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| Summary of Positions |
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| Statements on the Issues |
Joe Biden's Summary of Positions
Positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC), or None Found (NF).
Candidates who have changed their positions are listed as Now their most recent position.
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Joe Biden's Statements on the Issues
Positions are categorized as
Pro, Con, Not Clearly Pro or Con, or None Found. |
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| Abortion: |
"Should abortion remain a legal option in America?" |
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Pro: "Mr, Russert: You have changed your position on abortion. When you came to the Senate, you believed that Roe v. Wade was not correctly decided and that you also believed a [sic] the right of abortion was not secured by the Constitution. Why did you change your mind?
Sen. Biden: Well, I was 29 years old when I came to the United States Senate, and I have learned a lot. Look, Tim, I'm a practicing Catholic, and it is the biggest dilemma for me in terms of comporting my, my religious and cultural views with my political responsibility. And the decision that I have come to is Roe v. Wade is as close to we're going to be able to get as a society that incorporates the general lines of debate within Christendom, Judaism and other faiths, where it basically says there is a sliding scale relating to viability of a fetus. We can argue about whether or not it's precisely set, whether it's right or wrong in terms of its three months as opposed to two months, but it does encompass, I've come to conclude, the only means by which, in this heterogeneous society of ours, we can read some general accommodation on what is a religiously charged and a publicly-charged debate. That's the, that's the decision I've come to...
...[T]he decision's the closest thing politically to what has been the philosophic divisions existent among the major confessional faiths in our country. And that's why, I think, that's why I've come to the conclusion some long time ago, over 25 years ago, that is the-it is the template which makes the most sense."
Interview with anchor Tim Russert, Meet the Press, Apr. 29, 2007
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| Cuba: |
"Should the U.S. continue to support an embargo against Cuba?" |
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Pro: Voted Yes on the "Cuba Sanctions" bill (H.R. 927):
"A bill to seek international sanctions against the Castro government in Cuba, to plan for support of a transition government leading to a democratically elected government in Cuba, and for other purposes."
"Cuba Sanctions" bill (H.R. 927), Mar. 5, 1996
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| Death Penalty: |
"Should the death penalty remain a legal option in America?" |
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Pro: "As the author of two major federal crime laws that extend the availability of the death penalty to sixty additional crimes, I support capital punishment as a crime-fighting technique. But we must implement the death penalty in a way that is consistent with our values as Americans. Just as we would not execute a 12-year-old, I have long argued that we should not execute a mentally retarded person whose mental capacity might be far more limited. That's why I led the fight in 1990 to oppose the extension of the federal death penalty to mentally retarded persons."
"Biden Statement on Supreme Court Decision on the Execution of Mentally Retarded Individuals," Press Release, June 20, 2002
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| Education: |
"Is the increasing cost of college and university tuition pricing America's middle class out of higher education?" |
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Pro: "College is on the verge of becoming a luxury good. Rising costs are putting college out of reach for more and more Americans...If we expect to maintain our status as a leader in the global economy we must do more for our students."
"Sen. Biden Champions Legislation to Make College More Affordable," Press Release, May 15, 2007
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| Election Reform: |
"Should voter verified paper audit trails (VVPAT) be mandatory in elections?" |
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Pro: Cosponsor of the "Ballot Integrity Act of 2007" (S.1487), a bill "To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require an individual, durable, voter-verified paper record under title III of such Act, and for other purposes":
"TITLE II-BALLOT INTEGRITY
Sec. 201. Promoting accuracy, integrity, and security through individual, durable, voter-verified paper records.
Sec. 202. Requirement for mandatory manual audits."
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| Energy: |
"Should drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) be allowed?" |
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Con: Voted Yes on "Budget Amendment, FY2004" (S.Amd.272) to prevent consideration of drilling Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from budget bill
Voted No on "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Amendment" (S.Amd.3133), to drill ANWR on national security grounds
Voted No on the "Roth Amendment" (S.AMDT.2955), to preserve a budget for ANWR oil drilling, Apr. 2000
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| Environment: |
"Should the U.S. ratify an international environmental agreement (such as the Kyoto Protocol) that mandates reductions in carbon emissions?" |
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Pro: "By declaring he has 'no interest' in the Kyoto treaty, the President has walked away from yet another important environmental commitment...I can't say I'm surprised, but I am disappointed. Many of our allies are upset, and with good reason. The President's decision to turn his back on this treaty is a huge setback for the environment and could delay action on global warming for years...
