In her own words

In her 1996 book It Takes a Village, Clinton writes, "Most of us would describe ourselves as 'middle of the road'—liberal in some areas, conservative in others, moderate in most, neither exclusively pro- nor anti-government."^[7] Clinton has stated that she prefers the term "progressive" to "liberal", explaining that "Unfortunately, in the last 30, 40 years, [the word 'liberal'] has been turned up on its head and it's been made to seem as though it is a word that describes big government, totally contrary to what its meaning was in the 19th and early 20th century. I prefer the word 'progressive,' which has a real American meaning, going back to the Progressive Era at the beginning of the 20th century."^[8] Yale historian Beverly Gage claims this was due to the fact that "liberal" was considered "a term of opprobrium" by the time Bill and Hillary became involved in national politics, while the term "progressive" has consistently referred to vaguely positive notions of progress, from Republicans and Democrats alike, especially with regard to the Progressive Era.^[8]

At a Democratic primary debate in June 2007, in response to the question of whether she would describe herself as a liberal, Clinton said: "I consider myself a modern progressive, someone who believes strongly in individual rights and freedoms, who believes that we are better as a society when we're working together and when we find ways to help those who may not have all the advantages in life get the tools they need to lead a more productive life for themselves and their family. So I consider myself a proud modern American progressive, and I think that's the kind of philosophy and practice that we need to bring back to American politics."^[9]

In a September 2015 Women for Hillary event, Clinton said, "You know, I get accused of being kind of moderate and center. I plead guilty."^[10]

When asked by Anderson Cooper in October 2015 how she reconciles being both a progressive and moderate, "Do you change your political identity based on who you're talking to? Just for the record, are you a progressive or a moderate?", Hillary answered "I'm a progressive. But I'm a progressive who likes to get things done. And I know how to find common ground, and I know how to stand my ground, and I have proved that in every position that I've had, even dealing with Republicans who never had a good word to say about me, honestly."^[11]

Scales and rankings

Clinton's 2015 Crowdpac rating was −6.4 on a left-right scale, where −10 is the most liberal and 10 is the most conservative.^[12] The score is an aggregate of primarily campaign contributions but also votes and speeches.^[12] This represents a slight rightward shift from her 2008 rating of −6.9.^[12]

Clinton is rated a "Hard-Core Liberal" according to the OnTheIssues.org scale, which is based on her public statements on social and economic issues.^[13] According to FiveThirtyEight's review of this and other analyses, "Clinton was one of the most liberal members during her time in the Senate",^[14] slightly more liberal than Barack Obama, "as liberal as Elizabeth Warren and barely more moderate than Bernie Sanders".^[14] A New York Times analysis found that Clinton and Bernie Sanders voted the same 93 percent of the time in the two years they shared in the Senate (2007–2009), but also noted key areas of disagreement which possibly reflected "political calculations by Mrs. Clinton, who was preparing for a presidential run in 2008"^[15]

Clinton "was the 11th most liberal member of the Senate" according to DW-NOMINATE, a multidimensional scaling method based on legislative votes.^[16]

Bankruptcy

In 2001, Clinton voted to advance a bankruptcy reform bill that would have made it more difficult for borrowers to discharge their debt as part of bankruptcy proceedings. Clinton stated that her vote for the legislation was contingent on the inclusion of provisions intended to protect women, including allowing women to collect child support payments after the father has declared bankruptcy.^[35] Credit card companies and banks supported the overhaul, as did women's groups, while consumer groups opposed the legislation. When explaining her vote, Clinton stated, "I will not vote for final passage of this bill if it comes back from conference if these kind of reforms are missing ... I am voting for this legislation because it is a work in progress, and it is making progress towards reform." The bill did not come up for a final vote that legislative session. When similar legislation came up again in 2005 but without the amendments added by Democrats in 2001, Clinton opposed the legislation.^[35][36]

In 2006 and 2007, while in the Senate, Clinton introduced the Student Borrower Bill of Rights. The legislation "would have made it easier for cash-strapped student borrowers to pay back their loans, have their loans refinanced, qualify for income-based loan payments, and discharge student debt in bankruptcy."^[37] The legislation did not pass at the time.^[37]

Campaign finance

Clinton has said that she would, if elected president, introduce a constitutional amendment within the first 30 days of her presidency to overturn the Supreme Court's controversial decision in Citizens United v. FEC (2010),^[38] which "launched a new era of unbridled fundraising" in U.S. elections.^[39]

Clinton says that she would appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Citizens United, stating: "I will do everything I can to appoint Supreme Court justices who protect the right to vote and do not protect the right of billionaires to buy elections."^[40] Clinton also pledged, if elected, to push for legislation demanding more "effective" disclosure of political spending by outside groups and, if Congress does not act, to sign an executive order requiring federal government contractors to disclose all political spending.^[41][42][43]

In 2002, Clinton voted in favor of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act), which imposed restrictions on soft money and political campaign advertising.^[44] In 2007, Clinton spoke in favor of public financing of some campaigns: "I believe we have to move, eventually in our country, toward a system of public financing that really works for candidates running for federal office. I will support that as president."^[45] At the same time, her own fundraising allowed her to opt out of the 30 year old public financing scheme for presidential elections, a move followed by the other candidates for the democratic nomination: Barack Obama and John Edwards.^[45] In 2016, Clinton proposed a public financing system that would amplify small contributions.^[46]

Capitalism and economic philosophy

In a 1996 interview, Clinton commented on the relationship between government and the private sector, saying: "I just believe that there's got to be a healthy tension among all of our institutions in society, and that the market is the driving force behind our prosperity, our freedom in so many respects to make our lives our own but that it cannot be permitted just to run roughshod over people's lives as well."^[47]

In a speech in October 2014, Clinton stated "Don't let anybody tell you that it's corporations and businesses that create jobs. You know that old theory, trickle-down economics. That has been tried; that has failed. It has failed rather spectacularly."^[48]

In a July 2015 speech at the New York University Stern School of Business, Clinton condemned what she called "short-termism" and "quarterly capitalism"—"the obsession with share prices and quarterly earnings over real value creation, which Clinton views as dangerous to the economy."^[49][50] Clinton called for "new, creative, disruptive ideas to save capitalism"^[50] and has said that capitalism "needs to be reinvented, it needs to be put back into balance."^[49]

In a Democratic primary debate in October 2015 with Senator Bernie Sanders, her then-primary rival, Clinton said: "When I think about capitalism I think about all the business that started because they had the opportunity and the freedom to do that and to make a good living for themselves and their families ... We would be making a grave mistake to turn our backs on what built the greatest middle class in history."^[51] Unlike Sanders, Clinton is not a supporter of the Nordic model, saying in the same debate: "We are not Denmark. I love Denmark, but we are the United States of America, and it's our job to rein in the excesses of capitalism so it doesn't run amok."^[51][52] and "what we have to do every so often in America ... is save capitalism from itself."^[52]

Noting that the U.S. economy has performed better under Democratic presidents than Republican ones since World War II, Clinton has said: "The economy does better when you have a Democrat in the White House and that's why we need to have a Democrat in the White House in January 2017." Analysis by Max Ehrenfreund in The Washington Post noted that Clinton's statement was accurate but also noted it was difficult to say how much credit the White House could take for such economic upturns; or if other factors boost the economy and Democrats "just got lucky".^[53]

In March 2016, she laid out a detailed economic plan, which The New York Times called "optimistic" and "wide-ranging".^[54] Basing her economic philosophy on inclusive capitalism, Clinton proposed a "clawback" which would rescind tax relief and other benefits for companies that move jobs overseas; providing incentives for companies that share profits with employees, communities and the environment, rather than focusing on short-term profits to increase stock value and rewarding shareholders; increasing collective bargaining rights; and placing an "exit tax" on companies that move their headquarters out of America in order to pay a lower tax rate overseas.^[54]

Child care

In 2015, Clinton proposed to cap the expenses that a household spends on child care by at 10 percent of a household's income.^[55] Clinton intended to accomplish the 10 percent cap with tax credits and subsidized child care.^[55]

Financial regulation and Wall Street reform

Clinton called for more robust financial regulation early on in the financial crisis of 2007–08. Clinton specifically called for regulations to crack down on financial derivatives and subprime mortgages and strengthen oversight of financial institutions and private-equity markets.^[56][57] In a 2007 speech, Clinton "called for major federal intervention in the market for subprime loans, arguing that 'we need to acknowledge that Wall Street has played a significant role in our current problems, and in particular the housing crisis.'"^[57] Clinton supported the subsequent Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, a major overhaul of U.S. financial regulations enacted in the wake of the Great Recession.^[58][59] Several key architects and supports of the Dodd-Frank Act, including Barney Frank and Gary Gensler, are Clinton supporters who advise her on financial regulations during her 2016 campaign.^[59] Clinton has proposed to impose a tax on types of high-frequency trading that she describes as "harmful". Her official platform says, "In particular, the tax would hit HFT strategies involving excessive levels of order cancellations, which make our markets less stable and less fair."^[60][61][62]

