Matt Bevin in Survey of 2014 Senate campaign websites
On Abortion:
We have a duty to protect unborn human life
Matt is pro-life and believes we have a duty to protect unborn human life. In the U.S. Senate, Matt will vote against any bill that contains federal funding or other material support for abortions. He also believes we must encourage a culture of life
that makes adoption easier. Matt is the proud father of nine children, four of whom he and his wife adopted from Ethiopia. He has also been a long-time, significant supporter of orphanages around the world, investing both his dollars and his time.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On Budget & Economy:
Wall Street and auto bailouts made us pay for their mistakes
When Washington politicians bailed out the Wall Street banks and the auto companies, they made hardworking taxpayers pay for other peoples' irresponsible mistakes.
Matt believes taxpayers need to be protected from the lobbyists and special interests who pull the strings in Washington.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On Budget & Economy:
Balanced Budget Amendment ends Congress' spending addiction
Our government doesn't have a revenue problem. It has a spending addiction. Sadly, this has been a bipartisan disease. Over the past decade, federal spending has ballooned at the hands of both Democrats and Republicans. This spending addiction has pushed
our debt to nearly $17 trillion and our government to the precipice of a potential debt crisis.It is clear we can't trust Congress to follow through on its promise to cut spending "next year" or "next month."
It's time for taxpayers to hold our politicians accountable. That's why Matt supports passing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution that will force Congress to balance the budget every year and to keep spending at or below historical spending
levels.
Matt will also refuse to vote for a debt limit increase unless we make substantial spending cuts and reforms. This would include having a plan agreed upon by the President and the US Congress that balances the budget in 10 years or less.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On Civil Rights:
Marriage is between a man and a woman
Matt supports marriage as
traditionally defined between a man and a woman.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On Education:
Limit federal one-size-fits-all role in education
Matt believes we should limit the federal government's role in our education system, allowing states and local towns to make education decisions that best suit the unique needs of their communities. The federal government's one-size-fits-all,
top-down policies rob states of their sovereignty and have failed our students.Over the past several decades, the federal government has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into our education system with little constructive progress to show for it.
It is a travesty that low-income children are trapped in failing public schools with no hope in sight. Government bureaucrats should not have the power to decide where our children go to school.
Matt is a passionate supporter of school choice, and will
actively fight to inject our broken system with badly needed competition. Matt is also a strong supporter of alternative education models, including charter schools and home schooling. Matt and his wife, Glenna, homeschool their nine children.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On Energy & Oil:
Support coal production and new nuclear power plants
Our country is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. Matt believes we can lower the cost of energy, decrease our dependence on foreign oil, and create badly needed jobs by exploring and developing these resources.
At the same time, we must also defeat President Obama's War on Coal and his efforts to impose costly energy regulations on job creators across America.Matt will be a vocal supporter of
Kentucky's coal industry and will adamantly oppose efforts--like the cap-and-trade tax--to increase the cost of energy in this country. He will be a leading advocate against the EPA's burdensome regulations that are killing Kentucky jobs and he will
fight to repeal ethanol and renewable fuels mandates that drive up the cost of energy. Matt will also work to reform our judicial review process that holds up coal production and nuclear power plants in frivolous lawsuits and bureaucratic red tape.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On Foreign Policy:
Fight foreign treaties that weaken our sovereignty
Matt will fight to reform our broken foreign aid system that sends billions of taxpayer dollars to entities or countries that support terrorism and don't enhance our interests.
Matt will fight against any foreign treaty, such as the New START and LOST treaties, that weaken our sovereignty and appease our enemies.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On Government Reform:
Permanent ban on earmarks, with no loopholes
For years, Washington politicians used earmarks--wasteful spending projects slipped into massive spending bills--to reward their political friends. While Congress currently has a temporary ban on earmarks, that is not sufficient.
