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Bernie Sanders' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Office:

On The Ballot: Running, Democratic, Independent for U.S. Senate (VT) - Sr

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.
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Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Bernie Sanders has failed to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2024 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

What is the Political Courage Test?

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 2024.

  • Rated 100% by Planned Parenthood Action Fund (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Today, two years since the Dobbs decision, let me be as clear as can be: Despite what Trump's extreme, right-wing Supreme Court justices may believe, it’s women, not the government, who have the right to control their own bodies. Abortion must be a constitutional right – period." (x.com)
  • Rated 0% by National Right to Life Committee (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3755 "Women's Health Protection Act of 2021" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSM) (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "I happen to believe in the radical notion that you should be able to grow old and hear the people around you, to keep teeth in your mouth, and to see the world around you. Let's expand Medicare to cover hearing aids, dental, and eyeglasses." (x.com)
  • "We must scrap the cap on the wealthy and expand Social Security benefits — not cut them." (x.com)
  • Rated 99% by Alliance for Retired Americans (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 11% by National Taxpayers Union (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "I say to Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump: Instead of repealing the estate tax, let’s substantially increase this tax on multi-millionaires and billionaires and reduce wealth inequality in America." (x.com)
  • Rated 0% by FreedomWorks (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 1 "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by FreedomWorks (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "I say to Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump: Instead of repealing the estate tax, let’s substantially increase this tax on multi-millionaires and billionaires and reduce wealth inequality in America." (x.com)
  • "There's something profoundly wrong in the global economy when 350 million people are "marching toward starvation" according to the United Nations, while the top 1% now own 5,500 yachts that are at least 100-feet long. We need a wealth tax to combat this grotesque inequality." (x.com)
  • Rated 8% by The Club for Growth (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by Common Cause (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Are we a democracy or an oligarchy? AIPAC’s super PAC is spending more money to defeat Jamaal Bowman, $14.5 million, than any non-party group has ever spent in a House race. We must overturn the disastrous Citizens United decision and move to public funding of elections." (x.com)
  • Rated 100% by End Citizens United (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of S 2093 "For the People Act of 2021" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "When we are in the White House we will mandate criminal liability for civil rights violations resulting from police misconduct, and limit "qualified immunity" for police officers." (x.com)
  • "The American people are sick and tired of police abuse without consequences. Congress must end "qualified immunity" now so that police can be held accountable for wrongdoing, just like everybody else." (x.com)
  • Rated 0% by National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "It’s time to abolish "qualified immunity" so police officers can be held fully accountable for abuses they commit. No one is above the law." (x.com)
  • "Question: why is it that the Build Back Better plan is so ruthlessly opposed by the entire ruling class of this country? Answer: because with this bill, we are showing that government can deliver for the needs of working class people, not just billionaires and corporations." (x.com)
  • "How do we have trillions of dollars to spend on endless wars, but we don’t have the money for education and health care? How do we have money for tax breaks for billionaires, but not to feed hungry children? Together we are going to change those priorities." (x.com)
  • "I applaud Democrats in the House of Representatives for uniting to pass the Build Back Better Act. Now the Senate has an opportunity to hear the demands of the American people and strengthen the bill. That’s what we must do." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3684 "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "I will not tell the young people that we can't address the climate crisis. I will not tell people that are homeless that we can't build affordable housing. I will not tell families that we can't make child care affordable. We must address the needs of the working class." (x.com)
  • "Corrupt real estate developers are gentrifying neighborhoods and forcing working families out of the homes and apartments, only to replace them with fancy condominiums and hotels that only the very rich can afford. We need affordable housing for all." (x.com)
