As of March 15th, Marco Rubio has suspended his presidential campaign.
ISSUES
Environmental Regulation and Climate Change
Although his stance has greatly varied through the years, Marco Rubio does believe in climate change. However, he is still somewhat of a skeptic on whether or not it is anthropogenically caused. Moreover, he does not think that regulations and government intervention will have any impact in solving global warming. Thus, he generally opposes legislation to combat climate change because he does not think any laws will “change the weather” and that they will only harm the economy.
Former Vice President and environmental activist Al Gore has described Rubio’s denial of climate change and science as both “pitiful” and “dangerous."
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Former Vice President and environmental activist Al Gore has described Rubio’s denial of climate change and science as both “pitiful” and “dangerous."
Policy Proposals
- Immediately approve the Keystone XL Pipeline, lift the ban on crude oil exports, approve natural gas exports, approve offshore drilling plans, and conclude the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Negotiations Without Restrictions on U.S. Energy Exports. All of these, Rubio argues, will help to maximize our use of resources.
- Lift the EPA’s regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and hydraulic fracturing.
- Minimize government bureaucracy by eliminating carbon mandates, creating a budget to limit the power of the EPA, and deregulating the energy sector.
- Maximize private innovation by reforming the nation’s education system to support energy jobs of the future, facilitate development of new technologies in the private sector, and to cut environmental taxes for businesses of all sizes.
Relevant History
- Marco Rubio has a lifetime score of 9% (voting for environmental bills) on the National environmental scorecard.
- Voted against the Oil Subsidies & Clean Energy Incentives Act that would have closed tax loopholes for big oil companies, and then used the saved money to invest in clean energy.
- Co-sponsored the Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act, which was aimed at regulating the EPA by prohibiting them from requiring a permit for getting rid of storm runoff from silviculture (the growing and cultivating of trees.) The overall goal is less regulation by the EPA.
- As speaker of the Florida House of Representatives in 2008, Rubio helped pass an energy bill that supported renewable energy.
Representative Quotes
- “No matter how many job-killing laws we pass, our government can't control the weather.”
- “The way we’re gonna clean up our environment, the way we’re gonna lower carbon emissions, is not through government mandates. It’s through the American innovator. And that’s what anything we do should be based upon. Not big government mandates like they do in Europe and California.”
Gun Control and Gun Violence
Rubio’s thoughts on introducing gun laws is that they should not be passed because they are ineffective. They are ineffective because criminals would just simply not follow the laws. He believes that the bigger problem at hand involving guns is mental health. He believes that concealed weapon permits should be allowed and opposes restrictions on the Second Amendment. He is against the United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty, which would put the United States in a global group that works to protect people from gun violence. His opinion is that “at its core, the Second Amendment is about the American Dream” and that guns are necessary for the protection of families.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Policy Proposals
- Repeal President Obama’s most recent executive order on gun control.
Relevant History
- Opposed banning high-capacity magazines of over 10 bullets.
- Supported a bill that would set harsher penalties for those who broke federal law while selling guns.
- Voted yes on a bill that allowed concealed weapons permits in Washington, D.C. and loosened the assault weapons ban there.
- Supported a bill that would have allowed a person to carry a concealed weapon across state borders if they had a valid concealed carry permit and both states allowed concealed carry weapons.
- Opposed a bill that would increase background checks at gun shows and sales made online.
- Voted no on a bill that would have given the Attorney General the power to deny a transfer of firearms if he/she believed the person obtaining the guns was a terrorist.
- Opposed a bill that bans the sale, possession, and manufacture of assault weapons.
Representative Quotes
- “The guns are what they’re using to commit the violence. In many cases, the laws that are actually being proposed would not have prevented them.”
- “Dissenters try and stigmatize gun owners, but as we all know, responsibly exercising one’s Second Amendment right could mean the difference between life and death.”
Drugs and Criminal Law
Marco Rubio is a proponent of criminal justice reform, but he hesitates to deviate too far from the current system. Rubio is reluctant to change mandatory minimums for all offenders because he believes they are effective; however, he is open to changing minimums for nonviolent offenders. Rubio opposes the legalization of drugs. His position on drug sentencing differs from other Republicans in his hesitance to reduce sentences. Rubio would like to clarify the federal criminal code system, which he argues is currently filled with redundant and unnecessary laws. Additionally, while Rubio is completely against the use of recreational marijuana on both the federal and state level, he is open to its medicinal uses. Rubio also favors capital punishment in the most rare circumstances, but he wants to restrict appeals to make the process more efficient.
Marco Rubio has been criticized for his links to a drug cartel through his brother-in-law.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Marco Rubio has been criticized for his links to a drug cartel through his brother-in-law.
