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Robert Kennedy, Jr.'s Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Key

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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Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Robert Kennedy, Jr. did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2024 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

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Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2024.

  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Looks like the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cut taxes all right — to the biggest pharmaceutical corporations. They saved 40% on taxes. The rest of us… not so much." (x.com)
  • "The tax code is riddled with provisions that benefit only the super-wealthy. For example, the Carried Interest loophole reduces taxes of investment managers by billions of dollars every year." (x.com)
  • "I definitely think that the gap between rich and poor in this country is much too large, that we've destroyed the middle class, and that the very wealthy people ought to be paying more in taxes and corporations" (finance.yahoo.com)
  • "I definitely think that the gap between rich and poor in this country is much too large, that we've destroyed the middle class, and that the very wealthy people ought to be paying more in taxes and corporations" (finance.yahoo.com)
  • "The tax code is riddled with provisions that benefit only the super-wealthy. For example, the Carried Interest loophole reduces taxes of investment managers by billions of dollars every year." (x.com)
  • "When my uncle became president, there was a 90% tax on the wealthy in this country, Is that too much? Yeah, that’s probably too much. You need to incentivize people to work hard, smart people to make money. But at the same time, we need to make sure that we keep the middle class intact and that we don’t want the kind of country, the kind of distribution in wealth they have in Latin America and elsewhere because it causes instability. It causes unhappiness. It causes a lot of fallout, a societal fallout that is not good for anybody." (finance.yahoo.com)
  • "Empowering the Federal Election Commission to enforce campaign finance rules would rein in corporate interests that pollute our air, water and bodies with harmful chemicals." (x.com)
  • "The public still believes in democracy! Time to act on that belief and reclaim this country from corporate cronies, lobbyists, and insiders." (x.com)
  • "Kennedy will reorient police to serve, not occupy, Black communities; to keep neighborhoods safe rather than harassing their residents. The federal government will work with localities to change police culture, with pro-community incentives, training in de-escalation, and cooperation with neighborhood organizations." (www.kennedy24.com)
  • Amsterdam News: "We need systemic changes. We need to remove qualified immunity, which would make it necessary for an individual to consider his liability with every interaction. Every good economic system [should] incentive good behavior and punish bad behavior. We need to have that." (amsterdamnews.com)
  • "As President, I will turn the ship around by addressing the root of the problem — excessive military spending and the neglect of America’s infrastructure and domestic economy." (x.com)
  • "Rein in military spending and use the resources to fund infrastructure, health care, higher education, child care, and domestic prosperity." (www.kennedy24.com)
  • "Rein in military spending. A family of four’s share of current defense spending is at least $10,000 a year. Imagine if that money were devoted to free childcare or child tax credits." (x.com)
  • "We maintain 800 military bases around the world. The peace dividend that was supposed to come after the Berlin Wall fell was never redeemed. Now we have another chance. As President, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will start the process of unwinding empire. We will bring the troops home. We will stop racking up unpayable debt to fight one war after another. The military will return to its proper role of defending our country. We will end the proxy wars, bombing campaigns, covert operations, coups, paramilitaries, and everything else that has become so normal most people don’t know it’s happening. But it is happening, a constant drain on our strength. It’s time to come home and restore this country." (www.kennedy24.com)
  • "As President, I will turn the ship around by addressing the root of the problem — excessive military spending and the neglect of America’s infrastructure and domestic economy." (x.com)
  • "Funding higher education is not an entitlement program, it is an investment in America's future, just as with infrastructure and environment. Let's invest in America's young people instead of in the forever wars." (x.com)
  • "Ultimately the problem stems from an over-financialized economy. Finance is supposed to serve production, not replace it. We need to reinvest in the productive base: infrastructure, labor, health, social, and natural capital." (x.com)
  • "Bring derelict land and buildings back online. Many cities have thousands of vacant lots and buildings that have been seized for tax arrears or other reasons. The Kennedy administration will incentivize local governments to bring city-owned land and buildings back onto the market." (www.kennedy24.com)
  • "Drop housing costs by $1000 per family and make home ownership affordable by backing 3% home mortgages with tax-free bonds." (www.kennedy24.com)
  • "We will encourage municipalities to change zoning laws to allow ancillary dwelling units (granny flats) on more properties, to make housing available, bring families together, and provide homeowners with rental income. More supply means lower prices." (www.kennedy24.com)
  • "The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 contains some good provisions, but it’s also rife with anti-environmental provisions, money and legal maneuvers that undercut much, if not all, of the good the legislation may create." (x.com)
  • "The banking collapse is the tip of an economic mega-crisis. It’s not just the banks. Job openings plummeted for the third month in a row. Core factory orders dropped for the second consecutive month. Inflation is destroying the middle and working class. We need to turn our attention to rebuilding our nation — NOW." (x.com)
  • "I will also take steps to reduce education costs for students. When I was their age, a college education cost about one-seventh of what it is today. A young person could work their way through college and graduate debt-free. If we devoted even a fraction of our military budget to higher education, it could be virtually free to all (as it is in many other countries)." (x.com)
  • "Implement some form of student debt relief. Allow student debt to be dischargeable in bankruptcy. Cut interest rates on student loans to zero." (x.com)
  • "The unfortunate SCOTUS ruling striking down President Biden's #studentloan forgiveness program was the predictable result of Biden's failure to bring Congress together on this issue of crucial importance to young Americans." (x.com)