The United States has an inescapable responsibility to lead on global environmental challenges. It's wrong to simply walk away from this international agreement."
"Biden Calls on Bush to Reconsider His Stance on Global Warming," Press Release, Mar. 30, 2001
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| Gun Control: |
"Are more federal regulations on guns and ammunition needed?" |
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Con: "I oppose registration. I oppose a lot of the - there is a Second Amendment and it's real. The question is, though, there are certain things that I have strongly supported: eliminating cop killer bullets, assault weapons, the dealing with the ability to have multiple rounds in a gun...I don't view that as any infringement on the Second Amendment...
...[Y]ou have others in our party who believe very strongly that if they could they'd legislate no hand guns under any circumstances. They'd legislate restrictions and registration, which I do not support."
Iowa Press, Iowa Public Television, Apr. 27, 2007
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| Health Care: |
"Should all Americans have a right to government or employer subsidized basic health care?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "The path to universal health care starts with making sure that the most vulnerable, our children, have health insurance [by] [e]xpanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program [SCHIP] to at least 300 percent of the federal poverty level...
While insuring all children must be our top priority, it is also important to offer uninsured adults access to health care...Senator Biden would allow uninsured Americans to buy into an insurance program that mirrors the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP)...
Small businesses would be allowed to participate in the program to help provide insurance for their employees."
"Health Care: Four Practical Steps Toward Health Care For All," Joe Biden's official candidate website (accessed Nov. 2, 2007)
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| Immigration: |
"Should the U.S. build a physical barrier, such as a fence, along the U.S.-Mexico border?" |
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Con: "Biden: ...There doesn't need to be a 700- mile fence. But there does need -- look, we ought to start -- we all love this phrase: Start talking truth to power.
Fourteen million illegals: Now, you tell me how many buses, carloads, planes -- they're going to go out and round up
all these people, spend hundreds of millions and billions of dollars to do it, with the whole world watching, while we
send these folks back.
Rather than get a background check on all of them, take out the criminals, get them back, and provide for a means by
which we allowed earned citizenship over the next decade or so...
[Wolf] Blitzer: If you don't think there needs to be a fence, why did you vote for that legislation?
Biden: Well, that fence was -- the reason I voted for the fence was that was the only alternative that was there.
And I voted for the fence related to drugs. A fence will stop 20 kilos of cocaine coming through that fence. It will not
stop someone climbing over it or around it.
And so -- but this bill has a much more reasonable provision in it. It has much -- a shorter fence. It does have the
Border Patrol requirements. And it is designed not just to deal with illegals, it's designed with a serious drug trafficking
problem we have."
Democratic Presidential Debate, New Hampshire, hosted by CNN, June 3, 2007
[Editor's Note: Prior to Joe Biden's June 3, 2007 Con position above, regarding building a border fence, he has also expressed a Pro position as indicated by his Sep. 29, 2006 U.S. Senate vote in support of the "Secure Fence Act of 2006."]
Pro "SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION OF FENCING AND SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS IN BORDER AREA FROM PACIFIC OCEAN TO GULF OF MEXICO...
(1) SECURITY FEATURES.-
(A) REINFORCED FENCING.-In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide for least 2 layers of reinforced fencing, the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors..."
"Secure Fence Act of 2006" (H.R.6061), Library of Congress website, Sep. 29, 2006 |
| Iran: |
"Should the U.S. use military force against Iran if Iran does not dismantle its nuclear program?" |
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Con: "Stephanopoulos: ...In all of these conflicts we see the hand of Iran at work, they're arming Hamas, they're arming hezbollah...they're accelerating their nuclear program, they're also arming insurgents in Iraq. Isn't it a fair conclusion to say that Iran is now waging war against the United States and our allies?
Biden: What we don't want to do about it is we don't want to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. So, if and when any diplomatic or military action need be taken down the road, we're by ourselves. And that's why staying with the Europeans, that's why not using military force at this time, that's why continuing to tighten the diplomatic noose and sanctions around Iran is the way to go."
