Kevin Cramer's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Office:
- U.S. Senate (ND) - Jr, Republican
On The Ballot: Running, Republican for U.S. Senate (ND) - Jr
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.
Kevin Cramer has failed to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2018 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
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 2018.
- Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? "Pro-Life" (votesmart.org)
- "We must protect the rights of every human, especially those who have no voice," said Cramer. "Science has proven children feel pain 20 weeks from conception. It is important our laws reflect that reality. Certainly a civilized society should do all it can to avoid hurting our most vulnerable citizens." (votesmart.org)
- "As thousands of pro-life activists come to Washington to champion this important cause, I am honored to stand alongside them and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves," said Cramer. "As a father and grandfather, it troubles me to know any child can experience such an excruciating death before knowing all the joys of living. This week the House voted to protect the survivors of abortion and ensure the dignity of life is reflected in our nation's laws. I will continue to work with my colleagues to advocate for the rights of every life while serving the people of North Dakota in Congress." (votesmart.org)
- "Life is precious. Every child should have the chance for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We must work to protect our most vulnerable in every way possible, and I have and will continue to do so. That's why I supported the most recent attempt at banning late-term abortion in our nation. As your Senator, I will reinforce our Christian foundational values to protect the unborn and I will continue to fight for pro-life issues." (votesmart.org)
- In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? "No" (votesmart.org)
- "I've always stood in support of pro-growth economic policies that empower taxpayers and get the government out of the way and out of your pocket. That's why I voted for the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act in 2017. Thousands of North Dakotans are benefiting from the tax cuts which gave 90 percent of North Dakota taxpayers more money in their paychecks, provided businesses with the certainty they needed to create new jobs, and offered families the economic relief they deserve. The results of the tax cut have been stunning. In May, our nation's unemployment rate hit its lowest point in 18 years and the U.S. economy added 223,000 new jobs. This is what a pro-growth agenda delivers!" (votesmart.org)
- In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending? "No" (votesmart.org)
- Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? "No" (votesmart.org)
- Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? "No" (votesmart.org)
- "Todayâs a truly historic moment for Congress, for our country, and for the conservative values of small government that so many of us stand on. With the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Congress just corrected the tax imbalance created by decades of special interest lobbying in Washington. In 2018, North Dakota families across all income levels will keep more of their money; America will be open for business as one of the most competitive countries in the world; and 70,000 pages of convoluted tax code will be simplified to the point where most individuals will be able to fill out their taxes on a post card. Putting money back into local economies where it belongs is the best Christmas gift Washington can give, and I was glad to support Congressional Republicans and President Trump in bringing tax cuts to the people of North Dakota." (cramer.house.gov)
- Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? "Yes" (votesmart.org)
- "Education standards should be set at the state and local levels." (votesmart.org)
- Rated 3% by Environment America (votesmart.org)
- "It has always been clear to North Dakotans that the EPA has overreached its legal authority by going outside the fence line of individual power plants and North Dakota is a good example of arbitrary and capricious emissions standards." (votesmart.org)
- Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act, a bill Congressman Kevin Cramer cosponsored with fellow Natural Resources Committee member, Congressman Scott Tipton. The bill passed 416 to 7 and eases hydropower development at existing Bureau of Reclamation water canals and pipelines. "The bill allows renewable energy to be harnessed from our nation's canals and pipes without a government subsidy," Cramer said. "These facilities have already gone through extensive environmental review and adding small hydropower generation shouldn't be subject to more costly and time consuming reviews." The legislation also ensures that there will be no financial or operational impacts to existing water and power users. "If there's low-hanging fruit this is it, reduced administrative costs, clean, reliable, affordable energy, private sector jobs, no cost to taxpayers, and no environmental impact," Cramer concluded. (votesmart.org)
- Signed a letter stating, "We are writing to request that the subcommittee provide at least $2 million for the implementation of the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperative Agreement in the FY2017 Energy and Water Appropriations bill. This funding will be utilized to further implement Section 917 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, P.L. 110-140, and the May 2008 agreement between the U.S. and Israel on strategic energy cooperation. As you are aware, Congress passed in 2014, and the President signed into law, the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act (P.L. 113-296). Among other important provisions, the measure reauthorized the cooperative energy program through 2024 and expanded its mandate, covering collaborative R&D into renewable technologies, natural gas and water -- key areas of interest for the United States. We greatly appreciate the support your subcommittee has provided for this program in the past. The U.S. government has provided $13.7 million for the program since its inception. The funding has been fully matched by the Government of Israel; this is not an aid program. During the same period, the program has also leveraged over $32 million in private sector cost-sharing. This program is an important tool in our efforts to achieve greater energy security and independence, and leverages small grant dollars to incentivize private sector innovation and new partnerships in the pursuit of a critical objective. U.S.-Israel projects currently underway include advancements in energy production over water reservoirs, lowering energy consumption for water treatment, energy optimization for manufacturers, wind energy storage, reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for tractor trailers, and noise control for distributed power generation." (votesmart.org)
- "Whether itâs coal, oil, natural gas and even windâwe have helped spur the meteoric rise of our country into an energy superpower. I will continue to stand in support of all of these industries and will fight to prevent out-of-control federal bureaucrats from creating regulatory roadblocks that cost jobs and deter investment." (www.kevincramer.org)
- Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? "No" (votesmart.org)
- "It has always been clear to North Dakotans that the EPA has overreached its legal authority by going outside the fence line of individual power plants and North Dakota is a good example of arbitrary and capricious emissions standards." (votesmart.org)
- "Gun restrictions on law abiding citizens makes us less safe." (votesmart.org)
- Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? "Yes" (votesmart.org)
- Rated 100% by Federation for American Immigration Reform (votesmart.org)
- "We in the House of Representatives passed Kate's law, the No Sanctuary Cities for Criminals Act, and provided the full White House requested amount of $1.6 billion towards building the border wall. It's up to the Senate now to act and fulfill our promise to the American people." (votesmart.org)
- "I believe it is absolutely necessary for our country to secure our borders. In accordance with existing law, we need to take all appropriate steps to immediately plan, design, and construct a physical wall along the southern border of the U.S. In addition, we need to hire additional Border Patrol agents and put a stop to chain migration. For too long, our immigration policy has been broken, and it has created a national security crisis that will only be solved once our borders are secure again. In particular, we must act to defund sanctuary cities immediately. In the House, I was proud to support a bill that would have done exactly that. We passed it, and it went on to fail in the Senate which reinforces the need for our state to have another Senator that will stand for the rule of law and against illegal immigration." (votesmart.org)
- Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? "Yes" (votesmart.org)
- "It's about time our nation enforces its immigration laws, secures its southern border and puts a higher value on the safety of United States citizens than the protection of illegal immigrants. By making this a priority the first week of his presidency, President Trump is underscoring his commitment to respecting the rule of law, protecting public safety and strengthening the American economy. I have consistently supported legislation in Congress on homeland security, immigration reform and sanctuary cities, including being an original co-sponsor of H.R. 400, the Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act, introduced the first week of the new Congress. Finally we have a President who will stand by our efforts in Congress to bring common sense to an immigration policy in dire need of reform." (votesmart.org)
- Rated 0% by Americans for Safe Access (votesmart.org)
- "Whatever states want to do, I think it should be up to states." (www.kfyrtv.com)
- Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon? "Yes" (votesmart.org)
- "While there are no great options when it comes to Afghanistan, President Trump is smart to shift the strategy from one of arbitrary timetables to one based on current conditions on the ground. In Iraq, we've seen what happens when we pull our troops out before the mission is finished -- a vacuum for terrorist groups like ISIS takeover. We can't let that happen again in Afghanistan." (votesmart.org)
- "Hamas' use of human shields to protect the very weapons they use to attack Israel and our allies is reprehensible," said Cramer. "Their actions put additional innocent lives at risk. The United States cannot sit idly by while Hamas continues committing atrocities against civilians and children by using them as human shields. The United States should use every tool in its arsenal to root out terrorist organizations like Hamas. Only with Hamas eliminated will Israel and freedom loving people in the Middle East live in peace." (votesmart.org)
- "Iran has proven why this deal was a bad agreement in the first place. It was a bad deal for our allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia, and threatened our national security interests. Upon receiving billions of dollars and access to world oil markets, Iran continued funding multiple terrorist organizations creating further unrest across the Middle East. Since it is too late to get back the money the Obama Administration and Senate Democrats pumped into Iran's economy, I support the President's decisions to reimpose strong sanctions." (votesmart.org)
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.
| No | In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending? | ||
| No | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| The First Amendment to the Constitution is clear on this and has been upheld by the Supreme Court. While I support full disclosure for candidate and direct contributions, what other organizations, liberal and conservative, do to promote their beliefs is up to them. We are free people and it should be left that way. | |||
| No | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| This is an issue where my position has evolved over the years. I do not believe the threat of death deters crime. I am 100% pro-life. | |||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support lowering taxes as a way of promoting growth in the economy? | ||
| Yes | Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| I support use of a "Made in America" deduction with accelerated depreciation options as long as it is applied across all industries equally. I also support reducing business income taxes to make America the country of choice for investment in job creation. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| Education standards should be set at the state and local levels. | |||
| Yes | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| America's economic security and national security depend on our energy security. We can develop and use our vast energy reserves as a tool for peace instead of using weapons of war to enhance our influence in the world. | |||
| No | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Unilaterally disarming the American economy for negligible benefit does nothing good for anyone but does tremendous harm to us. | |||
| No | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Gun restrictions on law abiding citizens makes us less safe. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| If we can't repeal it we must fix it. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| Yes | Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | ||
| Yes | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| If necessary. | |||
| No | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
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 | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Arts | ||
| Greatly Increase | c) Defense | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Education | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Maintain Status | g) International aid | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Space exploration | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Greatly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| m) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Eliminate | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| k) Other or expanded categories | |||
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.