Policy Proposals
- Clarify the federal criminal code, to prevent “the Average American” from unknowingly “commiting three felonies a day,” which he says is currently the case. To do that, he would reform the federal law system by cataloging all criminal laws into a publicly available list in order to prevent confusion. He would also repeal unnecessary and repetitive laws and focus on the requirement for mens rea (intent to commit a crime).
- Rubio would enforce federal marijuana laws.
Relevant History
- Raised penalties against prostitution, as a member of the Florida House of Representatives.
- Voted for a state bill that defines the murder of a pregnant woman as also the murder of her unborn child.
- In the Senate, Rubion has generally voted with his party on more conservative issues, including increasing benefits for injured police officers and protecting people of all genders from discrimination.
Representative Quotes
- “When we consider changing the sentences we impose for drug laws, we must be mindful of the great successes we have had in restoring law and order to America’s cities since the 1980s drug epidemic destroyed lives, families, and entire neighborhoods.”
- “We do not have to choose between the rampant criminality of the 1970s and 1980s and the overreaching criminal laws and overstretched prison resources we have today. Working together, those of us in government along with partners in civil society can work to restore an America characterized by liberty and law.”
Civil Rights - Gender and Sexual Orientation
Marco Rubio has stated that he believes that a woman “has a right to choose with her body” but not when it comes to pregnancy and abortion. It is his belief that life begins at conception and when you add another life into the equation, it is no longer solely about the woman’s wants and needs but rather the baby as well. He responded to comments about a shooting in Oregon by reminding people that lives are ended every day with the act of abortion in America. Though Rubio has voted for legislation that has a rape and incest exception on anti-abortion laws, he has been reported to have stated that he does not agree a woman should have access to an abortion even when it was at the result of such acts. The government should have the ability to force her to have her pregnancy come to term.
Rubio has consistently opposed same-sex marriage. He believes that every state has the right to define marriage in a way it wants to. Also, he has commented that he does "not believe that there is a U.S. constitutional right to same-sex marriage. I don’t believe it’s unconstitutional. I just don’t believe there’s a constitutional right to it.” Back in 2006, he didn’t support allowing LGBT Americans to adopt or foster children because children “shouldn’t be a part of a social experiment.” Rubio believes in protecting all Americans in the workplace, but not any specialization of protections for sexual orientation. Rubio commented saying he would vote down his own immigration bill if it included giving immigrating gay or lesbian couples any rights.
Senator Lindsey Graham, previous candidate, says about anyone with a stance on abortion such as Rubio's (no exceptions for rape or incest): "Anybody with that position will get creamed. I would never tell a woman who's been raped she's got to carry the child of the rapist. Eighty-three percent of the American people feel like that goes too far. So if you would veto a bill that had an exception for rape or incest... I appreciate your passion for the pro-life issue but you're outside the mainstream and you cannot get elected." Hillary Clinton attacked Rubio’s stance on abortion by saying it “is as offensive and troubling a comment as you could hear.” She feels as though the rights of every woman would be in danger if Rubio were president.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Rubio has consistently opposed same-sex marriage. He believes that every state has the right to define marriage in a way it wants to. Also, he has commented that he does "not believe that there is a U.S. constitutional right to same-sex marriage. I don’t believe it’s unconstitutional. I just don’t believe there’s a constitutional right to it.” Back in 2006, he didn’t support allowing LGBT Americans to adopt or foster children because children “shouldn’t be a part of a social experiment.” Rubio believes in protecting all Americans in the workplace, but not any specialization of protections for sexual orientation. Rubio commented saying he would vote down his own immigration bill if it included giving immigrating gay or lesbian couples any rights.
Senator Lindsey Graham, previous candidate, says about anyone with a stance on abortion such as Rubio's (no exceptions for rape or incest): "Anybody with that position will get creamed. I would never tell a woman who's been raped she's got to carry the child of the rapist. Eighty-three percent of the American people feel like that goes too far. So if you would veto a bill that had an exception for rape or incest... I appreciate your passion for the pro-life issue but you're outside the mainstream and you cannot get elected." Hillary Clinton attacked Rubio’s stance on abortion by saying it “is as offensive and troubling a comment as you could hear.” She feels as though the rights of every woman would be in danger if Rubio were president.
Policy Proposals
- Help victims of domestic violence with programs that will help prosecutors, officers, and victims better deal with domestic violence.
- Promote paid family leave while in office. Through providing tax breaks for employers who offer it to their employees, he hopes to make sure that single or married mothers don’t need to quit their jobs to take care of a newborn.
- Rubio is known for his opposition to abortion because it differs from the other candidates being that he doesn’t support exceptions for rape, incest, and when it comes to the health of the mother, he doesn’t believe that abortion can be the only way to save her life. When making any policy proposals these would be his main priorities.