On December 7, 2015, in a New York Times op-ed, Clinton outlined her plans for regulating Wall Street.^[63] Clinton wrote: "As president, I would not only veto any legislation that would weaken financial reform, but I would also fight for tough new rules, stronger enforcement and more accountability that go well beyond Dodd-Frank."^[63] Clinton also called for an enhanced Volcker rule that would close "loopholes that still allow banks to make speculative gambles with taxpayer-backed deposits."^[63] Clinton does not support reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act, a law (repealed in 1999) that mandated the separation of commercial and investment banks,^[64][65][66] preferring instead other tools to combat systemic risk, including "a 'risk fee' on the financial institutions with assets over $50 billion, regulations on the 'shadow banking' sector (i.e. hedge funds) and guidelines for prosecuting financial wrongdoing."^[65]

Clinton has received criticism for her ties with Wall Street.^[67][68] Her claim in April 2016 that "I'm the only candidate in the Democratic primary, or actually on either side, who Wall Street financiers and hedge fund managers are actually running ads against," received a "Pants on Fire" rating from PolitiFact. The fact checking service found that all the candidates had been the target of attacks by "Wall Street funded groups", and that Trump had received the most Wall Street funded attacks of all the presidential candidates. Also the Clinton-affiliated super PAC, Priorities USA Action, received a third of its contributions from the financial industry.^[69] According to OpenSecrets, Clinton received 53% of campaign contributions from Wall Street in March 2016, up from 32% and 33% in January and February respectively.^[70]

Fiscal policy and taxation

In a May 2016 report, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) estimated that Clinton's "proposals would cost $1.80 trillion over a decade with interest, and they would be nearly fully paid for with $1.60 trillion of offsets – primarily from taxes on high earners."^[71] Among the major initiatives proposed by Clinton are the enactment of the "New College Compact"; an expansion of the Affordable Care Act; an expansion of early childhood education and paid family leave; increased spending on infrastructure, increased funding for veterans, and expanded research funding.^[71] The CRFB concluded that "Secretary Clinton's policies would not substantially add to current law debt levels" but would keep debt at historically high post-war levels, which are currently on track to increase from 74% of GDP in 2015 to 86% in 2026.^[71] A December 2015 analysis by McClatchy newspapers similarly concluded that Clinton's proposals "would cost at least $1.1 trillion over 10 years as she looks to pump billions of additional dollars into reducing college costs, increasing treatment for drug addiction and helping employers pay for mandatory family and sick leave," mostly offset by new revenue.^[72]

During her 2016 campaign for the presidency, Clinton has pledged not to raise taxes on working and middle-class families, defined as those with annual incomes below $250,000. Clinton's pledge has been controversial within the Democratic Party.^[73][74] In April 2016, Clinton expressed support for taxes on sugary drinks, a policy opposed by Clinton's primary rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, who opposes such taxes and contends that they would violate Clinton's pledge not to raises taxes of families with incomes below $250,000.^[75] A Coca-Cola executive later said that she had received assurances from the Clinton campaign that they would no longer comment on the soda tax.^[76]

A March 2016 analysis by the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center summarized Clinton's tax proposals as follows: "Hillary Clinton proposes raising taxes on high-income taxpayers, modifying taxation of multinational corporations, repealing fossil fuel tax incentives, and increasing estate and gift taxes. Her proposals would increase revenue by $1.1 trillion over the next decade. Nearly all of the tax increases would fall on the top 1 percent; the bottom 95 percent of taxpayers would see little or no change in their taxes. Marginal tax rates would increase, reducing incentives to work, save, and invest, and the tax code would become more complex. The analysis does not address a forthcoming proposal to cut taxes for low- and middle-income families."^[77] Clinton specifically has proposed a 4% surcharge on taxpayers earning over $5 million a year; a 30% minimum tax rate on millionaires, defined as those with adjusted gross incomes above $1 million (the "Buffett Rule"), a 28% cap on most deductions, and increased taxes on long-term capital gains. The proposal also increases several business taxes, and seeks to penalize excessive risk-taking in the financial sector while at the same time creating incentives for business programs that would help workers and communities in distress.^[78][79] The Tax Policy Center estimates that Clinton's plan, on average; would: leave the poorest earners' taxes essentially unchanged; increase middle-income households' taxes by $44 (a 0.001% change); increase the top 1%'s taxes by $78,000; and increase the top 0.1%'s taxes by $520,000.^[78]

Clinton has proposed a number of new tax credits.^[80] Clinton has proposed a new caregiver tax credit of up to $1,200.^[78][80] Clinton has also proposed a tax credit for up to $5,000 per family to those paying out-of-pocket healthcare costs in excess of 5 percent of their annual income^[81] and a tax credit aimed at families paying for college.^[80] Clinton has also proposed to simplify tax filings for small businesses, citing research showing that small businesses currently spend 20 times more per employee to prepare their taxes.^[82]

In December 2015, Clinton outlined a plan to crack down on the use of corporate tax inversions.^[83][84] Clinton specifically criticized Pfizer's plan to make use of the controversial tax-avoidance maneuver by means of its proposed merger with Allergan.^[83][84] Richard Phillips, senior policy analyst at Citizens for Tax Justice, praised Clinton for her support for limiting inversions (which he described as "a loophole through which U.S. companies pretend to be foreign in order to avoid taxes"), but criticized her proposal to use the new revenue to reduce corporate taxes, arguing that the revenue should go toward public investments or deficit reduction instead.^[85]

Clinton has expressed support for stripping tax benefits from companies that outsource jobs overseas.^[86][87]

Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center, said that Clinton's proposals "would make the tax code more complex, especially for high-income households, and would reduce incentives to work, save, and invest."^[88]

The conservative Tax Foundation estimated in January 2016 that, in the long term, the plan would decrease economic growth by 1%, wages by 0.8% and jobs by 311,000.^[79][89] The Tax Foundation estimates an increase in revenues of $498 billion, but applied dynamic scoring analysis to that figure and reduced it to $191 billion due to weaker economic growth.^[79][89] The Clinton campaign "said the Tax Foundation's analysis is misleading and doesn't take into account her tax relief for businesses and individuals, nor her investments that would promote growth."^[79]

In a 2005 fund-raising speech in San Francisco, she was highly critical of the George W. Bush tax cuts, saying that "Many of you are well enough off that ... the tax cuts may have helped you. We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."^[90] In January 2008 Clinton called upon Congress to pass an economic stimulus package totaling as much as $110 billion, to deal with the effects of a possible recession. The package would consist of funds to help deal with the effect of the subprime mortgage crisis, to help lower-income families pay for higher home energy costs, to extend unemployment insurance, and to possibly provide some tax refunds.^[91]

Health care

A 2016 RAND Corporation report analyzed four of Clinton's major proposed health-care policies and concluded that their combined effect, relative to current law, would be "to increase the number of insured by 9.1 million and increase the federal deficit by $88.5 billion."^[92] The report found that Clinton's plans would lower expenses, mainly for low- and moderate-income people;^[93] the greatest reductions in out-of-pocket spending under Clinton's plan would benefit Americans with incomes between 139 and 250 percent of the federal poverty level (i.e., $33,534 to $60,750 for a family of four).^[92]

Jobs, labor, and employment

Social Security

Clinton opposes cutting Social Security.^[149] She instead supports an expansion of Social Security: boosting survivor benefits and creating a caregiver benefit for those who left the paid workforce to care for children, parents or ailing family members.^[149] Her expansion of Social Security has been criticized by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee for not going far enough.^[149] Clinton opposes a raise in the retirement age.^[150]

In 2008, Clinton supporting retaining the cap on the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax, the payroll tax which funds Social Security and Medicare. Under the cap at that time, the FICA tax applied to income up to $102,000, with income in excess of this amount (earned by the top 6% of income-earners) not taxable. Clinton said that a repeal of the FICA tax cap would amount to a "tax increase on the middle class."^[151]

Student loans

Clinton's plan for student debt relief is to allow those carrying existing student debt to refinance their student loans at current rates available to students taking out new loans.^[152] The Clinton campaign asserts that her plan "will cost around $350 billion over 10 years—and will be fully paid for by limiting certain tax expenditures for high-income taxpayers."^[152][153] The campaign estimates that 25 million borrowers will obtain relief, with the average borrower saving about $2,000 in total.^[152][153]

