Robert Byrd's Voting Record and Policy Positions
By Discover The Networks
2009


Following is an overview of Byrd’s policy positions and his voting record on key pieces of legislation during his years in the Senate:

Abortion: Byrd received a rating of 43% by NARAL, indicating a mixed voting record on abortion. In 1999 and 2003, the senator voted in favor of bills prohibiting the procedure commonly known as partial-birth abortion. In 2004 he 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 against a pregnant woman. In July 2006 he voted in favor of notifying the parents of minors who have gotten out-of-state abortions. In October 2007 he voted to allow the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to organizations that perform abortions.

Marriage: In September 1996 and June 2006, Byrd voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage.

Welfare: Byrd voted in favor of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, which ultimately succeeded in moving large numbers of people off of public assistance and into jobs.

Education: Byrd received a 100% rating from the National Education Association (NEA), indicating that all of his votes were satisfactory to America’s largest labor union. Like the NEA, Byrd opposed a voucher system that would permit parents to redirect a portion of their tax dollars away from public schools and towards private-school tuition for their children. In 1997 he voted NO on a voucher proposal. In July 1996 he voted NO on allocating $75 million for abstinence education.

Affirmative Action and Set-Asides: In October 1997 Byrd voted NO on ending government programs to provide special funding earmarked for minority- and female-owned businesses. In March 1998 he voted YES on setting aside 10 percent of federal funds for highway-construction projects, for minority- and female-owned businesses.

Illegal Immigration: In May 2006 Byrd voted NO on allowing illegal aliens to get Social Security benefits. In May 2006 he voted NO on giving guest workers a path to citizenship. In September 2006 he Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border to stem the influx of illegal aliens. In June 2007 he voted NO on a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would have created a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens in the United States.

Energy: Byrd consistently opposed all bills seeking to open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration.

Taxes: In July 1999 Byrd voted against a bill calling for $792 billion in tax cuts over a ten-year period. In July 2000 he voted against a bill to phase out estate and gift taxes by 2010. In May 2001 he voted against $1.35 trillion in federal tax cuts over an 11-year period. In May 2003 he voted against $350 billion in proposed tax reductions. In November 2005 he voted to raise the top individual income tax rate of 39.6 percent for millionaires, and to impose higher tax rates on capital gains and dividends as well. That same month, he voted against extending a number of tax cuts for five years. In February 2006 he voted NO on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains and dividends. In May 2006 he voted against $69.96 billion in tax credits and cuts through 2010.

Supreme Court: In September 2005 Byrd voted in favor of confirming President Bush's nominee, John Roberts, for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. In January 2006 Byrd also voted in favor of confirming Samuel Alito, Jr., to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

Other Presidential Appointments: Byrd was the only senator to vote against the nominations of both Clarence Thomas and Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2005 Byrd tried to block President Bush’s nomination of Condoleezza Rice for Secretary of State.

National Security/War on Terror: In 1999 Byrd voted in favor of deploying a National Missile Defense system. In October 2001 he voted in favor of the Patriot Act anti-terrorism legislation. In December 2005 he voted NO on extending the authority of the FBI to conduct "roving wiretaps" and to access business records. In March 2006 he voted against reauthorizing the Patriot Act. In September 2006 he voted YES on preserving habeas corpus for Guantanamo Bay detainees who had been captured by the U.S. in the war on terror. In August 2007 he voted NO on removing the need for a FISA warrant for wiretapping phone calls to and from suspected terrorists believed to be located outside the United States. In February 2008 he voted YES on requiring such warrants for phone calls of that nature.

Government Reform: In October 1997 Byrd voted in favor of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill. In February 2002 he voted NO on requiring a photo ID for voter registration. In July 2007 he voted NO on requiring a photo ID to cast a ballot in federal elections.