Relevant History
- Voted against the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act. This legislation was aimed at protecting women, gays, lesbians, and Native American women from domestic violence by providing resources and aid — the portion of the bill he supported. But, in a statement, Rubio said that he didn’t agree with the shifting of funds that would happen under this bill and believed that the best way for funds to be put to use would be by the state.
- Supported Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, stating that we should listen to military commanders, not politicians about these matters. But, he does believe in a “diverse, all-volunteer force.”
- Supported the county clerk in Kentucky who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses on the grounds that the government should allow people to follow their religious convictions.
- Voted against the Trafficking Victims Reauthorization Act because, although it attacked issues that were important to him, the compromised version had a section about moving money from domestic violence programs to programs that fight sexual assault. Rubio didn’t think this shift should be a decision made by the federal government, but rather an issue for each state to address based on the needs of state residents.
- Co-sponsored a bill that would have banned abortion after 20 weeks making exceptions for “life of the mother, incest, and rape.”
Representative Quotes
- “Just because I believe that states should have the right to define marriage in the traditional way does not make me a bigot.”
- “Listen, you're 15 years old and you become pregnant and you're scared and you have your whole life ahead of you and you're facing this, that is a hard situation. I tell people all the time, 'Don't pretend this is easy.' This is a difficult question. But when asked to make a decision between two very hard circumstances, I've personally reached the conclusion if I'm going to err, I'm going to err on the side of life. I'll support any legislation that reduces the number of abortions.”
- “The science is settled, it's not even a consensus, it is a unanimity, that human life begins at conception. So I hope the next time someone wags their finger about science, they'll ask one of these leaders on the left: 'Do you agree with the consensus of scientists that say that human life begins at conception?' I'd like to see someone ask that question.”
Civil Rights - Race and Ethnicity
Marco Rubio appeared on Fox News in mid-August and acknowledged that the Black Lives Matter movement is a legitimate one that voices real concerns. He believes that our country has come a long way regarding racism, but he understands that we have a long way to go. He has said that racial profiling is an issue in this country. Although he has spoken out against these issues, he does not see demonizing the police force as an answer to racial tension. To Rubio, it is clear that there are racial problems that need to be solved and he stands behind methods that aim to do so.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Policy Proposals
- On August 2, 2015, Marco Rubio voiced his concerns with racial profiling. He does believe that people are being targeted because of their race and that troubles him. However, he does not believe that Congress can enact a law to change that.
Relevant History
- Rubio’s voting record does not provide any relevant information in this case.
Representative Quotes
- “It is something we need to confront, because you have a significant percentage of our population that feels that they are locked out of the promise of this country, and the result is the anxiety and the frustration that you’re now seeing expressed.”
- "I don’t know if there is a law we can pass in Congress to change that, but I do think it is incumbent upon local communities to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the community that they are there to serve and protect.”
Fundraising Sources
Money Raised
Rubio’s campaign committee raised a total of $15,515,638 as of December 20, 2015, and outside super PAC groups have raised an additional $17,315,782 for his campaign. The top two contributors to Rubio’s campaign committee are Goldman Sachs ($53,200) and Microsoft Corp. ($33,100).
Super PACs
Criticism
Rubio’s main donor, Conservative Solutions Project, received roughly half of its donations from only two donors, Larry Ellison and Norman Braman. Another person of monetary influence and a supporter of Rubio is Ken Griffin, a wealthy hedge fund manager, who stated that he will donate “several million dollars” to Rubio’s PAC soon. Considering Conservative Solutions is so integral to Rubio’s campaign (this super PAC completely covered the $5.5 million needed to create Rubio’s TV ads so far), it is beginning to draw suspicion from news sources, such as The New York Times. Also, Conservative Solutions does not disclose all of its donors because it is a nonprofit, which goes against what Rubio has previously stated about transparency with campaign finance. “Full disclosure and sunlight into all these expenditures is critical to getting to the root of this problem. As long as you know who’s behind the money and how much they’re giving and where they’re spending it, I think that’s the sunlight that we need.”
Rubio’s campaign committee raised a total of $15,515,638 as of December 20, 2015, and outside super PAC groups have raised an additional $17,315,782 for his campaign. The top two contributors to Rubio’s campaign committee are Goldman Sachs ($53,200) and Microsoft Corp. ($33,100).
Super PACs
- The major super PAC supporting Marco Rubio is the Conservative Solutions PAC, which has raised a total of $16,057,755. Some donors to the super PAC include Larry Ellison, the founder of the software company Oracle ($3 million), Titan Farms, an agricultural company in South Carolina ($25,000), and Norman Braman, owner of one of Florida’s largest car dealerships and former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles ($5 million).
- This super PAC also has a corresponding nonprofit dedicated to Rubio’s campaign called Conservative Solutions Project.
