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Jeff Van Drew's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Office:

On The Ballot: Running, Republican for U.S. House (NJ) - District 2

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.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
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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.

  • Voted against HR 8296: "Women's Health Protection Act of 2022- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted against HR 8297: "Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022" (None)
  • "The United States Supreme Court has the sacred responsibility of interpreting the Constitution and upholding our nation's founding principles free from political interference, which is exactly what it did today," said Congressman Jeff Van Drew. "The integrity of the Court and its decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade must be respected, and we must come together to reject the latest attempts by those who disagree with today's decision to abolish or pack the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court made the right decision to return this issue to the states so they can create their own laws regarding abortion. Here in New Jersey, we must continue to speak out and fight against Governor Murphy's radical policies that call for taxpayer funded partial birth abortions." (None)
  • Rated 100% by the National Right to Life Committee
  • "When it comes to reining in spending, I want to be clear: making cuts to Social Security or Medicare, programs that hard-working Americans have spent their lives paying their fair share towards, is something that will never even be a consideration." (x.com)
  • Rated 25% by The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (None)
  • Voted against HR S 610: "Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Rated 100% by FreedomWorks (None)
  • Rated 75% by the National Taxpayers Union (None)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5377: "Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by FreedomWorks (None)
  • Rated 75% by the National Taxpayers Union (None)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5377: "Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by End Citizens United (None)
  • Rated 6% by Common Cause (None)
  • Voted against HR 1: "For the People Act of 2021- National Key Vote" (None)
  • "Dems' soft-on-crime policies and anti-police rhetoric have caused violent crime to spike all across our nation. Yet, House Dems want to pass legislation today to further their Defund the Police agenda. Americans are not safe under Democrats' rule." (x.com)
  • Rated 100% by the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) (None)
  • Voted against HR 1280: "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted against HR 2670: "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year of 2024- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted in favor of HR 4365: "Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2024" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of S 1605 "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022." (votesmart.org)
  • "President Biden just released his $7.3 TRILLION FY25 budget highlighting his far-left priorities. This reckless spending will force our nation further into debt while ignoring the millions of hardworking Americans struggling to make ends meet due to the actions of this admin." (x.com)
  • Voted against HR 1319: "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted against HR 2617: "Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted against HR 5376: "Build Back Better Act." (None)
  • Voted against HR 7301: "Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted against HR 8294: "Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted against HR 7688: "Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act- National Key Vote" (None)
  • "Don’t let Democrats deceive you with cushy bill titles. The Inflation Reduction Act will actually INCREASE inflation through 2024 and INCREASES taxes by nearly $17 billion on those making less than $200k." (twitter.com)
  • "President Biden knows his policy to unilaterally cancel student debt is unconstitutional. Everyone agrees there needs to be reform with financing college. BUT, that does not include forcing taxpayers to pay hundreds of billions of dollars to forgive others' debt." (x.com)
  • Rated 0% by National Education Association (None)
  • Voted against HR 2547: "Comprehensive Debt Collection Improvement Act - National Key Vote" (None)
  • Rated 6% by Common Cause (None)
  • Voted against HR 4: "John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of of 2021- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted against HR 5746: "Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "Joe Biden’s bloated budget gives $53 million to expand offshore wind along our coasts. He wants to use our tax dollars to boost foreign energy companies while hampering domestic energy production here at home. Our already-high energy bills will only get worse under his budget." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1: "Lower Energy Costs Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 4447: "Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 9: "Climate Action Now Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "President Biden officially decided to lift oil sanctions on Venezuela. Venezuela is a socialist regime that produces dirty oil and repeatedly commits human rights violations. We should be drilling in America, NOT Venezuela." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1: "Lower Energy Costs Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 21: "Strategic Production Response Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 4447: "Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019" (votesmart.org)
  • "I support many commonsense reforms to reduce gun violence, such as banning assault weapons and bump stocks, requiring universal background checks for every gun sale, and strengthening the National Instant Criminal Background Check System by requiring federal and state agencies to keep updated records. Other reforms I stand behind include passing legislation to crack down on illegal gun trafficking, prohibiting any individuals with a mental illness from gaining access to guns, and increasing the prosecution of individuals prohibited from purchasing guns who violate that restriction. I believe that with reforms like these, we can reduce gun violence while keeping American citizens' Second Amendment rights intact." (None)
  • Voted against HR 1446: "Enhanced Bakcground Checks Act of 2021- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted against HR 1808: "Assault Weapons Ban of 2022" (None)
  • 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.
  • Voted against HR 6833: "The Afforable Insulin Now Act" (None)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3: "Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019- National Key Vote" (None)
  • "HUGE win for Americans across the nation. Texas has every right to do what the Biden admin refuses: arrest illegal immigrants as soon as they enter our country. We are one step closer to a safer America and a secure border." (twitter.com)
  • "Tonight, I voted to denounce the Biden administration's self-made and disastrous border policies. Our communities are being destroyed by the millions of illegal entries, from the massive influx of fentanyl to the depletion of local resources. Yet, Joe Biden refuses to act." (twitter.com)
  • Rated 85% by Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) (None)
  • Voted in favor of HR 2: "Secure the Border Act of 2023- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted against HR 1333: "NO BAN Act- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted against HR 6: American Dream and Promise Act of 2021- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted in favor of HR 2494: "POLICE Act of 2023- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted in favor of HR 2: "Secure the Border Act of 2023- National Key Vote" (None)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3033: "Solidify Iran Sanctions Act of 2023" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6015: "Iran Sanctions Accountability Act of 2023" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 8030: "Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 6833: "Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 8035: "Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024- National Key Vote" (None)
  • "Big Tech and Democrats know that if they can control the content we see, they can control the narratives that drive our country. It goes against the very essence of our democracy." (twitter.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 7521: "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" (votesmart.org)
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.

