Al Green (politician) - Political Positions

Political Positions

Congressman Green, a Democrat, shows strong liberal tendencies on social issues. He is pro-choice, and consistently votes accordingly. On October 13th, 2011, he voted against an amendment to the Affordable Care Act, which prevented insurance gained through the Act to cover abortions. The bill passed convincingly in the House. Green has voted against eight other bills proposed in the House that would prevent any government spending to cover abortion. Due to this, he has received 100% ratings from Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America, while receiving a 0% rating from the National Right to Life Committee.

Green also supports gun control. He spoke out after the Trayvon Martin shooting, asking members of the African-American community to show faith in the justice system and let the courts do their job and convict George Zimmerman. The National Rifle Association gave him a rating of 0%, and Gun Owners of America rated him 25%, but the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence gave him a Lifetime Score of 83%.

On budget issues, Congressman Green strongly follows his party’s views. He has supported every budget bill proposed during President Obama’s term. However, during President Bush’s term, he voted against all bills to cut government spending and taxes. Green also voted for President Obama's bailout of the Auto Industry in 2009. On December 10th, 2008, he wrote a statement supporting the bailout, saying, “The auto bailout is really about bailing out people, and the people of this country... I think that is a legitimate concern for the American people, but I do think, with the proper strings attached, we can bail out the people...who may lose their jobs.”

Congressman Green is a member of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus. He is a strong supporter of holding on to Pakistan as an ally in the Middle East. After the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on December 27th, 2007, which initially destabilized the country as riots erupted, Green issued a statement condemning the assassination as a “dastardly effort to circumvent the democratic process.” He announced the US’s continued alliance with Pakistan, and urged Pakistanis to continue pushing towards democracy, “knowing that freedom, justice, and democracy are difficult to achieve.”

After the 2012 election, in which he was once again reelected in Texas' 9th district, Green spoke at a press conference in Houston. He emphasized the need for the lame duck Congress to work together to reform the budget. He announced his plan to propose infrastructure development across the country, in order to create jobs and unify America.

Green is a supporter of the Federal Reserve's program of quantitative easing and claims that it has led to economic recovery since the financial crisis of 2008.