John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016

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John Kasich suspended his presidential campaign on May 4, 2016.[1]

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Former presidential candidate
John Kasich

Political offices:
Governor of Ohio
(2011-2019)
U.S. House, Ohio, District 12
(1983-2001)
Ohio State Senate
(1979-1983)

Kasich on the issues:
TaxesBanking policyGovernment regulationsInternational tradeBudgetsAgricultural subsidiesFederal assistance programsForeign affairsFederalismNatural resourcesHealthcareImmigrationEducationAbortionGay rights

Republican Party Republican candidate:
Donald Trump
Ballotpedia's presidential election coverage
202420202016


See also: John Kasich

John Kasich was a Republican candidate for the office of President of the United States in 2016. He suspended his campaign on May 4, 2016, with one primary win in his home state of Ohio.[1]

John Kasich is the governor of Ohio. He previously served in the Ohio State Senate from 1979 to 1983 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001, representing Ohio's 12th Congressional District. Kasich also ran unsuccessfully for president of the United States in 2000.

Kasich officially announced his bid for the presidency on July 21, 2015, making him the 16th major Republican candidate to enter the race. He made his announcement at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, where he earned a B.A. in political science in 1974.[2]

Previously, in March 2014, Kasich said that he was "just not interested" in running for the presidency, but in an interview with ABC News on December 7, 2014, he would not explicitly deny plans to run.[3] When asked about the possibility, Kasich responded, "Well, George, well, look, you know, you knew you were never going to get a good answer out of me here today."[3]

Kasich received both support and criticism from fellow Republicans for his more moderate political philosophy. He supported Common Core education standards, a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, and Medicaid expansions in Ohio.[4] Kasich's support in his home state was viewed as a significant advantage because no candidate who had lost Ohio had won the presidency in over 50 years.[5]

In 2016 candidate rankings, Crowdpac ranked Kasich as a 4.6C (C being conservative) on a scale ranging from 10L to 10C.[6] In 2016, Kasich received a grade of a "C/76" from the Leadership Project for America PAC.[7]

John-R-Kasich-circle.png
Quick facts about Kasich
Birthday: May 13, 1952
Birthplace: McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
Alma mater: Ohio State University
Career: Governor of Ohio (5 years)

U.S. Representative, Ohio's 12th district (18 years)
Ohio State Senator (4 years)

Spouse: Karen Kasich
Children: Emma and Reese
Religion: Christian
Public policy
in the 2016 election
Budgets and Taxes
Education
Common Core
Student debt
Energy
Clean Power Plan
Fracking
Environment
Climate change
Healthcare
Medicaid and Medicare
Obamacare
Redistricting
Voting Rights Act
Voter ID
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Hover over the words for information about the issue and links to related articles.

Economic and fiscal

Taxes

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Taxes
  • In an interview with The Washington Times published November 1, 2015, John Kasich said he would allow American companies conducting business overseas to repatriate income earned abroad without penalties. “I’m for bringing the taxes down, and I’m for repatriation at no charge. Just bring the money back. I would let them bring it back, and then I would have a territory program where you don’t get double-taxed. You pay taxes where you do your operations. If you do an operation in Poland, then you get taxed there. And then you bring your profits home,” Kasich said of his plan[10]
  • Kasich unveiled "The Kasich Action Plan" on October 15, 2015. The proposal called for reducing the number of tax brackets from seven to three; lowering the top individual tax rate from 39.6 percent to 28 percent; and capping the long-term capital gains tax rate at 15 percent, helping those in the highest income tax bracket. Kasich's plan also included a drop in the top business tax rates from 35 percent to 25 percent. The proposal would also eliminate the estate tax; double the research and development tax credit for small businesses; and increase by 10 percent the earned income tax credit, which was designed to help lower-income taxpayers. Kaisch said he would also balance the budget in eight years by freezing most spending except for the military.[11] [12]
  • In the run up to the launch of his campaign to run for president on July 21, 2015, Kasich said that he was exploring a flat tax. [13] [14]
  • Kasich has been governor of Ohio since 2011 and under his watch the state has enacted $5 billion in tax cuts, eliminated Ohio's estate tax, cut the state income tax 16 percent, eliminated the income tax for many small businesses, and provided targeted tax relief to low-and middle-income workers, according to his campaign website. [15]

