying he wants to reestablish the old Soviet sphere of influence. He is a dictator and a murderer and the United States of America needs to stand against authoritarianism.

Give them a promise that Ukraine will never be an NATO. We achieve peace through strength. And America needs to stand for freedom.

We need a president to build a military fitted to the times

Homosexuals in the ranks weakens unit cohesion

Fact Check: Takes credit for Veterans Choice passed in 2014

The Veterans Choice program was a bipartisan initiative enacted by Obama in 2014. The Trump administration "reformed the VA" by signing the VA MISSION Act of 2018, which boosted funding for the choice program and expanded the eligibility criteria.

We've made the strongest military in history of the world

Voted to keep ban on openly gay members of the military

Buttigieg said in a tweet of his own, writing, "People will often be polite to you in person, while advancing policies that harm you and your family. You will be polite to them in turn, but you need not stand for such harms. Instead, you push back, honestly and emphatically. So it goes, in the public square." While he was an Indiana lawmaker, Pence reportedly supported a constitutional ban on gay marriage, voted against repealing the ban on openly gay members of the military and voted against a ban on LGBTQ workplace discrimination. He has been widely attacked for making a statement on his campaign website in 2000 construed to be supportive of gay conversion therapy--which his team has adamantly denied.

Bar Syrian refugees so ISIS cannot infiltrate America

PENCE: Right. Those judges said it was because there wasn't any evidence yet that ISIS had infiltrated the United States. Well, Germany just arrested three Syrian refugees that were connected to ISIS.

KAINE: But they told you there's a right way and a wrong way to do it.

PENCE: Look, if you're going to be critical of me on that, that's fair game. I will tell you, after two Syrian refugees were involved in the attack in Paris that is called Paris' 9/11, as governor of the state of Indiana, I have no higher priority than the safety and security of the people of my state. So you bet I suspended that program. And I stand by that decision. And if I'm vice president of the United States or Donald Trump is president, we're going to put the safety and security of the American people first.

Rebuild military and project American strength in the world

I just have to tell you that the provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength. It begins by rebuilding our military. And the Russians & the Chinese have been making enormous investments in the military. We have the smallest Navy since 1916. We have the lowest number of troops since the end of the Second World War. We've got to work with Congress, and Donald Trump will, to rebuild our military & project American strength in the world. We've just got to have American strength on the world stage. When Donald Trump becomes president, the Russians and other countries in the world will know they're dealing with a strong American president.

Bar Syrian refugees so ISIS cannot infiltrate America

PENCE: Right. Those judges said it was because there wasn't any evidence yet that ISIS had infiltrated the United States. Well, Germany just arrested three Syrian refugees that were connected to ISIS.

KAINE: But they told you there's a right way and a wrong way to do it.

PENCE: Look, if you're going to be critical of me on that, that's fair game. I will tell you, after two Syrian refugees were involved in the attack in Paris that is called Paris' 9/11, as governor of the state of Indiana, I have no higher priority than the safety and security of the people of my state. So you bet I suspended that program. And I stand by that decision. And if I'm vice president of the United States or Donald Trump is president, we're going to put the safety and security of the American people first.

Rebuild military and project American strength in the world

I just have to tell you that the provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength. It begins by rebuilding our military. And the Russians & the Chinese have been making enormous investments in the military. We have the smallest Navy since 1916. We have the lowest number of troops since the end of the Second World War. We've got to work with Congress, and Donald Trump will, to rebuild our military & project American strength in the world. We've just got to have American strength on the world stage. When Donald Trump becomes president, the Russians and other countries in the world will know they're dealing with a strong American president.

We see promise after promise to our veterans forgotten

Under Donald Trump, our deals will be stronger. Under Donald Trump, our deals will be smarter, our soldiers will have what they need, and our veterans will have what they earned.

Led a ceremony with a dedication of a POW/MIA Chair of Honor

Supported expanding benefits and opportunities for veterans

The time has come to dramatically increase defense spending

"I believe the time has come to dramatically increase defense spending to confront the unknowable and knowable threats," Pence said. "Without rebuilding our military, no strategy or innovation, no matter how brilliant, will be sufficient to protect the American people and the sovereignty of the US.

Grow NATO stronger; Poland & Czech missile shield

PENCE: I think we need less talk and more deeds. And by deploying a robust missile shield throughout Europe including in Poland and the Czech Republic that was off-lined in 2009, I think would send a very strong message to Putin and to Russia that NATO countries and the United States are going to respond by growing stronger economically and strategically. And I believe that's going to have a lot more influence in the long haul than more sanctions and more talk. Let's allow Poland and the Czech Republic to have that missile shield that they were entitled to by joining NATO.

Use military tribunals to try suspected terrorists

A: Yes.

Q: Should law enforcement agencies have greater discretion to monitor domestic communications, to prevent future terrorist attacks?

A: "Greater discretion" is too broad in determining the balance between civil liberties and national security. Specifics are necessary.

Q: Do you support pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to United States national security?

A: Again, the question on pre-emptive strikes cannot be answered without addressing the nature of the "threat".

Gratitude to Emirates for their support of our War on Terror

PENCE: On this deal, I think the president was ill-served by an antiquated process. We ought to talk about changing that in ways that reflect the post-9/11 world. While we cherish our relationship with the United Arab Emirates, that this was just a bridge too far in that new relationship given some of their troubling associations in the past. The Congress will soon reaffirm the importance of our new relationship with the UAE.

Q: And how do you do that?

PENCE: I hope to be a part of conversations ensuring that the royal family in Dubai knows that while this particular deal was not possible in our new relationship, that there's a great deal of gratitude for their support of our War on Terror.

Rated 0% by SANE, indicating a pro-military voting record.

Peace Action, the merger of The Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE) and The Freeze, has effectively mobilized for peace and disarmament for over forty years. As the nation`s largest grassroots peace group we get results: from the 1963 treaty to ban above ground nuclear testing, to the 1996 signing of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, from ending the war in Vietnam, to blocking weapons sales to human rights abusing countries. We are proof that ordinary people can change the world. At Peace Action we believe...

• That every person has the right to live without the threat of nuclear weapons.
• That war is not a suitable response to conflict.
• That America has the resources to both protect and provide for its citizens.

The ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization`s preferred position.

Extend reserve retirement pay parity back to 9/11.

Congress makes the following findings:
1. Since September 11, 2001, members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces have been sent into harm`s way and fought alongside members of the regular components of the Armed Forces.
2. Between September 11, 2001, and December 7, 2007, more than 600,000 members of the reserve components have been mobilized in support of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and for other contingency operations.
3. More than 142,000 members of the reserve components have been mobilized more than once during this same period.
4. On December 7, 2007, the conference report for H. R. 1585 offered an earlier retirement benefit for members of the reserve components who are mobilized in support of contingency operations.
5. The House of Representatives and the Senate agreed to the conference report on December 14, 2007.
6. However, the conference report only considers service performed after the date of the enactment, and this effective date fails to recognize the service and sacrifice made by members of the reserve components since September 11, 2001.