Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016

Rick Perry suspended his presidential campaign on September 11, 2015.^[1]

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Former presidential candidate Rick Perry

Political offices: Governor of Texas (2000-2015) Lieutenant Governor of Texas (1998-2000) Texas Agriculture Commissioner (1990 - 1998) Texas House of Representatives (1984-1990)

Perry on the issues:

Taxes • Government regulations • International trade • Budgets • Agricultural subsidies • Federal assistance programs • Foreign affairs • Federalism • Natural resources • Healthcare • Immigration • Education • Abortion • Gay rights • Civil liberties

Republican candidate:

Donald Trump

Ballotpedia's presidential election coverage 2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016

See also: Rick Perry

Rick Perry was a Republican candidate for the office of President of the United States in 2016. He suspended his campaign on September 11, 2015, making him the first candidate to drop out of the race. Perry addressed the audience at the Eagle Forum's summit in St. Louis, Missouri explaining, "When I gave my life to Christ, I said, 'your ways are greater than my ways. Your will superior to mine.' Today I submit that His will remains a mystery, but some things have become clear. That is why today I am suspending my campaign for the presidency of the United States."^[1]

Rick Perry served as the governor of Texas from December 2000 to January 2015. Perry also ran for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in the 2012 presidential election.

Perry announced his candidacy on June 4, 2015, via a video posted to his campaign website.^[2] On September 11, 2014, Perry responded to a question about his candidacy in 2016, stating, "I may not run in 2016, but I’ve spent the last 20-plus months preparing. If I don’t run, it won’t be because I’m not prepared."^[3] Prior to the 2016 election, there were 17 presidents who previously served as governors.^[4]

In recent candidate rankings, Crowdpac ranked Perry as a 7.0C (C being conservative) on a scale ranging from 10L to 10C, making him the fifth most conservative Republican presidential candidate.^[5] Perry received a grade of a "B/84" from the Leadership Project for America PAC.^[6]

On the issues

Economic and fiscal

Taxes

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Taxes

• According to his campaign website, Rick Perry "cut taxes over 75 times for more than $17 billion in savings to Texas taxpayers" while Governor of Texas.^[7]

• During the 2012 presidential campaign, Perry put forward a flat tax proposal that would have allowed taxpayers to choose either their tax rate under existing law or a flat 20 percent tax rate. Writing about his plan in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal in October 2011, Perry stated, "This simple 20% flat tax will allow Americans to file their taxes on a postcard, saving up to $483 billion in compliance costs. By eliminating the dozens of carve-outs that make the current code so incomprehensible, we will renew incentives for entrepreneurial risk-taking and investment that creates jobs, inspires Americans to work hard and forms the foundation of a strong economy. My plan also abolishes the death tax once and for all, providing needed certainty to American family farms and small businesses."^[8][9]

• According to a 2011 article in the Austin American-Statesman, while Perry was governor, the average Texan's tax rate increased from 7.1 percent to 7.9 percent but remained one of the lowest tax burdens in the country. A 2015 study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found, however, that Texas has one of the most regressive tax structures, taxing the poorest 20 percent at a significantly higher rate of 12.5 percent.^[10][11]

• In January 2010, Perry issued a press release where he recommended the Texas Constitution be amended to require a two-thirds majority in the state legislature to raise taxes.^[12]

• In 2009, Perry signed the Americans for Tax Reform “Taxpayer Protection Pledge," promising "to oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes."^[13]

• In 2006, Perry instituted a gross receipts tax on businesses as part of a school finance reform initiative. The added business tax was supposed to make up for cuts in property taxes, but according to the Texas Observer, the law "cost the state $5 billion a year for five years running." ^[13][14]

• In 1987, as a Democrat in the Texas House of Representatives, Perry voted in favor of a $5.7 billion tax increase called "the largest tax increase ever passed in modern Texas."^[15]

Government regulations

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Government regulations

• On July 29, 2015, Rick Perry discussed his vision for Wall Street reform. “I want to be very clear: if I am elected president of the United States, we will not bail out a single bank on Wall Street,” Perry said. He also applauded the Federal Reserve’s new rule requiring larger banks to maintain large stores of capital and the potential of digital currencies like Bitcoin.^[16][17]

• On May 5, 2015, Perry wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal detailing why the U.S. Export-Import Bank should not be reauthorized. Perry stated, "We won’t be able to give businesses more regulatory latitude if we continue to operate a government bank with an emerging record of corporate corruption. And that is why the time has come to end the Export-Import Bank. We can’t let Ex-Im get in the way of reforms that would expand opportunity for all Americans."^[18]

• Perry released a series of ads in 2013 to encourage out-of-state businesses to relocate to Texas for its low regulatory and tax environment. In one of these ads criticizing New York state, Perry said, "The new New York sounds a lot like the old New York. Higher taxes. Stifling regulations. Bureaucrats telling you whether you can even drink a Big Gulp."^[19]

• In October 2011, Perry spoke at an event for the Johnson County Republicans, lauding the power of deregulation to improve the economy and create jobs. Perry added, "Stop strangling the American domestic-energy industry with regulations, and we again can become a country that not only the rest of the world respects–because we [will] become a powerful economic country again."^[20]

• In a 2011 op-ed published by the American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Perry suggested Texas has thrived under his administration's leadership notwithstanding the Obama administration's government interventions. Perry wrote, "In spite of the widespread misery created by this president, in Texas, we've found ways to clean up Washington's mess. Most importantly, we've rejected the over-taxing, over-spending, over-regulating philosophy that does nothing but kill jobs. As Governor, I've signed 65 tax cuts totaling more than $14 billion. I was the first governor to cut state spending since World War II. And we've passed sweeping lawsuit reforms, including a loser pay law, and fought Washington's intrusive job-killing regulations."^[21]

• In August 2011, Rick Perry sharply criticized Ben Bernanke, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, for attempting to use the Federal Reserve to influence the 2012 election. Perry stated that it would be "almost treacherous–or treasonous in my opinion" to be "printing money to play politics." Republican strategist Karl Rove]criticized Perry's comment as "not...a presidential statement."^[22]

International trade

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/International trade

• Rick Perry's spokesman Travis Considine addressed Perry's opinion about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal in the following statement emailed to Breitbart: "Through Gov. Perry’s leadership, Texas has been the largest exporting state in the country for the past 13 years in a row. Gov. Perry has always supported free trade and its positive impact on economic growth and job creation. He believes America can achieve robust economic growth and job creation, similar to what has occurred in Texas, with trade agreements like the Trans Pacific Partnership."^[23]

• According to a white paper published by the Club for Growth in 2011, Rick Perry called NAFTA "the largest job stimulus packet to come along this decade."^[24]

• Perry expressed concern that the country's trade policies were not effective during a 2011 radio interview with Laura Ingraham. Perry explained, "I don't think our trade policies have been working for years, frankly, from the standpoint of being in the best interest of our families. Do we need to trade? Absolutely. Am I a free trader? Yes. But I'm a fair trader. Just because we pass a free trade agreement with a country doesn't mean we need to put ourselves at a competitive disadvantage to make their diplomatic people smile at us. I mean we need to be tough traders."^[25]

• Perry advocated for free trade with China and India in his 2010 book, Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington.^[26]

