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Todd McKinley's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.

Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.

Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.

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Todd McKinley has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2018 Political Courage Test.

What is the Political Courage Test?

Tennessee Congressional Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Pro-life Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
No In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
No In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
Yes & No! I believe we need a strong Military, however, given I served 20 years in the U.S. Army, I've seen firsthand a lot of wasteful spending within the DoD. We need to reign in wasteful spending, if that lowers the DoD budget then so be it, but given that one of the only few things the Federal Government must do is to "provide for the Common Defense," I feel we should spend as much as we need to but not a penny more.
Yes Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
This is a fine line between "free speech" and "buying politicians," in other words, many times we see elected representatives turn their back on their Constituents in favor of money and/or the promise of a high paying job down the road. I'm all for free speech but with so much money in our politics it can hurt the voice and will of the people.
No Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
Yes Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
No Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
I believe that education should be handled at the state level and I feel that there's nothing in the Constitution that makes education a Federal matter.
No Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
No Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
I support government regulating pollution but feel that States should take a larger role in this vs the Federal Government. That being said, Legislators should pass do their job and legislate and not allow the EPA to go unchecked and being allowed to rule with a heavy hand.
No Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
The 2nd Amendment is clear, I support the 2nd Amendment 100%.
Yes Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
Yes Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
Yes Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
No Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
As a supporter of the 10th Amendment, I think this should be a State matter but I feel the Federal Government should decriminalize it. That being said, I'm 100% in favor of Medical Marijuana.
Yes Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
No Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
No! The only way I support the use of Military force is if our National Interest is threatened or our allies are threatened. We shouldn't be the "World Police," remember, we can't transplant democracy, it must be organic to that given nation. We must stop spilling the blood of our heroes and stop spending our nation's treasure for the sake of "Military Adventurism." President Eisenhower said it best in his farewell address when he warned us about the "Military Industrial Complex."
I support a Constitutional Amendment for Term Limits for Congress and a Balanced Budget Amendment giving the President a Line Item Veto on all budgets. Additionally, I want to send Education back to the states, allow for "School Choice" where the money follows the child and I support STEM Education. Also, I want to push for, reforming our Tax Code, reforming Healthcare by supporting more choices and upfront pricing, patent reform for medication and medical devices. I'm for downsizing the Federal Government by Consolidating and Reorganizing the Executive Branch.

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