Clinton proposes to permit start-up founders and early employees to forgo payments on their federal student loans for up to three years.^[154] Those who launch businesses that provide social benefits would also be permitted to apply for forgiveness of up to $17,500 of their debt after five years.^[154]

Subprime mortgage crisis relief

On December 5, 2007, Clinton unveiled her plan to ameliorate the effects of the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis on homeowners. She called for a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures, in order that lenders and mortgage servicers have sufficient time to get through paperwork complications and an expected high volume of troubled borrowers without having to shut out the lights, and a five-year freeze on the interest rates of adjustable rate mortgages, so that borrowers would not get slammed by expected 30, 40 or more percent increases in monthly payments due to the effects of the crisis and of unwise initial borrowing decisions.^[155]

In late 2008, Clinton voted for the Troubled Asset Relief Program which provided $350 million to purchase toxic assets and equity from financial institutions to strengthen the financial sector during the subprime mortgage crisis.^[156]

Clinton claimed during a nationally televised townhall meeting in February 2016 that "You are three times more likely to be able to get a mortgage if you're a white applicant than if you're black or Hispanic, even if you have the same credentials." PolitiFact rated this claim "false," noting "while there is evidence of disparities in mortgage acceptance rates by race ... Experts say the gaps are not as drastic as Clinton says once you equalize for other key factors, such as income and credit history."^[157]

Trade

Clinton supported the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) during her tenure as Secretary of State. During her presidential campaign, Clinton opposed the TPP, supported the U.S. Export-Import Bank, and held that "any trade deal has to produce jobs and raise wages and increase prosperity and protect our security".^[158][159] As Senator (2001–2009), her record on trade was mixed, voting in favor of some trade agreements but not others.^[158] She favors Trade Adjustment Assistance, a measure that would help retrain and provide aid to workers displaced by globalization.^[160][161]

Climate change and renewable energy

Clinton accepts the scientific consensus on climate change and criticizes climate-change deniers "who still refuse to accept the settled science of climate change."^[189] Clinton called climate change "an urgent threat" and "the most consequential, urgent, sweeping collection of challenges we face as a nation and a world."^[190]

Clinton writes in her memoir Hard Choices that during her tenure in the State Department she played an instrumental role in the push toward an enforceable international agreement to reduce carbon emissions.^[191] In December 2009, as secretary of state, Clinton endorsed a climate-change adaption plan, stating: "The United States is prepared to work with other countries toward a goal of jointly mobilizing $100 billion a year by 2020 to address the climate change needs of developing countries." The commitment was welcomed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others as a solid first step, although the European Union made a more ambitious proposal for 100 billion euros a year (44% higher than the value Clinton mentioned). Clinton did not say specifically how much the U.S. would contribute, but did say that U.S. funding of climate-change mitigation efforts would be conditional upon China and other nations agreeing to "transparency" and verification of cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.^[192]

In July 2015, Clinton set forth two ambitious renewable energy goals for the United States: to generate enough clean renewable energy to power every U.S. home within ten years after taking office, and to install 500 million solar panels within her first term.^[188][193] Clinton aims to generate one-third of America's electricity from renewable sources by 2027.^[194] Clinton said in February 2016 that these proposals aim to "move from fossil fuels to clean energy ... in a quick, but thoughtful way"^[188] and to "reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 percent in 2025 relative to 2005 levels and chart a path to cut emissions more than 80 percent by 2050."^[190] Clinton states: "I want more wind, more solar, more advanced biofuels, more energy efficiency."^[193] Clinton supports the wind energy production tax credit and has called for making it permanent,^[188] and in the past has praised efforts to use vegetable oils as alternative energy.^[195]

Clinton has emphasized the jobs that renewable energy creates, saying in an April 2016 town-hall event broadcast on MSNBC that the U.S. must "use clean renewable energy to create more jobs."^[188] Clinton has said that "somebody is going to be the 21st century clean energy superpower. It's either going to be China, Germany or us. I want it to be us because there will be a lot of jobs, again, that have to be done right here in America."^[188] On one occasion in December 2015, Clinton stated that "we now have more jobs in solar than we do in oil"; PolitiFact found that this was not true, although the number of workers in the oil and gas industry has been declining while the number of workers employees in the solar industry has increased.^[196]

Clinton has praised the international Paris Agreement reached at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, saying: "The Paris agreement is testament to America's ability to lead the world in building a clean energy future where no one is left out or left behind ... as president, I will make combating climate change a top priority from day one, and secure America's future as the clean energy superpower of the 21st century."^[190] Clinton has promised to implement the U.S. commitment to the Paris Agreement.^[190]

In her official 2016 presidential platform, Clinton proposes to:

• "Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 percent in 2025 relative to 2005 levels and put the country on a path to cut emissions more than 80 percent by 2050."
• "Reduce American oil consumption by a third through cleaner fuels and more efficient cars, boilers, ships and trucks."
• "Cut energy waste in American homes, schools, hospitals and offices by a third and make American manufacturing the cleanest and most efficient in the world."
• Support the Clean Power Plan.
• "Launch a $60 billion Clean Energy Challenge to partner with states, cities, and rural communities and give them the tools and resources they need to go beyond federal standards in cutting carbon pollution and expanding clean energy."
• "End wasteful tax subsidies for oil and gas companies."
• "Cut emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, by 40-45 percent and put in place strong standards for reducing leaks from both new and existing sources."^{[197][198][199]}

While in the Senate, Clinton had long opposed ethanol subsidies before she introduced a bill in May 2006 to create a $50 billion fund to expand the use of ethanol and other alternative fuels.^[200] In 2007, Clinton expressed support for corn ethanol as a biofuel.^[201] In August 2015, the Clinton campaign said that she would "strengthen" the Renewable Fuel Standard to promote development of advanced biofuels and access to ethanol products.^[202]

Fossil fuels

Nuclear power

Clinton wants to renew permits for existing nuclear power plants that are safe to operate and increase public investment in advanced nuclear power.^[220][221]

At a February 2007 campaign rally in Columbia, South Carolina, Clinton stated, "I think nuclear power has to be part of our energy solution ... We get about 20% of our energy from nuclear power in our country ... other countries like France get much much more, so we do have to look at it because it doesn't put greenhouse gas emissions into the air."^[222] Subsequently, in a July 2007 Democratic debate, when asked about nuclear power as an alternative energy source, she said, "I'm agnostic about nuclear power. Until we figure out what we're going to do with the waste and the cost, it's very hard to see nuclear as a part of our future. But that's where American technology comes in. Let's figure out what we're going to do about the waste and the cost if we think nuclear should be a part of the solution."^[223]

In Democratic primary debates in 2016, Clinton said that she supported greater oversight of the Indian Point nuclear power plant, which had experienced calls for closure following leaks and other problems.^[224] Clinton said any action "needs to be done in a careful, thoughtful way" and that: "We also have to be realistic and say, 'You get 25% of the electricity in the greater New York City area from Indian Point.' I don't want middle-class taxpayers to see a huge rate increase."^[224]

Environment

Evaluating all her votes throughout Clinton's Senate career, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has given Clinton a lifetime 82 percent pro-environment action rating.^[225]

Clinton accepts the scientific consensus on climate change.^[226] In a December 2014 speech to the LCV, Clinton said, "The science of climate change is unforgiving, no matter what the deniers may say. Sea levels are rising; ice caps are melting; storms, droughts and wildfires are wreaking havoc. ... If we act decisively now we can still head off the most catastrophic consequences."^[226] Clinton has called climate change "the most consequential, urgent, sweeping collection of challenges we face as a nation and a world."^[227]

In 2007, Clinton co-sponsored the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act (a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade initiative proposed by John McCain and Joseph Lieberman which aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent from 2000 levels by 2050) and the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act (a more ambitious plan propose by Bernie Sanders and Barbara Boxer which sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 2000 levels by 2050).^[228] Clinton's then-colleague Barack Obama also cosponsored both bills.^[228]

Clinton is a supporter of the Clean Power Plan (proposed by the Obama administration's EPA), which would regulate carbon emissions from power plants.^[226] In her speech to the LCV, Clinton stated that "the unprecedented action that President Obama has taken must be protected at all costs."^[226]

Clinton has supported offshore oil drilling, and in 2006 voted for a bill to open new Gulf Coast areas to drilling.^[226]

In a speech to the AFL–CIO, Clinton stated that she supports a green building fund and green-collar job training.^[229]

Clinton supports the protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and would not allow drilling there. She co-sponsored the Roadless Area Conservation Act.^[230]

Some environmentalists have expressed concern about the millions of dollars of contributions from major fossil fuel companies accepted by the Clinton Foundation.^[226][227]

Clinton opposes issuance by the State Department of a cross-border permit for the Northern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline.^[231]

Clinton was endorsed by the Sierra Club in her 2000 Senate campaign.^[232]

