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Kirsten Gillibrand's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Office:

On The Ballot: Running, Democratic, Working Families for U.S. Senate (NY) - 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.

Kirsten Gillibrand 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.

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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 2018.

  • "A woman’s ability to access affordable reproductive health care is a basic right. Kirsten is committed to protecting and defending women's access to the full range of reproductive health care services. She will always push back against the efforts of those who seek to restrict women's reproductive freedom. Her work has earned her a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood and NARAL. " (kirstengillibrand.com)
  • "Abortion is already inaccessible for many. Overturning Roe would only put more people at risk and out of reach of health care, which is exactly what Republicans are planning for." (votesmart.org)
  • “Senator Gillibrand believes that a woman's medical decisions should always be made between her, her family, and her doctor - not by politicians.” (www.gillibrand.senate.gov)
  • “She will always push back against the efforts of those who seek to restrict women's reproductive freedom.”  (votesmart.org)
  • "If Republicans could give $1.5 trillion in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthiest among us, why can’t we invest a similar amount in a guaranteed jobs plan for regular Americans who are unemployed and willing to work to better their local community?" (twitter.com)
  • "The Republican tax plan is an abomination—nothing but a massive giveaway to corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Time is running out before the final vote on this plan, so please make sure to keep up the pressure. Contact your Senators and tell them to vote NO." (twitter.com)
  • Signed a letter stating “Tax reform cannot be a cover story for delivering tax cuts to the wealthiest. We will not support any tax reform plan that includes tax cuts for the top one percent.”” (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in opposition of HR 1 - Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. (votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "I will no longer accept donations from corporate PACs, and I wanted to share why I’ve made that decision. I hope you’ll join me in doing everything we can to fight to reform our broken campaign finance system." (twitter.com)
  • Signed a letter stating: “The lack of proper disclosure undermines the very campaign finance system envisioned by the Court. For six long years, companies have had free rein to solidify their influence in politics and maximize their impact on elections. As the magnitude of the problem and the potential for abuse has skyrocketed, investor demand for this information has greatly intensified.” (votesmart.org)
  •  "I'm proud to cosponsor the For The People Act, which would finally put our democracy back in the hands of the people. This urgently needed legislation would protect Americans' sacred right to vote, it would tackle corruption in our government, and it would help end the reign of big money in our politics. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill to protect and strengthen our democracy." (votesmart.org)
  • "Strongly agree w/Pres. Obama's call for investment in our infrastructure to get our economy moving & create #jobs:" (twitter.com)
  • "I'm very pleased to announce this funding for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program and the Community Development Block Grant Program," said Senator Gillibrand. "These programs help support economic development in rural and urban communities all over our state and helps ensure that low-income New Yorkers and their families can have a place to live no matter where they are from or what their life circumstances are. I was proud to fight for inclusion of this important federal investment in the omnibus, and I will continue to do everything I can in the Senate to support these programs." (votesmart.org)
  • "Reliable, fast internet access is a necessity and should not be a luxury," said Gillibrand. "The Streamlining and Investing in Broadband Infrastructure Act would give our rural communities in New York greater access to the broadband infrastructure they need to get online and stay competitive in our digital economy. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bipartisan legislation to keep all of our communities up to speed." (votesmart.org)
  • "If Republicans could give $1.5 trillion in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthiest among us, why can’t we invest a similar amount in a guaranteed jobs plan for regular Americans who are unemployed and willing to work to better their local community?" (twitter.com)
  • "The Republican tax plan is an abomination—nothing but a massive giveaway to corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Time is running out before the final vote on this plan, so please make sure to keep up the pressure. Contact your Senators and tell them to vote NO." (twitter.com)
  • Signed a letter stating “President Trump tweeted that these tax cuts would be "the biggest in the history of our country!" Maybe that is true for multinational corporations, and the wealthy foreign shareholders who own 35% of U.S. corporate stock, but it is not true for the residents of our states who will pay higher taxes under this plan.”” (votesmart.org)
  • “We should stop the transfer of massive generational wealth that exacerbates economic inequality. And we need to reverse the Trump tax plan's massive corporate tax cut and make sure that wealthy Americans and companies pay their fair share in taxes--we should be looking out for middle-class families, not giving handouts to millionaires and corporations.” (votesmart.org)
  • "If our public education fails, then America fails, and I do not believe Mrs. DeVos shares my commitment to a strong public education system." (twitter.com)
  • "Kirsten Gillibrand Retweeted Axios America cannot afford to shortchange the future. Instead of gutting our public schools, we should commit to building the best public education system in the world." (twitter.com)
  • Rated 100% by National Education Association. (votesmart.org)
  • “She voted to reauthorize and expand the Head Start program, and believes strongly that No Child Left Behind must be overhauled to support teachers and provide adequate funding for urban and rural schools that need assistance.” (votesmart.org)
  • "The United States must be a leader is reducing our dependence on fossil fuels by investing in renewable and sustainable technologies that will power our economy for years to come. " (www.gillibrand.senate.gov)
  • "Senator Gillibrand is focused on strengthening the environmental standards that protect the air we breathe and the water we drink. She has fought to clean up the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, as well as protect the Great Lakes from the threat of invasive species. She has also fought hard against efforts to undermine standards that require polluters to reduce their carbon emissions and toxic air pollution, and is working to ensure that harmful contaminants, including PFOA, are removed from our drinking water. She led a bipartisan the effort in the Senate to ban harmful microbeads that threaten the health of our lakes and oceans." (www.gillibrand.senate.gov)
