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Elizabeth Esty'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.

Elizabeth Esty has refused to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2016 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 2016.

  • Rated 100% by Planned Parenthood (votesmart.org)
  • " As your Representative in Congress, I will stand in strong defense of these rights. Simply put, a woman's medical decisions should always be made between her, her family, and her doctor--not politicians.Recent attempts by some politicians to chip away at that right, as well as efforts to restrict access to care, require us to remain vigilant. I strongly oppose the political actions of some House Republicans to outlaw abortions in Washington, D.C. and across the nation. We cannot afford to turn back the clock for women." (esty.house.gov)
  • "Protect a woman's right to choose. I strongly support a woman's right to choose and have a long record of advocacy for pro-choice causes, from volunteering for Planned Parenthood while in college to authoring Supreme Court briefs for medical providers." (votesmart.org)
  • "End the Bush tax cuts for millionaires. We must fight for tax relief for those who need it the most -- the middle class. We should end the special Bush tax cuts for millionaires and use that money to help balance the budget." (votesmart.org)
  • "Too many people are struggling today to find a job or hang onto the one they have. And too often Washington looks out for those at the top, instead of looking out for the middle class." (votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Now, more than ever, it is crucial that we do everything in our power to prevent these storms from taking more lives and wrecking more havoc on our infrastructure and our economy. Windstorms impact all 50 states and my amendment will help ensure that disaster mitigation funds are used to improve the resiliency of our critical infrastructure. I am proud to see the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act signed into law with my amendment included." (votesmart.org)
  • The Register Citizen "We need to make good long-term decisions that lay the foundation for economic growth, but we also need to make sure that vital safety nets are in place, especially when folks are struggling." (www.ct5thdistrict.com)
  • Voted in favor of H.R.22 "Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R.636 "America's Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2015" (votesmart.org)
  • "The budget Esty voted for makes critical investments to support American workers and boost our nation’s innovation and competitiveness, increases opportunity for middle-class families, and moves us towards a smarter, leaner government. Specifically, it makes key investments in upgrading our national infrastructure […] and provides tax relief for working families while closing tax loopholes for corporations that ship jobs overseas." (esty.house.gov)
  • "We must help our small business thrive, innovate and hire by providing access to capital, reducing unnecessary red tape, and making sure small business taxes are fair and encourage growth." (votesmart.org)
  • " 'Teaching to the test' and budget cuts at the local, state, and national levels, are failing our kids, our businesses, and our educators." (esty.house.gov)
  • "Today, Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (CT-5) voted against, H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act, legislation that would mandate federal approval of all construction and operation permits for the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline regardless of whether the pipeline meets the requirements of the law and without consideration for its long-term environmental impact." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against S.1 "A Bill to Approve the Keystone XL Pipeline" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by Environment America (votesmart.org)
  • "My first act in Congress was to introduce the Collinsville Renewable Energy Production Act, to permit the town of Canton to operate two small hydropower dams and generate clean, locally produced power. I was proud when President Obama signed my bill into law in 2014, knowing that it could help thousands of Connecticut businesses and homes in Farmington Valley. Clean-energy policies similar to this hydropower law at the state level are why Connecticut has had so much success reducing carbon emissions." (votesmart.org)
  • "We should move quickly to an energy-efficient future, which will require investments in renewable energy and incentives for energy-efficient technologies." (esty.house.gov)
  • "We just can't afford to ignore the dangers of climate change and the consequences of our nation's dependency on dirty fossil fuels. It's time to invest in clean energy technologies to revitalize American manufacturing, create good-paying jobs, and protect our children's future. I applaud President Obama for moving forward on a national policy to protect our health and our environment, and I'm looking forward to closely reviewing today's proposal." (votesmart.org)
  • Signed a letter stating "Thank you for your efforts to address the challenge of reducing harmful carbon emissions that are jeopardizing human health and threatening our environment. We were pleased to see your agency recently propose standards under the Clean Air Act for new power plants, and we applaud your commitment to develop standards for reducing emissions from existing power plants." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.Amdt.507 "Specifies the Authority of the Secretary of Interior on the Regulation of Methane Emissions" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (votesmart.org)
  • "As a Vice Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I'm working on commonsense gun safety reforms, like expanded background checks for all commercial gun sales, stricter punishments for illegal gun trafficking, and more support for mental health to protect our children and provide law enforcement with the tools they need to keep our communities safe." (esty.house.gov)
  • "Every American deserves quality affordable health care. Although the Affordable Care Act is far from perfect, it would be a mistake to repeal it." (votesmart.org)
  • "The Supreme Court has made the right decision both legally and morally, and I applaud the President's courage in taking on much needed reform. Today's decision means that our young people will continue to receive health care coverage up to the age of 26. It means that insurance companies cannot deny coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. It means that our seniors who've fallen through the Medicare donut hole will get the help they need to purchase the medications they depend on. While we still have work to do to improve our health care system -- decreasing medical errors and wasteful paperwork, increasing access to home health care, and letting Medicare use its bargaining power to get better rates and prices for prescription medications -- this is a day that Americans can feel both relief and pride. Now that the Court has ruled, it's time for both parties to stop bickering and start solving problems -- making quality healthcare more affordable and, most importantly, creating jobs and rebuilding our middle class." (votesmart.org)
  • "While I believe we can and should enact adjustments and improvements to the Affordable Care Act, repeal is not a solution. I’ve consistently opposed bills that would fully repeal the Affordable Care Act or block implementation of the law." (esty.house.gov)
  • "Esty is a strong supporter of comprehensive immigration reform that secures our borders, ensures everyone pays their fair share of back taxes, keeps families together, protects workers, and includes an earned path to citizenship for hard-working immigrants." (votesmart.org)
  • "Fixing our broken immigration system is the right thing to do for families and one of the best things we can do to boost economic growth. We should have a system that focuses on deporting violent criminals, not breaking up families. It’s time for Congress to act. I support comprehensive immigration reform that secures our borders, keeps families together, and creates an earned path to citizenship where immigrants get in the back of the line and pay back taxes." (esty.house.gov)
  • Rated 100% by Human Rights Campaign (votesmart.org)
  • "Marriage equality is deeply personal for me. I gave a gay rights speech when I was just 15 years old, and I’ve been a strong advocate ever since. A few years ago, I was proud to welcome my brother’s husband into our family. And one of my proudest moments in the state legislature was voting for marriage equality." (esty.house.gov)
  • "One year ago today, the Supreme Court made the historic decision to uphold our values of equality and freedom for all Americans, no matter who you are or who you love. Last year's decision meant that thousands of gay and lesbian couples received federal recognition of their marriages and the federal benefits they deserve." (votesmart.org)
  • "[...] I have not received sufficient assurances that the proposed plan to train and equip Syrian opposition forces will advance U.S. national security interests. At this time, based on the evidence presented in classified briefings, I believe that there remain too many troubling and unanswered questions about the capabilities, intentions, and even priorities of the Syrian opposition forces we would potentially train and arm. For these reasons, I could not support the McKeon amendment." (esty.house.gov)
  • "Let me be clear, recent attempts at ‘nation-building’ make me very wary of mission creep or involvement in broader sectarian divisions for which there is no military solution. We need to recruit and empower our partners in the region to take ownership of this situation and, ultimately, their own security." (esty.house.gov)
  • Rated 97% by Alliance for Retired Americans (votesmart.org)
  • "Stop Social Security privatization. I also staunchly oppose any attempt to privatize or cut Social Security benefits." (votesmart.org)
  • "I stood up to proposed cuts to Social Security and staunchly oppose any attempt to privatize or cut Social Security benefits." (votesmart.org)

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