Animal protection

The Humane Society gave Senator Clinton scores of 100 in the 108th and 109th Congresses, and an 83 in the 110th Congress on her actions on legislation that would protect animals.^[233] The Humane Society endorsed Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Race, saying that she "has a clear, compelling record of support for animal protection".^[233]

Legal rights

Clinton's stance on illegal immigration has softened over time.^[238] In a 2003 radio appearance, Senator Clinton said: "We've got to do several things and I am, you know, adamantly against illegal immigrants. ... Certainly we've got to do more at our borders. And people have to stop employing illegal immigrants."^[238] However, also during her time in the Senate, Clinton cosponsored a bipartisan amnesty bill for many illegal workers in the agricultural industry; backed a bill by Senator Edward M. Kennedy that would grant permanent resident status to some illegal immigrants who had been in the country for at least five years and worked for at least two years; and supported college tuition relief for young people who had entered the county illegally.^[239] In April 2006, speaking to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Clinton said her work for her New York constituents could fall afoul of the Border Protection, Anti-terrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, since some of her constituents are illegal immigrants. "I realize I would be a criminal, too. My staff would be criminal. We help people with all kinds of problems."^[240] On March 8, 2006, she strongly criticized H.R. 4437, a bill passed by the House of Representatives in December 2005 and sent to the Senate, Clinton called the measure "a rebuke to what America stands for" and said it would be "an unworkable scheme to try to deport 11 million people, which you have to have a police state to try to do." She believed the solution to the illegal immigration problem was to make "a path to earned citizenship for those who are here, working hard, paying taxes, respecting the law, and willing to meet a high bar for becoming a citizen."^[241][242]

In May and June 2007, Clinton cast preliminary votes (in terms of amendments and cloture) in support of the high-profile, compromise-based but very controversial, comprehensive immigration reform bill known as the Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007.^[243] When the bill was again brought forward, she continued to vote in favor of cloture motions to consider it.^[244] In October 2007, Clinton voted in favor of a small subset of the previous bill, the DREAM Act.^[245]

In 2007, Clinton called for an increase in the number of H-1B visas.^[246]

At a debate at Drexel University in Philadelphia on October 30, 2007, Clinton committed to support of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's plan to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Two minutes later, she recanted the position and blamed the Bush administration for not passing immigration reform.^[247] The following day, she clarified her position in a prepared statement by coming out in support of Spitzer's bill.^[248] Two weeks later, after Spitzer abandoned the plan due to widespread opposition, Clinton reversed her position on the issue once again, stating: "I support Governor Spitzer's decision today to withdraw his proposal. As president, I will not support driver's licenses for undocumented people and will press for comprehensive immigration reform that deals with all of the issues around illegal immigration, including border security and fixing our broken system."^[249] On November 16, when asked again if she supported granting driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, she gave a one-word answer: "No."^[250]

In 2008, Clinton received a rating of "D−" from Americans for Better Immigration, an anti-immigration organization.^[251]

In 2014, Clinton stated that children from Central America who entered the United States illegally "should be sent back as soon as it can be determined who responsible adults in their families are, because there are concerns whether all of them should be sent back. But I think all of them who can be should be reunited with their families."^[252] She added: "We have to send a clear message. Just because your child gets across the border, that doesn't mean the child gets to stay. We don't want to send a message that is contrary to our laws or will encourage more children to make that dangerous journey."^[238][252]

On May 5, 2015, Clinton stated that allowing illegal immigrants to have a path to citizenship "is at its heart a family issue."^[253] Clinton also "sharply criticized Republican presidential candidates who favor granting legal status for some undocumented immigrants, but oppose citizenship," saying: "When they talk about 'legal status,' that is code for 'second-class status.'"^[253] Clinton said that she supported President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which grants undocumented youth (those who entered the U.S. as children) the chance to apply for a stay of deportation.^[253]

In 2015, Clinton said that she wanted the United States to accept 65,000 Syrian refugees, a significant increase to the 10,000 that the Obama administration pledged to accept.^[254]

On July 14, 2016, Clinton expressed support for Obama's Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) program, which would allow up to five million undocumented immigrants to gain deferral of deportation and authorization to legally work in the United States, and she promised to expand it.^[255][256]

Border barrier

In September 2006, Clinton voted for the Secure Fence Act, authorizing the construction of 700 miles (1,100 km) of fencing along the United States–Mexico border.^[257] In 2015, Clinton said, "I voted numerous times when I was a senator to spend money to build a barrier to try to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in. And I do think you have to control your borders".^[258]

Africa

Asia

Europe

North America

South America

Counterterrorism and homeland security

Humanitarian intervention abroad

As first lady, Clinton said, "I am very pleased that this president and administration have made democracy one of the centerpieces of our foreign policy." Clinton favored intervention in Haiti (1994), the Bosnian War (1995), as well as in the Kosovo War (1999). Before the Kosovo war, she phoned Bill Clinton from Africa. As she recalled later, "I urged him to bomb", arguing that Bill Clinton could not let the massacres in Kosovo "go on at the end of a century that has seen the major holocaust of our time."^[374]

In a February 2005 speech at the annual Munich Conference on Security Policy, Clinton expressed regret that the international community had failed to effectively intervene in the 1990s during the Rwandan genocide and early in the Bosnian War. She praised the United Nations and NATO interventions that did occur later in the Bosnian War (leading to the Dayton Agreement), Kosovo War, and East Timor. Regarding the ongoing large-scale killing in the Darfur conflict, she then advocated "at least a limited NATO role in logistics, communication and transportation in Darfur in support of the African Union."^[375]

During the July 2007 CNN/YouTube Democratic debate in South Carolina, Clinton was characterized by The Chicago Tribune as against U.S. military intervention. Asked again whether U.S. troops should be sent to Darfur, Clinton focused on "...sanctions, divestment and UN peacekeepers." When pressed with the question, "How about American troops on the ground?" she said, "American ground troops I don't think belong in Darfur at this time."^[376]

NATO and U.S. relations with allies

Clinton has also criticized the "inflammatory rhetoric" of Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, adding that Trump's proposal to build a wall on the U.S.–Mexico border and his proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States would harm the security of the United States and the world as a whole. Clinton added that Trump's suggestion for the U.S. to withdraw from involvement in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would benefit the Russian government, saying in an address at Stanford University that: "If Mr. Trump gets his way, it will be like Christmas in the Kremlin."^[377] Clinton added that "Putin already hopes to divide Europe."^[378] Clinton has said that the U.S.'s partnerships through NATO have been one of the best security investments made by the United States.^[379]

Clinton has stressed the role of international alliances and coordination in counterterrorism efforts,^[379] saying in March 2016 that "We need our allies as much as ever" and adding that these alliances provide the United States and Europe with a strategic advantage over nations such as China or Russia.^[380]

Security vs. human rights

On November 15, 2007, when asked "[is] national security more important than human rights?" Clinton responded, "I agree with that completely. The first obligation of the president of the United States is to protect and defend the United States of America. That doesn't mean that it is to the exclusion of other interests. And there's absolutely a connection between a democratic regime [in Pakistan] and heightened security for the United States."^[383]

Prior to assuming the role of Secretary of State, Clinton signed an agreement with the administration which precluded the Clinton Foundation from accepting new donations from foreign governments during her tenure in order to mitigate the potential for inappropriate influence of the State Department. In February 2015, the Washington Post reported that the foundation had accepted $500,000 from Algeria in 2010, in apparent violation of her agreement with the administration. The foundation indicated that the donation was to contribute to relief efforts in Haiti. The Post noted that the donation "coincided with a spike" in lobbying efforts by Algeria of the State Department regarding their human rights record.^[384]

Torture

Clinton has pledged to "never condone or practice torture anywhere in the world" if elected president.^[363] Clinton has stated that "lots of empirical evidence" shows that torture does not work, a statement rated "true" by PolitiFact.^[385] Clinton believes that torture is counterproductive, stating that "It does put our own soldiers, and increasingly our own civilians, at risk."^[386]

United Nations

On February 13, 2005, at the Munich Conference on Security Policy, Clinton outlined her support for a strong United Nations:

My first observation is simple but it must govern all that we do: The United Nations is an indispensable organization to all of us – despite its flaws and inefficiencies. This means quite simply, that everyone here today, and governments everywhere, must decide that our global interests are best served by strengthening the UN, by reforming it, by cleaning up its obvious bureaucratic and managerial shortcomings, and by improving its responsiveness to crises, from humanitarian to political. ... At its founding in San Francisco sixty years ago, fifty members signed the Charter. Today, the UN has 191 members, and, quite frankly, many of them sometimes act against the interests of a stronger UN, whether consciously or not, with alarming regularity. Since the UN is not, in the final analysis, an independent hierarchical organization, like for example a sports team or a corporation, but no more – or less – than a collection of its members, the UN becomes progressively weakened by such action. Ironically, 'the UN' – an abstraction that everyone from journalists to those of us in this room use in common discussions – is often blamed for the actions (or inactions) of its members.^[387]