• In a 2007 speech at the League of United Latin American Citizens National Convention, Perry stated that his office was committed to removing obstacles to free trade with Mexico. This undertaking included holding community discussions to ensure the US-VISIT program, designed to increase border security by collecting arrival, departure and biometric data of travelers, had minimal impact on trade.^[27][28]

• In 2003 and 2005, Perry authored letters to the United States Trade Representative "to offer access to the Texas State government procurement market" in trade agreements being negotiated with several Central American countries.^[29][30]

• During a 2001 speech at the U.S.-Mexico Border Summit, Perry commented on the importance of free trade to the economic relationship between Texas and Mexico. Perry encouraged a freer flow of commerce across the border, saying, "It is a matter of economic fact that free trade lifts the tide for all the boats in the harbor. U.S. trade with Mexico has increased by 500% since 1994. Exports and imports between Texas and Mexico now exceed $100 billion dollars annually. Thousands of jobs have been created for Texas and Mexican workers, confirming the indisputable fact that trade with Mexico is big business for Texas. The fruits of NAFTA have just begun to ripen. At the same time, we must not allow the roots of the tree to become poisoned. The NAFTA agreement not only signaled a new era of economic possibility, but a new era of bi-national cooperation. That is why it is wrong, and inherently detrimental to our relationship with Mexico for the U.S. Congress to pursue a protectionist policy that forbids Mexican trucks from U.S. roadways. It is bad public policy, and it violates the terms of the NAFTA agreement we agreed to."^[31][32]

Budgets

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Budgets

See also: Texas state budget and finances

• As governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015, Rick Perry crafted seven biennial state budgets.^[33]

• According to a report published by the Cato Institute in early 2015, during Perry's tenure as governor, "the Texas general fund budget has gyrated substantially over the biennium budget cycles. Also, total state spending has risen more quickly than general fund spending, with growth coming in at an annual average of 5 percent since 2000."^[34]

• In October 2011, Perry wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal explained his vision for reforming government spending. Perry proposed "capping federal spending at 18% of our gross domestic product, banning earmarks and future bailouts, and passing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution."^[35]

• According to a 2006 press release from the governor's office, Perry advocated for giving line item veto authority to the president and noted that Perry has made good use of the authority himself, vetoing "nearly six times as much proposed spending as the last four governors combined."^[36]

• Perry created the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) in 2003 "to help attract new jobs and investment to the state." According to the Houston Chronicle, Club for Growth called TEF "a form of corporate welfare." As of 2015, the initiative has generated 70,000 new jobs and $21 billion in capital investment.^[37][38]

• In 2002, Perry introduced a massive transportation infrastructure project called the Trans-Texas Corridor, which would have created "a network of broad corridors linking major cities, with toll roads for cars and trucks, tracks for freight and passenger rail, and space for pipelines and power lines." The proposal would have cost $175 billion, but it was dropped due to negative response from the public.^[39]

• While serving as a Democrat in the Texas Legislature in the 1980s, Perry was a member of the "Pit Bulls,” a group of fiscal conservatives who pushed for slim state budgets.^[40]

Agricultural subsidies

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Agricultural subsidies and 2016 presidential candidates on rural policy

• Rick Perry attended the Iowa Agriculture Summit on March 7, 2015, where he suggested questions of agricultural subsidies are best decided at the state level. When asked for his opinion on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), Perry said, "Obviously, I've got a record with RFS as the governor of the state of Texas, and what we saw back in 2010, 2011 time period, when I wrote a letter asking for some waivers from that, was, if you will, a bringing together of some really difficult drought conditions in the state of Texas and representing those individuals. And looking back on it, I made the right decision for the people of the state of Texas and the beef cattle producers at that particular point and time. Obviously, these subsidies have gone away. The RFS is out there in front of us. Here's what I will tell you, be real clear about: I don’t think you pull the RFS out and discriminate against the RFS and leave all these other subsidies and mandates and other policies into place." Perry ultimately stated the federal government shouldn't be "picking winners and losers when it comes to agricultural products."^[41]

• In 2011, Perry declined to comment on whether he supported the renewable fuel standard for ethanol, saying instead, "We need equitable tax treatment for all fuel producers."^[42]

• In 2007, Perry supported converting biomass into ethanol instead of corn, saying, "We don't want to be put in the place of having to decide whether we are going to feed cattle or fuel vehicles."^[43]

• In 1995, Perry advocated for the removal of direct farm subsidies and the implementation of incentives like lowering the capital gains and inheritance taxes. Explaining his vision for new agricultural legislation, Perry said, "In the 1995 farm bill, we must carefully but thoughtfully move our farmers and ranchers away from a subsidized system to a market-driven system. We must move away from government assistance to opportunity enhancement."^[43]

• As the Texas agriculture commissioner, Perry supported the use of ethanol in reformulated gasoline in 1993. Perry explained in a press release, "Ethanol also has the potential to raise the price corn farmers receive by 16 to 20 cents a bushel. I am excited about its potential for the Texas economy, and I strongly support its increased use and production in the Lone Star State."^[43]

• Perry worked as a tenant farmer throughout the 1980s. According to a 2011 NPR profile of Perry, "a big portion of the income from his own property came from federal farm subsidies, which actually paid him not to produce a crop."^[44]

• The Austin American-Statesman reported that Perry received $72,687 in farm subsidies between 1987 and 1989.^[43]

Federal assistance programs

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Federal assistance programs

• According to a 2015 study by the Heartland Institute, the number of Texans receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits declined from 300,000 to less than 80,000 during Rick Perry's tenure as governor of Texas.^[45]

• Perry refused to expand Medicaid benefits under Obamacare in 2012, foregoing an estimated $100 billion in federal support over the following decade. In 2013, however, the Perry administration entered negotiations to receive $100 million in Medicaid funding for the elderly and disabled.^[46][47][48]

• During his 2012 presidential run, Rick Perry wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal where he described his “Cut, Balance and Grow” plan. The plan proposed protecting the Social Security fund from being used for other expenditures and allowing younger people to create personal retirement accounts if they choose. Perry would also end the tax on Social Security benefits that affects 17 million current beneficiaries.^[49]

• In an August 2011 interview with The Daily Beast, Perry said that entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare should be state programs free of requirements from the federal government. Perry referenced the 10th Amendment as his justification, stating, "The Constitution as it was written, and the 10th Amendment that clearly says the states are where these decisions should be made. Moving back in that direction will create substantially more competition."^[50]

• In a conversation with former Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer on CNN in November 2010, Perry recommended allowing states to opt out of social security. Perry explained, "In 1981, Matagorda, Brazoria and Galveston counties, all opted out of the Social Security program for their employees. Today their program is very, very well funded and there is no question about whether it's going to be funded in the out years, it's there. That's an option out there." After Spitzer asked if that meant letting individual people opt out, Perry clarified, "Let the states decide if that’s what’s best for their citizens."^[51]

• In 2012, Perry endorsed a bill in the Texas Legislature that would have required drug screening for certain welfare applicants, strengthened work requirements and prohibited welfare benefits from being used to purchase products including alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets and adult entertainment.^[52]

Labor and employment

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Labor and employment

• On August 18, 2015, Rick Perry rejected the idea that states needed to guarantee equity pay through legislation. “Women already get equal pay. We don’t need symbolic pieces of legislation jumbling up our code,” Perry explained during an interview on CNN.^[53]

