John Cornyn topics and responses

Stimulus Spending to Beat Great Recession

PRO:

• 07/30/2009: Voted YES on $192B additional anti-recession stimulus spending
• 10/17/2008: Voting for $700B bailout demonstrates leadership

  CON:

• 02/10/2009: Voted NO on additional $825 billion for economic recovery package
• 02/04/2013: Audit the Federal Reserve & its actions on mortgage loans
• 03/13/2008: Voted NO on increasing tax rate for people earning over $1 million
• 01/23/2012: Disapprove of increasing the debt limit
• 05/02/2012: Ranked by UFCW, indicating a pro-management voting record

Acknowledging and Addressing Climate Change

CON:

• 05/15/2007: Voted NO on factoring global warming into federal project planning
• 04/01/2009: Voted YES on requiring full Senate debate and vote on cap-and-trade
• 05/15/2008: Voted NO on addressing CO2 emissions without considering India & China
• 04/06/2011: Voted YES on barring EPA from regulating greenhouse gases
• 04/02/2009: Voted YES on protecting middle-income taxpayers from a national energy tax

Getting Money Out of Politics

PRO:

• 05/11/2010: Require Internet disclosure of all earmarks
• 02/25/2009: Military spouses don't lose voting residency while abroad

  CON:

• 03/28/2006: Voted NO on establishing the Senate Office of Public Integrity
• 03/29/2006: Voted YES on allowing some lobbyist gifts to Congress
• 11/15/2013: Create anti-Tea Party PACs to counter Super PACs

Saving Elephants, Whales, Dolphins and Lions

CON:

• 01/13/2012: Ranked by HSLF, indicating an anti-animal welfare voting record
• 05/08/2013: Voted NO on protecting ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems

Renewable Energy

CON:

• 06/17/2008: Voted NO on tax incentives for energy production and conservation
• 06/16/2005: Voted NO on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%)
• 06/21/2007: Voted NO on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies
• 06/10/2003: Voted NO on targeting 100,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010
• 12/31/2006: Ranked by the CAF, indicating opposition to energy independence

Making it Harder to Get a Gun

PRO:

• 03/02/2004: Voted NO on banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers for gun violence

  CON:

• 07/29/2005: Voted YES on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers
• 04/14/2013: Focus on mental illness, not on background checks
• 04/17/2013: Voted NO on banning high-capacity magazines of over 10 bullets
• 12/31/2003: Ranked by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun rights voting record
• 09/06/2007: Voted YES on prohibiting foreign & UN aid that restricts US gun ownership
• 04/02/2009: Voted YES on allowing firearms in checked baggage on Amtrak trains
• 03/27/2007: Ban gun registration & trigger lock law in Washington DC

GMOs and Food Labeling

CON:

• 12/31/2003: Ranked by the LCV, indicating anti-environment votes

Cutting the US Military Budget

CON:

• 06/12/2008: Improve mental health care benefits for returning veterans
• 12/31/2003: Ranked by SANE, indicating a pro-military voting record
• 04/20/2005: Voted NO on requiring on-budget funding for Iraq, not emergency funding
• 07/11/2007: Voted NO on limiting soldiers' deployment to 12 months

Legalizing Marijuana and Industrial Hemp

CON:

• 07/20/2011: Legal pot causes similar attitudes to other illegal drugs

Abortion Rights

CON:

• 12/31/2006: Ranked by the NRLC, indicating a pro-life stance
• 01/22/2008: Prohibit transporting minors across state lines for abortion
• 12/31/2003: Ranked by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record
• 03/25/2004: Voted YES on criminal penalty for harming unborn fetus during other crime
• 03/17/2005: Voted NO on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives
• 04/11/2007: Voted NO on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines
• 07/25/2006: Voted YES on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions
• 05/05/2011: Prohibit federal funding for abortion
• 03/12/2003: Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life
• 03/05/2009: Voted YES on restricting UN funding for population control policies
• 12/10/2013: Endorsed by Texas Right to Life
• 10/18/2007: Voted YES on barring HHS grants to organizations that perform abortions
• 03/13/2008: Voted YES on prohibiting minors crossing state lines for abortion
• 03/14/2008: Voted YES on defining unborn child as eligible for SCHIP

Gay Rights and Gay Marriage

CON:

• 12/31/2006: Ranked by the HRC, indicating an anti-gay-rights stance
• 06/07/2006: Voted YES on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage

Repealing ObamaCare

PRO:

• 06/26/2003: Voted NO on $40 billion per year for limited Medicare prescription drug benefit
• 11/01/2007: Voted NO on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility
• 01/29/2009: Voted NO on expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program
• 12/31/2003: Ranked by APHA, indicating a anti-public health voting record
• 05/25/2011: Voted YES on the Ryan Budget: Medicare choice, tax & spending cuts
• 10/17/2008: Don`t expand CHIP nationally until all Texans are covered
• 06/20/2002: Freedom from health care tyranny & more individual choice
• 02/02/2006: Voted NO on expanding enrollment period for Medicare Part D
• 03/13/2008: Voted YES on means-testing to determine Medicare Part D premium
• 04/18/2007: Voted NO on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D
• 11/03/2005: Voted NO on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics
• 03/17/2005: Voted NO on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug
• 02/14/2008: Voted YES on allowing tribal Indians to opt out of federal healthcare

  CON:

• 07/15/2008: Voted YES on overriding veto on expansion of Medicare
• 06/11/2009: Voted YES on regulating tobacco as a drug
• 05/08/2006: Voted YES on limiting medical liability lawsuits to $250,000

Addressing and Fighting Income Inequality

CON:

• 01/06/2009: Replace income tax & employment tax with FairTax
• 03/13/2008: Voted YES on allowing AMT reduction without budget offset
• 06/08/2006: Voted YES on permanently repealing the `death tax`
• 08/12/2010: Taxpayer Protection Pledge: no new taxes
• 02/13/2008: Voted YES on raising the Death Tax exemption to $5M from $1M
• 05/23/2003: Voted YES on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years
• 11/18/2005: Voted YES on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends
• 02/02/2006: Voted YES on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains & dividends
• 03/23/2007: Voted YES on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax
• 02/02/2006: Voted NO on $47B for military by repealing capital gains tax cut
• 08/03/2006: Voted YES on supporting permanence of estate tax cuts
• 06/20/2002: Make Bush tax cuts permanent, kill death tax
• 03/11/2009: Keep reduction of capital gains tax
• 12/31/2006: Ranked by the CTJ, indicating opposition to progressive taxation
• 12/31/2003: Ranked by NTU, indicating a "Taxpayer's Friend" on tax votes
• 01/01/2012: Supports the Taxpayer Protection Pledge
• 03/21/2007: Voted YES on raising estate tax exemption to $5 million

Building the Keystone XL Pipeline

PRO:

• 11/03/2005: Voted NO on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's ANWR
• 06/26/2013: Let states lease energy rights on federal lands
• 03/16/2005: Voted NO on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• 06/26/2008: Open the Outer Continental Shelf for oil & gas leasing