Criticism
Rubio’s main donor, Conservative Solutions Project, received roughly half of its donations from only two donors, Larry Ellison and Norman Braman. Another person of monetary influence and a supporter of Rubio is Ken Griffin, a wealthy hedge fund manager, who stated that he will donate “several million dollars” to Rubio’s PAC soon. Considering Conservative Solutions is so integral to Rubio’s campaign (this super PAC completely covered the $5.5 million needed to create Rubio’s TV ads so far), it is beginning to draw suspicion from news sources, such as The New York Times. Also, Conservative Solutions does not disclose all of its donors because it is a nonprofit, which goes against what Rubio has previously stated about transparency with campaign finance. “Full disclosure and sunlight into all these expenditures is critical to getting to the root of this problem. As long as you know who’s behind the money and how much they’re giving and where they’re spending it, I think that’s the sunlight that we need.”
Defense and Foreign Policy
Senator Rubio believes in an America that takes an active leadership role in the world, and he feels that accomplishing this and protecting ourselves is not possible without bolstering our military. Thus, he supports increased defense spending. Many have called Rubio an interventionist, as he believes the U.S. should actively enter global conflicts. In his view, the U.S. cannot lead global coalitions if it refuses to enter conflict. Consequently, he supports ground troops in Syria and Iraq to combat ISIS. Rubio is also very much interested in protecting our allies. This includes Israel, which he believes the current administration has failed to assist and protect.
When it comes to foreign policy, Rubio’s main opposition has been Ted Cruz. Cruz advocates a foreign policy in which the U.S. only intervenes in international conflicts if they pose a threat to its security interests. Thus, many have labeled him as an isolationist. However, Cruz has called for increased bombing of the Islamic State as he considers them a security threat. A spokeswoman for the Cruz campaign said of Rubio’s foreign policy that “Rubio's foreign policy and national security strategy is to invade Middle Eastern countries, create power vacuums for terrorist organizations, allow their people to come to America unvetted, give them legal status and citizenship, then impose a massive surveillance state to monitor the problem.”
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
When it comes to foreign policy, Rubio’s main opposition has been Ted Cruz. Cruz advocates a foreign policy in which the U.S. only intervenes in international conflicts if they pose a threat to its security interests. Thus, many have labeled him as an isolationist. However, Cruz has called for increased bombing of the Islamic State as he considers them a security threat. A spokeswoman for the Cruz campaign said of Rubio’s foreign policy that “Rubio's foreign policy and national security strategy is to invade Middle Eastern countries, create power vacuums for terrorist organizations, allow their people to come to America unvetted, give them legal status and citizenship, then impose a massive surveillance state to monitor the problem.”
Policy Proposals
- Send ground troops to Syria and Iraq to combat ISIS. He believes the U.S. must approach ISIS from both a military and political front. His military approach is for the U.S. to lead an international coalition with ground troops, increase its number of airstrikes, and arm the Kurds and Sunni tribes to fight ISIS if the Iraqi government fails to do so. His political approach would be to propagate the country's military victories over ISIS and to strip Assad of leadership in Syria.
- Increase spending on the U.S. military; has promised to veto any bill that decreases defense spending.
- Counter Russia’s recent wave of aggression by strengthening NATO, by protecting Ukraine from annexation by helping them to advance their economy, and by reclaiming leadership in the fight against ISIS.
Relevant History
- Voted against authorizing President Obama to use military action in Syria because of its use of chemical weapons. He has said that he felt it would only serve to risk the lives of American soldiers.
- Rubio began his national political career as a member of the Tea Party, which generally advocates an isolationist approach to foreign policy. However, today he no longer espouses those same views.
Representative Quotes
- “I disagree with voices in my own party who argue we should not engage at all, who warn we should heed the words of John Quincy Adams not to go ‘abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.'”
- “In every region of the world, we should always search for ways to use U.S. aid and humanitarian assistance to strengthen our influence, the effectiveness of our leadership, and the service of our interests and ideals.”
- “So yes, global problems do require international coalitions. On that point this administration is correct. But effective international coalitions don’t form themselves. They need to be instigated and led, and more often than not, they can only be instigated and led by us."
Business Regulation and Corporations
Rubio believes small businesses and lower taxes are essential to the American economy and that by supporting them we will see more good-paying jobs and new opportunities for American workers. He plans to help businesses and the middle class by reforming labor law, improving the relationship between employers and workers, not increasing the minimum wage, reforming the federal tax code, and keeping regulations and their costs low. Rubio believes that his tax breaks for the wealthy will eventually end up in the hands of those who need it after the free market works things out without government intervention. Part of his plan to lower the amount of regulations calls for more accountable regulatory policies and greater rights for workers.