Banking policy

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Banking policy
  • In August 2015, John Kasich said overregulation of the banking industry was hurting small businesses. "[W]e are regulating the big banks and, frankly, we need to. What they really need to do is to have—is to have reserve requirements against the risk taking so that if, in fact, they go down, the American taxpayers don't pick it up. But those regulations are beginning to choke the medium, as you know, and community banks, which are the life blood for small businesses," Kasich said.[16] When asked if he would change or repeal the Dodd-Frank Act, Kasich answered, "Oh, there's no question about it. You do not want to kill the small banks and the medium sized banks. But in addition, you know, the big banks need to reserve against risks."[16]
  • In June 2015, Kasich said the "biggest issue" to regulate for banking and financial institutions was "capital requirements." He added, "But one of the things you don’t want to do is treat the big boys the same way you treat the regional boys, because you then start snuffing out opportunity. When you step on the air hose and people can’t loan money, that’s like the kiss of death for business. Business has to have capital."[17]
  • Kasich, who worked as a managing director at Lehman Brothers before the 2008 financial crisis, said he had no "regrets" from his time at the firm. "It was fantastic. Are you kidding? Regrets? I thought it was a fantastic time. I traveled all over the country. I got an incredible education. I worked my tail off. It was great," Kasich said.[17]
  • During a speech at the New America Conference in April 2015, Kasich said the Dodd-Frank Act "went overboard" in its regulations. "I don't think you can fix all this like Elizabeth Warren says, by demonizing the rich or saying we can just impose all these regulations," Kasich said.[18]
  • In April 2015, Kasich said Wall Street was "necessary" but that there was "too much greed" there. He continued, "Free enterprise, free markets, exactly what we ought to have in America. But there has to be a conscience that underlays it."[19]

Government regulations

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Government regulations
  • John Kasich unveiled "The Kasich Action Plan" on October 15, 2015. The package included a one-year freeze on major new regulations. It also called on Congress to require mandatory cost-benefit analysis in rule making and to require congressional approval for any regulation costing the economy more than $100 million. The plan included a provision to establish strong central oversight of all new agency regulations and replace agencies’ internally-staffed administrative appeals processes with independent reviews in order to ensure a fair appeals process. The proposal also called for a two-year deadline for new major infrastructure permits.[20] [21] Kasich's plan would also repeal regulations on energy production that are counterproductive, such as the Clean Power Plan[22]
  • At the swearing in of Thomas Johnson, the Chairman of the Ohio Public Utilities Commission, Kasich was quoted as saying, “The ideological effort to deregulate, I'm not so sure it's the smartest thing we've done in the state of Ohio. But we are where we are, and we can't go backwards now. So it's onward in a deregulated environment, and we've got to figure it out."[23]

