Rick Perry in The New York Times
On Civil Rights:
Would attend same-sex marriage of a family member
Perry opposes same-sex marriage, but said recently that he "probably would"
attend a same-sex marriage of a family member.
Source: N.Y. Times 2015 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Jun 4, 2015
On Energy & Oil:
Defend Keystone XL and other oil & gas exploration
Perry is skeptical that human behavior causes climate change, and believes that trying to curb planet-warming emissions will harm the economy. Nevertheless, he has said recently that under his leadership in Texas, levels of climate-warming carbon
emissions decreased 9% because of regulatory incentives. In defending continued oil and gas exploration and the Keystone XL oil pipeline last summer, he said of climate change, "I don't believe that we have the settled science by any sense of
the imagination to stop that kind of economic opportunity." He added, "I am not a scientist," a common line among Republican climate-change skeptics.During Perry's last five years as governor, Texas led the nation in job growth.
He attributed that success to his focus on keeping taxes low and slashing spending, which included curbing regulations and expediting coal-fired power plant projects.
Source: N.Y. Times 2015 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Jun 4, 2015
On Foreign Policy:
Cancel any nuclear deal Obama makes with Iran
A former Air Force pilot, Perry advocates muscular intervention on foreign policy. Perry has pledged that, if elected, he would kill any deal the United States reaches with Iran over its nuclear program.
And he has called for the United States to take a more active role diplomatically to remove Hamas's missiles from Gaza, calling Israel, which he has visited repeatedly, a "tremendous ally."
Source: N.Y. Times 2015 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Jun 4, 2015
On War & Peace:
ISIS is worst threat to freedom since Communism
A former Air Force pilot, Perry advocates muscular intervention on foreign policy. He believes that American ground troops may have to be deployed to fight the Islamic State, an extremist group that he said "represents
the worst threat to freedom since Communism." He blames what he calls President Obama's "incompetence" in handling Iraq and Syria for the rise of the Islamic State.
Source: N.Y. Times 2015 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Jun 4, 2015
On War & Peace:
Provide lethal aid to Ukraine against Russian separatists
Perry has called for providing lethal aid to the Ukrainian military to fight Russian-backed separatists, support that Obama has resisted giving. He has warned against Russian and Chinese aggression, and criticized
Obama's warming of ties with Cuba, saying the administration "empowered the Castro regime with no thought of the Cuban people."
Source: N.Y. Times 2015 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Jun 4, 2015
On Health Care:
Increase immunization rates as part of protecting life
The vaccine question surfaced in the 2012 Republican primary when rivals of Rick Perry, then the Texas governor, pounced on him for issuing an executive order requiring sixth-grade girls to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus--the first
regulation of its kind in the country. One of his opponents, Michele Bachmann, a congresswoman in Minnesota, went as far as saying the vaccine could cause "mental retardation," a claim with no scientific merit. But in a sign of the issue's political
weight, Perry apologized for the mandate.Asked about the measles vaccine controversy, a spokesman for Perry affirmed his commitment to "protecting life" and pointed to efforts by his administration to increase immunization rates.
Mike Huckabee,
the former Arkansas governor who is considering a run for president, has noted that the link between autism and vaccines was discredited. As governor, he received his flu shot at the State Capitol and encouraged all Arkansans to get vaccinated.
Source: N.Y. Times 2015 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Feb 3, 2015
Page last updated: May 20, 2019