2021

Abortion

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

Budget

1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

2. Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare?
- Yes

Campaign Finance

1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

Crime

Do you support the protection of government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct?
- No

Defense

Do you support increasing defense spending?
- No

Economy

1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

3. Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19?
- Yes

Education

1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Yes

Energy and Environment

1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

Guns

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

Health Care

1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No

2. Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19?
- Yes

Immigration

1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No

2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No

National Security

1. Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)?
- Unknown Position

2. Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts?
- Yes

Trade

Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)?
- Yes

Washington Congressional Election 2012 Political Courage Test

Abortion

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

Afghanistan

1. Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan?
- Yes

2. Do you support a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan?
- Yes

Budget

1. do you support reducing defense spending?
- Yes

2. do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

3. do you support reducing Medicaid spending?
- No

4. do you support reducing Medicare spending?
- No

5. Is balancing the budget a legislative priority?
- Yes

Campaign Finance

1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

Capital Punishment

Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- Yes

Economy

1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes

3. Do you support spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes

4. Do you support the temporary extension of unemployment benefits?
- Yes

5. Do you support the 2010 temporary extension of tax relief?
- No

Education

1. It depends greatly on what reforms are being required. For some reforms yes, for others, no.
- Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 2012 Political Courage Test. Responded NO ANSWER for “a) Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants?;” b) Other or expanded principles: “It depends greatly on what reforms are being required. For some reforms yes, for others, no.” Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 1998 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Selected "Slightly Increase" for: "1) Indicate what levels of federal funding you support for the following categories. Select one number (level) only. c) Education (K-12)" Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 1998 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Did Not Check SUPPORT for: "g) Give all federal education funding to states in the form of block grants and allow them to spend it as they see fit." Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 1998 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Selected "Local" for: "Indicate which level of government that should have primary responsibility for the following services. Select one level only. c) Education" Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 2000 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Checked SUPPORT for: "g) Promote education flexibility by giving federal funds, in the form of block grants, to the states to spend it as they see fit." Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 1996 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Selected "Slightly Increase" for: "1) Indicate what changes you support (if any) concerning levels of federal funding for the following categories. Select one number only. c) Education (K-12)" Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 2004 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Checked SUPPORT for: "a) Support national standards for and testing of public school students." Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 1996 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Selected "Yes" for: "2) Do you support the use of block grants given to states, rather than federal spending, in the following areas? b) Education" Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 2000 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Did Not Check SUPPORT for: "a) Support national standards and testing of public school students." Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 2000 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Checked SUPPORT for: "l) Eliminate restrictions on federal education funding, giving educators or local school districts more flexibility to design and implement their programs." Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 2004 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Selected "Slightly Increase" for: "Using the key, indicate what federal funding levels you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category. d) Education" Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 1998 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Did Not Check SUPPORT for: "a) Support national standards and testing in reading and math." Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 2004 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Did Not Check SUPPORT for: "j) Providing education is not a responsibility of the federal government." Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 1996 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Selected "State" for: "Indicate which level of government should have primary responsibility for the following services. Select one level only. 3) Education" Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 1996 Washington Congressional Political Courage Test. Did Not Check SUPPORT for: "e) Eliminate the Department of Education, thereby giving state and local government greater control over educational issues." Adam Smith. Education. 