Withdrawn / Paul on Oversight & Reform
Words: Paul believes that the Constitution was written to restrain the federal government and feels that we are rapidly drifting toward a totalitarian state. He is opposed to presidential signing statements and feels they upset the balance of powers. He also opposes the government secrecy and would like to restore openness. He opposes a federal voter ID card, though he feels state IDs should be allowed. Paul advocates the closure of several government departments, including Education, Energy, and Homeland Security: “There’s a lot of things that we can cut, but we can’t cut anything until we change our philosophy about what government should do.”
Actions: Paul voted AGAINST banning “soft money” contributions and restricting issue ads (1999), AGAINST campaign finance reform banning “soft money” (2002), FOR restricting frivolous lawsuits (2004), FOR limiting attorney’s fees in class action suits (2005), AGAINST prohibiting obesity lawsuits against food providers (2005), AGAINST restricting independent grassroots PACs (2006), FOR requiring photo IDs for voter registration (2006), FOR protecting whistleblowers from employer recrimination (2007), AGAINST granting Washington DC votes in Congress and the Electoral College (2007), and AGAINST requiring lobbyist disclosure of bundled donations (2007). Citizens Against Government Waste have given him a rating of 69%.