This Week with George Stephanopoulos, June 17, 2007
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| Iraq War: |
"Has the war in Iraq made America safer?" |
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Con: "It is the President's time - and his responsibility - to answer a question that the general carrying out his policies in Iraq could not answer: is pressing ahead with the war making America safer?
Based on everything we heard this week from the President's surrogates and everything I have seen and heard during my eight trips to Iraq, the answer is no.
The President's strategy in Iraq is not succeeding. It is not making America safer. Doing more of the same would be a disaster."
"It's Bush's War but it's America's Future," Joe Biden's official candidate website (accessed Nov. 2, 2007)
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| Iraq War: |
"Should the U.S. set a timetable for troop withdrawal in Iraq?" |
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Pro: "...[M]ore and more Americans understandably want a rapid withdrawal, even at the risk of trading a dictator for chaos and a civil war that could become a regional war. Both are bad alternatives.
There is a third way that can achieve the two objectives most Americans share: to bring our troops home without leaving chaos behind. The idea is to maintain a unified Iraq by federalizing it and giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis breathing room in their own regions...
[The central government] would call on the U.S. military to withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq by the summer of 2008, with a residual force to keep Iraqis and their neighbors honest."
"Iraq: A Way Forward," Joe Biden's official candidate website (accessed Nov. 2, 2007)
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| Marriage: |
"Should an affair outside of marriage disqualify a candidate for public office?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "[Katy] Couric: Should marital infidelity be part of the equation, in your view, when a voter is evaluating a candidate?
Biden: I think that's for every voter to decide. Voters make -- as they should -- make decisions relative to the leaders based on their needs. The need of the voter. And if you have someone who is, you need someone to be a great general to win a battle and he is a no-good guy, you'd never wanna show up for dinner. You might very well say, I'd vote for that guy to be the general. I'd vote that person or that woman to be the -- you know, the governor, or whatever.
I think people make very rational decisions based upon whether or not the character flaw in the individual they're looking at relates to something that affects their lives or the life of their country. And for some people, the overwhelming requirement, overwhelming characteristic they want is honesty. And that would be a difficult thing for ... the voter who has that as the highest priority, to vote for someone like that."
"Candidates Offer Views on Infidelity," CBS Evening News with Katy Couric, Dec. 19, 2007
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| Marriage: |
"Should there be a Constitutional amendment or federal law defining marriage as only between a man and a woman?" |
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Con: "I can't believe the American people can't see through this. We already have a law, the Defense of Marriage Act. We've all voted-not, where I've voted, and others have said, look, marriage is between a man and a woman and states must respect that. Nobody's violated that law, there's been no challenge to that law. Why do we need a constitutional amendment?"
Meet the Press with Tim Russert, June 4, 2006
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| Medical Marijuana: |
"Should marijuana be a medical option?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "We have not devoted nearly enough science or time to deal with the pain management and chronic pain management that exists. There's got to be a better answer than marijuana. There's got to be a better answer than that. There's got to be a better way for a humane society to figure out how to deal with that problem."
"Your Guide to the Candidates' Views on Medical Marijuana," Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana, May 12, 2007
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| Religion: |
"Should federal funds be given to faith-based (religious) organizations and initiatives?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: Voted Yes to S.476, the "CARE Act of 2003," Apr. 9, 2003:
"An original bill to provide incentives for charitable contributions by individuals and businesses, to improve the public disclosure of activities of exempt organizations, and to enhance the ability of low-income Americans to gain financial security by building assets, and for other purposes... Section 307 - Modifies the definition of convention or association of churches to state that no such grouping shall fail to qualify merely because individuals are members or because individuals have voting rights in such organization."
"S.476, CARE Act of 2003," Govtrack.us website, Apr. 9, 2003
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| Religion: |
"Should a candidate's religion matter to voters?" |
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None Found: No position found as of Nov. 16, 2007. ProCon.org also emailed the Biden campaign on Nov. 8, 2007 with this question. They did not respond to our email or follow up call.
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| Social Security: |
"Should Social Security be privatized?" |
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Con: "Protect Social Security, Not Privatize It: Social Security is the foundation of retirement security for millions of Americans. For a typical worker retiring at age 65, Social Security replaces 40 percent of pre-retirement income. Joe Biden opposes privatization of Social Security."
