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Elizabeth Warren possible presidential campaign, 2016
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 Elizabeth Warren |
U.S. Senator (Assumed office: 2013) |
 Democratic candidates: |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
- See also: Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren was considered a potential candidate for the office of president of the United States in 2016. However, she did not seek the presidency.
Warren is a Democratic member of the United States Senate representing Massachusetts. Warren defeated Republican incumbent Scott Brown on November 6, 2012, and is serving her first term.[1][2][3] After a lengthy November 2013 profile of Warren in The New Republic, rumors of a possible 2016 run began heating up. Despite Warren having been among a group of female Senate Democrats who wrote a letter to Hillary Clinton urging her to run, a former Warren aide said, "If Hillary or the man on the moon is not representing her stuff, and her people don’t have a seat at table, she’ll do what she can to make sure it’s represented. ...Yeah, Hillary is running. And she’ll probably win. But Elizabeth doesn’t care about winning. She doesn’t care whose turn it is."[4][5]
Sixteen senators have been elected to the presidency, including President Barack Obama (D).[6]
On the issues
Economic and fiscal
Taxes
- In 2014, Elizabeth Warren co-sponsored S.2569 - the Bring Jobs Home Act, which proposed granting "business taxpayers a tax credit for up to 20% of insourcing expenses incurred for eliminating a business located outside the United States and relocating it within the United States, and (2) deny a tax deduction for outsourcing expenses incurred in relocating a U.S. business outside the United States."[7]
- Warren co-sponsored S.321 - the Paying a Fair Share Act of 2013, which proposed requiring "an individual taxpayer whose adjusted gross income exceeds $1 million to pay a minimum tax rate of 30% of the excess of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income over the taxpayer's modified charitable contribution deduction for the taxable year (tentative fair share tax)."[8]
- In 2013, Warren voted for S.Amdt.297 to S.Con.Res.8, which proposed repealing the medical device tax.[9][10]
- During her 2012 Senate campaign, Warren supported ending the "Bush tax cuts for those earning more than $250,000" and returning "estate tax rates to 2009 levels," according to The Boston Globe.[11]
Government regulations
- In 2014, Elizabeth Warren opposed a spending bill that included reversing some of the regulations on banks implemented in "Dodd-Frank" financial regulation reform.[12]
- Warren's website states: "We need to make it easier for workers who want to organize to have the chance to do so. If people want to work together for better wages, for better health care, and for better working conditions, they should have the right to do so. I support the Employee Free Choice Act and workers' right to organize. Unions have been critical to building a strong middle class in America. Unions have fought for higher wages, high quality health care, and improved safety conditions. Union labor are also some of the most highly skilled workers in the world - with advanced training that makes them competitive. I support a strong labor movement in the United States and around the world."[13]
International trade
- On June 24, 2015, by a vote of 60-38, the Senate approved trade promotion authority (TPA) as part of HR 2146 - Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act. Elizabeth Warren was one of 31 Democrats to vote against the bill.[14]
- On May 22, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314, which was used as a legislative vehicle for trade legislation with the titles "Trade Act of 2015" and the "Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015," by a vote of 62-37. The bill proposed giving the president trade promotion authority (TPA). The bill also included a statement of trade priorities and provisions for trade adjustment assistance. Warren voted with 30 other Democratic senators against the bill.[15][16]
- On May 18, 2015, Warren released the report, "Broken Promises: Decades of Failure to Enforce Labor Standards in Free Trade Agreements," which highlights the failures of past trade agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Warren argued, "The facts show that, despite all the promises, these trade deals were just another tool to tilt the playing field in further of multinational corporations and against working families."[17]
- The report may have been a response to President Barack Obama's criticism of Warren's stance on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. During an interview with Yahoo Obama said, "She’s (Warren's) absolutely wrong. The truth of the matter is that Elizabeth is, you know, a politician like everybody else. And you know, she’s got a voice that she wants to get out there. And I understand that. And on most issues, she and I deeply agree. On this one, though, her arguments don’t stand the test of fact and scrutiny."[18]
| "Senator Warren on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement," March 11, 2015. |