After Rubio called the Paycheck Fairness Act a “welfare plan for trial lawyers,” Hillary Clinton said women “still get paid less than men for the same work" and that "costs those women and their families thousands of dollars every year. Imagine what a working mom could do with the money she is owed, the better home she could rent or even buy? This is not just a women’s issue, this is a family issue, a fairness issue.” Rubio has received some criticism because although he was quoted saying, “You can’t live on $10 an hour. You can’t live on $11 an hour,” he still is against increasing the minimum wage.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
After Rubio called the Paycheck Fairness Act a “welfare plan for trial lawyers,” Hillary Clinton said women “still get paid less than men for the same work" and that "costs those women and their families thousands of dollars every year. Imagine what a working mom could do with the money she is owed, the better home she could rent or even buy? This is not just a women’s issue, this is a family issue, a fairness issue.” Rubio has received some criticism because although he was quoted saying, “You can’t live on $10 an hour. You can’t live on $11 an hour,” he still is against increasing the minimum wage.
Policy Proposals
- Cut taxes for all businesses to no more than 25% and eliminate inheritance taxes. He proposes to let businesses immediately expense new investments by creating a “cash flow” tax that is supposed to fully account for all the costs of business investment.
- Reduce the number of tax brackets for individuals from seven to three, with rates of 15%, 25% and 35%.
- Hold regulatory bodies more accountable while increasing small businesses’ input on regulatory policies. To do this, he proposes to sign the REINS Act into law. The REINS Act will let Congress vote up or down on regulations that have a major impact on the economy (based on the costs imposed) to give the people, through Congress, more of a ‘say’ on executive regulatory proposals. He also wants to expose the true costs of regulations on the American economy and small businesses by publicly quantifying the costs.
- Give workers more rights by protecting the secret ballot for workers during union elections. During union elections, ballots often result in unregulated persuasion and pressure placed on workers by paid labor organizers to sign agreements that authorize a union representation. Rubio’s federally supervised secret ballot election would allow workers the right to vote in private.
- Offer a tax break for employers who give their workers paid family leave.
Relevant History
- Proposed a National Regulatory Budget, which would have set a cap on the costs federal regulations could impose on the economy. His idea was to have regulators find a dollar in existing costs that they will repeal for every dollar they try to impose in regulations. Rubio’s goal is to limit the costs regulators can impose on the economy because he believes that through limiting regulators he can boost wages, job creation, and limit unelected (bureaucratic) regulators’ control on the economy.
- Rubio has a history of fighting against tax increases in the Senate like his vote against increasing the income tax rate for taxpayers earning more than $250,000 per year from 35% to 39.6%. He believes that lowering taxes for the wealthy will help small businesses and their workers. In the Senate, Rubio received 100% ratings from the National Federation of Independent Business and the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council.
- Voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act (equal pay for women) saying it was “pure election-year politics. . . This bill reads more to me like some sort of a welfare plan for trial lawyers.” The Act would have made more protections for women who sue employers for gender-based wage discrimination or discuss pay with their co-workers.
- Voted against a minimum wage increase. He posted on his campaign site: "Hiking the minimum wage by a few dollars will not save the American dream; it will accelerate automation and outsourcing. Increasing taxes and regulations will not promote fairness or opportunity; it will snuff out innovation and crush small business."
Representative Quotes
- “Raising minimum wage would replace people with machines.”
- “Grow the middle class; don't grow the government.”
Education
Senator Rubio believes that today’s educational system is too expensive, time consuming, and inflexible for hard-working adults. Meanwhile, higher education is essential for high-paying jobs, and too many Americans do not have the time or money to get a degree or their degree cannot earn them a job. Rubio sees today’s educational system as broken and outdated. He disagrees with Democrats who believe raising taxes and pouring money into the system is the solution. Rubio would much rather put education standards in the hands of communities and states instead of a national school board. Rubio believes he has a different approach — one which will modernize the educational system. Rubio wants to fix the educational system by advocating for choice, competition, greater access, and lower costs. He has already begun to propose reform bills into the Senate, and he plans on executing them as president. First, Rubio wants to reform the accreditation system. Current existing colleges and universities control accreditation, the process by which institutions become certified to provide degrees, and block competitors from entering the educational system. Rubio wants to encourage new affordable providers in order to promote competition among colleges and universities, keeping tuition costs low. Rubio also wants colleges to tell students how much they can expect to earn with a given degree. He wants students to know exactly what they are getting into, so they can begin to plan ahead. Rubio intends to lower the risk of taking out student loans by tying loan repayment to graduates’ income. He argues that students who make more money coming out of college should pay their debt in larger increments than students who make less money. Rubio wants to mend a broken system, not spend more to maintain it.