"A Secure Retirement: A Promise to Keep," Joe Biden's official candidate website (accessed Nov. 16, 2007)
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| Stem Cells: |
"Should the federal government fund embryonic stem cell research?" |
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Pro: "Dear Mr. President:
We write to urge you to expand the current federal policy concerning embryonic stem cell research...
We very much appreciate your words of support for the enormous potential of this research, and we know that you intended your policy to help promote this research to its fullest. As you know, the Administration's policy limits federal funding only to embryonic stem cells that were derived by August 9, 2001, the date of the policy announcement.
However, scientists have told us that since the policy went into effect more than two years ago, we have learned that the embryonic stem cell lines eligible for federal funding will not be suitable to effectively promote this research. We therefore feel it is essential to relax the restrictions in the current policy for this research to be fully explored."
Letter written to President Bush, signed by 58 U.S. Senators, including Joe Biden, June 7, 2004
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| Taxes: |
"Should the Bush tax cuts be made permanent?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "The Bush tax cuts for millionaires exceed $60 billion this year alone. I am proposing we take back some of the tax cuts for people who make over a million dollars a year."
"Five Years After 9/11: Rethinking America’s Future Security," Press Release, Joe Biden's official candidate website, Sep. 7, 2007
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| U.S. Constitution: |
"Should the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights be altered or updated in any way?" |
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Pro: "Campaign spending has spiraled wildly out of control and will continue unabated unless we pass fundamental reforms. We've got to limit the amount of money spent on campaigns, and that requires a constitutional amendment, a measure we should employ only when it's essential and when there is no alternative. With a crisis of public confidence in our politics and government, we must take bold and swift action to fix our broken system."
"Biden Calls for Constitutional Amendment 'To Fix Our Broken System'," Press Release, Mar. 26, 2001
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| War on Terror: |
"Should interrogation techniques that some consider torture, such as waterboarding, be a legal option?" |
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Con: "I write today to seek your support for legislation that prohibits United States personnel from engaging in water-boarding or any other form of torture. On July 25, 2007, I introduced S. 1876, the National Security with Justice Act, which among other things prohibits all United States personnel from using on a detainee any interrogation technique not expressly authorized by the Army Field Manual...
When we countenance torture and other cruel and inhumane treatment of detainees, we diminish our ability to argue that the same techniques should not be used against our own troops. We need to send a clear message that torture, inhumane, and degrading treatment of detainees is unacceptable and is not permitted by U.S. law. Period. Therefore, Section 106 of my bill prohibits all officers and agents of the United States from using techniques of interrogation not authorized by and listed in the United States Army Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogation. I urge you to support S. 1876 and join me in banning all United States personnel from engaging in torture."
Letter from Joe Biden to U.S. Senators, Joe Biden's official candidate website, Oct. 30, 2007
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| Joe Biden's Biography |
| Title(s): |
U.S. Senator (D-DE) |
| Personal Information: |
| Full Name: Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. |
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Marital Status: Married |
| Birthdate: November 20, 1942 |
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Children: Three |
| Birthplace: Scranton, PA |
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Religion: Roman Catholic |
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| Involvement: |
- U.S. Senator (D-Delaware), 1972-present
- Chairman, Ranking Membe,r and Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, early 1990s-present
- Chairman, Ranking Membe,r and Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, 1981-present
- Co-Chairman, Senate NATO Observer Group
- Co-Chairman, Senate National Security Working Group
- Vice Chairman, NATO Parliamentary Assembly
- Co-Chairman, Congressional Fireman's Caucus
- Co-Chairman, Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus
- Member, Senate Democratic Steering and Coordination Committees
- Member, Congressional Air Force Caucus
- Member, National Guard Caucus
- Member, Senate Auto Caucus
- Member, Senate Biotechnology Caucus
- Member, Congressional Port Security Caucus
- Councilman, New Castle County, 1970-1972
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| Education: |
- JD, Syracuse University College of Law, 1968
- BA, History & Political Science, University of Delaware, 1965
- Archmere Academy, 1961
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| Affiliations and Memberships: |
- Adjunct Professor, Widener University School of Law, 1991-present
- Attorney, Private Practice, 1968-1972
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| Other: |
Select Publications:
- Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics, 2007
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| Contact Information: |
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(PDF) 175 KB, May 24, 2007