While in the Senate, Clinton co-sponsored a resolution "expressing the sense of the Senate on the importance of membership of the United States on the United Nations Human Rights Commission."^[388]

Wikileaks

Reacting to WikiLeaks and the 2010 U.S. diplomatic cables release, Clinton expressed her condemnation of any disclosure that puts lives at risk and threatens national security.^[389]

D.C. statehood

In May 2016 Clinton declared her support for D.C. statehood, saying that she would be a "vocal champion" on the issue if elected.^[390]

Electoral college

In November 2000, Clinton called for a Constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College, replacing it with a national popular vote, saying "we are a very different country than we were 200 years ago." "I believe strongly that in a democracy, we should respect the will of the people and to me, that means it's time to do away with the Electoral College and move to the popular election of our president. I hope no one is ever in doubt again about whether their vote counts."^[391] She promised to co-sponsor legislation that would abolish it resulting in the direct election of the president.^[392][393]

Executive authority

Clinton's advisors have said that she believes that the "president usually deserves the benefit of the doubt from Congress on matters of executive authority".^[394] In 2003, Clinton stated that she was "a strong believer in executive authority," wishing that when her husband was president, Congress had been more willing to recognize presidential authority.^[395]

Supreme Court

An analysis by FiveThirtyEight shows that, under the assumption that Scalia's vacant seat on the Court will not be filled and taking account of the old age of three of the sitting justices, that under a Clinton presidency, "the court may quickly become the most liberal it's been in at least 80 years."^[396]

9/11 responders

In 2006, Senator Clinton co-sponsored the Zadroga 9/11 Health Act which became law in 2011.^[398][399] The legislation funds and establishes a health program to provide medical treatment for responders and survivors who experienced or may experience health complications related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Since leaving the Senate, Clinton has repeatedly urged Congress to reauthorize the legislation.^[400][401]

Abortion and birth control

Clinton is pro-choice, stating that abortion should be safe and legal.^[402][403] Clinton has stated that "birth control is basic health care".^[404] Clinton favors legislation that would make it illegal for pharmacists to refuse to provide access to emergency contraception.^[402][405] Clinton opposes the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funds to pay for abortion unless the pregnancy arises from incest, rape, or to save the life of the mother.^[404]

NARAL Pro-Choice America consistently gave Clinton a 100 percent pro-choice rating from 2002 to 2006.^[406] Planned Parenthood endorsed Clinton in 2016, stating that "no other presidential contender in our nation's history has demonstrated such a strong, proactive commitment to women or has such a clear and outspoken record on behalf of women's health and rights."^[407]

Clinton has stressed prevention, sexual education, and abstinence.^{[408][409][410]} In 2005 and 2006, Senators Clinton and Senator Patty Murray led the opposition towards the Bush administration's attempt to restrict over-the-counter sales of the Plan B contraceptive.^[411][412] In April 2007 Clinton expressed dismay at the Supreme Court's Gonzales v. Carhart ruling that upheld the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.^[413]

Clinton opposed the 2014 Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision, stating, "It's the first time that our court has said that a closely held corporation has the rights of a person when it comes to religious freedom, which means the corporation's employers can impose their religious beliefs on their employees, and, of course, denying women the right to contraceptives as part of a health care plan is exactly that. I find it deeply disturbing that we are going in that direction."^[414] In June 2016, she hailed the Supreme Court decision to strike down an anti-abortion law in Texas as "a victory for women in Texas and across America."^[415]

Clinton stated in June 2016, "I will always stand with Planned Parenthood. It should be funded, supported and appreciated – not undermined, misrepresented, and demonized."^[404]

Americans with disabilities

Clinton supports the American with Disabilities Act, because "it opened educational opportunities to all Americans, expanded transportation, made sure everyone can enter buildings, and ensured that no one would be turned down for a job because of a disability".^[416] As Secretary of State, Clinton tried to get the United States to join the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.^[416] Clinton supports the Disability Integration Act, which requires that states and insurance companies provide people with disabilities who need long-term care the choice to receive care at home instead of solely in institutions and nursing facilities."^[417] The Disability Integration Act is supported by many disability rights groups.^[418] Clinton has called for closing a loophole that allows employers to gain an exemption from the minimum for workers with disabilities.^[419]

Anti-terrorism and domestic surveillance

Clinton voted for the USA PATRIOT Act in October 2001 when it was first enacted. In December 2005, when a political battle ensued over its renewal, Clinton supported a general filibuster against it, on the grounds that the renewal legislation did not appropriate enough money to New York for anti-terrorism efforts.^[420] During the renewal debate she expressed some concerns with it regarding civil liberties.^[421] She then voted in favor of a compromise renewed act in March 2006 that passed by an 89–10 margin.^[422]

Regarding the December 2005 NSA warrantless surveillance controversy, Clinton stated that she was "troubled" by President Bush's 2002 actions. In a statement, she said: "The balance between the urgent goal of combating terrorism and the safeguarding of our most fundamental constitutional freedoms is not always an easy one to draw. However, they are not incompatible, and unbridled and unchecked executive power is not the answer."^[423]

Following the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Clinton called for creating more "integrated intelligence use" among local, state and national law enforcement; "strengthening communication" with other countries; and working with Silicon Valley to "prevent online radicalization."^[424]

Arts and culture

Clinton has frequently expressed support for the arts and humanities. Clinton served as honorary chairwoman of a committee that issued a report, Creative America, in February 1997, calling for an appropriation by $2 per citizen by the year 2000 for museums, libraries, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, which would represent a modest increase in federal arts and humanities spending.^[427] Clinton's position was in contrast to that of congressional Republicans who called for an end to all federal funding of the National Endowment for the Arts.^[427] Clinton stated at the time that: "The arts and humanities can offer children safe and productive alternatives to crime, violence, gangs and drugs, transporting them beyond the bounds of their difficult circumstances."^[427]

While in the Senate, Clinton—along with fellow New York Senator Chuck Schumer—unsuccessfully pushed for the inclusion of a $1 million appropriation for the Museum at Bethel Woods (a museum commemorating the Woodstock Music Festival of 1969) in a 2007 omnibus health and education spending bill. Republicans criticized the proposed expenditure as wasteful, while Schumer and Clinton said that the museum would "continue to promote education, the arts, culture and tourism in the region."^[428]

In January 2013, while secretary of state, Clinton published an article in Vanity Fair magazine, writing that "art is also a tool of diplomacy" and promoting the Department of State's longstanding Art in Embassies Program.^[429]

On the campaign trail in 2015, Clinton has expressed support for art education,^[430] and has said: "I believe that the arts and culture are important in their own right ... but they're also important drivers for economic growth, tourism, and attracting young people."^[431]

Capital punishment

Clinton is not in favor of abolishing capital punishment "because I do think there are certain egregious cases that still deserve the consideration of the death penalty, but I'd like to see those be very limited and rare, as opposed to what we've seen in most states."^[432] She has encouraged the federal government to rethink the use of capital punishment, citing concerns over the frequent and discriminatory application of the punishment.^[432]

Clinton sponsored the Innocence Protection Act, which requires DNA testing before administering federal executions.^[141] In regards to the Justice Department's decision to seek the death penalty for Dylann Roof, Clinton's spokesperson said "she respects the Justice Department decision."^[433]

Church and state

In a 2005 speech, Clinton said that religious political officials should be able to "live out their faith in the public square."^[434]

Speaking at an event for candidates on faith and compassion in April 2008, Clinton said that "we want religion to be in the public square. If you are a person of faith, you have a right and even an obligation to speak from that wellspring of your faith."^[435]

Crime

Clinton summarizes her key proposals on criminal justice reform as follows:^[436]

• "End the era of mass incarceration, reform mandatory minimum sentences, and end private prisons."
• "Encourage the use of smart strategies — like police body cameras — and end racial profiling to rebuild trust between law enforcement and communities."
• "Help formerly incarcerated individuals successfully re-enter society."