The National Review has shown disagreement with Rubio’s Income-Based Repayment plan. George Leef of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy explains, “Income-based repayment would lessen or even remove the incentive that students now have to think prospectively about the cost/benefit ratio of college.” He argues that Rubio should focus more on driving down tuition costs, instead of subsidizing student debt. In addition, both John Kasich and Jeb Bush support the Common Core, unlike Rubio. Without nationalized education standards, they argue, all students will not graduate from college with the necessary skills to succeed in college and a future career.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
The National Review has shown disagreement with Rubio’s Income-Based Repayment plan. George Leef of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy explains, “Income-based repayment would lessen or even remove the incentive that students now have to think prospectively about the cost/benefit ratio of college.” He argues that Rubio should focus more on driving down tuition costs, instead of subsidizing student debt. In addition, both John Kasich and Jeb Bush support the Common Core, unlike Rubio. Without nationalized education standards, they argue, all students will not graduate from college with the necessary skills to succeed in college and a future career.
Policy Proposals
- Establish an alternative system of accreditation for innovative education providers and existing colleges/universities.
- Establish Income-Based Repayment (IBR) as universal way of repaying student loans.
- Make payments of student loans proportional to a graduate’s earnings to reduce the financial risks of pursuing a degree.
- Avoid loan debt by partnering with investors. Investors will pay tuition for percentage of income after graduating for a certain number of years.
- Open financial aid programs to help working students go to school at night, online, and on the weekends.
- Abolish the Common Core standards.
- Expand Pell Grants to high school students.
Relevant History
- As Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Rubio was in agreement with a $2.3 billion budget cut for Florida public schools.
- Promoted higher curriculum standards in local schools, leaving to the Department of Education the details of the regulations.
- Rubio has been consistent on his views of the teachings of evolution. He backed a bill as Speaker to force teachers to question evolution.
- Rubio has also been a consistent critic of the Common Core, arguing that standards should be left to local communities to decide.
- He now wavers in his opinion about the DOE, saying he may decide to abolish it as president.
- As Senator in July 2015, Rubio worked with Senator Mark Warren to propose the Dynamic Student Loan Repayment Act to make income based repayment the universal option for all federal student loans.
Representative Quotes
- “I don’t care what anybody tells you, those standards (Common Core) will eventually be used to force on states policies the federal government wants.”
- “Our higher education system is completely outdated. It is too expensive, too hard to access, and it doesn't teach 21st century skills. If we do what needs to be done — tax reform, regulatory reform, fully utilize our energy resources, repeal and replace Obamacare, and modernize higher education, then we can grasp the potential and the promise of this new economy.”
Taxes and Economic Policy
Marco Rubio’s economic policy reflects his overall ideology on the campaign. As the son of Cuban immigrants and as someone who struggled through poverty, he has created an image of himself as someone who can personally relate to working class Americans. He speaks often about reforming the economy in order to preserve the “American Dream” that helped him get to where he is today, and how his top priority is to put that same dream into everyone’s grasp. His plans consist of tax cuts on the assumption that they will spur growth, and the Tax Foundation concluded that out of all the candidates on both sides, his tax plan would result in the biggest boost to GDP growth over ten years.
Democrats have criticized Rubio’s plan as one that favors the rich over the middle class. Hillary Clinton attacked him in a speech recently, saying that “a priority must be reforming our tax code. But take a good look at the Republicans' plans. Sen. Rubio's would cut taxes for households making around $3 million a year by almost $240,000, which is way more than three times the earnings of a typical family.” Even the proponents of the Rubio tax plan conceded that in his effort to boost economic growth by slashing taxes on investments, wages, and business income, it would reduce tax collections by at least $1.7 trillion in the first decade, largely favoring the top 1 percent of Americans over the middle class.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Democrats have criticized Rubio’s plan as one that favors the rich over the middle class. Hillary Clinton attacked him in a speech recently, saying that “a priority must be reforming our tax code. But take a good look at the Republicans' plans. Sen. Rubio's would cut taxes for households making around $3 million a year by almost $240,000, which is way more than three times the earnings of a typical family.” Even the proponents of the Rubio tax plan conceded that in his effort to boost economic growth by slashing taxes on investments, wages, and business income, it would reduce tax collections by at least $1.7 trillion in the first decade, largely favoring the top 1 percent of Americans over the middle class.
Policy Proposals
- Income tax reform: establish three brackets (instead of our current seven) of 15%, 25%, and 35%. The top rate applies to taxable income over $150,000 for single filers and $300,000 for joint filers.
- Eliminate the capital gains tax.
- Enact a $2,500 child tax credit that would effectively be more generous than the existing personal exemption.
- Lower the top corporate tax rate to 25%, down from 39.6%
- Of the four existing filing statuses for taxes (single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, and head of household) eliminate the head of household status to simplify the tax code.
