- Democratic Senator from California
- Voted against legislation to ban (except where the mother's safety may require it) the late-term abortion procedure commonly known as partial-birth abortion
- Advocate of radical environmentalism
- Voted to keep Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) closed to oil drilling
- Generally supports higher taxes
- Voted against the 2002 Congressional resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq
Born in Brooklyn, New York in November 1940, Barbara Boxer is a Democratic Senator from California, where she was first elected in 1992. Prior to her years in the Senate, she served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1992. After graduating with a bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College in 1962, Boxer worked as a stockbroker from 1962-1965; as a newspaper editor from 1972-1974; as a congressional aide from 1974-1976; and as a Marin County, California Board of Supervisors member from 1976-1982.
Following is an overview of Boxer's policy positions and voting record on key pieces of legislation during her years in the House of Representatives and the Senate:
Abortion and the Rights of the Unborn: In December
1995, September 1996, May 1997, October 1999, and October 2003, Boxer voted against legislation to ban (except where the
mother's safety might require it) the late-term abortion procedure commonly known as partial-birth abortion. In March 2004 she voted against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which
proposed to make it an added criminal offense for someone to injure or kill a fetus while carrying out a crime on a pregnant woman. In July 2006 she voted against notifying the parents of minors who have gotten out-of-state abortions.
In October 2007 she voted against barring the Department of Health and Human Services from
making grants to organizations that perform abortions. In March 2008 she voted NO on
prohibiting minors from crossing state lines in order to get abortions.
Marriage: In September 1996 Boxer voted against a bill
defining marriage strictly as a legal union between one man and one woman. That same month,
and again in June 2006, she voted against bills that would have prohibited same-sex marriage.
Welfare: Boxer voted against the Welfare Reform Act of
1996, which ultimately succeeded in moving large numbers of people off of public assistance and into jobs.
Education: In July 1994 Boxer voted NO on requiring public schools to allow
voluntary prayer. In July 1996 she voted NO on allocating $75 million for abstinence
education. In September 1997 she voted against the implementation of school vouchers in
Washington, DC.
Hate Crimes: In June 2000 and June 2002, Boxer voted in favor of expanding Hate Crimes laws to include
gender, sexual orientation, and disability.
Illegal Immigration: In May 2006 Boxer voted in favor of allowing illegal aliens to
participate in Social Security. That same month, she voted YES on
an Immigration Reform Bill allowing illegal aliens who have resided in the U.S. for five years to be eligible for citizenship after they pass a background
check, pay back taxes, maintain a job for six additional years, learn English, and pay a fine. In October 2006 she voted in favor of a bill authorizing the construction of
700 miles of double-layered fencing between the U.S. and Mexico. In June 2007 she voted in favor of an amendment placing an expiration date on
a point-based immigration system (i.e., a system that seeks to ensure that people with skills that society needs are given preference for entry into the United
States); she instead advocated a system focusing on the reunification of family members, even if that meant permitting the relatives of illegal aliens to join
the latter in America. That same month, she voted against an
amendment to prohibit illegal aliens convicted of such crimes as aggravated felonies, domestic violence, stalking, violation of protection orders, crimes
against children, or the illegal purchase or sale of firearms, from gaining legal status. In July 2007 she voted against funding for "Real ID" legislation
mandating higher standards for State driver's licenses and identification documents. In March
2008 she voted YES on continuing to provide federal funds for "sanctuary cities" that have
pledged not to abide by immigration law.
Environment: As a member of the Senate Environment Committee, Boxer has long used her office to advance the cause of the environmentalist Left. Her
official website lists Edward Abbey, the American writer whose novel The Monkeywrench Gang galvanized the radical environmentalist movement, as one
her "environmental heroes." Boxer is also a leading proponent and an original co-supporter of the Clean Power Act to curb emissions. Backed by the
Natural Resources Defense Council, this scientifically dubious piece of legislation
exaggerates the health threats of certain
pollutants and proposes to saddle power plants with costly burdens. For her efforts on behalf of the environmentalist movement, Boxer has earned consistently
high
ratings from the League of Conservation Voters, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Sierra Club.
Fossil Fuels: In April 2002, March 2005, and November 2005, Boxer voted to keep Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge (ANWR) closed to oil drilling. In June 2007 she voted
against permitting natural gas exploration and extraction off the coast of Virginia.
Nuclear Energy: In July 1996 Boxer voted against the
creation of an interim storage facility for nuclear waste near Yucca Mountain, Nevada.
