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Bobby Rush's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Key

Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Bobby Rush has failed to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2020 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

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Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2020.

  • Signed a letter stating: "Birth control is vital to both the nation's public health and women's health care in particular. It empowers women and their partners to decide when and how to start and grow a family." (votesmart.org)
  • "The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a woman's right to choose and make her own reproductive health decisions on January 22, 1973. The Court's decision to back women's constitutional right remains the correct choice as it leaves the power in the hands to which it belongs." (votesmart.org)
  • "Today, with the passage of the GOP tax bill, Congressional Republicans sided with the wealthiest Americans and corporations. They intentionally left hardworking middle-class households footing the bill to enrich the wealthiest one percent." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by Alliance for Retired Americans. (votesmart.org)
  • "Remember when Donald Trump said he would "not be touching your #SocialSecurity and #Medicare? Well, the lie detector determined that was a lie. The #TrumpBudget cuts Social Security by benefits by $24 BILLION and Medicare by HALF A TRILLION dollars." (twitter.com)
  • "Social Security has been working #ForThePeople for 83 years. Let’s protect it, expand it, and defend it from Republican attacks. #SocSec83". (twitter.com)
  • "Today’s 2.8% COLA increase is good news for seniors, survivors, and people with disabilities who have earned Social Security benefits. I will keep fighting to make Social Security stronger for generations to come." (twitter.com)
  • Signed a letter stating: "Since 2010 when the Supreme Court issued its 5-4 decision in Citizens United v. FEC, our elections have been exploited by wealthy individuals, corporations, and other special interests through Super PACs and 501(c)4 groups that may spend limitless sums of money influencing voters Only a constitutional amendment that overturns these deeply flawed decisions will return constitutional legitimacy to campaign finance laws. Such an amendment must make clear that limits on contributions and expenditures, systems of public financing for elections, and the promotion of transparency do not disenfranchise the wealthy few but promote the political equality of all Americans in our democracy" (votesmart.org)
  • "Ignorance of the law is no excuse for the average citizen and it shouldn’t be an excuse for police who violate our rights. That’s why I am proud to stand with @RepPressley and @justinamash in putting an end to qualified immunity" (twitter.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 7120 - George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020. (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by Center for Security Policy. (votesmart.org)
  • Signed a letter stating: "Preserving the agreement in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that required increased spending to be spread evenly between defense spending and non-defense discretionary accounts which have both been harmed by the ongoing sequester;" (votesmart.org)
  • "Madam Speaker, instead of going through regular order and the committee process and working on bipartisan legislation that would ultimately create hundreds of thousands of good-paying American jobs, such as building up our infrastructure, fixing our roads and bridges, and modernizing our energy grid, instead of looking at the interests, the real interests of the American people, and working to provide the American people much-needed jobs, my friends on the other side of the aisle have repeatedly spent valuable time, time that this Congress will never, ever see again, trying to grant a regulatory earmark to the TransCanada Corporation by short-circuiting the normal permitting process and forcing President Obama's hand." (votesmart.org)
  • "This infrastructure package will put money into the hands of struggling states that need funding for the continuation of road maintenance, to deploy broadband in unserved areas, to promote sustainable infrastructure and to improve financial and environmental management of water systems. The LIFT America Act also will help address the need for more minority contractors and workers to receive opportunities for jobs and contracts across the state of Illinois." (votesmart.org)
  • "Today, with the passage of the GOP tax bill, Congressional Republicans sided with the wealthiest Americans and corporations. They intentionally left hardworking middle-class households footing the bill to enrich the wealthiest one percent." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6074 - Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act. (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6800 - Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act. (votesmart.org)
  • "State energy programs, bolstered by Federal aid, have assisted States in developing much-needed energy efficiency and energy conservation measures. Some of these federally assisted initiatives that have been implemented by the States include, but are not limited to, establishing new partnerships to finance retrofit programs, managing loan programs, offering energy savings performance contracts, expanding the use of alternative fuels, and promoting distributed renewable energy." (votesmart.org)
  • "Today, U.S. Representatives Bobby L. Rush (IL-01), Ed. Whitfield (KY-01), and Bill Johnson (OH-06) introduced groundbreaking legislation that will create a pathway to employment for minorities and other historically underrepresented communities in the energy sector. It's no secret that the field of energy offers Americans tremendous new opportunities, and is changing the playing field internationally -- positioning the U.S. as the world leader in advanced energy technologies, energy production, and clean and renewable energy breakthroughs." (votesmart.org)