According to PolitiFact, Clinton "focuses more on what happens before prison (such as sentencing of people not currently incarcerated) and after prison (especially reintegrating ex-convicts into society after they are released) than actually releasing current inmates."^[436] As for releasing current inmates, Clinton focuses on nonviolent offenders.^[78]

In 2000, during a Senate debate in Manhattan, Clinton voiced her support for drug courts to address drug abuse problems when she stated, "We need more treatment [for drug addicts]. It is unfair to urge people to get rid of their addiction and not have the treatment facilities when people finally make up their minds to get treatment."^[437]

In 2001, Clinton co-sponsored legislation that would create more tracking and harsher sentences for hate crimes.^[438]

In a speech in April 2015, Clinton said that body-worn cameras for police should be "the norm everywhere."^[439] During the same speech, she also urged an end to excessive prison sentences that burden black communities.^[439] She said that reform of mandatory sentencing laws are "long overdue" and criticized the militarization of police.^[438]

In March 2016, when asked about the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 signed into law by Bill Clinton that she supported at the time, she said that "there were some aspects that worked well" including violence against women provisions, but she noted that other portions related to increasing incarceration "were a mistake."^[440][441] In 1994, she referred to the bill as a "very well-thought-out crime bill that is both smart and tough,"^[438] and voiced support for three strikes laws when she stated "We need more police, we need more and tougher prison sentences for repeat offenders. The three strikes and you're out for violent offenders has to be part of the plan."^[442] According to the Marshall Project's reporting, Clinton's position on the 1994 crime bill started to shift in a 1998 column as she picked and chose "from the crime bill's legacy, emphasizing the gun-control measures, prevention programs for juveniles, and funding for more police officers, without mentioning the law's contributions to mass incarceration."^[438]

Drug policy

During her 2016 presidential campaign, Clinton had proposed a $10 billion plan, much of which would have been funded by the federal government, intended to treat those suffering from addiction, increase emergency responders' access to a life-saving rescue drug targeting overdoses, and curb incarceration for nonviolent drug offenses.^[443]

Clinton supports diversion programs such as treatment-focused drug courts,^[444] saying in 2007: "Non-violent offenders should not be serving hard time in our prisons. They need to be diverted from our prison system."^[445]

Education

Clinton voted for President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, but subsequently criticized the program because of the government's failure to fully fund it.^[455] In June 2007, with the Act up for renewal by Congress,^[456] Clinton criticized the program, saying that its emphasis on testing has caused American children to narrow their studies and lose their creative edge.^[457] In 2007, Clinton stated "No Child Left Behind has been a terrible imposition on teachers and school districts and families and students."^[458] Clinton said that she believed in accountability and acknowledged "a place for testing," but said that the U.S. had "gone overboard" with too much emphasis on testing.^[458] In 2008, Clinton called for extensive changes to the act, saying that she would put an end to the unfunded mandate called No Child Left Behind."^[455] In 2008, Clinton said: "I will work to reduce the teaching to the test and bring back a well-rounded curriculum and change the one-size-fits-all approach to addressing the challenges facing struggling schools.^[455]

In 2015, Clinton praised an Obama administration initiative to reduce unnecessary standardized testing. Clinton stated: "While testing can provide communities with full information about how our students are doing and help us determine whether we have achievement gaps, we can and must do better. We should be ruthless in looking at tests and eliminating them if they do not actually help us move our kids forward. I embrace the principles laid out today by the Obama administration because they move us in the right direction. Standardized tests must be worth taking, high quality, time-limited, fair, fully transparent to students and parents, just one of multiple measures, and tied to improving learning."^[458]

Clinton has been a longtime supporter of early childhood education.^[455] During her 2008 campaign for the Democratic nomination for president, Clinton has proposed a $10 billion matching grant program for the states to provide universal access to voluntary pre-kindergarten programs.^[455][459] In 2015, in one of her first policy speeches during the 2016 campaign, Clinton again pledged to work for affordable access to prekindergarten for every American four-year-olds if elected president.^[460][461] Clinton has specifically proposed giving incentives to states "to provide public preschool to children whose family incomes are below 200 percent of the federal poverty line."^[460]

Clinton has often emphasized the importance of community colleges in the United States, and on the campaign trail met with community college students and called for more community-college funding.^[462][463] Clinton has also emphasized the importance of vocational and technical education,^[462] saying that one of the U.S.'s "biggest errors was getting rid of all technical and vocational education in most of our high schools."^[464] Clinton has proposed an expansion of apprenticeships in the United States, proposed new tax credits for businesses that hire and train apprentices (a $1,500 tax credit for each apprentice under 25 years old and a $1,000 tax credit for each older apprentice).^[465]

Clinton is against education vouchers for use at private schools. On September 13, 2000, she said, "I do not support vouchers. And the reason I don't is because I don't think we can afford to siphon dollars away from our underfunded public schools."^[466] Outlining a different objection, on February 21, 2006, she said: "First family that comes and says 'I want to send my daughter to St. Peter's Roman Catholic School' and you say 'Great, wonderful school, here's your voucher.' Next parent that comes and says, 'I want to send my child to the school of the Church of the White Supremacist ... ' The parent says, 'The way that I read Genesis, Cain was marked, therefore I believe in white supremacy. ... You gave it to a Catholic parent, you gave it to a Jewish parent, under the Constitution, you can't discriminate against me.' So what if the next parent comes and says, 'I want to send my child to the School of the Jihad'? ... I won't stand for it."^[467]

Clinton supports the Common Core State Standards.^[468] She said this about Common Core: "The really unfortunate argument that's been going on around Common Core, it's very painful because the Common Core started off as a bipartisan effort. It was actually nonpartisan. It wasn't politicized. ... Iowa has had a testing system based on a core curriculum for a really long time. And [speaking to Iowans] you see the value of it, you understand why that helps you organize your whole education system. And a lot of states unfortunately haven't had that, and so don't understand the value of a core, in this sense a Common Core."^[469]

Clinton has supported charter schools as early as the 1990s.^[470][471] During her campaign for the presidency in 2015, Clinton expressed support for charter schools as long as they are high quality, and expressed support for federal funding to expand "high-quality charter schools."^[470] Clinton said that she did not support requiring school districts to tie teacher pay to student test scores.^[470]

At a town-hall meeting in November 2015, Clinton said that she had for thirty years "supported the idea of charter schools, ... not as a substitute for the public schools, but as a supplement for the public schools" and said that "there are good charter schools and there are bad charter schools, just like there are good public schools and bad public schools."^[472] Clinton stated that "Most charter schools—I don't want to say every one—but most charter schools, they don't take the hardest-to-teach kids, or, if they do, they don't keep them."^{[470][472][473]} FactCheck.org found that Clinton's "broad claim" on charter schools and the hardest-to-teach students was "not supported by the evidence", noting that a GAO report found that information on "why enrollment levels of students with disabilities in charter schools and traditional public schools differ" is anecdotal, and that while some charter schools had high rates of expulsion, the evidence did not show that "most" charter schools had high rates of expulsion.^[474]

Faith-based initiatives

Clinton supports faith-based programs that address social issues and provide social services, saying that "there is no contradiction between support for faith-based initiatives and upholding our constitutional principles."^[141][475]

Gun control

Clinton was the "first candidate to produce an extensive position paper on guns and gun violence" during the 2016 campaign.^[476] Her plan calls for strengthening background checks for firearm purchases and closing loopholes in the current system by requiring, for example, background checks on purchases at gun shows;^[477] barring firearm sales to suspected terrorists, as well as "domestic abusers, other violent criminals, and the severely mentally ill";^[477] and reinstating the now-expired Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which Clinton voted for in the Senate.^{[478][479][480]}

Clinton's opponent in the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump, has repeatedly and falsely claimed that Clinton has advocated "abolishing" the Second Amendment. PolitiFact found "no evidence that Clinton has ever advocated for repealing or abolishing the Second Amendment,"^[481] and FactCheck.org found Trump's statement to be a distortion of Clinton's actual views.^[482]

Clinton supports the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 (the "Brady Bill"), which mandates federal background checks on firearm purchasers and imposes a five-day waiting period on purchases.^[483] During the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries, Clinton criticized her opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders, for voting against the Brady Bill five times.^[483][484]

Clinton opposes what she calls the "Charleston loophole," which allows gun sales to go through without a background after the three-day waiting period for the government to perform a background check runs out.^[485] Clinton also opposes the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act of 2005, which protects firearms manufacturers and dealers from being held liable when crimes have been committed with their products,^[486] She has called for the act's repeal,^[476] saying: "the industry's sweeping legal protection for illegal and irresponsible actions ... makes it almost impossible for people to hold them accountable."^[477]

Clinton disagrees with the Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, in which a divided Court struck down, by 5–4 vote, a handgun ban in Washington D.C. and found an individual right to keep and bear arms in the Second Amendment (as opposed to a right to keep and bear arms only as part of a "well-regulated militia").^[481] A Clinton spokesman said that Clinton "believes Heller was wrongly decided in that cities and states should have the power to craft common sense laws to keep their residents safe."^[482]

Clinton suggested on one occasion in 2015 that Australia's gun buyback program was "worth looking at" and "worth looking into," although such a program is not part of her gun policy proposals. Although the Australian program was compulsory, Clinton referenced it alongside voluntary gun buyback programs conducted in U.S. communities, comparing them to President Obama's Cash for Clunkers program.^[481][482]