• According to a 2015 study by NPR, during Rick Perry's tenure as governor of Texas, the state added 2.2 million jobs at a rate 3.8 times quicker than the national average.^[54]

• During an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" in May 4, 2014, Perry said job creation was more important than raising the minimum wage. Perry stated, "Well, we focus on the maximum wage rather than the minimum wage. 95% of all the jobs that are created in my home state were above the minimum wage. So the idea that you should be focused on the minimum wage when in fact you ought to be focused on policies that create this environment where jobs can be created."^[55]

• Texas is a right-to-work state. Appearing on FOX News in 2014, Perry said Texas "is a great place for labor to spend time to find out what people really think about right-to-work states. If they want to see how jobs are created and how we free people and I will suggest to you that union folks learn a thing or two."^[56]

• In 2013 and 2014, Perry traveled to various states with Democratic governors in an attempt to persuade their businesses to relocate to Texas. Perry advertised Texas as the most business-friendly state in the country for its low-tax, low-regulation and lawsuit-limited climate.^[57][58]

• When asked for his jobs plan at the FOX News-Google GOP debate in September 2011, Perry answered, " Number one, we get rid of Obamacare. Secondly, we pull back all of those regulations that are job-killing today, whether it's Dodd-Frank or whether it's the EPA. And then we sit with Congress and we lower those corporate tax rates, we lower those personal tax rates, and then we put our plan to make America energy independent, and that is the way you get America working again."^[59]

Foreign affairs

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Foreign affairs

Iran nuclear deal

See also: 2016 presidential candidates on the Iran nuclear deal

• Speaking at the Florida Economic Growth Summit on June 2, 2015, Rick Perry suggested the Obama administration has misstepped in its handling of Iran, adding, "And we're to trust this administration and trust Iran that they are not going to get nuclear weapons? All this is doing is guaranteeing that Iran is going get a nuclear weapon and, in turn, the result will be a Sunni bomb will be developed, and the entire Middle East will be a substantially more dangerous place."^[60]

• During an interview with David Drucker of The Washington Examiner in May 2015, Perry said, "I would suggest one of the first things that I did, if not the first thing, from the time I took my hand off the Bible until the inaugural balls would be to sign an executive order wiping out this agreement that it appears we're going to have with Iran. It's a bad deal. It's a bad deal for the Middle East, it's a bad deal for Israel. I mean, all it will do is guarantee a Sunni bomb. Proliferation that will occur from this president signing a deal with Iran the way I understand it today is a really bad document."^[61]

• On April 1, 2015, Perry released the following statement on the Iran nuclear deal: "If I were president today, I would suspend negotiations and ask Secretary Kerry to come home immediately. I would demand Congress pass stricter sanctions on Iran until we are assured the Iranian regime abandons its quest for nuclear weapons, and stops funding terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. Americans and our friends in Israel and the Arab world are right to be wary of a nuclear deal with Iran that is riddled with concessions by the Obama Administration. Under this deal, Iran doesn’t destroy a single centrifuge. Under this deal, Iran retains every single ounce of enriched uranium. Under this deal, Iran does not have to disclose its work on developing a nuclear warhead. This is a bad deal, and like most Americans, I have long believed that no deal is better and safer than a bad deal. The Iranians have proven time and again they cannot be trusted. It’s clear they’ve been moving toward a nuclear weapon. An agreement that leaves their centrifuges and nuclear facilities in place and trusts them to meet their pledges is simply too dangerous."^[62]

Military preparedness and budget

• In an April 2015 op-ed in the New Hampshire Union Leader, Perry discussed the government's failure to prioritize defense spending. Perry wrote, "It is time for a debate about the state of our military and its historic underfunding. The Republican-led Congress is making some progress on increasing defense spending. Yet defense spending in the current budget is still insufficient. If I were President today, I would reframe the entire defense debate: from what do we have leftover to spend on defense to what we must spend to keep America safe. It is time to tell the truth to the American people that both parties have gutted our defenses rather than impose spending discipline on other areas of government. "^[63]

• Perry spoke at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on October 27, 2014, about the danger of defense cuts. Perry said, "When you see the military buildup of China, the depletion of our own military forces, with a reduction of spending of some 21 percent in the last four years, how can you not think of a previous era soon after the end of the war in Vietnam, and wonder if we’re not once again inviting threats to our interests at home and overseas by allowing the hollowing out of our military?"^[64]

• In July 2014, Perry wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post criticizing Senator Rand Paul's non-interventionist stance on Iraq and warning against isolationism. Perry explained, "Viewed together, Obama’s policies have certainly led us to this dangerous point in Iraq and Syria, but Paul’s brand of isolationism (or whatever term he prefers) would compound the threat of terrorism even further. Ignoring the growth of the Islamic State and events in Syria and Iraq will only ensure that the problem will fester and grow. The United States needs to take seriously the threat this presents to our nation."^[65]

• When Perry ran in the 2012 presidential election, he put together a foreign policy team that included Victoria Coates, who previously worked as a research director for former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.^[66]

• In the 1970s, Rick Perry served in the United States Air Force as a cargo pilot across Latin America, North Africa and Europe.^[66]

National security

• On June 4, 2015, Rick Perry announced his presidential bid in Texas, where he stated, "No decision has done more harm than the president’s withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Let no one be mistaken, leaders of both parties have made grave mistakes in Iraq. But in January 2009–when Barack Obama became Commander-in-Chief–Iraq had been largely pacified. America had won the war. But our president failed to secure the peace."^[67]

• During an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Perry supported placing troops on the ground to combat the ISIS insurgency in the Middle East. When asked how he would justify engaging in military conflict again in the Middle East to weary Americans, Perry said, "I would suggest to them that I have the background and the ability to make decisions on my own and I think if American and Western values are in jeopardy and U.S. troops working with coalition force is how you stop ISIS, I think the bulk of the American people are going to say thank you Mr. President for standing up for our values, thank you for stopping this face of evil."^[68]
  • At the RedState Gathering in 2014, Perry rejected putting boots on the ground in Iraq. Instead, he advocated for greater use of the country's “aviation assets.”^[69]

• Perry blamed the growth of ISIS on the Obama administration's policies in February 2015. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Perry said, "This administration’s incompetence in Iraq and Syria have allowed the emergence of ISIS. They’re in American tanks, they’re using American weapons, and ISIS began taking cities that just a few years ago were secured by American blood.”^[70]

• In August 2014, Perry spoke at the Heritage Foundation where he expressed concern with the security of the U.S.-Mexican border. Suggesting ISIS supporters may have crossed the border, Perry said, "There is I think great concern that the border between the United States and Mexico is insecure. And we don’t know who’s using that. What I will share with you [is] that we’ve seen historic high levels of individuals from countries with terrorist ties over the course of the last months. I’ll give you one anecdotal picture of what’s happening: Three Ukrainian individuals were apprehended in a ranch in far west Texas within the last 60 days."^[71]