  • "Today, many marginalized people lack a government-issued ID, locking them out of the banking system, schools, and many other social institutions. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will make free passport cards available to any American citizen who wants one." (www.kennedy24.com)
  • "We will incentivize the transition of industry to zero-waste cycles and clean energy sources, and forge agreements with other countries to implement these policies throughout the global supply chain. These first two policies will vastly reduce the toxic waste, industrial poisons, and pesticides that make people and ecosystems sick." (www.kennedy24.com)
  • "Agreed! "Enough is enough. It’s time to fight back against the politicians and Big Oil CEOs who put their billions before the health and safety of our families, our communities and our climate." (x.com)
  • "Huge victory! A federal judge has cancelled a key permit for the #KeystoneXL #pipeline, putting the future of the contentious project in jeopardy just weeks after construction began." (x.com)
  • "Agreed! "Enough is enough. It’s time to fight back against the politicians and Big Oil CEOs who put their billions before the health and safety of our families, our communities and our climate." (x.com)
  • "Huge eminent domain land seizures in ND to build a carbon capture pipeline. Whether it is oil pipelines through tribal sacred lands, or supposedly "green" pipelines through farms, it’s often the little guy who gets screwed by national energy policy." (x.com)
  • "Anybody who tells you if they're going to be able to reduce gun violence through gun control at this point, I don't think it's being realistic." (abcnews.go.com)
  • "I respect the Second Amendment. I am not going to take people's guns away." (x.com)
  • "Let me be clear on guns. As President I will respect the Second Amendment, and I will not try to take away people’s guns." (x.com)
  • "Am I going to do something to stop the price gouging as President? You bet I am! I will bring healthcare costs to parity with other developed nations. #Kennedy24" (x.com)
  • "Cut healthcare costs with Medicare-for-all, restrict pharmaceutical companies’ profiteering, and redirect a portion of medical research toward inexpensive natural, holistic, and alternative therapies." (x.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Cut drug costs by half to bring them in line with other nations." (www.kennedy24.com)
  • "Cut healthcare costs with Medicare-for-all, restrict pharmaceutical companies’ profiteering, and redirect a portion of medical research toward inexpensive natural, holistic, and alternative therapies." (x.com)
  • "Secure the border and bring illegal immigration to a halt, so that undocumented migrants won’t undercut wages." (www.kennedy24.com)
  • "Illegal immigration = exploitation of children. Another example why securing the border is a humanitarian imperative." (x.com)
  • "Tighten border security to regain control over the border. We will use technology that was installed at the border then dismantled by the Biden administration, such as cameras, lights, and motion detectors, coupled with physical barriers in key areas (there is no need to build a wall across the entire 2,000-mile border). We have the technology to prevent people from getting through undetected. We can control the border. We have the technology. We can deploy the personnel. All we need is the will." (www.kennedy24.com)
  • "When I am President, I will secure the border which will end the cartel's drug trafficking economy. I will build wide doors for those who wish to enter legally so the U.S. can continue to be a beacon to the world where diversity and culture make us great." (x.com)
  • "Illegal immigration = exploitation of children. Another example why securing the border is a humanitarian imperative." (x.com)
  • "That’s why as President I will make the border impermeable to illegal immigration. I will also get on top of asylum cases. If migrants knew that specious political asylum claims would receive a quick hearing and swift deportation, the cartels’ business model would fail." (x.com)
  • "The first step toward fixing this situation is to reassert control over our border. Today there is no control, no effective policy and, as a result, there is a humanitarian, security, and economic disaster. There are two ways people enter this country illegally. One way is by sneaking in. The other is by simply walking across at an entry point, claiming asylum, and disappearing. We have to address both. If we only shut down the asylum route, they will sneak across instead. If we only seal the border, they will overwhelm asylum processing resources. We must end both simultaneously." (www.kennedy24.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Half a million dead and wounded soldiers in Ukraine. Was this proxy war to "weaken Putin" worth their blood and our treasure?" (x.com)
  • "Hey Americans, want the Ukraine war to go on year after year? Well that’s what NATO Chief Stoltenberg predicts. Time to elect a President who will end the war and bring the money home." (x.com)
  • "In Ukraine, the most important priority is to end the suffering of the Ukrainian people, victims of a brutal Russian invasion, and also victims of American geopolitical machinations going back at least to 2014. We must first get clear: Is our mission to help the brave Ukrainians defend their sovereignty? Or is it to use Ukraine as a pawn to weaken Russia? Kennedy will choose the first. He will find a diplomatic solution that brings peace to Ukraine and brings our resources back where they belong. We will offer to withdraw our troops and nuclear-capable missiles from Russia's borders. Russia will withdraw its troops from Ukraine and guarantee its freedom and independence. UN peacekeepers will guarantee peace to the Russian-speaking eastern regions. We will put an end to this war. We will put an end to the suffering of the Ukranian people. That will be the start of a broader program of demilitarization of all countries." (www.kennedy24.com)
  • "It’s not outlandish to imagine that even here in America, your bank account could one day be frozen because of your politics, or comments you’ve made on social media. After all, in 2010, Paypal, Visa, and Mastercard suspended WikiLeaks, at the behest of the U.S. State Department. GoFundMe blocked U.S. accounts from sending funds to Canadian truckers and planned to donate the money to their own preferred charities instead, backing down only when faced with a lawsuit. PayPal modified their acceptable use policy to fine users $2,500 for spreading what they deemed to be misinformation, a change they rescinded under pressure. Nonetheless, thousands of customers are currently suing PayPal for the arbitrary seizure of their accounts.These are the decisions of private companies, but often those private companies are acting out of fear of Congress or regulators, or directly at their bidding. Their decisions impinge directly on our rights." (x.com)
  • "These Republicans want to wage war against TikTok. But data privacy isn’t just an issue of China getting US consumer data. It’s also about keeping data private from our own government and Big Tech. Doesn’t seem like any of the debaters are aware of it." (x.com)
  • "Agreed! "The unchecked power of social media behemoths like Facebook, Twitter + Google to serve as proxies for government to censor and propagandize puts democracy at grave risk." (x.com)

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