Clinton made gun licensing and registration a part of her 2000 Senate campaign.^[487]

Clinton was taught to shoot and hunt by her father. On hunting and shooting, Clinton said in 2008: "It's part of culture. It's part of a way of life. People enjoy hunting and shooting because it's an important part of who they are."^[488] In the 1999 Proposition B in Missouri campaign, which would have allowed concealed carry of firearms in the state, Clinton's voice was used in a robocall message aimed at women, saying "It's just too dangerous for Missouri families."^[489] She made gun rights a part of her 2008 Presidential campaign, after highlighting the importance of passing "gun-safety laws" during her 2000 campaign for the Senate, although according to Politico her messages were not directly contradictory.^{[490][491][492]}

In 2016, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence endorses Clinton for president, saying that she "has been a national leader on gun violence prevention for decades" and "has the experience, record, and demonstrated commitment to help reach the Brady Campaign's goal of cutting gun deaths in half by 2025."^[483] She has received an "F" rating from the National Rifle Association of America;^[493] the NRA, which endorsed Trump,^[494] has been a longtime Clinton adversary.^[476]

Habeas corpus

Clinton "vigorously opposed" and voted against the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which changed the law to explicitly forbid the invocation of the Geneva Conventions when executing the writ of habeas corpus or in other civil actions. Clinton called the act "deeply troubling" and said: "Our Nation must not indefinitely detain anyone without safeguards to ensure we are holding the right person. This is one of the bedrock principles enshrined in our Constitution; it is the way our Founders believed we could be secure against those who would abuse government power. I believe we do not have to abandon our constitutional principles or our values as Americans in the name of fighting terrorism."^[495][496]

Clinton was a co-sponsor of the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act in 2007.^[497]

Income inequality

Clinton believes that income inequality is a barrier to equal opportunity.^[498][499] She has suggested that the growing inequality is reminiscent of the Gilded Age of the robber barons: "economists have documented how the share of income and wealth going to those at the very top, not just the top 1% but the top .1% or the .01% of the population, has risen sharply over the last generation. Some are calling it a throwback to the Gilded Age of the robber barons."^[500][501]

Space

Clinton has said that investments in the space program has "prompted a long period of American leadership in science and technology, and spurred a generation of innovators."^[119] She wants to "advance inspirational, achievable, and affordable space initiatives. We must maintain our nation's leadership in space with a program that balances science, technology and exploration; protect our security and the future of the planet through international collaboration and Earth systems monitoring; expand our robotic presence in the solar system; and maximize the impact of our R&D and other space program investments by promoting stronger coordination across federal agencies, and cooperation with industry."^[119]

Technology policy

Voting rights

In June 2015, Clinton called for sweeping changes in national voter access laws, including automatically registering American citizens to vote at age 18 and mandating 20 days of early voting in all states.^{[513][514][515]}

Clinton has criticized laws passed by Republican-controlled state legislatures that do not permit student IDs at polling places, place limits on early voting, and eliminate same-day voter registration.^{[515][516][517][518]} Clinton has said: "Today Republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of American citizens from voting. What part of democracy are they afraid of?"^[513] Clinton alleged that Republican efforts to limit voter registration have a disproportionate impact on "people of color, poor people and young people."^[513] In 2013, Clinton gave a speech to the American Bar Association, in which she "slammed the Supreme Court's Shelby County ruling that year weakening the Voting Rights Act (VRA), called on Congress to fix the landmark law and urged the Obama administration to step up enforcement of voting rights cases."^[519]

Kenneth Starr investigation

As First Lady, she referred to the Lewinsky scandal as being part of a politically motivated "vast right-wing conspiracy" against President Bill Clinton.^[520] Clinton later wrote in her 2003 autobiography that "I might have phrased my point more artfully, but I stand by the characterization of [Kenneth] Starr's investigation."^[521]

LGBT rights

First Lady of the United States

On December 9, 1999, Clinton told a group of gay contributors that LGBT people should be allowed to openly serve in the United States military.^[522] Also that same day, Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson stated she supported the Defense of Marriage Act and that "same-sex unions should be recognized and that same-sex unions should be entitled to all the rights and privileges that every other American gets."^[522] On January 10, 2000, Clinton stated she opposed legalizing same-sex marriage.^[523]

107th United States Congress

On February 1, 2001, Clinton voted against the George W. Bush's nomination of John Ashcroft as United States Attorney General.^[524] On March 27, 2001, Clinton cosponsored the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2001.^[525] On June 14, 2001, Clinton voted in favor of S.Amdt.803 to S.Amdt.562 (which amends S.Amdt.358), which amends the Better Education for Students and Teachers Act^[526] and voted against S.Amdt.648 to S.Amdt.574 (which amends S.Amdt.358), which amends the Better Education for Students and Teachers Act.^[527] On July 31, 2001, Clinton cosponsored S. Res. 294.^[528] and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2002.^[529] On November 7, 2001, Clinton voted in favor of S.Amdt. 2107, an amendment to District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2002.^[530] On June 11, 2002, Clinton voted in favor of cloture the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2001.^[525] Clinton received a score of 100% on the Human Rights Campaign 107th Congress scorecard.^[531]

108th United States Congress

On May 1, 2003, Hilary cosponsored the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2003.^[532] One June 12, 2003, Clinton cosponsored the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2003.^[533] On October 2, 2003, Clinton cosponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2003.^[534] On June 15, 2004, Clinton voted in favor of S.Amdt.3183 to the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005.^[535] On June 23, 2004, Clinton voted in favor of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005^[536] On July 14, 2004, Clinton voted against the motion to invoke cloture on the Federal Marriage Amendment.^[537] Clinton received a score of 88% on the Human Rights Campaign 108th Congress scorecard.^[538]

109th United States Congress

On February 8, 2005, Clinton cosponsored the Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2005.^[539] On May 26, 2005, Clinton cosponsored the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2005.^[540] On June 9, 2005, Clinton voted against George W. Bush's nomination of William H. Pryor Jr. to be a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.^[541] On January 31, 2006, Clinton voted against George W. Bush's nomination of Samuel Alito to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.^[541] In February 2006, she was criticized by gay rights advocates for opposing same-sex marriage, although she approved of civil unions.^[542] On June 26, 2006, Clinton voted in favor of S.Amdt. 4689 to the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act.^[543] On July 7, 2006, Clinton voted against the motion to invoke cloture on the Federal Marriage Amendment.^[544] On October 25, 2006, Clinton told a group of gay elected officials that she would not oppose the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York if a future governor and state legislature chose to enact it. Clinton also stated that supporting the Defense of Marriage Act was a strategic decision to help derail a constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage and that it was not fair that the gay partner of Gerry Studds was not receiving his benefits.^[545] Her claim about the reason for her support of the Defense of Marriage Act was questioned and her staff urged her not to repeat it.^[546] Clinton received a score of 89% on the Human Rights Campaign 109th Congress scorecard.^[541]

110th United States Congress

On March 13, 2007, Clinton cosponsored the Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2007.^[547] On April 12, 2007, Clinton cosponsored the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. On April 17, 2007, Clinton cosponsored the Tax Equity for Domestic Partner and Health Plan Beneficiaries Act.^[548] On a May 2007 Human Rights Campaign questionnaire, Clinton stated she supported repealing the provision of Defense of Marriage Act that may prohibited the federal government from providing benefits to people in states that recognize same sex marriage.^[549] On July 16, 2008, Clinton voted in favor of the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008.^[550] On September 27, 2007, Clinton voted in favor of S.Amdt. 3035, which amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.^[551] On October 1, 2007, Clinton voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.^[552] On October 27, 2007, Clinton voted against George W. Bush's nomination of Leslie Southwick as a federal judge to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.^[553] Clinton received a score of 95% on the Human Rights Campaign 110th Congress scorecard.^[553]

United States Secretary of State

On June 27, 2011, Clinton endorsed the Marriage Equality Act.^[554]

Post United States Secretary of State

On March 18, 2013, Clinton came out in favor of same-sex marriage.^[555] On June 26, 2013, Hillary and Bill Clinton issued a joint statement in favor of ruling in the case of the United States v. Windsor.^[556]

2016 United States presidential campaign

Alternate version of Clinton's 2016 campaign logo in rainbow colors, used on Twitter and on Facebook by the campaign, after release of the candidate's April 28, 2015, statement on same-sex marriage

During her 2016 presidential campaign, Clinton stressed the importance of anti-discrimination laws covering sexual orientation and gender identity, stating that "you can get married on Saturday and get fired on Monday because we still permit discrimination in employment and in public accommodations."^[557]