- On May 11, 2015, Warren, with the help of Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), argued against Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in an op-ed in The Boston Globe. They wrote, "Investor-State Dispute Settlement where big companies get the right to challenge laws they don’t like in front of industry-friendly arbitration panels that sit outside of any court system. Those panels can force taxpayers to write huge checks to big corporations — with no appeals. Workers, environmentalists, and human rights advocates don’t get that special right." They also argued against trade promotion authority (TPA) legislation, also known as fast-track authority. "By definition, massive trade deals like the TPP override domestic laws written, debated, and passed by Congress. If fast-track passes, Congress will have given up its power to strip out any backroom arrangements and special favors like ISDS without tanking the whole deal that contains those giveaways," Warren and DeLauro wrote.[19]
- In a February 2015 op-ed, Warren argued against the TPP agreement because it includes ISDS, which would unfairly favor multinational corporations and hurt American workers. She wrote, "ISDS would allow foreign companies to challenge U.S. laws — and potentially to pick up huge payouts from taxpayers — without ever stepping foot in a U.S. court." Warren also argued that Americans should oppose the TPP agreement, regardless of political ideology. She wrote, "This isn’t a partisan issue. Conservatives who believe in U.S. sovereignty should be outraged that ISDS would shift power from American courts, whose authority is derived from our Constitution, to unaccountable international tribunals. Libertarians should be offended that ISDS effectively would offer a free taxpayer subsidy to countries with weak legal systems. And progressives should oppose ISDS because it would allow big multinationals to weaken labor and environmental rules."[20]
- Elizabeth Warren's website states: "To grow our economy, we need to sell our products to the rest of the world. But we have to have a level playing field - strong trade laws and strong enforcement. That means labor and environmental standards. It means protecting our intellectual property rights by getting tough on the knock offs that undercut our ability to compete and, in the long run, cost us money and jobs. And it means putting pressure on foreign currency manipulation that artificially makes our goods less competitive."[21]
Budgets
- According to her website, Elizabeth Warren supports cutting "the tax breaks to the oil and gas industry and the loopholes for hedge fund managers," returning "to Clinton-era tax rates for the wealthiest Americans" and cutting the defense budget.[22]
- During her 2012 Senate campaign, Warren supported cutting the defense budget and closing "loopholes for hedge fund managers," according to The Boston Globe.[11]
Agricultural subsidies
- In 2013, Elizabeth Warren voted for S.Amdt.953 to S.954, which proposed limiting "the amount of premium subsidy provided by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation on behalf of any person or legal entity with an average adjusted gross income in excess of $750,000."[23][24]
Federal assistance programs
- In 2014, Elizabeth Warren co-sponsored S.2491 - the Medicare Protection Act, which expressed "the sense of the Senate that: (1) the eligibility age under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act should not be increased, and (2) the Medicare program should not be privatized or turned into a voucher system."[25]
- During a November 2013 interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, Warren advocated for expanding social security. She said, "I believe fundamentally, we are a people who believe that anyone should be able to retire with dignity. And that's what Social Security is about. People who work all their lives and pay into it should have a minimum level that they don't fall beneath. That's good economics."[26]
Foreign affairs
Iran nuclear deal
- On April 3, 2015, Elizabeth Warren said, "Here's the bottom line. Finding a negotiated solution, something that works, something that doesn't involve trusting, something that involves verifying that Iran is not moving toward developing a nuclear weapon, that is our best promise in the region. And so far, when everyone says they don't like this deal -- not everyone certainly, [but] the people who do say it -- the real question is, 'And what's the alternative here? What have you got as the next best move?' I want to see what comes out in the details. You know, we all know the devil is in the details. And [John] Kerry himself has made clear, it's possible it won't all work, that we won't get it all the way across the finish line. But, you know, there are some good signs at this point that there may be a negotiated solution here."[27]
Military preparedness and budget
- Elizabeth Warren co-sponsored S.2295 - the National Commission on the Future of the Army Act of 2014, which proposed prohibiting "the use of funds made available for FY2015 for the Army to: (1) reduce Army personnel below the authorized fiscal year end strengths of 450,000 for active duty personnel of the Army, 345,000 for the Army National Guard, and 195,000 for the Army Reserve; or (2) divest, retire, or transfer any AH-64 Apache aircraft assigned to units of the Army National Guard as of January 15, 2014, or to reduce related personnel below the levels of such personnel as of September 30, 2014."[28]
National security
- In September 2014, Elizabeth Warren said, "ISIS is growing in strength. It has money, it has organization, it has the capacity to inflict real damage. So when we think about a response we have to think about how to destroy that. ...We need to be working now, full-speed ahead, with other countries, to destroy ISIS. That should be our No. 1 priority."[29]