  • Signed a letter stating: "We applaud and support your Climate Action Plan, the joint announcement with China establishing ambitious carbon pollution reduction targets, and the national commitment to the Green Climate Fund. These actions are critical to protect Americans from the most dangerous effects of climate change." (votesmart.org)
  • "The Paris Accord respects our global responsibility to make our planet habitable for future generations. This agreement will inspire future generations to care for our planet collectively and work cohesively with other nations. Cutting carbon pollution is of critical importance in bringing cleaner, more reliable energy to Americans and people around the world. This commitment to protecting our environment would not only cut pollution, but also save families money on their energy bills in the future." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 9 - Climate Action Now Act. (votesmart.org)
  • "In 2015 I re-introduced the 'Blair Holt Licensing and Firearms Record of Sale Act.' After the assassination on 9-year old Tyshawn Lee, I am adamant about reforming and reshaping the unfettered access to dangerous firearms being accessible to criminals. This bill provides for the implementation of a system of licensing for purchasers of certain firearms and for a record of sale system for those firearms, and for other purposes." (votesmart.org)
  • Signed a letter stating: "We write to urge you to renew enforcement of the ban on imported military-style firearms -- including those that are fully manufactured abroad as well as those that are imported as parts -- which was previously enforced during the administrations of Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton." (votesmart.org)
  • "Thanks to the #ACA 850,000 people in Illinois have gained health coverage #ProtectOurCare" (twitter.com)
  • "Today God and sane judgment prevailed. The attack on healthcare has been tabled. We will continue to protect our interests. #ProtectOurCare" (twitter.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6201 - Families First Coronavirus Response Act. (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 3% by NumbersUSA. (votesmart.org)
  • "Trump repeatedly said that Mexico would pay for the wall. Then he tried to get American taxpayers to foot the bill directly. Since that did not work, he pushed for the U.S. military to fund his wall and now he is calling for the militarization of the southern border. At best, that would be a temporary fix and would fail to solve our most pressing immigration issues. It is past time for the President to work with Democrats on bipartisan immigration solutions, such as making a deal on DACA and securing our border instead of using our military servicemembers as political props."" (votesmart.org)
  • "Across the country, Dreamers and TPS and DED holders are essential members of our communities who work and live alongside us and contribute to the best of America. They are our nation's teachers, students, medical professionals, first responders, entrepreneurs, and taxpayers," said Rush. "However, the Trump Administration has cruelly dishonored and attacked these immigrants, pushing a callous and cruel anti-immigrant agenda that undermines immigrants' right and protections, tears apart families, and forces communities to live under a cloud of fear and uncertainty. But Democrats are honoring our obligation to these immigrants and honoring America's heritage as a land of immigrants with today's introduction of the Dream and Promise Act." (votesmart.org)
  • I call upon Congressional leadership to immediately begin work to protect these individuals and preserve DACA and I encourage my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to join me in working to save it." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 3% by NumbersUSA. (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by Center for Security Policy. (votesmart.org)
  • "The Joint Chiefs of Staff has now confirmed that the only way to destroy North Korea's nuclear arsenal is through a ground invasion. That is deeply disturbing and could result in hundreds of thousands, or even millions of deaths in just the first few days of fighting." (votesmart.org)
  • "Trump would like us to believe his "fake news' that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is not working. In reality, though, it is. This agreement has paved the way for historic restrictions and thorough inspections that prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by Center for Security Policy. (votesmart.org)
  • Signed a letter stating: "We support your restraint to to date in resisting the calls for a "quick" and easy" military intervention. and for your committment not to send combat troops back to Iraq." (votesmart.org)
  • "Our recent history has taught us that the trade deals our country has enacted have a negative impact on the American workforce. I believe the underlying trade bill, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), that is currently being negotiated will only further erode America's manufacturing jobs, particularly the automobile industry. These trade bills have been nothing more than a tourniquet that denied the flow from the poor to rise to the middle-class." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 75% by Public Citizen. (votesmart.org)
  • "Illinois depends on our reciprocal trading relationship with Canada and Mexico, which supports almost half a million jobs in Illinois. However, I have also seen the damage wrought by well-meaning free trade agreements, such as NAFTA, that have caused many well-paying jobs to leave my district. That is why I am pleased to see the implementation of the USMCA, which includes key provisions secured by House Democrats." (votesmart.org)
  • "Today, I reintroduced legislation to normalize relations with the Republic of Cuba. The United States–Cuba Relations Normalization Act will lift the trade embargo and remove restrictions on commerce and travel." (twitter.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5430 - United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act. (votesmart.org)

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