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Tim Kaine's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Office:

On The Ballot: Running, Democratic for U.S. Senate (VA) - 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.

Tim Kaine 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.

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 2018.

  • "I strongly support the right of women to make their own health and reproductive decisions and, for that reason, will oppose efforts to weaken or subvert the basic holding of Roe v. Wade." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by Planned Parenthood Action Fund (votesmart.org)
  • "The Republicans attempted to use the forthcoming Papal visit to force a vote on a 20-week federal abortion ban that has already been struck down by numerous federal courts as unconstitutional. Because it violates the 14th Amendment and 40 years of Supreme Court precedent, I voted against it. Nothing in my Catholic faith suggests that I should support legislation that violates the Constitution." (votesmart.org)
  • "If you let the Bush tax cuts expire over 500,000 [dollars in annual income], that's more than $500 billion of deficit reduction." (www.huffingtonpost.com)
  • "[...] rather than raise taxes on the wealthy by a single penny, they'd put thousands of defense jobs at risk. Let's be clear: That's not fiscally responsible. That's fiscally reckless." (votesmart.org)
  • "There is no reason why we should be giving tax subsidies to major oil companies -- particularly when they are making record profits. And, the Bush tax cuts, made temporary specifically because of worries about the deficit, should be allowed to expire as planned for those making $500,000 a year or more." (votesmart.org)
  • "Tim supports a smart and balanced approach to budgeting that funds our national defense, children’s health care, education, substance abuse prevention, and other key programs. He has become a leader in helping Congress come to bipartisan, multi-year spending agreements that fund these critical domestic priorities and the military. " (www.kaine.senate.gov)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Not only do investments in infrastructure support critical transportation needs, they are also an avenue for job creation and raise our platform for economic growth." (votesmart.org)
  • "Our economy and quality of life depend on robust transportation infrastructure." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R.22 "Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "For months, I've tried to convince Republicans to work with us on a tax reform bill that would actually put middle-class families and small businesses in Virginia first. Instead, they jammed through a bad bill that will raise taxes on millions of working Americans, explode the deficit, and raise health care premiums. Tonight we gave Republicans multiple opportunities to give more of the benefits to the middle class instead of big corporations and the super wealthy, but they rejected every single one. The Senate let down the people we serve today, and if this becomes law the American public will be stuck with the painful consequences for years to come." (votesmart.org)
  • "As governor of Virginia, Kaine also signed the state up to support the development of the Common Core. But the state ultimately rejected the academic standards in math and English in favor of its own standards, which state officials deemed more rigorous." (www.politico.com)
  • "ESSA maintains critical assessment requirements, but it also requires schools to track the progress of every child while also allowing States and school districts to set their own goals for improvement and determine what interventions are best when these achievement gaps persist." (votesmart.org)
  • "I was the first Governor to put in place a state energy plan for Virginia. The plan calls for use of all Virginia energy sources -- coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear, hydropower, biodiesel, wind and solar -- and would reduce Virginia's rate of growth in energy use by 40 percent, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent, and seeks to increase in-state energy production by 20 percent." (votesmart.org)
  • "We have to get beyond the idea that we need to choose between a clean environment and a strong economy. We all want cleaner air and water. We all want jobs. They don't have to contradict each other." (votesmart.org)
  • "[...] Governor Kaine has pledged to work for more aggressive policies for Bay cleanup, and to create a dialogue within the Southern States on ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and how our natural resources can be an asset for the nation in the area of energy independence." (votesmart.org)
  • "I was the first Governor to put in place a state energy plan for Virginia. The plan calls for use of all Virginia energy sources -- coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear, hydropower, biodiesel, wind and solar -- and would reduce Virginia's rate of growth in energy use by 40 percent, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent, and seeks to increase in-state energy production by 20 percent." (votesmart.org)
  • "Last year, I wrote to the EPA after the proposal came out, arguing that state targets should give more credit to states like Virginia that reduced emissions before they were required to by law, as well as advocating inclusion of a sensible way to adjust the plan if there are unforeseen impacts on electric reliability. It appears that the EPA has acknowledged these suggestions by creating a "safety valve" to preempt undue impacts on reliability and by recognizing Virginia's prior success by assigning it a target that is about 15% easier to meet than before." (votesmart.org)
  • "We have to get beyond the idea that we need to choose between a clean environment and a strong economy. We all want cleaner air and water. We all want jobs. They don't have to contradict each other." (votesmart.org)
  • Cosponsored and voted in favor of S.Amdt.2910 "Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (votesmart.org)
  • "Tim is a gun owner and supports the Second Amendment, but he also believes we must take concrete steps to reduce gun violence. He supports universal background checks, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and improving our mental health system." (timkaine.com)
  • "[...] I am committed to improving our health care system and lowering the growth in health care costs. The Affordable Care Act is a critical step in this direction." (votesmart.org)
  • "I support the Affordable Care Act as a first step to put patients in charge of their health care decisions and put the brakes on runaway health care costs that were crippling patients and businesses." (votesmart.org)
  • "The aggressive construction timeline has high potential for waste. DHS has faced challenges staying on schedule and budget when making major acquisitions in the past, and acquisitions remain on the Department's high-risk list. Despite these challenges, the President's Executive Order requires the Secretary to construct a wall before he has even had the chance to assess what is needed to secure our border. This backwards timeline is a surefire way to waste taxpayer funds on an unnecessary wall, when other solutions would be more effective." (votesmart.org)
  • "U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined U.S. Tom Senator Carper and 22 of their colleagues to introduce legislation to rescind President Trump's executive order to construct a border wall and ramp up deportations and detentions of undocumented immigrants." (votesmart.org)
  • "I support the DREAM Act so that students brought to the United States by their parents are not penalized, but instead given a meaningful opportunity to educate themselves and/or serve in our nation's military, thereby becoming productive members of this country." (votesmart.org)
  • "The Supreme Court's split decision on DAPA and DACA is a setback, but the fight to bring millions of families in Virginia and across the country out of the shadows is far from over." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of S.744 "Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "This bill makes commonsense reforms to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level so states can make their own decisions about what's best for them and what's best for their own local economies," Kaine said. "This is also about easing the long injustice of laws that have disproportionately affected minority communities. I'm hopeful that with these reforms, states will correct some of those harsh punishments where they see fit." (votesmart.org)
  • "We ask that the Appropriation Committee work with us to craft the precise that will preserve state laws regarding marijuana regulation until we can establish a longer-term framework" (www.scribd.com)
  • "Tim has been a leading voice in the Senate on Iran and a co-author of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015. He believes it was a mistake for President Trump to walk away from the Iran deal, which has enhanced U.S. and global security by preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon." (www.kaine.senate.gov)
  • "Hillary and I also agree that the establishment of humanitarian zones in northern Syria with the provision of international human aid, consistent with the U.N. Security Council resolution that was passed in February 2014, would be a very, very good idea." (votesmart.org)
  • "I disagree with the President's assertion that he has all necessary legal authority to wage an offensive war against ISIL without Congressional approval. But the President does acknowledge the need for Congressional approval of his plan to support the Syrian opposition and invites broader Congressional support of the multinational effort to defeat ISIL." (votesmart.org)
  • "It's my hope that this proposal will help move the ball forward on what a specific and narrow authorization for limited military action against ISIL should look like -- one that bars the deployment of U.S. ground combat troops except for rescue missions or limited operations against high-value targets, and sunsets in one year so that progress can be assessed before continuing the mission." (votesmart.org)

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