Taxes: In April 1998 Boxer voted NO on requiring a super-majority in the Senate for
raising taxes. In July 1999 she voted against a bill calling for
$792 billion in tax cuts over a ten-year period. In July 2000 she
voted against a bill to phase out estate and gift taxes by 2010. In May 2001 she voted against $1.35 trillion in federal tax cuts over an
11-year period. In May 2003 she voted against $350 billion in
proposed tax reductions. In November 2005 she voted to raise the
top individual income tax rate of 39.6 percent for millionaires, and higher tax rates on capital gains and dividends as well. That same month, she voted against extending a number of tax cuts for five
years. In February 2006 she voted NO on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains and
dividends. In May 2006 she voted against $69.96 billion in tax
credits and cuts through 2010. In June 2006 she voted NO on permanently repealing the
"death tax." In August 2006 she voted NO on making cuts in estate taxes permanent.
In March 2008 she voted YES on increasing the tax rate for people earning over $1 million
annually.
Supreme Court: As a House member, Boxer in 1991 sought to thwart President George H.W. Bush's nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme
Court. As a senator, Boxer in September 2005 voted against the
confirmation of President George W. Bush's nominee for Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Roberts. In January 2006 she voted against the confirmation of Samuel Alito, Jr., to
be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
Cabinet Appointments: In January 1997 Boxer voted to
confirm President Bill Clinton's nomination of Madeleine Albright to be
his new Secretary of State. In January 2005 Boxer was one of 13
senators to vote against President Bush's nomination of Condoleezza Rice for Secretary of State. The senator attempted to turn Rice's confirmation
hearings into a referendum on the wisdom of the Iraq War while effectively denouncing Rice as a liar and a servile Bush lackey. Boxer claimed that Rice's "loyalty to the mission you were given, to sell this war,
overwhelmed your respect for the truth."
Patriot Act: In October 2001 Boxer voted to pass the
Patriot Act anti-terrorism legislation. In March 2006 she voted in favor of a bill reauthorizing and extending
certain provisions of the Act.
Iraq War: In October 2002 Boxer voted against the joint Congressional resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. In her statement
from the Senate floor opposing the resolution, she insisted that the task of dismantling Iraq's suspected weapons of mass destruction was to be left to the
United Nations, and voiced her view that America under the Bush
administration was no longer a "beacon of hope" but of "fear." She later called this "the best vote of my life." In December 2007 Boxer voted in favor of an amendment to withdraw U.S. troops
from Iraq within 90 days, "with the exception of those troops needed for temporary purposes to conduct targeted operations against … terrorist
organizations, to provide security for U.S. government personnel, [and] to provide training to members of the Iraqi Security Forces."
Guantanamo Bay: In September 2006 Boxer voted YES on preserving habeas corpus for the Guantanamo detainees who had been
captured by the U.S. in the war on terror.
Military Commissions: In September 2006 Boxer voted in favor of an amendment designating December
31, 2011 as the end date of the President's power to establish new military commissions to try the cases of unlawful enemy combatants captured in the war on terror.
Government Reform: In October 1997 Boxer voted to pass the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill. In February 2002 she voted NO on requiring a photo ID (not just a signature) for voter registration. In
July 2007 she voted NO on requiring a photo ID to cast a ballot in federal elections. In
September 2007 she voted YES on granting the District of Columbia a seat in Congress.
Guns: In March 2004 and July 2005 Boxer voted NO on banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers for gun violence.
In January 2004 Boxer attempted to stall the formal reelection of President George W.
Bush by a joint meeting of Congress, when she objected to the counting of Ohio's 20 electoral votes. Boxer's objection delayed the certification of the
Electoral College votes by some four hours. She justified this tactic by claiming that her purpose was to draw attention to voting irregularities.
Similarly, in May of 2005 Boxer attempted to thwart the appointment of John Bolton, the Bush administration's nominee for
UN ambassador. Though she defended her opposition on the grounds that she needed more information before reaching a decision, Boxer's public pronouncements gave every indication that the senator merely took issue with Bolton's candid
criticism of the UN.
In December 2005 Boxer made public a letter she had written to "presidential
scholars," in which she solicited their opinions about whether President Bush's use of a National Security Agency program to monitor the international
telephone calls of individuals with known ties to al Qaeda and similar terrorist
groups constituted an "impeachable offense."
Also in 2005, Boxer, with the aid of a co-writer, published a novel titled A Time to Run, an attack on conservatives and Republicans that was scarcely
disguised as a work of fiction.
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