- In September 2014, Warren voted against H.J.Res.124 - the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015, which among other things, provided "assistance to elements of the Syrian opposition and other Syrian groups for: (1) defending the Syrian people from attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL); (2) Protecting the United States, its friends and allies, and the Syrian people from the threats posed by terrorists in Syria; and (3) Promoting the conditions for a negotiated settlement to end the conflict in Syria." It became law on September 19, 2014.[30]
- Warren co-sponsored S.2329 - the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act of 2014, which proposed declaring "that it shall be U.S. policy to: (1) prevent Hezbollah's global logistics and financial network from operating in order to curtail funding of its domestic and international activities; and (2) utilize diplomatic, legislative, and executive avenues to combat Hezbollah's criminal activities in order to block that organization's ability to fund its global terrorist activities."[31]
- In April 2013, Warren co-sponsored S.34 - the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2013, which proposed amending "the federal criminal code to authorize the Attorney General to deny the transfer of a firearm or the issuance of a firearms or explosives license or permit (or revoke such license or permit) if the Attorney General: (1) determines that the transferee is known (or appropriately suspected) to be engaged in terrorism or has provided material support or resources for terrorism; and (2) has a reasonable belief that the transferee may use a firearm in connection with terrorism."[32]
International relations
- Elizabeth Warren co-sponsored S.2673 - the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014, which "Expresses the sense of Congress that Israel is a major U.S. strategic partner." It became law on December 19, 2014.[33]
- Warren's website states: "Our economic power at home is linked to our strength around the world. A strong economy at home enables us to have the best-trained and most advanced military in the world - and the standing in the world such that we don't always need to use it."[34]
Domestic
Federalism
Judiciary
- In June 2013, Elizabeth Warren criticized the judicial appointment process. She said, "Above all, we must make judicial nominations a priority. It’s time for a new generation of judges, judges whose life experience extends beyond big firms, federal prosecution, and white-collar defense. We need sustained pressure to get those judges in front of the Senate. Pressure — pressure on our president, pressure on senators, pressure in the press."[35]
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- In November 2013, Elizabeth Warren co-sponsored S.J.Res.19 which proposed allowing "Congress and the states to regulate and set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections." The resolution also proposed distinguishing between "natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections."[36]
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- In April 2013, Elizabeth Warren co-sponsored S.Amdt.714 to S.649, which proposed regulating "large capacity ammunition feeding devices."[37]
- In April 2013, Warren co-sponsored S.Amdt.711 to S.649, which proposed regulating "assault weapons, to ensure that the right to keep and bear arms is not unlimited."[38]
Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
USA FREEDOM Act of 2015
On June 2, 2015, the Senate passed HR 2048 - the Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015 or the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 by a vote of 67-32. The legislation revised HR 3199 - the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 by terminating the bulk collection of metadata under Sec. 215 of the act, requiring increased reporting from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and requiring the use of "a specific selection term as the basis for national security letters that request information from wire or electronic communication service providers, financial institutions, or consumer reporting agencies." Warren voted with 42 Democrats, 23 Republicans and one Independent to approve the legislation. It became law on June 2, 2015.[39][40]
Crime and justice
- Elizabeth Warren co-sponsored S.1410 - the Smarter Sentencing Act of 2014, which, among other things, proposed repealing mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders.[41]
Natural resources
Energy development/ regulation
- In February 2013, Elizabeth Warren co-sponsored S.401 - the Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act, which proposed allowing "a 30% tax credit for investment in a qualifying offshore wind facility."[42]
- Warren's website states: "Investing in clean energy technology is investing in our health, our environmental security, our national security, and our economic security."[43]
Keystone XL Pipeline
- In November 2014, Elizabeth Warren voted against S.2280 - A bill to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline.[44]
Fracking
- During her 2012 Senate campaign, Elizabeth Warren opposed "hydraulic fracturing until companies meet clean water regulations and disclose chemicals," according to The Boston Globe.[11]
Climate change