30 August 2012. “NCLB established the idea that we must measure academic progress and ensure that students are achieving at appropriate levels as they progress through K-12 education. It also guards against schools failing to properly serve minority groups by separately measuring how each group is doing instead of measuring all students together. I strongly support these provisions of the law. When schools are truly failing, NCLB offers parents and communities various options to fix the problem. But as it is currently structured, NCLB makes it virtually impossible for any school to succeed. The requirement that all students must be above Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) by 2014 has led to award-winning schools to be labeled “failing”. Developmentally Disabled and ESL students who face unique challenges in the classroom are forced to take tests that are counted toward a school’s failure. This is demoralizing for teachers, administrators, and students, making it more difficult to identify schools that are truly failing. These problems can and must be fixed. Once we have adequate models for performance criteria that are collectively agreed upon by all stakeholders, we must implement them. However, I do not support a policy of tying teachers’ salaries to test scores.” (adamsmith.house.gov) Adam Smith. HR 2300. 106th Congress. Academic Achievement for All Act. Adam Smith voted Nay on 10/21/1999. (votesmart.org) Adam Smith. Smith Votes to Keep America Competitive. 2 August 2007. “U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) today voted for H.R. 2272, the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science Act (COMPETES) Act, part of the House Democrats' Innovation Agenda […] The legislation authorizes $22 billion over fiscal years 2008 - 2010 for research, education and other programs at the NSF; $2.65 billion for the research labs, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and other activities at the NIST, and $17 billion, over fiscal years 2008 to 2010, for programs at the DOE, including $150 million for K-12 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) educational programs.” (votesmart.org) Adam Smith. Issue Position: Education. 1 January 2011.“Vigorous standards and holding schools accountable to those standards is imperative in ensuring that our children are ready to face the increasingly complex challenges that the future holds. As part of this accountability, we owe to the next generation of Americans a strong K-12 public education system. I support increased funding for local schools and more efficient methods of sending federal dollars to local classrooms, so that those school districts that need help most, get the extra boost they need from federal funding.” (votesmart.org) Adam Smith. New Democrat Statement 2nd Anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act. 8 January 2004. “This week marks the two-year anniversary of the enactment of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. New Democrats played an integral role in ensuring that NCLB refocused federal education policy on raising academic achievement for every child, provided public schools with more funding and flexibility, targeted those new dollars to districts with the greatest needs, and demanded accountability for results […] We remain committed to improving the performance and accountability of our schools.” (votesmart.org) Adam Smith. No Child Left Behind act gets off to poor start - but needs repairs, not repeal. 25 January 2004. “NCLB contains a number of new or expanded requirements for states and local educational agencies that receive federal assistance. The 2001-2002 school year was the "base year" for the new adequate yearly progress standards -- performance in future years will be compared to this period […] Creating unfunded mandates for school reform is a surefire path to generating grass roots opposition to the law. We must provide states and school systems with the necessary financial resources to implement NCLB if we want to make sure it's effective […] Many people throughout the state have looked at these criticisms and have called for a full repeal of this law. We should strengthen this law, not repeal it.” (votesmart.org) Adam Smith. Outsourcing of Jobs. 29 March 2004. “The real number of degrees that U.S. students are receiving in those three key areas, math, science, and engineering, have gone down every year for the last decade. We are putting out fewer people with the skills that are desperately needed, and there are changes that we can make in our education system from the K-12 system forward that will help us deal with that and compete better. We need to set high standards. We need to place emphasis in the K through 12 level on math and science to get our students interested in it.” (votesmart.org) Adam Smith. U.S. Representative Adam Smith Votes Against Flawed Bill Funding Labor, Health, Education Programs. 14 December 2005. “The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program, an important tool in rehabilitating America's troubled public schools, is cut by more than $700 million. Funding for Title I, which is the core of NCLB's efforts to improve reading and math skills for disadvantaged children, received the smallest increase for Title I in 8 years, which means 3.1 million low-income children will be negatively affected by this cut.” (votesmart.org) “NCLB established the idea that we must measure academic progress and ensure that students are achieving at appropriate levels as they progress through K-12 education. It also guards against schools failing to properly serve minority groups by separately measuring how each group is doing instead of measuring all students together. I strongly support these provisions of the law.” https://adamsmith.house.gov/issues/education (adamsmith.house.gov) “This is an overdue critical start for the replacement of two of the five aging schools at JBLM. All students in our community deserve the highest quality education and first-rate facilities. This money will ensure the children at JBLM will receive both.” http://votesmart.org/public-statement/714761/murray-cantwell-dicks-smith-announce-50-million-oea-grant-for-schools-on-jblm#.VYQ8XXUVhHw (votesmart.org) “NCLB established the idea that we must measure academic progress and ensure that students are achieving at appropriate levels as they progress through K-12 education. It also guards against schools failing to properly serve minority groups by separately measuring how each group is doing instead of measuring all students together. I strongly support these provisions of the law.” https://adamsmith.house.gov/issues/education (adamsmith.house.gov) “Supported full funding of the No Child Left Behind Act, and changing the "one-size-fits-all" testing plan so that testing accurately reflects learning, and performance indicators other than test scores are included.” http://votesmart.org/public-statement/905750/issue-position-education (votesmart.org) “This is an overdue critical start for the replacement of two of the five aging schools at JBLM. All students in our community deserve the highest quality education and first-rate facilities. This money will ensure the children at JBLM will receive both.” http://votesmart.org/public-statement/714761/murray-cantwell-dicks-smith-announce-50-million-oea-grant-for-schools-on-jblm#.VYQ8XXUVhHw (votesmart.org)