International trade

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/International trade
  • During the sixth Republican presidential primary debate, on January 14, 2016, John Kasich discussed his support of free trade: “I'm a free trader. I support NAFTA. I believe in the PTT [sic] because it's important those countries in Asia are interfacing against China. And we do need China -- Donald's right about North Korea. I mean the fact is, is that they need to put the pressure on and frankly we need to intercepts ships coming out of North Korea so they don't proliferate all these dangerous materials. But what he's touching -- talking about, I think has got merit. And I'll allow putting that tariff or whatever he's saying here...For too long -- no, for too long, what happens is somebody dumps their product in our country and take our people's jobs, and then we go to an international court and it takes them like a year or two to figure out whether they were cheating us. And guess what? The worker's out of a job. So when they -- be found against that country that's selling products in here lower than the cost of what it takes to produce them, then what do we tell the worker? Oh, well, you know, it just didn't work out for you. I think we should be for free trade but I think fair trade. And when countries violate trade agreements or dump product in this country, we need -- we need to stand up against those countries that do that without making them into an enemy.”[24]
  • Kasich unveiled "The Kasich Action Plan" on October 15, 2015. The proposal called for reforming the International Trade Commission and other U.S. trade bodies to expedite consideration of complaints from companies that are negatively impacted by unfair trade practices. The plan also called for the nation to seek more favorable terms in trade negotiations including better protection against currency manipulation, intellectual property theft and cyberattacks.[25] [26]
  • In a July 2015 interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Kasich said he supported free trade with some restraints. “I am for open trade, free trade, but I am for clamping down when the United States worker gets shafted because somebody is cheating on a trade agreement,” Kasich explained.[27][28]
  • On March 13, 2016, John Kasich defended his support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He said, "I’ve always been a fair trader and a free trader at the same time. ... 38 million Americans have jobs that are connected to trade. So we do want to have free trade." Kasich also "highlighted his support for trade restraints that he says aided the steel industry and said as president he would put in place an expedited process to punish countries that violate trade rules," according to The Wall Street Journal. Kasich added, "When you’re cheating, we’re going to take action against you. And that would include manipulation of currency."[29]
  • During the January 14, 2016, Fox Business Republican debate, Kasich explained his support for TPP, although he mistakenly referred to it as "PTT," and his support for free trade as long as it is also fair trade. He said, "I’m a free trader. I support NAFTA. I believe in the PTT because it’s important those countries in Asia are interfacing against China. And we do need China — Donald’s right about North Korea. I mean the fact is, is that they need to put the pressure on and frankly we need to intercepts ships coming out of North Korea so they don’t proliferate all these dangerous materials. But what he’s touching — talking about, I think has got merit. And I’ll allow putting that tariff or whatever he’s saying here...For too long — no, for too long, what happens is somebody dumps their product in our country and take our people’s jobs, and then we go to an international court and it takes them like a year or two to figure out whether they were cheating us. And guess what? The worker’s out of a job. So when they — be found against that country that’s selling products in here lower than the cost of what it takes to produce them, then what do we tell the worker? Oh, well, you know, it just didn’t work out for you. I think we should be for free trade but I think fair trade. And when countries violate trade agreements or dump product in this country, we need — we need to stand up against those countries that do that without making them into an enemy. And I want to just suggest to you. How do I know this? Because so many people in my family worked in steel mills, and they didn’t work with a white collar, they worked in a blue collar. And the fact is those jobs are critical, they’re hard working members of the middle class and they need to be paid attention to because they’re Americans and they carry the load. So let’s demand open trade but fair trade in this country. That’s what I think we need to do."[30]
  • At the fourth Republican primary debate on November 10, 2015, Kasich expressed his support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. He said, "The TPP, it's critical to us, not only for economic reasons and for jobs, because there are so many people who are connected to getting jobs because of trade, but it allows us to create not only economy alliances, but also potentially strategic alliances against the Chinese. They are not our enemy, but they are certainly not our friend."[31]
  • During a speech at the New America Foundation's April 24, 2015, conference, "Kasich criticized Hillary Clinton for not taking a firm position in the current debate on fast-track trade authority and the Trans-Pacific Partnership," according to Cleveland.com. Kasich said, "My feeling about it is I'm pretty much for open (trade), but I think the American workers have been shafted. ...I'm for open (trade), but I want to make sure that the workers in this country are protected. ...I've never been a total free trader, because I think that the rules ought to apply to other countries like they apply to us."[32]

Budgets

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Budgets
  • John Kasich said on November 2, 2015, that he would eliminate the U.S. Department of Commerce if he were elected president. Kasich said, "Commerce is a case study in Washington dysfunction. It's like a basement that politicians keep stuffing pet projects into and it never gets cleaned out. As a result, needed efforts suffer and costs and efficiency are ignored. I will break it up, put the pieces we need in the right places, send other pieces back to the states and simply stop doing those things that aren't needed." On his website, Kasich said, "Essential work of Commerce would be transferred to other agencies and unneeded programs, political projects, and expensive bureaucracy—as well as the cabinet position itself—would be eliminated.[33][34]
  • Kasich unveiled "The Kasich Action Plan" on October 15, 2015. The proposal called for balancing the budget in eight years by reforming the tax code, downsizing the Department of Transportation to focus on safety and research, shrinking the Department of Education by consolidating more than 100 programs into four key block grants, and incorporating job training programs into a handful of block grants administered by the states. The plan also called for looking for savings in the Medicaid program.[35][36]
  • Kasich rejected a proposal to accept $1 in tax increases for $10 in spending cuts in August 2015. "If the government takes more, they'll spend it," he said.[37]
  • Kasich served as the ranking member and later as chairman of the House Budget Committee in the 1990s. In 1993, he authored the Penny-Kasich Plan, which would have balanced the budget through spending cuts instead of tax increases. The plan was to cut $103 billion from the federal budget over a span of five years, but it failed by six votes.[38]

