OnTheIssuesLogo

Scott Brown on Homeland Security

Republican Jr Senator

 


Strip US citizenship from terrorists who fight overseas

Brown said Shaheen missed a chance to strip US citizenship from homegrown terrorists who have gone to fight overseas. "She says now that she wants to take away their passports, but she's had many opportunities. A bill that Sen. Lieberman and I filed almost three years ago, another bill that was filed recently," Brown said.

Shaheen pointed out hearings Brown missed on the same issue while he was a senator from Massachusetts. "We need to fix our broken immigration system, and the way to do it is not to refuse to go to a hearing on border security," Shaheen said. With the rise of ISIS in the Middle East, foreign affairs have become a central issue in the race.

Source: WMUR ABC-9 Manchester on 2014 New Hampshire Senate debate , Oct 7, 2014

Spend to defeat terrorists, not to protect them

Americans were shocked on Christmas Day to learn of the attempted bombing of a flight to Detroit. This foreign terror suspect was given the same legal rights as a U.S. citizen, and immediately stopped providing critical intelligence. As Senator-elect Scott Brown says, we should be spending taxpayer dollars to defeat terrorists, not to protect them.
Source: Cited in Gov. McDonnell's 2010 State of the Union response , Jan 27, 2010

Supports enhanced interrogation techniques

Backs "enhanced interrogation techniques"--called "torture" by others--feeling they lead to useful information, and opposes giving suspected terrorists constitutional rights. He has said that U.S. laws are intended to "protect this nation, not our enemies."

Citing his experience as a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard, Brown has attempted to position himself as the candidate with the strongest stance against terrorism.

Source: Nancy Reardon, Quincy Patriot-Ledger: 2010 MA Senate debate , Jan 14, 2010

No constitutional rights for enemy combatants

Brown took issue with Coakley on how terrorist suspects should be tried. He said alleged 9/11 mastermind Khaled Sheikh Mohammed should be treated as an enemy combatant and not tried in New York. "To think that we would give people who want to kill us constitutional rights and lawyer them up at our expense instead of treating them as enemy combatants to get as much information as we can under legal means--it just makes no sense to me," Brown said.
Source: WBUR article on 2010 MA Senate debate , Jan 12, 2010

Culture of patriotism; vigorous homeland defense

Source: 2010 Senate campaign website, brownforussenate.com, "About" , Sep 30, 2009

Member of Massachusetts National Guard JAG Corps

Senator Brown is a proud member of the Massachusetts National Guard, where he has served for nearly three decades and currently holds the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps. Brown was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in homeland security following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Source: 2010 Senate campaign website, brownforussenate.com, "About" , Sep 30, 2009

Other candidates on Homeland Security: Scott Brown on other issues:
MA Gubernatorial:
Ben Downing
Danielle Allen
Geoff Diehl
Maura Healey
Mike Kennealy
Sonia Chang-Diaz
MA Senatorial:
Ed Markey
Elizabeth Warren
John Deaton
Seth Moulton
Shiva Ayyadurai

MA politicians
MA Archives
Senate races 2026:
AK: Dan Sullivan(R,incumbent)
vs.Andy Barr(R)
vs.Mary Peltola(D)
AL: Tommy Tuberville(R,retiring)
vs.Barry Moore(R)
vs.Steve Marshall(R)
AR: Tom Cotton(R,incumbent)
vs.Dan Whitfield(I,withdrew)
vs.Ethan Dunbar(D)
CO: John Hickenlooper(D,incumbent)
vs.Janak Joshi(R)
vs.Julie Gonzales(D)
vs.Mark Baisley(R)
DE: Chris Coons(D,incumbent)
vs.Mike Katz(I)
FL: Ashley Moody(R,appointee)
vs.Alan Grayson(D)
vs.Angie Nixon(D)
GA: Jon Ossoff(D,incumbent)
vs.Buddy Carter(R)
vs.Mike Collins(R)
vs.John F. King(R,withdrew)
IA: Joni Ernst(R,retiring)
vs.Ashley Hinson(R)
vs.Bob Krause(D)
vs.Jim Carlin(R)
vs.J.D. Scholten(D,withdrew)
ID: Jim Risch(R,incumbent)
vs.David Roth(D)
vs.Todd Achilles(I)
IL: Richard Durbin(D,retiring)
vs.Juliana Stratton(D)
vs.Raja Krishnamoorthi(D)
vs.Robin Kelly(D)
KS: Roger Marshall(R,incumbent)
vs.Patrick Schmidt(D)
KY: Mitch McConnell(R,retiring)
vs.Charles Booker(D)
vs.Daniel Cameron(R)
vs.Pamela Stevenson(D)
LA: Bill Cassidy(R,incumbent)
vs.John Fleming(R)
vs.Julia Letlow(R)
MA: Ed Markey(D,incumbent)
vs.Seth Moulton(D)
vs.John Deaton(R)
ME: Susan Collins(R,incumbent)
vs.Janet Mills(D)
MI: Gary Peters(D,retiring)
vs.Haley Stevens(D)
vs.Joe Tate(R,withdrew)
vs.Mallory McMorrow(D)
vs.Mike Rogers(R)

MN: Tina Smith(D,retiring)
vs.Angie Craig(D)
vs.David Hann(R)
vs.Peggy Flanagan(D)
vs.Royce White(R)
MS: Cindy Hyde-Smith(R,incumbent)
vs.Ty Pinkins(D)
MT: Steve Daines(R,incumbent)
vs.Reilly Neill(D)
NC: Thom Tillis(R,retiring)
vs.Michael Whatley(R)
vs.Roy Cooper(D)
NE: Peter Ricketts(R,incumbent)
vs.Dan Osborn(I)
NH: Jeanne Shaheen(D,retiring)
vs.Chris Pappas(D)
vs.John Sununu(R)
vs.Scott Brown(R)
NJ: Cory Booker(D,incumbent)
vs.Justin Murphy(R)
NM: Ben Ray Lujan(D,incumbent)
vs.Matt Dodson(D)
OH: Jon Husted(R,appointee)
vs.Sherrod Brown(D)
OK: Markwayne Mullin(R,incumbent)
vs.Troy Green(D)
OR: Jeff Merkley(D,incumbent)
vs.Jo Rae Perkins(R)
RI: Jack Reed(D,incumbent)
vs.Connor Burbridge(D)
SC: Lindsey Graham(R,incumbent)
vs.Catherine Fleming Bruce(D)
vs.Paul Dans(R)
SD: Mike Rounds(R,incumbent)
vs.Brian Bengs(I)
TN: Bill Hagerty(R,incumbent)
vs.Diana Onyejiaka(D)
TX: John Cornyn(R,incumbent)
vs.Ken Paxton(R)
vs.Wesley Hunt(R)
vs.James Talarico(D)
vs.Jasmine Crockett(D)
VA: Mark Warner(D,incumbent)
vs.David Williams(R)
WV: Shelley Moore Capito(R,incumbent)
vs.Jeff Kessler(D)
vs.Tom Willis(R)
WY: Cynthia Lummis(R,retiring)
vs.Harriet Hageman(R)
vs.Reid Rasner(R)
Abortion
Budget/Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Crime
Drugs
Education
Energy/Oil
Environment
Families
Foreign Policy
Free Trade
Govt. Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Jobs
Principles
Social Security
Tax Reform
Technology
War/Peace
Welfare

Other Senators
Congressional Votes (analysis)
Congressional Ratings
Affiliations
Policy Reports




Page last updated: Feb 15, 2026; copyright 1999-2022 Jesse Gordon and OnTheIssues.org