Some congressional members have found loopholes in the ban, and many are counting the days until they can once again reward their friends with taxpayer dollars.We have to do more. Matt will actively fight for a permanent ban on earmarks.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On Gun Control:
Second Amendment is the lynchpin of the Bill of Rights
Matt & his wife are both proud, conceal-carry gun owners and Matt believes the Second Amendment is the lynchpin of the Bill of Rights, as it was designed to protect all of the other Amendments. The right to bear arms is not just limited to ownership but
includes the right to carry as well. Matt will fight to fully restore the Second Amendment by pushing for national right to carry legislation. He will also fight off any attempt to dictate the types of guns and ammunition that Kentuckians choose to own.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On Health Care:
Defund ObamaCare immediately, then repeal ObamaCare
ObamaCare isn't even fully implemented, and it is already a disaster. When fully implemented, it will raise the cost of healthcare, destroy jobs, and allow government to play an even larger role in our most personal decisions. We need to defund
ObamaCare immediately and repeal ObamaCare as quickly as legislatively possible. Washington politicians say they oppose ObamaCare, but they continue to vote for spending bills that fund it. This has to stop.
Matt will not vote for any spending bills that fund ObamaCare. None.Matt believes we need to institute free-market reforms that will actually lower the cost of healthcare, increase choice, and allow patients to make health care decisions with their
doctors--not government bureaucrats. We should increase competition by allowing people to buy health insurance across state lines, implement commonsense tort reform, and expand health savings accounts.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On Homeland Security:
We must keep the strongest military in the world
America has the strongest military in the world and we must keep it that way.
But we cannot be reckless in how and where we use that strength. As a veteran, Matt personally appreciates how important this is.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On Homeland Security:
Protect national security without violating civil liberties
Politicians often present us with the false choice between protecting our civil liberties and building a strong national defense. There is no reason we can't rigorously fight terrorism and other national security threats without violating the
constitutional protections of our civil liberties. The news of the NSA's extensive wiretapping program is just the latest example that our government has gone too far.Matt believes we have the right to defend our country and our allies when
our security and freedom are being threatened, but we cannot sacrifice our constitutional principles in the process. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, if we trample on our liberty in the name of security, we will have
neither liberty nor security. Matt will fight to protect our constitutional freedoms, including rolling back the Patriot Act and limiting the government's ability to engage in unconstitutional surveillance of American citizens.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On Immigration:
Eliminate the magnets that attract illegal immigrants
In 1986, Congress granted amnesty to 3 million illegal immigrants and promising to secure our borders. Instead, the legislation opened the floodgates to massive illegal immigration in this country. Clearly, amnesty is not the answer.Matt knows that we
are a nation of immigrants and we should welcome those who want to live the American Dream, but we must do so in a manner consistent with respect for the rule of law.
Matt is committed to prioritizing the interests of law-abiding Americans & taxpayers.
He will work beyond the platitudes and demand that effective enforcement measures are implemented and the magnets that attract illegal immigrants are eliminated. An effective plan that stops the failed cycle of amnesty would include immediate enforcement
of all the laws on the books, allowing states like Kentucky to enforce federal immigration laws without fear of reprisal from a rogue administration, and cutting off welfare benefits to those who come here illegally.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On Tax Reform:
Higher taxes mean fewer private sector jobs
A lot of politicians promise to never increase our taxes, but once they get to Washington, their promises fall flat. Matt has spent many years in the private sector creating jobs, and he knows that higher taxes mean fewer private sector jobs and more
money for career politicians to spend. Matt has pledged to oppose all tax increases and supports passing legislation to make it harder for Congress to raise taxes on hardworking Americans.
Our tax system also needs to be reformed--desperately. At over 60,000 pages, it is overly complex, inefficient and unfair. With its numerous pages of special-interest loopholes and thorny rules, the tax code is just a way for politicians and the
IRS to reward their friends and punish their enemies. Matt supports scrapping the current tax code and instituting a flat tax that will encourage job creation and allow taxpayers to fill out their tax forms quickly and without expensive assistance.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
On War & Peace:
No war unless Constitutional and in our national interest
We cannot be reckless in how and where we use [our military] strength. Before voting to send our soldiers to war, Matt will be guided by two key questions: Is it in our national interest and is it in keeping with our constitutional principles?
Matt will oppose all engagements that do not meet these two fundamental criteria. Anything less is unfair to the soldiers who put their lives on the line and unfair to the taxpayers that pay the bills.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattBevin.com, "Issues"
Oct 25, 2013
Page last updated: Dec 07, 2018