Ric Holden's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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.
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Ric Holden has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2024 Political Courage Test.
Montana Congressional Election 2024 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade? | ||
| I have always been a pro-life endorsed Montana State Senator. | |||
| No | Do you support expanding federal funding to support social safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicare? | ||
| Yes | Do you support a decrease in income taxes in order to balance the budget? | ||
| No | Do you support a wealth tax in order to pay for public programs? | ||
| Our country is flat broke. We are 35 trillion dollars in debt. The government revenues only amount to 5 trillion dollars per year. We need to stimulate the economy and grow ourselves out of this debt. Tax cuts will stimulate the economy. When you make a broad statement like, "Wealth Tax" . Hard to say who you mean. The wealth in this country needs to be invested in the private sector and used to grow the economy. The government will not solve its financial debt problems just by taking more money out of the private sector economy. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations, unions, and individuals? | ||
| Yes | Do you support protecting government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct? | ||
| No | Do you support increasing defense spending? | ||
| Generally I do support increased defense spending to protect our country, but currently we need to get a balanced budget passed and take a look at the entire budget before we just start increasing any budget line item. | |||
| Yes | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth (e.g. grants, tax incentives)? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal government increasing funding for affordable housing programs? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal government taking action, beyond those of the Federal Reserve, to alleviate inflation? | ||
| We need to cut the increases in spending. The Federal Reserve is not in charge of congressional spending, that is the job of congress. The more money we can get out of Washington DC in the way of infrastructure projects, building grants, tax incentives, the better. If the tax dollars are left in Washington then that money is just wasted away. | |||
| No | Do you support the forgiveness of federal student loan debt? | ||
| I had to pay my own way and I paid for my children's school debts. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring a government-issued identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| That is a broad term. But generally, citizenship needs to be confirmed before voting. | |||
| No | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal government allowing permits for drilling on public lands? | ||
| If renewable energy is good and effective the free market system will develop it with out government cash infusions. We need to become energy independent again and we need to pump the oil we have sitting right under our feet here in eastern Montana. We also get good paying jobs for our children at the same time. The people of eastern Montana are very supportive of developing our oil fields. | |||
| No | Do you generally support gun-control legislation (e.g. red flag laws, boyfriend loopholes)? | ||
| I have always been endorsed by the National Rifle Association as a state senator. | |||
| No | Do you support a government-run (e.g. single-payer) healthcare program, such as Medicare-for-All? | ||
| No | Do you support expanding paid family AND/OR medical leave benefits (e.g. maternity leave)? | ||
| Yes | Should the government be able to regulate the cost of prescription drugs? | ||
| The government can not run our health care in a efficient manner, but likewise the prescription drug manufactures can not be allowed to monopolize the drug industry and hit our seniors with expensive priceing. There has to be a balanced approach to health care. | |||
| Yes | Do you support increasing security along the southern US border? | ||
| Yes | Do you support requiring immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship, regardless of their immigration status? | ||
| Yes | Do you support economic intervention as a means of resolving international conflicts? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the US providing increased offensive military aid to Ukraine? | ||
| I will not approve sending over CASH to the Ukraine, but I will support sending them arms and ammunition. | |||
| No | Do you generally support increased regulations on social media companies (e.g. Tik Tok, Facebook, etc.)? | ||
| I would ban Tik Tok, but I am really hesitant about limiting what is said or shown on social media. I also don't approve of social media companies banning conservative or liberal points of view. | |||
| Priority One is to shut the border down and bring in the US Military if needed to do it. Then we can pass a new immigration bill. Everyone that stormed the border illegally and took advantage of our system can go back as far as I am concerned. Montana needs a congressman on the House Agricultural Committee. Agriculture is our largest industry in eastern Montana. My top committee assignment request is to be placed on the agricultural committee. I want to see what is going through that committee everyday on behalf of the Montana farmers and ranchers. Congress needs to open up the development of our natural recourses in Montana. I want to see the federal leases for oil and coal restored that the Biden administration closed. Then we can turn this economy around. Restore the job market so our people can once again have high paying jobs. |
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