  • "Do I believe in an "entitlement society"? Yeah, I do. I believe that all Americans are entitled to a quality education, to affordable housing, to a decent standard of living. I do not believe that 2 people are entitled to block what the majority of the American people want." (x.com)
  • "This country is in the midst of a massive housing crisis. Millions of people are spending more than 50% of their limited income on rent. More than 650K people are homeless. Enough is enough. Affordable housing is a human right." (x.com)
  • "The oil and gas industry is making huge profits. The pharmaceutical industry is making huge profits. The food industry is making huge profits. Outrageous levels of corporate greed are fueling the inflation that is hurting so many people." (x.com)
  • "If my Republican colleagues are so concerned about inflation maybe, just maybe, they should not have blocked the bill I introduced yesterday with Senator Klobuchar to cut prescription drug prices under Medicare in half by taking on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5376 "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Today the Inflation Reduction Act passed the Senate 51-50. In my view, this legislation goes nowhere near far enough for working families, but it does begin to address the existential crisis of climate change. It’s an important step forward and I was happy to support it." (x.com)
  • "I hear Republicans complaining about $20,000 in student debt forgiveness. Funny, I didn't hear those complaints when Trump declared bankruptcy 6 times & had $287 million in loans forgiven by big banks. The GOP l-o-v-e-s socialism for the rich, rugged individualism for the rest." (x.com)
  • Rated 100% by National Education Association (NEA) (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The average amount of debt forgiveness to businesses receiving PPP loans: $95,700. If we could afford to cancel hundreds of billions in PPP loans to business owners in their time of need, please do not tell me we can't afford to cancel all student debt for 45 million Americans." (x.com)
  • "Cancel student debt. All of it." (x.com)
  • Rated 100% by Public Citizen (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Cowardly Republicans, afraid of democracy, want to make it harder for people to participate in the political process. What are they afraid of? Our job is to make it easier to vote, increase voter turnout and strengthen our democracy. Together, we will end voter suppression." (x.com)
  • "In my view, there is no compromise when it comes to protecting the right to vote. We must stop the onslaught of voter suppression and make it easier, not harder to vote in this country." (x.com)
  • Rated 100% by Common Cause (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "There is no such thing as "clean coal." There is no such thing as "sustainably fracked" natural gas. We are going to end the greed of the fossil fuel industry and move to 100% renewable energy. #GreenNewDeal" (x.com)
  • "As renewable costs fall, there is no technological obstacle to transforming our energy system to create millions of good jobs. What we need now is the political will for a Green New Deal." (x.com)
  • "There are people in Washington who say the Green New Deal is too expensive and we can’t afford it. What is the alternative? A planet which is burning up?" (x.com)
  • Rated 0% by American Energy Alliance (AEA) (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "We cannot allow Trump to put the fossil fuel industry's short-term profits ahead of the climate and rights of indigenous peoples. We must stand with the Gwich'in Nation, stop this drilling in the Arctic, and aggressively transition away from fossil fuels." (x.com)
  • "For decades, Big Oil has destroyed our planet for short-term profits. Vermont is now the first state to pass a law holding the fossil fuel industry accountable for the crisis of climate change. The polluters must pay for the damage they've wrought." (x.com)
  • "There is no such thing as "clean coal." There is no such thing as "sustainably fracked" natural gas. We are going to end the greed of the fossil fuel industry and move to 100% renewable energy. #GreenNewDeal" (x.com)
  • Rated 0% by American Energy Alliance (AEA) (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by National Rifle Association (NRA) (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "A three-letter word is blocking the Senate from passing common-sense gun legislation: the NRA. I wear the D- grade they gave me for my voting record as a badge of honor." (x.com)
  • "Today we remember the Parkland students and teachers who lost their lives. Thank you to the young people who have courageously led the movement to end gun violence. With your leadership and the strong support of the American people we will pass commonsense gun safety legislation" (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of S 2938 "Bipartisan Safer Communities Act" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "It is time for Medicare for All." (x.com)
  • "I am proud to be reintroducing Medicare for All with my colleagues in the House and Senate to once and for all guarantee health care as a human right." (x.com)
  • "If there ever was a moment that showed us the need for all people to be able to get health care regardless of their income, this is that moment. Medicare for All now." (x.com)