- In June 2014, Elizabeth Warren supported "Environmental Protection Agency standards which aim to cut the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's power plants by an ambitious 30 percent by the year 2030," according to Mass Live. She said, "We know that high carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere are driving climate change. We know those carbon dioxide levels are increasing the acidity of our oceans, disrupting already-fragile marine ecosystems. And we know that power plants are responsible for about 40 percent of America's carbon pollution. Add all that up, and we know enough to know that reducing carbon pollution from power plant emissions will make a real difference in the fight against climate change."[45]
- During her 2012 Senate campaign, Warren argued that "the data proving human influence on climate change is overwhelming," and she supported "EPA regulation of greenhouse gases," according to The Boston Globe.[11]
Healthcare
- In March 2013, Elizabeth Warren voted against S.Amdt.30 to S.Amdt.26, which proposed prohibiting "the use of funds to carry out the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act."[46][47]
- Warren co-sponsored S.482 - the Health Insurance Rate Review Act, which proposed amending "the Public Health Service Act to declare that federal requirements that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) review unreasonable premium increases in health care coverage shall not be construed to prohibit a state from imposing additional rate requirements on health insurance issuers that are more protective of consumers. Expands such review to include all rate increases, not only premium increases."[48]
- When Warren was asked if she supported a single-payer healthcare system during her 2012 Senate campaign, she responded, "I think the urgent question now is whether we're going to be able to hold on to the health care reforms that just passed. There are a lot of people who want to repeal them. I think we need to focus on protecting them and on finding new ways to lower costs, which are still too high."[49]
Immigration
- In June 2013, Elizabeth Warren voted for S.744 - the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.[50]
- In June 2013, Warren voted against S.Amdt.1197 to S.744, which proposed requiring "the completion of the 350 miles of reinforced, double-layered fencing described in section 102(b)(1)(A) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted and to require the completion of 700 miles of such fencing before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be adjusted to permanent resident status."[51][52]
Education
- In September 2014, Elizabeth Warren co-sponsored S.2826 - the Strengthening Forgiveness for Public Servants Act, which proposed forgiving a percentage of an individual's student loans based on the number of years the individual worked as a public servant.[53]
- In November 2013, Warren co-sponsored S.1697 - the Strong Start for America's Children Act, which proposed allotting "matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs), childhood education program providers, or consortia of those entities to implement high-quality prekindergarten programs for children from low-income families."[54]
- According to U.S. News & World Report, "In her 2003 book, The Two Income Trap, Warren and co-author Amelia Warren Tyagi cite the traditional public schools system, in which children are assigned to a school based on their residence, as a key source of economic pressure for families with children. Warren and Tyagi call for system-wide reforms to break the link between where a child lives and where they go to school, and specifically make the case for a fully-funded voucher program that would enable children to attend any public school."[55]
Abortion
- In July 2014, Elizabeth Warren co-sponsored S.2578 - the Protect Women's Health From Corporate Interference Act of 2014, which proposed requiring that "an employer that establishes or maintains a group health plan for its employees must provide coverage of a specific item or service for the employees or their dependents where the coverage is required under federal provisions or regulations pursuant to those provisions; and (2) group health plans sponsored by an employer or employee organization, and any health insurance coverage, must provide coverage required under the Public Health Service Act, including preventive health services."[56]
- During her 2012 Senate campaign, Warren expressed her support for abortion rights. She also supported "Massachusetts’ parental notification law, which requires girls under 18 to obtain parental consent before having an abortion, with an option for a judge to provide consent," according to The Boston Globe.[11]
Gay rights
- During a March 2012 interview, Elizabeth Warren expressed her support for same-sex marriage and said, "I think that DOMA is a terrible statute. For forever, the federal government has permitted the states to define marriage, and now the federal government steps in and says, 'Yeah, the states get to do it for most families, but not those families because we don’t like them.'"[57]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Elizabeth + Warren + 2016
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Boston Herald, "Tom Conroy withdraws bid for Scott Brown’s seat, endorses Warren," accessed December 12, 2011
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Massachusetts" accessed 2012
- ↑ The National Journal, "Massachusetts Senate," accessed August 13, 2012
- ↑ Politico, "Report fuels prospect of 2016 Elizabeth Warren run," accessed November 11, 2013
- ↑ The New Republic, "Hillary's Nightmare? A Democratic Party That Realizes Its Soul Lies With Elizabeth Warren," accessed March 27, 2015