Energy

Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production?
- No

Environment

1. Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change?
- Yes

2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

Guns

1. Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- Yes

Health Care

1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act?
- No

2. Should individuals be required to purchase health insurance, as mandated in the 2010 Affordable Care Act?
- Yes

Immigration

1. Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No

2. Do you support allowing illegal immigrants, who were brought to the United States as minors, to pursue citizenship without returning to their country of origin?
- Yes

3. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration law by state and local police?
- No

Marriage

Do you support same-sex marriage?
- Yes

National Security

1. Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- No

2. Regarding the targeting of suspected terrorists, it depends greatly on what one means by "outside of official theaters of conflict." I support strikes in places like Yemen and Somalia where Al-Qaeda affiliates directly threaten us. But in almost all other places, no.
- Adam Smith. Project Vote Smart: 2012 Political Courage Test. Selected NO ANSWER for “a)Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict?;” f) Other or expanded principles: “Regarding the targeting of suspected terrorists, it depends greatly on what one means by 'outside of official theaters of conflict.' I support strikes in places like Yemen and Somalia where Al-Qaeda affiliates directly threaten us. But in almost all other places, no.” New York Times “For the first time in our history, an entity has declared a covert war against us. And we are using similar elements of American power to respond to that covert war.” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/world/15shadowwar.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 (www.nytimes.com) “I support a comprehensive foreign policy strategy that will counter the philosophy of religious extremism and anti-American venom that we are currently battling. This means policies that understand and respect other nations and encourages self-determination, democracy, human rights, economic development, and much greater access to education, health care, and jobs.” https://adamsmith.house.gov/issues/international-leadership (adamsmith.house.gov) “Going forward, we must use technology as a tool for securing our nation and fighting the war on terrorism. This means leveraging our national assets – including the National Labs, universities, the private sector, and small business – to develop and bring to bear technologies designed to protect critical infrastructure, identify threats, and prevent potential attacks.” http://votesmart.org/public-statement/369380/issue-position-homeland-security#.VYREyXUVhHw (votesmart.org) “During our trip, we were able to learn more about SOCOM's excellent work in Southeast Asia and get a better sense of the global challenge we face from the spread of a violent, totalitarian ideology. One thing is clear following this trip: the next president faces an enormous challenge in rebalancing our worldwide force distribution to adequately fight terrorism in nations other than Iraq.” https://adamsmith.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/smith-leads-counter-terrorism-delegation-to-pacific-region (adamsmith.house.gov) New York Times “For the first time in our history, an entity has declared a covert war against us. And we are using similar elements of American power to respond to that covert war.” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/world/15shadowwar.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 (www.nytimes.com) “I support a comprehensive foreign policy strategy that will counter the philosophy of religious extremism and anti-American venom that we are currently battling. This means policies that understand and respect other nations and encourages self-determination, democracy, human rights, economic development, and much greater access to education, health care, and jobs.” https://adamsmith.house.gov/issues/international-leadership (adamsmith.house.gov) “Going forward, we must use technology as a tool for securing our nation and fighting the war on terrorism. This means leveraging our national assets – including the National Labs, universities, the private sector, and small business – to develop and bring to bear technologies designed to protect critical infrastructure, identify threats, and prevent potential attacks.” http://votesmart.org/public-statement/369380/issue-position-homeland-security#.VYREyXUVhHw (votesmart.org) “During our trip, we were able to learn more about SOCOM's excellent work in Southeast Asia and get a better sense of the global challenge we face from the spread of a violent, totalitarian ideology. One thing is clear following this trip: the next president faces an enormous challenge in rebalancing our worldwide force distribution to adequately fight terrorism in nations other than Iraq.” https://adamsmith.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/smith-leads-counter-terrorism-delegation-to-pacific-region (adamsmith.house.gov) Hearing Of The House Armed Services Committee - Department Of Defense Budget Request For Fiscal Year 2010. 13 May 2009. “It's not just in Iraq and Afghanistan and Pakistan. In North Africa, in the Horn of Africa, Southeast Asia, we are fighting insurgencies at various levels, and we need more equipment there, more ISR capabilities most particular, and more focus from the Special Operations folks, to fight that.” (votesmart.org) Adam Smith. Smith's Statement On President's Speech On Afghanistan. 1 December 2009. “It is clear that we face an enormous and difficult challenge in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Taliban, al-Qaeda, and other extremist groups in the region have a complex set of relationships spanning across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and these ideologies pose a grave threat to the United States and our allies. If the Taliban were to regain control of substantial portions of Afghanistan, or recapture the government they would provide al-Qaeda a safe haven from which to operate, and we can not allow this to happen […] Ultimately, I believe that we need a strategy to contain the threat in this region.” (votesmart.org) Adam Smith. Providing For Consideration Of H.R. 3081, Department Of State, Foreign Operations, And Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2010. 9 July 2009. “We have seen a major commitment in this bill on the central focus in our efforts right now, which is in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I applaud that effort. But also understand that this bill recognizes that it is broader than just Pakistan and Afghanistan. Throughout the Middle East, throughout Africa, throughout Southeast Asia, failed and failing states are a major contributor to instability and the rise of violent extremist groups. Getting our global development policy right is critical to stopping that effort. This bill makes that commitment.” (votesmart.org) Scott Shane, Mark Mazzetti, and Robert F. Worth. New York Times. Secret Assault on Terrorism Widens on Two Continents. 14 August 2010. “Some American officials believe that militants in Yemen could now pose an even greater threat than Al Qaeda’s leadership in Pakistan. The officials said that they have benefited from the Yemeni government’s new resolve to fight Al Qaeda and that the American strikes — carried out with cruise missiles and Harrier fighter jets — had been approved by Yemen’s leaders. The strikes, administration officials say, have killed dozens of militants suspected of plotting future attacks. The Pentagon and the C.I.A. have quietly bulked up the number of their operatives at the embassy in Sana, the Yemeni capital, over the past year. 'Where we want to get is to much more small scale, preferably locally driven operations. For the first time in our history, an entity has declared a covert war against us,' Mr. Smith said, referring to Al Qaeda. 'And we are using similar elements of American power to respond to that covert war.'” (www.nytimes.com)