  • “As president, she would work to get us to net-zero emissions by setting ambitious clean and renewable energy and efficiency standards, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies and creating tax incentives to reward innovation and investment in renewable energy technology, and phasing out fossil fuel production on our public lands and waters.” (kirstengillibrand.com)
  • “Reducing the consumption of fossil fuels isn’t enough given the climate crisis we face. We have to phase out production-starting now. As president, I will work to get us to net-zero carbon and greenhouse gas emissions nationwide and across the economy.” (votesmart.org)
  • "Senator Gillibrand’s Gun Trafficking and Crime Prevention Act addresses gun trafficking at every level by making it illegal to traffic or assist in the trafficking of a firearm, making it unlawful to deliver or receive two or more firearms where the individual knows or has reason to believe that the firearms are being, or will be, used in a felony. By going after straw-purchasers who buy a gun for someone else to help them evade required recordkeeping and background checks, corrupt gun dealers who sell firearms to traffickers, and persons who conspire with and organize gun trafficking rings, this legislation addresses firearms trafficking at every point of the chain." (www.gillibrand.senate.gov)
  • "Senator Gillibrand strongly opposes efforts to eliminate gun silencers from the requirements of the National Firearms Act." (www.gillibrand.senate.gov)
  • "Senator Gillibrand supports closing the temporary restraining order loophole by preventing individuals subject to a temporary restraining order from purchasing or possessing a firearm for the duration of the temporary restraining order, and also supports closing the dating violence loophole by expanding the definition of intimate partner to include a current or former dating partner." (www.gillibrand.senate.gov)
  • "Senator Gillibrand supports universal background checks for every gun sale regardless of where the sale takes place and does not believe that sellers should be able to proceed with a sale without a completed background check. Background checks are a common sense way to decrease gun violence and ensure that firearms do not get into the hands of those who are prohibited from having them." (www.gillibrand.senate.gov)
  • "The only way we are going to make our country safer from this epidemic of gun violence is with action: we need to fix our background check system and we need to pass a federal law that actually defines gun trafficking as a crime.” (votesmart.org)
  • “We need to pass universal background checks, stop gun trafficking, ban assault rifles and close gun sale loopholes to make sure guns can't get into the hands of dangerous criminals, terrorists or domestic abusers.” (votesmart.org)
  • “While Senator Gillibrand supports the Second Amendment to the Constitution, she is focused on protecting communities in every corner of New York from unnecessary gun violence by supporting common sense solutions to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals.” (www.gillibrand.senate.gov)
  • "America does not just tolerate immigration; it thrives on the contributions of immigrants. Kirsten supports comprehensive immigration reform that gives immigrants a path to earned citizenship; and she will stand up on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who deserve to stay in this country by supporting the DREAM Act." (kirstengillibrand.com)
  • “Before you move forward with floor consideration of the AHCA, we urge you to choose another path. For many years, we have acknowledged that despite its successes, the Affordable Care Act is not perfect and it needs improvement. We have always supported sensible improvements to the ACA and believe in working together to improve our health care system for the good of the patients it serves.” (votesmart.org)
  • "On behalf of my constituents, who have spoken out overwhelmingly against the cruel proposals in the American Health Care Act, I will do everything in my power to block this bill from becoming law.”  (votesmart.org)
  • Signed a letter stating “We respectfully request that you abandon your efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and undermine the U.S. health care system so that we can work together to improve the law and lower the cost of health care for all Americans.” (votesmart.org)
  • "But the president and his irresponsible enablers in Congress refuse to take yes for an answer. They want to hold our country hostage for a taxpayer funded, ineffective border wall that the president promised that Mexico will pay for." (twitter.com)
  • "Once again, @realDonaldTrump is threatening to shutdown the government for his wasteful, taxpayer-funded border wall. Instead of dangling threats to hold our country hostage, how about taking action to reunite hundreds of kids who remain separated from their parents?" (twitter.com)
  • Signed a letter stating “Finally, we strongly urge the Committee to reject funding for President Trump's border wall. A border wall would do little to aid drug interdiction efforts, as the majority of narcotics entering the U.S. from Mexico by land move primarily through our ports--a fact confirmed by DHS and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.” (votesmart.org)
  • “Unfortunately, the President and his irresponsible enablers in Congress refuse to take yes for an answer and instead want to hold America hostage for funding for a taxpayer-funded and ineffective border wall he promised Mexico was going to pay for.”  (votesmart.org)
  • "Kirsten supports comprehensive immigration reform that gives immigrants a path to earned citizenship; and she will stand up on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who deserve to stay in this country by supporting the DREAM Act." (kirstengillibrand.com)
  • “As a U.S. Senator, I will advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that treats immigrants fairly and gives them a path to earned citizenship."” (www.gillibrand.senate.gov)
  • “I will keep fighting for comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship. And it's absurd that I even have to say this, but I will: I would not divert border security funds into for-profit prisons to lock up children and asylum seekers. #DemDebate” (votesmart.org)
  • “Senator Gillibrand supports creating a real path to citizenship with strict accountability. She is a co-sponsor of Senator Menendez's Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill aimed at addressing the broken immigration system with tough, smart, and fair measures.” (votesmart.org)
  • "We need to end the federal prohibition and ensure marijuana is available to anyone who needs it. Criminalization has to end." (twitter.com)
  • "You cannot discuss criminal justice reform without talking about decriminalizing marijuana. It is a moral and a social justice issue." (twitter.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.

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