- ↑ United States Senate, "Senators Who Became President," accessed October 16, 2013
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.2569 - Bring Jobs Home Act," accessed March 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.321 - Paying a Fair Share Act of 2013," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, “Hatch Amdt. No. 297,” accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.297 to S.Con.Res.8," accessed March 27, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Boston Globe, "Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren on the issues," November 4, 2012
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Elizabeth Warren, fellow liberals rail against bank provision in spending bill," December 10, 2014
- ↑ Elizabeth Warren, "Workers' Rights and Free & Fair Trade," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2146)," accessed September 7, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 1314," accessed May 25, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "H.R. 1314 (Ensuring Tax Exempt Organizations the Right to Appeal Act)," accessed May 25, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Elizabeth Warren fires new shot in trade battle with President Obama," accessed May 18, 2015
- ↑ Yahoo, "Why Obama is happy to fight Elizabeth Warren on the trade deal," accessed May 12, 2015
- ↑ Boston Globe, "Who is writing the TPP?" accessed May 13, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "The Trans-Pacific Partnership clause everyone should oppose," accessed May 13, 2015
- ↑ Elizabeth Warren, "Jobs and the Economy," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Elizabeth Warren, “Jobs and the Economy,” accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.953 to S.954," accessed March 27, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Amendment (Feinstein Amdt. No. 923)," accessed March 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.2491 - Medicare Protection Act," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ NBC News, "Rachel Maddow Show," November 20, 2013
- ↑ HuffingtonPost.com, "Sen. Elizabeth Warren Believes A Nuclear Deal With Iran Is 'Our Best Promise In The Region'," accessed April 10, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.2295 - National Commission on the Future of the Army Act of 2014," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Warren: Destroying ISIS should be 'No. 1 priority'," September 3, 2014
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.J.Res.124," accessed March 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.2329 - Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act of 2014," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.34 - Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2013," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.2673 - United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Elizabeth Warren, "Foreign Policy," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Salon, "Elizabeth Warren pushes Obama on judicial nominations," June 14, 2014
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.J.Res.19," accessed March 30, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.714 to S.649," accessed March 30, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.711 to S.649," accessed March 30, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.2048," accessed May 26, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 2048)," accessed June 2, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.1410 - Smarter Sentencing Act of 2014," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.401 - Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Elizabeth Warren, "Energy and the Environment," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.2280," accessed March 30, 2015
- ↑ Mass Live, "Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey praise new EPA plan to cut power plant carbon dioxide emissions 30 percent by 2030," June 4, 2014
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.30 to S.Amdt.26," accessed March 30, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "Number: S.Amdt. 30 to S.Amdt. 26 to H.R. 933 (Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013)," accessed March 30, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.482 - Health Insurance Rate Review Act," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Mass Live, "Sen. Scott Brown, Elizabeth Warren and Marisa DeFranco weigh in on health care debate ahead of Supreme Court case," June 29, 2012
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.744 - Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act," accessed March 30, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.1197 to S.744," accessed March 30, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "Number: S.Amdt. 1197 to S. 744 (Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act)," accessed March 30, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.2826 - Strengthening Forgiveness for Public Servants Act," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.1697 - Strong Start for America's Children Act," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ U.S. News and World Report, "Elizabeth Warren's Quiet Support for Public School Vouchers," January 26, 2012
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.2578," accessed March 30, 2015
- ↑ Washington Blade, "EXCLUSIVE: Elizabeth Warren pledges to lead on LGBT rights," March 21, 2012