a) Abortions should always be legally available.
X b) Abortions should be legally available when the procedure is completed within the first trimester of pregnancy.
c) Abortions should be legal only when the pregnancy resulted from incest, rape or when the life of the woman is endangered.
d) Abortions should be legal only when the life of the woman is endangered.
e) Abortions should always be illegal.
X f) Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and parental notification requirements.
No g) Should New Jersey government funding be provided to clinics and medical facilities that provide abortion services?
Yes h) Do you support a state ban on the partial-birth abortion procedure?
If yes, should a ban include an exception when the health of the woman is endangered?
Yes should a ban include an exception when the life of the woman is endangered?
i) Other

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding affirmative action in New Jersey.

X a) The New Jersey government should prosecute cases of discrimination in the public and private sectors.
b) The New Jersey government should consider race and sex in making hiring, contracting and admissions decisions.
c) The New Jersey government should discontinue affirmative action programs.
d) Other

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding auto insurance reform in New Jersey.

X a) Support more aggressive prosecution of insurance fraud through the hiring of additional fraud investigators.
X b) Create an elected, as opposed to appointed, Insurance Commissioner.
X c) Support a continued freeze on insurance rates.
X d) Reduce insurance premiums.
X e) Reduce or eliminate insurance company surcharges.
X f) Support policies that give consumers a greater choice of insurance companies, plans and rates.
X g) Reinstate the Office of Public Advocate.
h) Eliminate the no-fault insurance program.
i) Other

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding children & family issues in New Jersey.

X a) Increase state funding for programs to prevent teen pregnancy.
X b) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
X c) Deny or suspend state-issued permits and licenses to parents who are delinquent in paying court-ordered child support.
No d) Do you believe that the New Jersey government should recognize same-sex marriages?
e) Other

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) to address crime in New Jersey.

X a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
X b) Expand and promote "community policing" programs.
X c) Support "truth in sentencing" for violent criminals so they serve their full sentences with no chance of parole.
d) Expand the use of the death penalty for additional circumstances relating to murder.
e) Oppose the death penalty.
f) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
X g) Continue to impose mandatory life sentences for third-time, violent felons.
X h) Inform communities when a convicted sex offender moves into the community.
i) Increase state funds for programs which rehabilitate and educate inmates during and after their prison sentences.
j) Decriminalize the possession and private use of certain illegal drugs such as marijuana.
X k) Strengthen penalties and sentences associated with drug-related crimes.
X l) Implement chain gangs in which prison inmates work together in chained work groups.
m) Other

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) to address juvenile crime in New Jersey.

X a) Prosecute juveniles who commit murder or other serious violent crimes as adults.
b) Expand the death penalty to apply to 16 and 17-year-olds who commit murder.
X c) Provide state funding for military-style "boot-camps" for juvenile first-time felons.
X d) Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
X e) Support state government funding of programs for at-risk youth such as guaranteed college loans and job training and placement.
f) Other

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding New Jersey's economic development.

X a) Increase state funds for improving the state's transportation system, including major roadways, railways and airports.
X b) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for expanding, starting or relocating businesses.
c) Expand legalized gambling (e.g., casino gambling, slot machines, Keno).
X d) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector.
e) Remove state government controls or caps from wages, prices, rents, profits, production and interest rates.
X f) Support limits on cash damages in lawsuits against businesses and professionals for product liability or malpractice.
X g) Increase state funding for programs to re-train unemployed workers.
h) Other

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding New Jersey's education system.