• During a 2011 Republican presidential debate, Perry stated he was glad Obama had not closed Guantanamo Bay, adding, "America's safer for it."^[72]
  • Perry had previously criticized the Obama administration's processing of alleged terrorists in his 2010 book, Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save American from Washington. Perry wrote, "Almost a full decade after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Washington still has not settled on a policy for detaining and, if necessary, prosecuting enemies captured in the War on Terror. President Obama naively campaigned as if terrorism should be handled as a law enforcement matter, and in November 2009 Attorney General Holder held a major press conference to announce that Guantanamo Bay would be shuttered and that 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would face a civilian trial in Manhattan. Both plans have crumbled in the face of public and congressional opposition, and to this day the administration refuses to decide what to do. Washington's paralysis on the seminal issue of our time--dealing with terrorists whose mission is to kill as many American as possible--signals weakness to our enemies."^[73]

• In a 2011 interview on FOX News, Perry said that if he had been elected to the presidency, he would have instituted a no-fly zone over Syria. Moreover, he said he would be willing to do so unilaterally, as he would "not spend a lot of time waiting for the U.N."^[74]

• While visiting New Hampshire in 2011, Perry recommended using drones to border to police the U.S.-Mexican border, a policy that had already been instituted several years before.^[75][76]

International relations

• At the Iowa Agriculture Summit in March 2015, Rick Perry questioned the Obama administration's opening of relations with Cuba, including the exchange of an American government contractor for three Cuban spies. Perry had a more positive outlook on relations with China, saying, "There is an opportunity for us, through trade, and for our ability to influence that country to really be engaged with them and to change the culture."^[77]

• In February 2015, Perry released a video statement regarding the Russian military intervention in the Ukraine. To address the conflict, Perry made the following five recommendations: "Provide lethal aid to the Ukrainians so they can defend themselves. Increase sanctions, including reconsidering Russia’s continued access to the SWIFT international banking system. Fast track permits for LNG export facilities on the East Coast to flood the European market with American natural gas. Lead the debate in NATO to allow a permanent deployment of U.S. and NATO allies to Poland and the Baltics to protect our allies and assets in the area, including U.S. bomber wings in the Baltic republics and permanent U.S. Army forces in Poland. Conduct port visits by the U.S. Navy in the Baltics."^[78]

• On August 1, 2014, Perry wrote an op-ed in Politico about the conflict between Hamas and Israel. Perry defended Israel's response to the violence, writing, "To begin, anyone tempted to suggest Israel has used a disproportionate amount of force to defend itself needs to remember the origins of this latest round of violence. It’s Hamas that continued to launch rockets, despite Israel’s willingness to discuss and abide by multiple cease-fires. It’s Hamas that uses Palestinians as human shields to protect its leaders and its arsenals, and to preserve its extensive system of tunnels. And it’s Hamas that would, if given the opportunity, take the life of every Israeli within range of its thousands of rockets."^[79]
  • Advocating for "vigorous support" of Israel, Perry added, "The United States must take the lead in bringing the international community together to demand the total removal of every missile in Gaza, as well as the complete destruction of the tunnel network being used by Hamas terrorists. To facilitate this, the United States must use the tools available to us diplomatically and continue to support the actions of the Israel Defense Forces. Should the international community fail to join us in sufficient numbers, the United States should block actions in the United Nations aimed at preventing Israel from defending itself."^[79]
  • Perry also criticized a foreign policy that allies the United States more closely with Turkey and Qatar than Israel.^[79]

• During a November 2011 debate between Republican candidates, Perry advocated cutting foreign aid down significantly. Perry said, "The foreign aid budget in my administration for every country is gonna start at zero dollars. Zero dollars. And then we'll have a conversation. Then we'll have a conversation in this country about whether or not a penny of our taxpayer dollar needs to go into those countries." However, Perry added Israel would likely receive some funding as "a special ally." Perry called this form of support "strategic defense aid" at the Republican Jewish Coalition Forum in December 2011.^[80][81]

• In 2011, Perry said that he would stand behind Israel "whether it's diplomatic, whether it's economic sanctions, whether it's overt or covert operations, up to and including military action." Perry explained that he would support Israel launching an air strike against Iran as long as they had sufficient evidence that Iran was obtaining nuclear weapons.^[82]

• During a 2011 Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas, Perry questioned American involvement with the United Nations and suggested the United States consider defunding it.^[83]

• Perry traveled to Israel in 2009 where he was interviewed by the Jerusalem Post. Perry stated he was a "big believer that this country was given to the people of Israel a long time ago, by God, and that's ordained." During that trip, Perry also stated, "I have long supported the right of a Jewish state to exist in the Middle East."^[84][85]

• In June 2007, Perry supported and signed a bill for divestment of the state's two largest pensions funds in companies with questionable business dealings in Sudan. Perry stated, " We can say we will not stand idly by as innocent blood is shed by the hands of evil. We can say that our money will not be invested in companies that prop up such a notorious regime. And we can say that human rights are more important than business profits. The bill...sends a message that Texas is committed to ending the genocide in Sudan by making the Khartoum government pay an economic price."^[86]

Epidemic control

• Following the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa in 2014, the first case of the virus in the United States was diagnosed in Dallas, Texas on September 30, 2014. On October 6, 2014, Rick Perry issued an executive order to assemble the Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response.^[87][88]
  • On October 7, 2014, Perry stated he opposed a travel ban on flights from West Africa. He instead supported a more intensive screening process involving temperature checks and quarantine checks.^[89]
  • Two more Texas residents were diagnosed with Ebola while Perry went abroad to complete a pre-scheduled weeklong economic development trip beginning October 12, 2014. Perry returned early to the United States after criticism of his absence during the public health crisis.^[90]
  • Politico reported on October 17, 2014, Perry, shifting from his earlier position, had requested President Obama institute a travel ban from West African countries affected by the Ebola outbreak.^[91]

• According to The Huffington Post, "In 2007, Perry became the first governor in the U.S. to require young women to get vaccinated against a sexually transmitted disease that can lead to cervical cancer." In 2011, Perry distanced himself from the later overturned HPV vaccine mandate, calling the executive order "a mistake."^[92]

• In 2003, Perry signed a Texas law that permitted parents to exempt their child from immunization "for reasons of conscience, including a religious belief," a far looser standard than the typical exemption for medical reasons.^[92]

ISIS and terrorism

• Perry blamed the growth of ISIS on the Obama administration's policies in February 2015. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Perry said, "This administration’s incompetence in Iraq and Syria have allowed the emergence of ISIS. They’re in American tanks, they’re using American weapons, and ISIS began taking cities that just a few years ago were secured by American blood.”^[93]

• In August 2014, Perry spoke at the Heritage Foundation where he expressed concern with the security of the U.S.-Mexican border. Suggesting ISIS supporters may have crossed the border, Perry said, "There is I think great concern that the border between the United States and Mexico is insecure. And we don’t know who’s using that. What I will share with you [is] that we’ve seen historic high levels of individuals from countries with terrorist ties over the course of the last months. I’ll give you one anecdotal picture of what’s happening: Three Ukrainian individuals were apprehended in a ranch in far west Texas within the last 60 days."^[94]

• During an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Perry supported placing troops on the ground to combat the ISIS insurgency in the Middle East. When asked how he would justify engaging in military conflict again in the Middle East to weary Americans, Perry said, "I would suggest to them that I have the background and the ability to make decisions on my own and I think if American and Western values are in jeopardy and U.S. troops working with coalition force is how you stop ISIS, I think the bulk of the American people are going to say thank you Mr. President for standing up for our values, thank you for stopping this face of evil."^[95]
  • At the RedState Gathering in 2014, Perry rejected putting boots on the ground in Iraq. Instead, he advocated for greater use of the country's “aviation assets.”^[96]

