Bill Weld in PBS News Hour

On Abortion: Remove anti-abortion language from GOP platform

Weld publicly fought to remove anti-abortion language from the Republican Party platform in the 1990s, to the dismay of social conservatives.
Weld's liberal stance on social issues often earned him the ire of the GOP, and helped block his nomination to be ambassador of Mexico under President Bill Clinton.

Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Feb 15, 2019

On Civil Rights: Supports gay marriage

Weld signed the amicus brief to overturn California's Prop 8, which outlawed gay marriage, but LGBT rights advocates say he's shifted his stance on gay marriage in the past.
Weld's liberal stance on social issues often earned him the ire of the GOP, and helped block his nomination to be ambassador of Mexico under President Bill Clinton.
The late North Carolina Republican senator and vocal segregationist Jesse Helms once accused Weld of perpetuating a "militant homosexual agenda."

Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Feb 15, 2019

On Government Reform: Blow up unnecessary state agencies

Economy and government: Supports cutting taxes and reigning in spending. Opposes Trump's tariffs.
A fiscal conservative, as Massachusetts' governor Weld reigned in spending, cut taxes some 15 times, and vetoed minimum wage hikes.
He's a free trader who said in 2016 that candidate Donald Trump's "huge unilateral tariffs" would damage the world economy.
Weld promised to "blow up" unnecessary state agencies after taking office as governor in 1991. As a Libertarian candidate in 2016, he pledged to cut the federal government by 20 percent to reduce waste.

Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Feb 15, 2019

On Health Care: Supports increased Medicaid access

Before Medicaid expansion was available to states, Weld petitioned the federal government as governor for additional Medicaid funding for Massachusetts. He then relaxed the state's Medicaid requirements, partly to increase health care access but also to deal with a budget crunch. Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Feb 15, 2019

On Immigration: Trump's deportation policy is like Nazi Germany

Immigration and border security: Opposes Trump's deportation policies. Supports some form of legal status for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.
In 2016, Weld was highly critical of Trump's rhetoric around immigration, and twice compared then-candidate Trump's proposals to deport Mexican and Central American immigrants to the Nazi period in Germany.
Weld has also called for the federal government to issue more H1B work visas, calling it an economic imperative for the U.S. workforce to stay globally and economically competitive.

Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Feb 15, 2019

On War & Peace: Supports non-nuclear proliferation efforts

On the 2016 campaign trail, Weld called nuclear proliferation "the number one threat to the security of the world." Weld is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and, has called for the U.S. to form closer ties with Mexico and Canada in order to address security and economic challenges. Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Feb 15, 2019

The above quotations are from PBS News Hour "2020 Candidate Stands" series. Click here for main summary page. Click here for a profile of Bill Weld. Click here for Bill Weld on all issues.
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Page last updated: Aug 12, 2020