Bernie Sanders in Interviews during 2017-2019
On Health Care:
Wrong to give company exclusive rights to drug treatment
Sanders demanded that the Trump administration immediately rescind its decision to grant pharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences exclusive rights to the antiviral drug remdesivir, one of many drugs currently being tested
as a possible treatment for the novel coronavirus. In a statement, Sanders said it's "truly outrageous that after taxpayers put tens of millions of dollars into developing remdesivir,
Trump's [Food and Drug Administration] is exploiting a law reserved for rare diseases to privatize a drug to treat a pandemic virus."
"The Trump administration must rescind this corporate giveaway to Gilead and make any treatment and vaccine free for everybody," added the Vermont senator.
Source: Common Dreams on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Mar 25, 2020
On Corporations:
Nothing personal against billionaires, but enough is enough
I have nothing personal against any billionaire. No one is denigrating the achievements of Bill Gates or anybody else. No one is denigrating people who have made significant achievements but enough really is enough. In terms of worker control,
I believe it is important to put workers on the boards of directors of major corporations. When you do that, corporations are not going to be so quick to shutdown in America and move to China, move to Mexico, and to move to other low wage countries.
Source: Fox News Sunday interview˙on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Mar 8, 2020
On Free Trade:
Americans have to compete with people making pennies an hour
Here in Michigan trade has been a disaster. Trade agreements like NAFTA and permanent normal trade relations with China which forced American workers to compete against people making pennies an hour has resulted in the loss of
160,000 jobs here in Michigan. Some four million jobs all over this country. I helped lead the effort against these disastrous trade agreements.
Source: Meet the Press interview˙on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Mar 8, 2020
On Government Reform:
Rotate judges on Supreme Court, like term limits
Sanders's "rotating judges" idea actually makes some sense. At the Democratic debate, the moderators never raised how to handle the Supreme Court's emboldened conservative majority.They came closest to tackling the issue in an exchange about Roe v.
Wade and what the candidates would do to protect abortion rights if it were overturned. Sanders replied by saying he opposed adding additional justices to the bench, a solution several other candidates have proposed. "I do not believe in packing the
court," Sanders said. But "I do believe that constitutionally we have the ability to rotate judges to other courts."
At a forum in April, Sanders offered up a similar proposal. "What may make sense is, if not term limits, then rotating judges to the
appeals court as well. Letting them get out of the Supreme Court and bringing in new blood." The proposal is constitutionally dubious and might require an amendment, but it's not without merit if it gets rid of corrosive confirmation battles.
Source: The New Republic magazine on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Jun 29, 2019
On Abortion:
No anti-choice appointments to Supreme Court
The idea that women in this country should not be able to control their own bodies is beyond belief. They have that constitutional right. So if you're asking me, would I ever appoint a Supreme Court justice who does not believe in defending
Roe versus Wade, who does not believe that a woman has the right to control her own body, I will never do that.
Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview of 2020 presidential hopefuls
May 19, 2019
On Energy & Oil:
Not enough to beat Trump; must beat fossil fuel industry
The scientists tell us is that we have 12 years before irreparable damage is done to this planet. Beating Trump is not good enough. You've got to beat the fossil fuel industry. You have to take on all of those forces of the status quo, who do not want
to move this country to energy efficiency and sustainable energies. We have a moral responsibility to make sure that our kids live, and our grandchildren live, in a healthy and habitable planet. That means massive investments in wind, solar.
Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview of 2020 presidential hopefuls
May 19, 2019
On Foreign Policy:
Even-handed Mideast policy; open to moving Jerusalem embassy
Q: Would you move embassy out of Jerusalem, if you thought it was a way to get a peace deal?A: I can't give you a definitive answer, but yeah. Whether it is Iran and Saudi Arabia, whether it is Israel and the Palestinians, the
United States needs to bring people together, needs an even handed policy. We'll take that one step at a time. We are the most-powerful country on Earth. Let's bring people together and try to bring peace.
Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview of 2020 presidential hopefuls
May 19, 2019
On Foreign Policy:
Must support human rights, even with trading partners
Q: What about relations abroad?A: Donald Trump supports authoritarian governments all over the world. I believe we have to support democracy and human rights. I think we have to deal with trade issues. But I think it should be known
that we cannot allow -- we have to stand up and oppose, governments that are doing terrible things to minorities.
Q: Are humanitarian reasons enough to use military force?
A: It depends. Obviously, you have to look at case by case.
Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview of 2020 presidential hopefuls
May 19, 2019
On Health Care:
Medicare-for-All will lead to stability, not disruption
Every time somebody loses their job, every some -- every time some employer changes health insurance policy, there is disruption. That impacts tens of millions of people. When you have Medicare for all, you will finally have stability.
Everybody in the country will have comprehensive healthcare, covering all basic healthcare needs. We will save taxpayers, we will save the citizens of this country, on healthcare, substantial sums of money.
Source: Meet the Press 2019 interview of 2020 presidential hopefuls
May 19, 2019
On Energy & Oil:
Perfect score on "350 Action's 2020 Climate Test"
The environmental group 350 Action released a candidate scorecard known as the 2020 Climate Test to assess presidential hopefuls on three major metrics: support for a Green New Deal, opposition to new fossil fuel development and refusal to accept money
from energy companies.Three candidates have made firm climate-forward commitments, issuing their support for the Green New Deal, vowing to keep fossil fuels in the ground and banning donations from Big Oil.
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT)
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA)
Four candidates have supported two of 350 Action's three benchmarks.- Sen. Cory Booker (NJ)
- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI)
- Gov. Jay Inslee (WA)
- Andrew Yang (CA)
Three candidates
have failed all three of 350 Action's tests, attacking the Green New Deal or making no firm pledges to work against fossil fuel companies.- Donald Trump (NY)
- Former Rep. John Delaney (MD)
- Former Gov. John Hickenlooper (CO)
Source: Mother Jones, "On Climate," on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls
Mar 27, 2019
On War & Peace:
Cut military spending, except F-35 at Vermont air base
- Senator Sanders has only voted for three out of 19 military spending bills since 2013.
- Sanders voted as requested by Peace Action 84 percent of the time from 2011 to 2016, despite some hawkish votes on Iran from 2011-2013.
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One major contradiction: Not only did Sanders support the F-35, he pushed--despite local opposition--to get these fighter jets stationed at the Burlington airport for the Vermont National Guard.
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In terms of stopping the war in Yemen, he and Senators Chris Murphy and Mike Lee have led a sustained effort to shepherd his historic War Powers bill on Yemen through the Senate.
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Sanders supports U.S. withdrawals from Afghanistan and Syria and opposes U.S. threats of war against Venezuela.
Source: Truthout.org, "War and Peace," on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Mar 27, 2019
On Abortion:
Few or no government limits on abortion
- Social Issues: Abortion should be legal, with few or no government limits.
- Sanders is a supporter of abortion rights and voted against a bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks.
- When asked in 2016 if he would place any limits on abortions, Sanders did not give a specific answer but repeatedly said he was "very strongly pro-choice" and believed the decision was between a woman and her doctor.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Feb 19, 2019
On Civil Rights:
1983: Approved "Gay Rights Day" in Burlington Vermont
On LGBTQ rights, Sanders has touted his early moves in support of the gay rights movement. In 1983, as mayor of Burlington, he approved a resolution declaring "Gay Rights Day;" in 1993, he opposed the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy; and in
2000 he supported gay civil unions in Vermont. He opposes President Donald Trump's push to ban transgender people from the military, and laws that would block transgender people from using the bathrooms of their choice.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Feb 19, 2019
On Government Reform:
Require disclosure of campaign expenditures over $10,000
In 2016, Sanders refused corporate donations and relied on small donors to fund his White House campaign. He has proposed a constitutional amendment that would effectively reverse the Supreme Court's Citizen United ruling and ban corporations
and nonprofits from unlimited campaign expenditures. The independent senator would also require any organization to disclose election-related campaign expenditures of $10,000 or more.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Feb 19, 2019
On Gun Control:
Ban assault weapons; automatic background checks
- A gun-control advocate, Sanders would ban assault weapons as well as high-capacity magazines or equipment that allow more than ten rounds to be fired at once.
- He supports universal background checks and voted for the Manchin-Toomey
legislation expanding federal background checks.
- In early 2016, Sanders changed his position on a gun law that protects some gun manufacturers and sellers from civil lawsuits. Sanders supported the measure in 2005 while he was serving in the
House of Representatives. In 2016, he co-sponsored a bill to repeal that law.
- In the House, Sanders also voted against the pro-gun-control Brady Bill, writing that he believes states, not the federal government, can handle waiting periods
for handguns.