X a) Increase state funds for professional development and salaries of public school faculty.
b) Endorse teacher-led voluntary school prayer in public schools.
X c) Encourage private or corporate investment in certain public school programs.
d) Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious, technical).
X e) Support continuation of charter schools where teachers and other professionals receive state authorization and funding to establish new schools.
X f) Require the use of state-wide achievement standards for all state public schools.
g) Emphasize local control of education as long as the school district meets state health and safety standards.
X h) Support sex education programs which stress abstinence.
X i) Support sex education programs which stress safe sexual practices.
X j) Offer financial incentives to encourage school districts to consolidate.
Endorse moment of silence in public schools.

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding New Jersey's environment and natural resources.

a) Support tougher environmental standards in order to encourage the sale of cleaner-burning fuels throughout New Jersey.
b) Support tougher auto emission inspection standards.
c) Support "self-audit" legislation which creates incentives for polluting industries to audit themselves and clean up pollution.
d) Require a cost/benefit analysis be completed to determine the economic impact of proposed environmental regulations before they are implemented.
e) Require the state to reimburse citizens when state-sponsored environmental regulations limit the use of privately-owned land.
X f) Provide funding for recycling programs in New Jersey.
X g) Request flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environmental regulations.
h) Suspend New Jersey's participation in unfunded, federally mandated environmental protection legislation.
i) Maintain environmental quality standards equal to, but not exceeding, those mandated by current federal regulations.
j) Other
a) Do you support amending the New Jersey Constitution to limit the terms of New Jersey's State Senators and Assemblymembers?
If yes, limit:
Yes b) Do you support amending the U.S. Constitution to require an annual balanced federal budget?
Yes c) Do you support stricter limits on individual contributions to state legislative candidates?
Yes d) Do you support stricter limits on PAC contributions to state legislative candidates?
Yes e) Do you support stricter limits on corporate and union contributions to state legislative candidates?
Yes f) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
Yes g) Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
h) Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
i) Other

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding gun issues.

a) Increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
b) Maintain all state registration procedures and state restrictions on possession of firearms.
c) Ease state procedures and restrictions on the purchase and registration of firearms.
d) Repeal all state bans and measures that restrict law-abiding citizens from obtaining firearms.
e) Allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms.
f) Other

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding New Jersey's health care system.

X a) Expand state funding for pre-natal and infant care programs available in the state, including immunizations.
X b) Provide tax incentives to assist small businesses in providing health care to their employees.
c) Ensure that New Jersey's citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms or state-funded care where necessary.
d) Guaranteeing medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
e) Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
f) Other

Indicate what changes you support (if any) regarding levels of funding for the following categories.

a) Abortion
b) Affirmative Action
c) AIDS Programs
d) Education
e) Environment
f) Health Care
g) Law Enforcement
h) Welfare
No i) Do you support turning over more state functions to the private sector?
j) Other

Please indicate the changes you will support (if any) regarding New Jersey's tax levels.

a) Alcohol Taxes
b) Business Taxes
c) Capital Gains Taxes
d) Cigarette Taxes
e) Income Taxes (incomes less than $75,000)
f) Income Taxes (incomes greater than $75,000)
g) Property Taxes
h) Sales Taxes
i) State Fees
No j) Do you support a flat tax structure for state income taxes?
k) Other

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding New Jersey's welfare system.

X a) Provide childcare services to welfare recipients who work or attend school.
b) Allow welfare recipients to work and still receive state-funded health care and child care (if needed) until they become self-sufficient.
X c) Require that able-bodied welfare recipients receive job training, attend school, or work in order to receive welfare benefits.
X d) Require that unwed mothers under the age of 18 attend school and live with a parent or guardian (if possible) to receive welfare benefits.
X e) Limit welfare benefits given to recipients who have additional children.
f) Provide two-parent families living in poverty the same welfare benefits as one-parent families.
g) Eliminate government-funded welfare and advocate privately-funded assistance to people in need.
X h) Support a two-year limit on welfare benefits for recipients who are able to work.
i) Other
I'll work with both parties to lower car insurance rates. My plan forces everyone to the table -- and requires three rate-lowering options. If the state won't decide, then the public should vote on a solution. Campaigns could be productive if candidates took responsibility for advertisements, as I'm doing.

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