Social Security

Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts?
- No

Spending and Taxes

1. Agriculture
- Maintain Status

2. Arts
- Maintain Status

3. Defense
- Slightly Decrease

4. Education
- Slightly Increase

5. Environment
- Slightly Increase

6. Homeland Security
- Maintain Status

7. International aid
- Slightly Increase

8. Medical Research
- Slightly Increase

9. Scientific Research
- Slightly Increase

10. Space exploration
- Maintain Status

11. United Nations
- Slightly Increase

12. Welfare
- Maintain Status

13. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

14. Capital gains taxes
- Slightly Increase

15. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Increase

16. Excise taxes (alcohol)
- Slightly Increase

17. Excise taxes (cigarettes)
- Slightly Increase

18. Excise taxes (transportation fuel)
- Slightly Increase

19. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Maintain Status

20. Income taxes (middle-income families)
- Maintain Status

21. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Slightly Increase

22. Inheritance taxes
- Slightly Increase

23. Payroll taxes
- Maintain Status

2019

Abortion

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

Budget

1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- Yes

Campaign Finance

1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

Economy

1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

Education

1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Yes

Energy & Environment

1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

Guns

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

Health Care

1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No

Immigration

1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No

2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No

Marijuana

Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Unknown Position

National Security

1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- Unknown Position

2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- Unknown Position