• In July 2014, Perry wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post criticizing Senator Rand Paul's non-interventionist stance on Iraq and warning against isolationism. Perry explained, "Viewed together, Obama’s policies have certainly led us to this dangerous point in Iraq and Syria, but Paul’s brand of isolationism (or whatever term he prefers) would compound the threat of terrorism even further. Ignoring the growth of the Islamic State and events in Syria and Iraq will only ensure that the problem will fester and grow. The United States needs to take seriously the threat this presents to our nation."^[97]

• In a 2011 interview on FOX News, Perry said that if he had been elected to the presidency, he would have instituted a no-fly zone over Syria. Moreover, he said he would be willing to do so unilaterally, as he would "not spend a lot of time waiting for the U.N."^[98]

Domestic

Federalism

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Federalism

Legislative

• In 2015, conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt began asking Republican candidates on his show if they would be willing to use the Senate "nuclear option" in order to get rid of the filibuster and repeal Obamacare. Rick Perry is one of several candidates who said he would do so.^[99]

Judiciary

• At a campaign stop in South Carolina in May 2015, Rick Perry highlighted the importance of the 2016 presidential election to the makeup of the Supreme Court. Before suggesting voters consider the type of judge Hillary Clinton might appoint, Perry said, "Something I want you all to think about is that the next president of the United States, whoever that individual may be, could choose up to three, maybe even four members of the Supreme Court. Now this isn't about who's going to be the president of the United States for just the next four years. This could be about individuals who have an impact on you, your children, and even our grandchildren. That's the weight of what this election is really about.”^[100]
• In a December 2011 interview with the Des Moines Register, Perry called Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan "inarguably activist judges." Perry added, "I believe the Supreme Court should not be making legislative decisions and telling Americans how to live, whether it's about prayer in school, whether you can celebrate Christmas. Those are decisions that should be left to the states or to the individuals."^[101]
• Perry participated in Mike Huckabee's Republican Presidential Forum in December 2011, where he advocated for a constitutional amendment to create term limits for Supreme Court justices and eliminate lifetime appointments. Perry also stated Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts were the type of jurists he would appoint, saying they were representative of "a strict constructionist, not a legislator in a robe."
  • When asked what "strict constructionist" meant to him, Perry pulled out a pocket U.S. Constitution and said, "It’s right there… That’s the Constitution. Read it. Exactly what it says. That’s what we’re talking about. Don’t read anything into it. Don’t add to it. Don't use these different clauses, whether it's the Commerce Clause or any of the other clauses, to try to change what our Founding Fathers were telling us."^[102]

First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

See also: 2016 presidential candidates on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act

• On March 31, 2015, Rick Perry expressed his support for Mike Pence and Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act in the following tweet:

• Following the Supreme Court's ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby in June 2014, Perry released this statement: "Today’s decision is further proof that Obamacare represents one of the greatest governmental overreaches in our nation’s history. Religious freedom is an intrinsic part of being American, and the Supreme Court’s decision reaffirms that the government cannot mandate that anyone operate in a fashion counter to their most deeply-felt principles."^[103]

• In June 2013, Perry stated, "Religious freedom does not mean freedom from religion," while signing the "Merry Christmas Bill" to allow teachers and students to use symbols and expressions of "traditional winter holidays" in public schools. Perry pledged that he would work to protect religious expression.^[104]

• In 2013, Perry vetoed a bill that would have required some 501(c)(4) organizations to disclose the identity of their donors. Explaining his veto in a press release, Perry stated he was afraid the law "would have a chilling effect" on "freedom of association and freedom of speech." Perry asserted, "At a time when our federal government is assaulting the rights of Americans by using the tools of government to squelch dissent it is unconscionable to expose more Texans to the risk of such harassment, regardless of political, organizational or party affiliation."^[105][106]

• In 2007, Perry signed the Religious Viewpoints Anti-Discrimination Act, a bill that provides a model policy for school districts on how to protect students' rights to religious expression and freedom to organize religious groups. On signing the bill, Perry said, "For years, our children have not been able to share their faith and beliefs for fear that they'll end up in the principal's office. That's sure not the American way and that's sure not the Texas way."^[107]

Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

• Commenting on the theater shooting in Lafayette, Louisiana, on July 26, 2015, Rick Perry called gun-free zones, like movie theaters and churches, “a bad idea.” Perry explained, “I think that you allow the citizens of this country, who have appropriately trained, appropriately backgrounded, know how to handle and use firearms, to carry them. I believe that, with all my heart, that if you have the citizens who are well trained, and particularly in these places that are considered to be gun-free zones, that we can stop that type of activity, or stop it before there's as many people that are impacted as what we saw in Lafayette.”^[108]

• In June 2013, Perry traveled to New York and Connecticut to encourage gun manufacturers to relocate to Texas. Prior to his trip, in a speech at the National Rifle Association (NRA) convention, Perry said, "We'll happily welcome any gun manufacturer who feels vilified and any of their employees who are in danger of losing their livelihoods due to this kind of hysteria. There's still a place that loves freedom in America, where people can pursue their dreams free from knee-jerk government regulation. That place is called Texas!"^[109]

• In 2010, the NRA endorsed Perry, calling him "a champion and staunch defender of the Second Amendment freedoms of law-abiding Texas gun owners." As evidence of Perry's support for gun ownership rights, the NRA cited the following accomplishments: "extending the term of a concealed handgun license from four to five years; protecting shooting ranges from junk lawsuits; clarifying an individual's right to carry a handgun in a motor vehicle; preventing the confiscation of firearms and ammunition from law-abiding citizens during a state of emergency; and reducing fees by 50 percent and lowering the age from 21 to 18 on concealed handgun licenses for active-duty military and veterans."^[110]

• In 2007, Perry signed a law that allowed Texans the protection of the "Castle Doctrine" "to use deadly force for means of self-defense, without retreat, in their home, vehicle or workplace."^[111]

Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

• In June 2015, Perry disagreed with Senator Rand Paul regarding National Security Agency surveillance. Perry said, "Since our country was founded, we balanced between our safety as a country and our privacy... I think it is very important, particularly with ISIS, particularly with this challenge that we've got from cybersecurity from some of these nations...and being able to track those individuals, know what they're doing. I don't think that anyone who is really thinking about how this technology has made us be able to make our country safer would try to restrict that in a way that allows us not to be able to do that."^[112]

• According to the Des Moines Register in May 2015, Rick Perry spoke at a panel sponsored by Americans for Peace, Prosperity and Security, where he "indicated he would be willing to use more national security surveillance on American citizens to identify and track people who may have become radicalized or inspired by terrorist groups like ISIS."^[113]

• In September 2013, Perry signed the Texas Privacy Act, a law "prohibiting drone operations over private property without the owner's permission."^[114]

Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

• In an August 2011 profile of Rick Perry, The New York Times reported that Perry received $17 billion in federal stimulus money over two years that enabled him to balance the Texas state budget, in spite of his vocal criticism of federal power.^[115]