- He told student reporters from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that he voted no on the Brady Bill because his state preferred "automatic background checks" and not waiting periods.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Feb 19, 2019
On Immigration:
Restructure ICE; don't necessarily abolish it
- Immigration: Path to citizenship for most undocumented immigrants. Restructure, don't necessarily abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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Most undocumented immigrants who are in the country now would receive a path to citizenship under Sanders' immigration plan.
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He voted for the 2013 Senate immigration bill that proposed a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, doubling the number of border patrol officers, and providing an additional 350 miles of border fencing. (That bill did not become law.)
- Sanders would like to restructure ICE. But he has not given details and has not gone so far as to say that he thinks the agency should be "abolished," a position some of his 2020 Democratic rivals have taken.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Feb 19, 2019
On War & Peace:
End Syrian conflict; pull out U.S. troops
- Foreign Policy: Use diplomacy to end Syrian conflict. Pull out troops, but in different way from Trump. Cut U.S. support in the conflict in Yemen, hold the Saudi crown prince "accountable" for crimes.
- Sanders would pull U.S. troops from
Syria, but said he would do it in a different, less "erratic" way than Trump recently announced. He believes diplomacy with Russia and Iran can turn things around in Syria.
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He also believes the president did not have the right to launch airstrikes against the Assad regime and that war powers must get more rigorous oversight and/or approval from Congress.
- A longtime anti-war activist, Sanders voted against the Iraq
war resolution in 2002.
- He regularly called for the U.S. to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.
- In both Afghanistan and Syria, Sanders has said that he believes the U.S. should remain involved, though with no ground troop presence.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Feb 19, 2019
On Health Care:
Pharma companies should justify high drug prices
Sanders sent a letter to Catalyst Pharmaceuticals asking it to justify its December decision to charge $375,000 annually for a medication that for years had been available for free. The drug, Firdapse, is used to treat Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome
(LEMS), a rare neuromuscular disorder. The disorder affects about one in 100,000 people in the US.In the letter, Sanders asked Catalyst to lay out the financial and non-financial factors that led the company to set the list price at $375,000, and say
how many patients would suffer or die as a result of the price and how much it was paying to purchase or produce the drug. For years, patients have been able to get Firdapse for free from Jacobus Pharmaceuticals, a small New Jersey-based drug company,
which offered it through an FDA program called "compassionate use." The program allows patients with rare diseases access to experimental drugs when there is no viable alternative. Catalyst received FDA approval of Firdapse in November.
Source: Yasmeen Abutaleb in Reuters on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Feb 4, 2019
On Principles & Values:
Mainstream media prefers "realistic" candidates over Bernie
Bernie Sanders faces a strong obstacle in the mainstream media (MSM). At first, they largely ignored his 2016 campaign. When he was propelled to the public consciousness thanks to online media and word-of-mouth, the
Bernie's policy platform with failed Communist (i.e. not democratic-socialist) regimes. Bernie will doubtlessly face similar dishonest framing in the 2020 Democratic primaries. The talking heads will proclaim
that only a "realistic" candidates can appeal to centrists and independents.Trump beat the MSM smear machine through radical lies. Sanders can do likewise but through radical honesty.
Source: International Policy Digest on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Jan 23, 2019
On Health Care:
Impose Medicaid requirements on states
Under the Sanders bill, Medicaid would continue to provide long-term services and supports (LTSS).
The bill envisions a four-year phase-in period for implementation. During this time, a transitional public plan option, similar to Medicare, would be offered through the marketplace with enhanced income-related subsidies available.
The Sanders bill would retain Medicaid for purposes of providing long-term services and supports, and would impose requirements on
states to maintain eligibility standards and expenditures on long-term services and supports at 2017 levels.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation on 2020 Presidential hopefuls
Oct 9, 2018
On Education:
Fix No-Child-Left-Behind with Every-Student-Succeeds-Act
President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act, a bipartisan fix to the much-criticized No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The ESEA bill gives states more power over what to do with failing schools. Federally required testing is no longer
tied to any federal consequences. Rep. Bernie Sanders voted in favor of the initial NCLB bill in May 2001, but voted against the final version in December 2001. Sen. Hillary Clinton voted in favor of both the initial NCLB bill and the final bill.
On the new ESEA bill, Sanders voted for the initial bill in the Senate education committee; then voted in favor on the Senate floor and in favor of the conference committee version. Hillary Clinton announced her support for the
Every Student Succeeds Act, which is widely considered a fix to No Child Left Behind's worst flaws.
Source: Washington Examiner on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Dec 10, 2015
Page last updated: Dec 11, 2020