- Provide a new tax credit for businesses that offer paid family leave.
Relevant History
- Rubio’s voting history reflects rejection of increased government spending.
- Voted against the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, which increased military and domestic spending levels and suspended the debt ceiling until March 2017.
- Opposed President Obama’s auto bailout of 2009, reflecting his concern for what he called crony capitalism — that government should not meddle in the private sector and pick winners and losers.
- Early in 2015, Rubio signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge to oppose all tax increases should he be voted into office.
Representative Quotes
- “The way to turn our economy around is not by making rich people poorer, it's by making poor people richer.”
- “No economic system is perfect. But the American free enterprise system has empowered millions. I know because I saw it with my own eyes.”
- "The debt matters as a percentage of the overall size of our economy. If the economy is a pie, the debt is a slice of it. And the problem is the slice has gotten as big as the pie. But we need to grow that pie and we need to keep the slice constant. And as result, the debt becomes more manageable. And that's why the reforms of the mandatory spending programs for future beneficiaries is so critical, because those programs will bankrupt themselves. That is where you're going to find the discipline necessary in the long term, to bring the debt under to a more responsible percentage of the overall size of our economy."
Immigration
Marco Rubio takes an economic approach to immigration. Responsible immigration, Rubio argues, can greatly help our economy. Rubio says that data shows the economy will greatly increase if we switched the visa system to one based off merit and productivity. Rubio believes that fixing our economy will fix concerns over immigration, because no one would be scared of the notion that immigrants may take jobs from Americans. Rubio is also focused on “modernizing” our visa and border system. Rubio wants to use technology to create a new system to more closely track entry into and exit out of our country, as well as who is legal or not. He hopes that this will stop the hiring of people here in our country illegally, which he hopes will lower the incentive to immigrate. Rubio also thinks his new system will ensure that no one overstays and we can control entry and exit. Lastly, Rubio has created a three-step plan to deal with the 12 million people illegally in our country today. He knows that he cannot deport all of them or pardon all of them, so a system that does both must be implemented.
Rubio faces opposition from his party because even though many fellow Republicans wanted to pass the parts of his ideas regarding the increased security of the border, they did not want to pass the parts of his ideas that deal with the millions of illegal immigrants currently in our country. Rubio thinks that he will not be able to get all of his ideas passed under one comprehensive immigration reform bill, instead opting to do it in a piecewise manner, but has been criticized for this by Frank Sherry, the executive director of the Pro-Immigration Group. Sherry says that “I’ve been working on this for 25 years and there’s no question that the only way you fix any one part is to have a comprehensive approach that addresses all the parts.” Due to opposition from both sides, Rubio has had to alter his approach to get his ideas implemented.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Rubio faces opposition from his party because even though many fellow Republicans wanted to pass the parts of his ideas regarding the increased security of the border, they did not want to pass the parts of his ideas that deal with the millions of illegal immigrants currently in our country. Rubio thinks that he will not be able to get all of his ideas passed under one comprehensive immigration reform bill, instead opting to do it in a piecewise manner, but has been criticized for this by Frank Sherry, the executive director of the Pro-Immigration Group. Sherry says that “I’ve been working on this for 25 years and there’s no question that the only way you fix any one part is to have a comprehensive approach that addresses all the parts.” Due to opposition from both sides, Rubio has had to alter his approach to get his ideas implemented.
Policy Proposals
- Require all immigrants to come forward and register. People who have not been here “long enough” or who have committed crimes will be deported. People will be forced to either register or leave because they cannot get jobs with the new E-verify system Rubio wants.
- Provide special visas for the people who qualify, which will them to remain in the U.S. under certain restrictions. They would have to pay a fee, undergo a background check, and learn English to get this visa and be a legal resident. They must pay taxes to keep the visa and would not be eligible for government services under this semi-legal status.
- Deport those who commit crimes, and after 10 years, immigrants who have not done so can apply for permanent citizenship.
- Create an electronic system to track entry and exit into and out of the U.S.
- Use seasonal visas for agricultural workers so that they're working during the seasons legally and have little incentive to be here illegally.
Relevant History
- Rubio was one of the sponsors of the 2013 immigration reform bill. He has since changed his opinion and realizes that he cannot reform the whole system in one sweeping bill, but must do so through a variety of different smaller bills.
- Co-sponsored a bill that would have addressed sanctuary cities.
Representative Quotes
- “We should be the pro-legal immigration party. A party that has a positive platform and agenda on how we can create a legal immigration system that works for immigrants and works for America.”
- “We focus so much on how immigrants can change America that we forget that America has always changed immigrants even more.”
- “Conservatives aren't anti-immigrant — conservatives are pro-legal immigration.”