• In July 2011, following the legalization of gay marriage in New York, Perry commented that gay marriage is a states' rights issue. Perry said, "That's New York, and that's their business, and that's fine with me. That is their call. If you believe in the 10th Amendment, stay out of their business." Several days later, Perry amended his statement, saying, "I probably needed to add a few words after that 'it's fine with me,' and that it's fine with me that a state is using their sovereign rights to decide an issue. Obviously gay marriage is not fine with me. My stance hasn't changed."^[116][117]
  • Perry later stated he supported a federal marriage amendment in August 2011. Katherine Cesinger, a spokeswoman for Perry, explained this did not contradict Perry's advocation of states' rights "because it would require three quarters of the states to ratify it."^[118][119]

• In 2009, Perry backed a house concurrent resolution affirming Texas' dedication to the 10th Amendment and states' rights. Perry said, "I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state. That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states’ rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union.”^[120]

Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

• In Rick Perry's 2010 book, Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington, he called the Sixteenth Amendment "the great milestone on the road to serfdom." Perry explained, "It gave Congress the authority to levy an income tax on American citizens and absolved the federal government from a previous requirement that any such taxes be returned to states proportionally to their collection. This was the birth of wealth redistribution in the United States."^[121]
  • Later in the book, Perry argued in favor of repealing the Sixteenth Amendment and adopting a national sales tax or the Fair Tax, instead.^[122]

Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

• In 2010, Rick Perry stated in his book, Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington, that the Seventeenth Amendment, which allows for the direct election of senators, was adopted "during a fit of populist rage." When asked in 2011 if he supported repealing the Seventeenth Amendment, Perry responded, "It’s important to have that conversation."^[123][124]

Crime and justice

• In March 2015, Rick Perry joined the Texas Public Policy Foundation's "Right on Crime" initiative. Perry said he joined the campaign because it is "focused on helping people understand why a big, expensive prison system—one that offers no hope for second chances and redemption—isn’t conservative policy." Perry then highlighted his own efforts to reduce crime in Texas, stating, "During my leadership as governor, Texas shut down three prisons, and we saved taxpayers $2 billion. When I left office, Texas had the lowest crime rate in our state since 1968. My administration started treatment programs and drug courts for people who wouldn’t be served well by sitting behind bars. We made sure our parole and probation programs were strong. Most of all, we evaluated prisons based on whether they got results. Did an ex-offender get locked up again? Did he get a job? Is he paying restitution to his victims? In Texas, we believe in results."^[125]

• According to a 2011 article in The New Republic, while governor of Texas, Perry "signed legislation to overhaul the agency and divert some child offenders to county-based programs" and "approved new standards for crime labs and compensation for the exonerated."^[126]

• Perry expressed support for reforming mandatory minimum sentencing for drug offenders and promoted alternatives to prison as a penalty for drug use, stating, "You want to talk about real conservative governance? Shut prisons down. Save that money."^[127]

• During a September 2011 debate at the Reagan Library in California, Perry voiced his support for capital punishment, which is legal in Texas. Perry said that he was not concerned that any innocent people had been killed, explaining, "I've never struggled with that at all. The state of Texas has a very thoughtful, a very clear process in place of which–when someone commits the most heinous of crimes against our citizens, they get a fair hearing, they go through an appellate process, they go up to the Supreme Court of the United States, if that's required."^[128]

• In 2003, Perry reduced alternative treatment programs, set a caloric ceiling for inmates and advocated for the privatization of state jails in an effort to cut costs.^[126]

Natural resources

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Natural resources

Energy production

• Speaking at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in Oklahoma City, Rick Perry advocated for the increased export of American energy as a foreign policy tool against Russia. Perry stated, "I would flood Asia and Europe with the United States’ liquefied natural gas to send a powerful message to Mr. Vladimir Putin. We need to send him a message: Mr. Putin, if you’re going to use energy as a weapon, the United States is going to deploy the largest arsenal."^[129]

• In October 2014, Rick Perry called for "an end to all restrictions on exporting crude oil and natural gas."^[130]

• In a letter to President Obama in May 2014, Perry criticized his administration for "waging a war on coal, kicking the can down the road on the Keystone XL pipeline and creating obstacles to onshore and offshore oil and gas production." Perry expressed concerned that the Environmental Protection Agency's Mercury and Air Toxics Standard and Cross-State Air Pollution Rule were negatively impacting the coal industry.^[131][132]
  • Perry recommended the Obama administration adopt "the Texas approach." Perry explained, "One-size-fits-all mandates are blunt instruments, serving only to curb innovation and diminish the opportunity and livelihood of American citizens. Texas employs a true all-of-the-above energy strategy, producing one third of the nation's crude oil and natural gas and accounting for more than one quarter of the nation's petroleum refining capacity. Texas produces more electricity than any other state with natural gas, coal, nuclear, wind, solar, biofuel and hydroelectric generation. We've also installed more wind energy capacity than any other state and all but five countries."^[132]

Fracking

• In January 2015, Rick Perry spoke before a joint session of the Texas Legislature, praising Pennsylvania's and Texas's approaches to fracking. Perry said, "But if you wonder whether leadership in a governor’s office can impact economic growth, consider two states that share the Marcellus Shale: Pennsylvania and New York. Pennsylvania is creating thousands of energy jobs by utilizing fracking to tap deep energy reserves. On the other hand, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, recently announced a fracking ban. Two states, two vastly different approaches. One creates jobs. One appeases a political base at the expense of the people. In Texas, we have chosen jobs. We have chosen energy security and we will one day end America’s dependence on hostile sources of foreign energy."^[133]
• When Perry signed the Texas Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids Disclosure Act into law in June 2011, Texas became the first state to require drillers using hydraulic fracturing processes to disclose what chemicals are used.^[134]

Keystone XL Pipeline

• When Rick Perry formally announced his presidential campaign on June 4, 2015, he stated, "On day one, I will...sign an executive order approving the construction of the Keystone Pipeline."^[135]
• In February 2012, Perry wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal regarding President Obama's rejection of a pipeline running from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast. Perry suggested China will benefit from the new source of energy, while the United States is forced to depend "on oil from volatile nations in the Middle East, where unrest, chaos and Iran's threats to block the oil supply moving through the Strait of Hormuz are driving gas prices ever closer to $4 a gallon."^[136]

Cap and trade

• In 2009, Rick Perry opposed the Waxman-Markey energy bill, formally known as the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. He asserted the bill's program to cap and reduce carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases would increase energy costs and "precipitate an economic disaster in the state of Texas."^[137][138]

Environmental Protection Agency

• While speaking in Pittsburgh in 2011, Rick Perry called for reform of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "so that it focuses on regional and cross-state issues, providing scientific research, as well as environmental analysis and cost-comparison studies to support state environmental organizations." Perry also wanted to "return greater regulatory authority to the states to manage air and water quality rather than imposing one-size-fits-all federal rules."^[139]
• Perry sued the EPA in 2010 to challenge its finding that carbon dioxide is an air pollutant that must be regulated along with other greenhouse gases. The case reached the Supreme Court which held in 2014 that the EPA could regulate greenhouse gas emissions produced by certain large "stationary sources" under the Clean Air Act.^{[140][141][142]}
• In Perry's 2010 book, Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington, Perry lambasted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for issuing federal standards that overruled preexisting Texas state law. Perry wrote, "Given Texas's record of successfully reducing air pollution, it is clear the EPA's takeover is about only one thing: control."^[143]