On March 26, 2015, Clinton condemned the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.^[558] On April 15, 2015, Adrienne Elrod, spokesperson for Hillary for America, stated that Clinton hoped that the United States Supreme Court would find a constitutional right for same-sex couples to marry nationwide in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges.^[559] On June 26, 2015, Clinton praised the ruling in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges.^[560] On July 23, 2015, Clinton endorsed the Equality Act of 2015.^[561] On October 4, 2015, Clinton came out in favor of allowing transgender people to openly serve openly in the United States military.^[562] On October 14, 2015, Clinton criticized Senator Rand Paul's comments about LGBT rights.^[563] On October 23, 2015, during an interview on The Rachel Maddow Show, Clinton said that she believed her husband's reasoning for enacting the Defense of Marriage Act was a defensive action in order to prevent the political momentum to amend the Constitution of the United States of America to ban same-sex marriage.^[564] On October 29, 2015, Hillary Clinton endorsed Proposition 1.^[565]

On November 2, 2015, Clinton got into a Twitter fight with Governor Greg Abbott over Proposition 1.^[566] On November 6, 2015, at the First in the South Candidates Forum, Clinton, when asked why Proposition 1 failed, stated that "the far right did, very successfully, is really engender a lot of fear and a lot of anxiety, and create this backlash against this ordinance. And they used the bathroom issue. And yet, you could go to another city in Texas, like San Antonio, and you would know that that was totally without merit, that there was no basis for it. I think this is a reminder that if you stand for equal rights, if you stand against discrimination, you don't just do it once and you're done," and "You've got to keep fighting for it, you've got to keep standing up for it, you've got to keep moving forward."^[567] On December 17, 2015, Clinton revealed a comprehensive plan for LGBT rights, including an endorsement of federal ban LGBT conversion therapy for minors.^[568] On January 20, 2016, Clinton criticized Senator Bernie Sanders for his comments that the Human Rights Campaign was "part of the establishment."^[569][570] On February 9, 2016, Clinton endorsed Florida's Competitive Workforce Act.^[571] On March 11, 2016, in an interview with MSNBC at Nancy Reagan's funeral service, Clinton credited Reagan with starting the national conversation about AIDS. Clinton's comments drew heavy criticism from LGBT groups and the media, who said that the Reagans had ignored the issue, causing Clinton to apologize and retract her statement.^[572] On March 24, 2016, Clinton condemned the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act and Senate Bill 175.^[573] On April 6, 2016, Clinton condemned the Religious Liberty Accommodations Act.^[574] On July 2, 2016, Clinton stated she was proud of The Pentagon's decision to lift the prohibition on openly transgender people serving in the United States military.^[575] On October 6, 2016, she was the first major-party presidential candidate ever to write an op-ed for an LGBT newspaper (Philadelphia Gay News).^[576] On October 11, 2016, her Twitter account stated conversion therapy for minors should be ended.

Native American issues

Clinton cosponsored the Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendment of 2007.^[577]

During both her 2008 and 2016 campaigns for the presidency, Clinton has met with Native American leaders and held events on Indian reservations.^[578]

During her 2008 run, Clinton released a position statement on Native American issues emphasizing the need to both provide vital services and support tribal sovereignty.^[577] Clinton specifically committed, among other things, "to meaningful increases to the Indian Health Service budget"; to improve health care for Native Americans (who suffer from significant health disparities); to "appoint Native Americans to key positions in a number of federal departments and agencies"; to increase funding for the American Indian Head Start Program; to improve housing and law enforcement in Indian country; and to increase support for tribal colleges and universities.^[577]

Poverty

At an April 2008 candidates' forum on faith and compassion, Clinton said that "the incredible demands that God places on us, and that the prophets ask of us, and that Christ called us to respond to on behalf of the poor are unavoidable."^[141][579]

In 2008, Clinton said that if elected president, she would appoint a "cabinet-level poverty czar" focused on "ending poverty as we know it."^[580] She was criticized by liberal groups for supporting an increase in the work requirement for welfare.^[141][581]

Racial issues

According to Clinton, there is "systemic racism in our criminal justice system."^[582] She has expressed support for "retraining police officers" and "looking at ways to end racial profiling."^[582] Addressing crowds on the campaign trail in 2015 and 2016, Clinton has said both "Yes, black lives matter"^[583] and "all lives matter."^[584] Clinton has met with Black Lives Matter leadership, to which activist DeRay Mckesson said "We didn't agree about all the issues, but in the end I think that we felt heard." In the meeting Clinton supported ending private prisons and immigration detention centers.^[585]

Clinton addressed the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia in July 2016, following the killings of two black men by police officers and the subsequent killings of five police officers by a black man in Dallas. According to CNN, she argued that "it was important to acknowledge the 'implicit bias' in society and some police departments and, in particular, called on white Americans to empathize with African-Americans".^[586]

Scientific research

Veterans

Clinton has spoken in favor of overhauling governance of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and reforming veterans' health care.^[589][590] She has described the problems at the VA as "serious, systemic and unacceptable."^[591] Clinton favors allowing the federal government to contract with private companies to provide some veterans' healthcare services, but opposes outright privatization of the VA.^[591][592]

On MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show on October 23, 2015, Maddow asked Clinton about the controversy over VA patients that have been backlogged and put on secret waiting lists while waiting for an appointment.^[589] (An audit by the VA Inspector General in 2014 found that 57,000 veterans had waited more than 90 days for their scheduled appointments, and that approximately 70 percent of VA facilities maintained secret, off-the-books waiting lists of patients.)^[593] Maddow asked Clinton about her thoughts on Republican ideas to abolish the VA or privatize the VA, and what she would do to fix the problems at the VA.^[589] In response, Clinton acknowledged that there were problems, "but it's not been as widespread as it has been made out to be. There have been a number of surveys of veterans, and overall, veterans who do get treated are satisfied with their treatment ... Nobody would believe that from the coverage that you see and the constant berating of the VA that comes from the Republicans, in part, in pursuit of this ideological agenda that they have."^[589] Clinton said that recent efforts to speed up treatment for veterans should be given a chance to work, but that VA health reforms may need a "SWAT team" to ensure accountability.^[589][594]

Video game regulation

Clinton urged an inquiry into the "Hot Coffee" mod of the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which unlocked hidden sexually graphic images.^[595] She said that if the game's manufacturer did not change the game's ESRB rating from M (Mature 17+) to AO (Adults Only 18+), she would introduce federal legislation to regulate video games. On July 20, 2005, the ESRB changed the rating and as a result, the game was removed from the shelves of Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, and other stores.^[596][597]

Five months later, Clinton introduced the legislation anyway. On December 16, 2005, Clinton introduced the Family Entertainment Protection Act, S.2126,^[598] a bill that would prohibit the sale of sexual or violent video games to anybody under the age of 18.

Women's rights

Hillary Clinton presenting the 2022 Hillary Rodham Clinton Award to Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh for Sophie's work in raising awareness about preventing sexual violence in conflict

In 2015, Clinton said that she "absolutely" considers herself a feminist.^[599] In 2014, Clinton defined being a "feminist" as favoring equal rights for women, saying, "I don't see anything controversial about that at all." She also told those who think of feminism as outdated, "I don't think you've lived long enough."^[600] "[W]omen and girls ... [are] central to our foreign policy," adding that nations that support women are more stable and "less likely to breed extremism."^[600]

Clinton has promoted equal pay for equal work and proposes action to close the gender pay gap. She supports the Paycheck Fairness Act. As a Senator, Clinton co-sponsored the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009; during her 2016 campaign, Clinton received the endorsement of the Act's namesake, Lilly Ledbetter.^{[147][601][602]}

In 2014, Clinton supported an Oregon state Equal Rights Amendment, which provides legal protection against discrimination based on sex.^[603][604]

Clinton has called for the U.S. to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which was signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1980 but never ratified by the Senate.^[605]

Clinton said in 2016 that if elected president, she will fill half of her Cabinet with women, a move that would be historic in the United States.^[606] Gender-equal cabinets are rare worldwide.^[607]

Clinton gave an influential speech called "Women's Rights are Human Rights" on September 5, 1995, at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.^{[608][609][610]} In 2013, she launched a partnership between the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to gather and study data on the progress of women and girls around the world since the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995.^[611][612] This is called "No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project."^[611][612] As Secretary of State, Clinton created the post of Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues.^[613]

Zika

Clinton has been critical of Congress's handling of the Zika outbreak in Florida.^[614] In August 2016, she stated that she was "very disappointed that the Congress went on recess before agreeing what resources to put in this fight."^[614] She stated that "We need to step up mosquito control and abatement, provide families with critical health services, including access to contraception, develop a vaccine and treatment, and ensure people know how to protect themselves and their kids."^[615]