Health Care and Social Security
Similar to many of his fellow Republicans, Marco Rubio is strongly opposed to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). He believes in lowering health care costs and increased accessibility, but believes the ACA needs to be repealed and replaced with a program that reduces government involvement to achieve this. As a result of his firm belief that health care needs to be easily accessible, he believes in the protection of Medicare and Medicaid. In addition, Rubio fears that limited access to mental health care leads to increased violence. Thus, due to his philosophy that we need to increase accessibility to health care, he also seeks to increase individual accessibility to mental health care.
Rubio, like many Republicans, believes in deregulating government. However, when it comes to health care, many individuals, such as Jon Chait, a writer for New York Magazine, perceive deregulation as a bad thing. Chait states, “Walker and Rubio are fairly clear about their plans for regulating the insurance market. They want to go back to the pre-Obamacare, deregulated system. They’d eliminate the requirements that insurance plans cover essential benefits, and let them charge higher prices to sicker customers. That’s good for people who have very limited medical needs (as long as they never obtain a serious medical condition, or have a family with somebody with a serious medical condition). It’s bad for people who have, or ever will have, higher medical needs.”
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Rubio, like many Republicans, believes in deregulating government. However, when it comes to health care, many individuals, such as Jon Chait, a writer for New York Magazine, perceive deregulation as a bad thing. Chait states, “Walker and Rubio are fairly clear about their plans for regulating the insurance market. They want to go back to the pre-Obamacare, deregulated system. They’d eliminate the requirements that insurance plans cover essential benefits, and let them charge higher prices to sicker customers. That’s good for people who have very limited medical needs (as long as they never obtain a serious medical condition, or have a family with somebody with a serious medical condition). It’s bad for people who have, or ever will have, higher medical needs.”
Policy Proposals
- Rubio has a three step plan to replace the ACA:
- Create a refundable tax credit that allows Americans to use them to purchase health insurance.
- Reform insurance regulations in order to “lower costs, encourage innovation, and support the vulnerable” by allowing individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines.
- Strengthen Medicaid by giving funding to the states through block grants. This will reduce the influence of federal government regulations and allow the states to make more decisions on how the money will be distributed.
Relevant History
- Voted to repeal aspects of the ACA, such as the bill's proposed cuts to the Medicare Advantage.
- Introduced legislation that would have disallowed nationals from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone from receiving new visas, in order to protect the United States from further spread of the Ebola virus.
- Supported several bills over the past few years to repeal the entire ACA.
- Introduced, along with a group of senators, the Excellence in Mental Health Act. The bill aimed to raise mental health care standards to that of regular health care centers, as well as expand access to these centers.
Representative Quotes
- "America must approach the issue of mental illness with the care, attention and compassion that it deserves. Through recent acts of violence, we have seen the tragic cost that can come from untreated mental illnesses.”
- Marco Rubio on replacement of the ACA: "Any solution should ultimately seek to promote a vibrant private market.”
Poverty and Social Welfare Programs
Marco Rubio believes that the government should be less involved in welfare. He also hopes to encourage all Americans who have the ability to work to go out and do so by taking away the payroll tax for those older than the retirement age, and modifying the welfare system so that only those who are truly in need will be receiving benefits.
Rubio has been accused by fellow campaign runner Rand Paul of not being “conservative” enough, stating that he believes Rubio’s tax plan is disguising “welfare handouts” as tax refunds. Hillary Clinton has been on record saying she believes Rubio’s tax plan is a “budget busting giveaway.” In general, Rubio has been accused by the GOP of not being conservative enough, and many Democrats believe that his plan is still catering towards the top earners instead of looking after the bottom.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Rubio has been accused by fellow campaign runner Rand Paul of not being “conservative” enough, stating that he believes Rubio’s tax plan is disguising “welfare handouts” as tax refunds. Hillary Clinton has been on record saying she believes Rubio’s tax plan is a “budget busting giveaway.” In general, Rubio has been accused by the GOP of not being conservative enough, and many Democrats believe that his plan is still catering towards the top earners instead of looking after the bottom.
Policy Proposals
- Rubio has proposed a new tax credit which will allow families to receive up to $2,500 per child (in addition to any current refunds they get for children).
Relevant History
- During his time in the Senate, Rubio voted against the “Minimum Wage Fairness Act” (which would have imposed a federal $10.10 minimum wage).
- Also, consistent with his policy, he supported a provision which would have made it harder for someone to get food stamps by reducing the number of waivers available for adults without kids, and by limiting the availability of benefits for people who are receiving benefits from other welfare services. These two new restrictions would be the result of a budget cut to the program.
Representative Quotes
- “Social Security and Medicare are crucial pillars of America’s social safety net.”
- “Unfortunately, the status quo [of the tax system] is too complex, hurts families and job creators, and holds back our nation’s potential to compete around the globe.”