  • "The debate over Medicare for All really has never really been about health care. No. This is a debate that has everything to do with the extraordinary greed of the health care industry and their desire to maintain a system which makes them huge profits." (x.com)
  • "It is time to put an end to corporate greed in the rail industry. If the companies can afford to spend billions on stock buybacks and hand out huge dividends to their wealthy shareholders, they can afford to provide their workers seven days of paid sick leave." (x.com)
  • "In Denmark, as a result of strong unions, McDonald's workers make $22 an hour, get 6 weeks paid vacation & 1 year of paid leave. In the US, 58% of McDonald's workers make less than $12 an hour & no benefits while its CEO makes $20 million. Every worker needs a union. #MayDay2022" (x.com)
  • "On #PrimeDay, let's not forget. Amazon blamed "inflation" on a 17% price hike in a Prime membership after its profits soared 450% since the pandemic to a record $38 billion while avoiding $5 billion in taxes, spending $4 million on union busting & denying workers paid sick leave." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6201 "Families First Coronavirus Response Act" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Why is Novo Nordisk charging Americans over $1,000 for a prescription drug that can be can be purchased for $59 in Germany? That is not making a reasonable return on investment. That is price gouging. That is corporate greed." (x.com)
  • "Despite all the wealth and political power of the pharmaceutical industry, we are beginning to make some progress on lowering the cost of prescription drugs in this country. And we’re not stopping here." (x.com)
  • "President Biden and I are working together to lower the outrageously high cost of prescription drugs in our country. Today, we wrote a joint op-ed that appeared in USA Today. Americans cannot continue to be ripped off by the pharmaceutical industry." (x.com)
  • "We’ve secured some important victories in health care recently. But much more needs to be done. Next, we continue to take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and lower the cost of prescription drugs and health care in America. We cannot let up." (x.com)
  • Rated 14% by NumbersUSA (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Our infrastructure is crumbling. Instead of building a wall on the Mexican border, we should create millions of good-paying jobs rebuilding our roads, bridges, water systems, wastewater plants, schools, airports and affordable housing." (x.com)
  • "There’s no crisis at the border but Trump’s shutdown is creating a crisis: The safety of the nation’s air travel system is at risk, tax refunds might not go out on time, national parks are overflowing with trash and hundreds of thousands of federal employees aren’t getting paid." (x.com)
  • Rated 6% by Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Trump’s decision to end DACA was one of the ugliest and cruelest decisions ever made by a president in modern history. He lost. Congratulations to DREAMers and all who fought to make this enormous victory possible. The fight for justice continues!" (x.com)
  • "Trump is a liar. He's a racist. We're going to defeat him. And we're going to reverse every ugly thing he has done to demonize immigrants—starting with immediately restoring protections for Dreamers and their parents." (x.com)
  • "Trump took away the legal rights of the 1.8 million young people eligible for DACA. That is an outrage. Those rights must be restored. #PromisesBroken" (x.com)
  • Rated 6% by Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6126 "Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Iran is facing a catastrophic toll from the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. sanctions should not be contributing to this humanitarian disaster. As a caring nation, we must lift any sanctions hurting Iran’s ability to address this crisis, including financial sanctions." (x.com)
  • "The U.S. and our allies must impose severe sanctions on Vladimir Putin and his fellow oligarchs. At a time when thousands may die as a result of his war, Putin, one of the richest people in the world, should not be allowed to enjoy the billions he stole from the Russian people." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6833 "Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6833 "Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "I look forward to seeing Congress provide, in the very near future, financial support for Ukraine which is valiantly struggling against Russian aggression." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 7691 "Making emergency supplemental appropriations for assistance for the situation in Ukraine for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, and for other purposes." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
Pro-choice Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
I support a woman's right to choose.
Yes Do you support a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan?
No Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan?
I support a timetable for quick and complete US withdrawal from Afghanistan. We went to war against Afghanistan to capture Osama bin Laden. He is now dead, and our reason for being there no longer pertains/.

Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing the federal budget.In order to balance the budget,

Yes do you support reducing defense spending?
Yes do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
No do you support reducing Medicaid spending?
No do you support reducing Medicare spending?
Yes Is balancing the budget a legislative priority?
We should move toward serious deficit reduction, most importantly by taxing the wealthy, who do not pay their fair share of the tax burden, and by closing tax loopholes for large corporations and corporations which ship jobs abroad to fatten their corporate profits. We should NOT blance the buget on the shoulders of the elderly, children, the poor, veterans or the currently hard-pressed middle class.
Yes Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
Citizens United, which decided that corporations are persons and have an almost unlimited capacity to contribute to political campaigns and the issues which shape political campaigns, is one of the two or three worst decisions in the history of the Supreme Court. I jhave introduced legislation which would, by constitutional amendment, reverse Citizens United.
Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
Yes Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
Yes Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation?
Yes Do you support spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation?
Yes Do you support the temporary extension of unemployment benefits?
Do you support the 2010 temporary extension of tax relief?
[...support the temporary extension of tax relief?] Candidate answered "Yes" and "No". I support the extention of tax relief for middle class and working families. I do not, emphatically, support the extension of tax breaks for those earning over $250,000 a year. I believe that federal investment in infrastructure both creates jobs, and makes our nation stronger and more economically competitive. In terms of stimulating our economy and creationg jobs -- as well as sustaining those trapped by this severe economic recession -- I think both unemployment compensation at food stamps are essential to support Americans devastated by the recession.
No Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants?
I believe states, which along with communities have traditionally been the main support for our public schools, should be the entities which decide on reforms. I strongly support both early education (and child care) and extended education (after school programs, summer programs) as ways to strengthen our education of children and youth. I strongly support Pell grants, which help make college more affordable to the children of working families
No Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production?
Global warming is real, and a threat to not only future generations, but to our very planet itself. I strongly support sustainable energy -- solar, wind, biomass, geothermal -- as a way to reduce carbon emissions, and to reduce our dependence of foreign oil.
Yes Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change?
Yes Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
Global warming, and climate change, are one of the great challenges we face today. We must act aggressively to reduce carbon emissions. Solar, wind, thermal and biomass can greatly help us to move in tht direction. I ction. So can the development of hybrid-electric and electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and greater investment in mass transit.
Unknown Position Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
I believe that most concerns about owndership, purchase and possession of guns is best addressed at the state level. As a senator, I believe in deferring this question to the states.
Yes Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act?
Yes Should individuals be required to purchase health insurance, as mandated in the 2010 Affordable Care Act?
The Affordable Care Act is a step forward toward universal health care, but it is imperfect, and so I voted for it but without strongly endorsing it. I have long believed that health care is a right of every citizen -- every citizen -- and that the best way to achieve a strong and fair health care system is through a Medicare-for-all, single payer system. I have consistently introduced, and strongly supported, legislation to establish a single-payer approach to health care.
No Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
Yes Do you support allowing illegal immigrants, who were brought to the United States as minors, to pursue citizenship without returning to their country of origin?
Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration law by state and local police?
Legal immigration is and should be our practice and our goal. But with 11.5 undocumented immigrants currently residing in the US, we must address that reality. I support the DREAM Act, which would confer citizenship on young people who grew up in the United States if they serve in the military or graduate from high school. The 14th amendment of the Constitution makes the federal government, not the states, the arbiter of citizenship.
Yes Do you support same-sex marriage?
No Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict?
No Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon?
While we must aggressively pursue international terrorists and all of those who would do us harm, we must do it in a way that protects the Constitution and the civil liberties which make us proud to be Americans.
No Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts?
I am opposed to the privatization of Social Security.

SpendingIndicate what federal spending levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category; you can use a number more than once.TaxesIndicate what federal tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category; you can use a number more than once.

Slightly Decrease a) Agriculture
Maintain Status b) Arts
Greatly Decrease c) Defense
Greatly Increase d) Education
Slightly Increase e) Environment
Maintain Status f) Homeland Security
Maintain Status g) International aid
Slightly Increase h) Medical Research
Maintain Status i) Scientific Research
Slightly Decrease j) Space exploration
Maintain Status k) United Nations
Maintain Status l) Welfare
Greatly Increase a) Capital gains taxes
Greatly Increase b) Corporate taxes
Maintain Status c) Excise taxes (alcohol)
Maintain Status d) Excise taxes (cigarettes)
Maintain Status e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel)
Slightly Decrease f) Income taxes (low-income families)
Maintain Status g) Income taxes (middle-income families)
Greatly Increase h) Income taxes (high-income families)
Greatly Increase i) Inheritance taxes
j) Payroll taxes
1 Develop sustainable energy and create green jobs 6 Eliminate corporte welfare
Payroll taxes: I favor ending the payroll tax reduction, which was instituted as a short-term measure to stimulate the economy, because over the long term it will weaken the Social Security Trust Fund. I favor removing the cap on payroll taxes for those earning over $250,000 a year, because doing so would guarantee that all Social Security benefits could be paid for the next 75 years. I believe, I stated earlier, that the wealthy and corporations need to pay their fair share of taxes.
REversing the decline of the middle class, which is in good measure due to outsourcing of American jobs and an unfair tax code which has greatly reduced taxes on the wealthy while their share of both the ntion's ealth and its income have soared dramatically, REducign glob al warming and creating new, good-paying jbos by investing in sustainable energy and eenrgy efficiency. Bringing transparency to the banking industry, to the Federal Reserve, and to military contracting.

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