Environmental protection

• In 2013, Perry vetoed a bill that would have created "a panel to oversee the state’s response to the listings on the Endangered Species Act."^[144]

Healthcare

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Healthcare

• According to Bloomberg in June 2015, Rick Perry recommended repealing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Perry cautioned, however, that Congress should not institute a replacement. Instead, states should be allowed to come up with an alternative system.^[145]

• While visiting New Jersey in October 2013, Perry said, "If this health care law is forced upon this country, the young men and women in this audience are the ones who are really going to pay the price. And that, I will suggest to you, reaches to the point of being a felony toward them and their future. That is a criminal act, from my perspective, to put that type of burden on them, to mortgage their future like that. America cannot stand that. America cannot accept that."^[146]
• In September 2009, Perry released a statement on his opposition to federal mandates. Perry said, "Instead of government mandates and more deficit spending, successful health care reforms can be achieved only by providing states the flexibility to develop state-specific solutions. I urge you to support our right, as a state, to further explore these approaches, rather than forcing us to implement federal mandates that promise financial hardships for the states and little in the way of benefits for our economy and all of our constituents."^[147]

• With the support of the Texas Medical Association in 2011, Perry signed legislation requiring the losing party in a frivolous lawsuit to pay the winning party's legal expenses.^[148][149]

• In 2003, Perry succeeded in establishing a state constitutional amendment that capped non-economic damages to $750,000 in medical malpractice lawsuits.^[150]

• Perry signed an executive order in 2007 requiring girls entering the sixth grade to be vaccinated for the human papapillomavirus (HPV). In 2011, Perry said the order was "a mistake" and supported the Texas legislature's toppling of the law. Explaining his decision in an interview in August 2011, Perry said, "The fact of the matter is that I didn’t do my research well enough to understand that we needed to have a substantial conversation with our citizenry."^[151][152]

• In 2007, Perry signed into law a Medicaid reform bill that provided premium subsidies to low-income Texans and gave incentives for individuals to maintain their health.^[153]

Immigration

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Immigration

• In August 2015, Rick Perry suggested Donald Trump’s call to end birthright citizenship was not politically possible. “Well here's the real issue. If you're saying will you do away with the 14th Amendment, I think you need to look back at a little bit of history. When's the last time we changed the constitution of this country, and it was back in the early 90s and it took 202 years to do that. So I'm a governor who has to deal with finding solutions to problems I know how to deal with solutions and it's not changing the constitution, that's political rhetoric,” Perry said during a Fox News interview.^[154]

• In December 2014, Perry issued an executive order requiring state agencies and companies that contract with them to use a federal electronic employee verification system, E-Verify, to avoid hiring someone living or working in this country without legal permission. Previously, Perry had downplayed the usefulness of E-Verify, saying it wouldn't "make a hill's beans of difference" during a gubernatorial debate in 2010. In 2014, Perry explained, "The E-Verify system has been improved, it’s been streamlined and it is the most accurate and efficient way to check a person’s legal work in the United States."^[155][156]

• In 2014, Perry supported "legislation that would prohibit municipalities and other local governments from adopting policies that forbid local peace officers from enforcing federal immigration laws. That includes asking the immigration status of someone detained or arrested by a police officer. The legislation would cut off state funding for governments adopting such policies."^[157]

• Speaking before the Texas Border Coalition in 2006, Perry stated he preferred targeted border solutions to a massive physical wall along the border. According to Perry, "Strategic fencing in certain urban areas to direct the flow of traffic does make sense, but building a wall on the entire border is a preposterous idea. The only thing a wall would possibly accomplish is to help the ladder business."^[158]

• In a December 2006 op-ed, Perry proposed allowing immigrants without legal permission to live in the United States to instead stay in the country under a "guest worker" program. Perry explained, "I would rather know who is crossing our border legally to work instead of not knowing who is crossing our border illegally to work. A guest worker program that provides foreign workers with an ID removes the incentive for millions of people to illegally enter our country. It also adds those workers to our tax base, generates revenue for needed social services and it can be done without providing citizenship. Along with millions of Americans, I think it is wrong to reward those who broke our laws with citizenship ahead of those who have followed the law and are waiting to enter this country legally. And like millions of Americans I do not support amnesty. With a more secure border and a reasonable guest worker program we can allow guest workers to help build our economy without offering citizenship. Many don’t even want to become citizens – they just want to provide for their families back home."^[159]

• In 2001, Perry signed a law that offered in-state college tuition to immigrants living in Texas without legal permission who attended Texas public schools. Ten years later, Perry defended his support of the law at a debate in Florida, saying, "In 2001, members of the legislature, they debated it, they talked about it…and the option they chose was in the best economic interest of the state of Texas, in that young people who are here, by no fault of their own…to give these young people the opportunity to be givers rather than takers, to be a constructive part of this society, and that’s what did."^[160]

Education

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Education

• In June 2013, Rick Perry signed legislation in Texas that prevented the state from implementing Common Core education standards.^[161]

• In March 2013, Perry called homeschooling "one of the greatest displays of love in our country."^[162]

• In his 2013 State of the State address for Texas, Perry advocated for tuition-free public charter schools.^[162]

• During a November 2011 presidential primary debate, Perry said he would dismantle the Department of Education. The previous month, Perry had said he would just defund a large portion of the department.^[163]

• In 2011, Perry signed into law a bill that permits Texas schools to use corporal punishment on a student unless that student's guardian has signed a statement prohibiting it.^[164]

• In his 2008 book, On My Honor: Why the American Values of the Boy Scouts Are Worth Fighting For, Perry mourned the disappearance of community-regulated corporal punishment. Perry wrote, "If my dad found out that I was paddled at school, his first question of the principal would be, 'What did the boy do wrong?' It wasn't ever a question about whether someone who didn't share my bloodline had the right to discipline me. It was merely assumed, in a community where parents shared the same interest of raising children to respect authority and live by established values, that other adults exercised their authority in a manner consistent with what was best for the child. If an educator did that today, the threat of a lawsuit wouldn't be far behind. The ability of the community to set guidelines and enforce them is greatly impaired by a litigious climate that has arisen out of distrust among adults who share no sense of community with one another."^[165]

• In 2010, Perry said that he believed creationism should be taught in public schools. Perry explained, "I am a firm believer in intelligent design as a matter of faith and intellect, and I believe it should be presented in schools alongside the theories of evolution."^[166]

• In his 2010 book, Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington, Perry professed his support for school choice at the local level, but remarked that it was not the federal government's place to institute education policy, as many "perfectly laudable policy choices at the local level are nor appropriate (much less constitutional) at the federal level." ^[167]

• In 2005, Perry put forward an education funding plan that was voted down unanimously in the state house.^[168][169]

Abortion

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Abortion

• In July 2013, Rick Perry signed into law banning abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy and increasing the medical operating standards at abortion clinics in Texas. According to the New York Times, only five of the state's 42 abortion clinics met those standards.^[170]

• In December 2011, Perry stated he no longer supported access to abortions in cases of rape and incest, attributing this "transformation" to the film Gift of Life. Perry said he still believes an exception should be where the pregnant woman's life is in danger.^[171]

• During his State of the State address in 2011, Perry said, "We need to protect the unborn by fast-tracking the sonogram bill, so that women are fully, medically informed before they make the life-changing decision to terminate a pregnancy." After making it an emergency measure, Perry signed such a bill a few months later requiring pregnant woman receive a sonogram image and sound recording of the fetus before she is permitted to have an abortion. The law also forces doctors to describe the size of the fetus's limbs and organs regardless if the pregnant woman does not want to know.^[172]

• Perry criticized the legal construction of a "right to privacy" that underscores abortion rights in his 2010 book, Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington. Perry wrote, "[T]he Court found that this 'right to privacy' extends to the right of a woman to choose to terminate her pregnancy – a rather tepid euphemism for ending the life of the unborn baby. The decision and its basis in this fictitious right were, while narrowed in at least some respects, upheld in Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1995. In what can only be described as an arrogant commitment to itself – an ode to its own legitimacy, if you will – the Court actually touted its self-given 'authority to decide [the people's] constitutional cases and speak before all others for their constitutional ideals.' I assume the Court would like us to say thank you, but I also assume that the 52 million or so unborn children who never had a shot at the American dream may beg to differ."^[173]

Gay rights

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Gay rights

• In July 2015, Rick Perry expressed support for a ban on openly gay leaders in the Boy Scouts of America. "I believe that Scouting would be better off if they didn't have openly gay Scoutmasters," Perry said.^[174]

• On June 26, 2015, Rick Perry issued the following statement regarding the decision in Obergefell v. Hodges: "I am disappointed the Supreme Court today chose to change the centuries old definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. I’m a firm believer in traditional marriage, and I also believe the 10th Amendment leaves it to each state to decide this issue. I fundamentally disagree with the court rewriting the law and assaulting the 10th Amendment. Our founding fathers did not intend for the judicial branch to legislate from the bench, and as president, I would appoint strict Constitutional conservatives who will apply the law as written."^[175]

• In June 2014, Rick Perry compared homosexuality to alcoholism, saying, "Whether or not you feel compelled to follow a particular lifestyle or not, you have the ability to decide not to do that. I may have the genetic coding that I’m inclined to be an alcoholic, but I have the desire not to do that, and I look at the homosexual issue the same way."^[176]

• In 2011, Mark Miner, a spokesman for Perry, said the governor did not support transgender individuals being allowed to marry.^[177]

• Perry supported a ballot measure in November 2005 that added an amendment to the Texas Constitution defining marriage as "a union between a man and a woman." After a federal court struck down the law in 2014, Perry released this statement: "Texans spoke loud and clear by overwhelmingly voting to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman in our Constitution, and it is not the role of the federal government to overturn the will of our citizens. The 10th Amendment guarantees Texas voters the freedom to make these decisions, and this is yet another attempt to achieve via the courts what couldn't be achieved at the ballot box. We will continue to fight for the rights of Texans to self-determine the laws of our state."^[178][179]

• In 2005, Perry said he would not oppose a bill to reform Child Protective Services in Texas even if it did not include a ban against gay foster parents. According to the Houston Chronicle, Perry would prefer a foster child be placed with "a family that had a mom and dad" but acknowledged "loving and caring" gay foster parents are "better than having the kids being abused, obviously."^[180]

Civil liberties

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016/Civil liberties

• Rick Perry made news in July 2015 with a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on the topic of the Republican Party and race relations.

“	For too long, we Republicans have been content to lose the black vote, because we found we didn’t need it to win. But, when we gave up trying to win the support of African-Americans, we lost our moral legitimacy as the party of Lincoln, as the party of equal opportunity for all. It’s time for us, once again, to reclaim our heritage as the only party in our country founded on the principle of freedom for African-Americans. [181]	”
—Rick Perry, speech at the National Press Club, [182]

• In a letter to ranking members of the House Committee on the Judiciary in March 2014, Perry called on Congress to develop a policy to protect Americans from the dangers of online gambling. Perry cautioned, "[W]hen gambling occurs in the virtual world, the ability of the states to determine whether the activity should be available to its citizens and under what conditions – and to control the activity accordingly – is left subject to the vagaries of the technological marketplace."^[183][184]

• At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January 2014, Perry opposed decriminalizing marijuana in Texas, but suggested "states ought to be able to experiment with drug policy," according to the Austin American-Statesman.^[185]

Recent news

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All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

See also

• Rick Perry
• Presidential election, 2016

Footnotes

v • e 2016 United States Presidential Election Overviews 2016 presidential election • 2016 presidential candidates • 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules • 2016 vice presidential candidates • Possible vice presidential picks Candidate profiles Hillary Clinton Donald Trump Jill Stein Gary Johnson Path to the presidency Republican Convention • Republican Primary Democratic Convention • Democratic Primary Policy positions Abortion • Defunding Planned Parenthood • Agricultural subsidies • Black Lives Matter movement • Budgets • Education • Energy and environmental policy • Federal assistance programs • Federalism • Foreign affairs • LGBTQ rights • Government regulations • Healthcare • Immigration • DACA and DAPA • International trade • Rural policy • Taxes On the campaign trail Ballotpedia's battleground poll • Campaign preparations • Political and leadership attributes • Presidential campaign trackers and opposition researchers Campaign staff Presidential campaign staff transfers, resignations and terminations • Staff leaks from 2016 presidential campaigns Clinton staffers • O'Malley staffers • Sanders staffers Bush staffers • Carson staffers • Christie staffers • Cruz staffers • Fiorina staffers • Huckabee staffers • Kasich staffers • Paul staffers • Rubio staffers • Santorum staffers • Trump staffers Debates PBS, February 11, 2016 (Milwaukee) • PBS, February 4, 2016 (Durham, N.H.) • NBC News, January 17, 2016 (Charleston, S.C.) • ABC, December 19, 2015 (Manchester, N.H.) • CBS, November 14, 2015 (Des Moines) • CNN, October 13, 2015](Las Vegas) February 13, 2016 (Greenville, S.C.) • ABC, February 6, 2016 (Manchester, N.H.) • Fox News, January 28, 2016 (Des Moines) • Fox Business, January 14, 2016 (North Charleston, S.C.) • CNN, December 15, 2015 (Las Vegas) • Fox Business, November 10, 2015 (Milwaukee) • CNBC, October 28, 2015 (Boulder) • CNN, September 16, 2015 (Reagan Library) • Fox News, August 6, 2015 (Cleveland) Analysis The media's coverage of Donald Trump • The media's coverage of Hillary Clinton Post-debate analysis overview Democratic: April 14, 2016 (CNN) • March 9, 2016 (Univision) • March 6, 2016 (CNN) • February 11, 2016 (PBS) • February 4, 2016 (MSNBC) • January 17, 2016 (NBC) • December 19, 2015 (ABC) • November 14, 2015 (CBS) • October 13, 2015 (CNN) Republican: March 10, 2016 (CNN) • March 3, 2016 (FNC) • February 25, 2016 (CNN) • February 13, 2016 (CBS) • February 6, 2016 (ABC) • January 28, 2016 (FNC) • January 14, 2016 (FBN) • December 15, 2015 (CNN) • November 10, 2015 (FBN) • October 28, 2015 (CNBC) • September 16, 2015 (CNN) Insiders Poll: First Democratic debate (October 13, 2015) • Presidential Nominating Index: Clinton remains choice of Democratic Insiders • Presidential Nominating Index: Bush remains choice of Republican Insiders • Insiders Poll: Winners and losers from the Fox News Republican Debate

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