Agricultural subsidies

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Agricultural subsidies and 2016 presidential candidates on rural policy
  • In 1997, John Kasich voted in favor of an amendment to an agricultural bill that would have prevented any funds gained from the bill from being used to subsidize crop insurance for tobacco. The amendment modified HR 2160, which was entitled, "Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998."[39][40]
  • In 1996, Kasich voted in favor of amendments that would have phased out price support programs for peanuts and sugar. However, he voted against a similar amendment for dairy products such as butter, powdered milk, and cheese.[41][42]

Federal assistance programs

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Federal assistance programs
  • In regard to the Medicaid expansion, Kasich said, "I respect the fact that you believe in small government. I do too. I also happen to know that you’re a person of faith. Now, when you die and get to the, get to … the meeting with St. Peter, he’s probably not gonna ask you much about what you did about keeping government small, but he’s going to ask you what you did for the poor. Better have a good answer."[45]
  • In 2004, Kasich wrote an editorial discussing Social Security, in which he stated, "To preserve the system for the long term, we must change the way first-time benefits are calculated. Growth in initial benefits should be linked to the consumer price index - not to wage growth." He also advocated for creating Social Security accounts for people under 55 years of age. He explained, "Workers could invest some of their payroll taxes in their own savings account in a mixture of conservative stocks and bonds, much as members of Congress and federal employees do."[46]
  • Kasich voted in favor of the creation of the Medicare Rx bill, which created the Medicare Benefits Administration (MBA).[47]

Labor and employment

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Labor and employment
  • John Kasich unveiled "The Kasich Action Plan" on October 15, 2015. The proposal called for consolidating federal job training programs into a handful of block grants administered by the states. The plan would also balance the budget in eight years and reform the tax code.[48][49]
  • On September 2, 2015, Kasich said any increase in the minimum wage should be determined by the states. He added, “What I think is important on that is we all want to see it go up, but we don’t want to have the unintended consequences of having people lose their jobs.”[50]
  • In 2011, Kasich signed Senate Bill 5, a bill that reduced the power of collective bargaining for state employees, such as firefighters and teachers.[51] The bill was overturned by referendum after a group called "We Are Ohio" raised more than $30 million in a campaign against the bill.[52] In response to the referendum, Kasich responded, "It's clear the people have spoken. I heard their voices. I understand their decision. And frankly, I respect what the people have to say in an effort like this."[52]
  • In 1998, Kasich voted in favor of a bill that would have required labor unions to provide an itemized list of money spent on political activities.[53][54]


Foreign affairs

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Foreign affairs

Iran nuclear deal

See also: 2016 presidential candidates on the Iran nuclear deal
  • At the seventh Republican presidential primary debate on January 28, 2016, John Kasich signaled he would not immediately scrap the Iran nuclear deal if he were elected president: “Look, we don't know what's going to happen in 10 months. And if I were president of the United States right now, I'd be lining up our allies to say that, if one crossed T or one dotted I does not occur, they are—violate the agreement, we slap back on sanctions. We can slap on sanctions alone, on day one, but it's not gonna be anywhere near as effective. But the president needs to be laying the groundwork right now for the ability to slap those sanctions back on worldwide. And I'll tell you what I'm worried about—I'm worried about money. You read about all the companies now that are doing business—about to do business in Iran, and if we don't get this settled now, with other countries in the world, about sanctions, then Iran could violate that agreement, and we're the only ones putting the sanctions on. We need to move aggressively now. But I would say this to you, Bret. Number one, if they violate it, we need to move against them. And number two, if we find out they're developing a nuclear weapon and we know how to get to it, we're gonna go take it out. That is what we have to do. We cannot let things get farther down the road, like we did with North Korea.”[55]
  • During the September 2015 GOP debate, John Kasich was the only GOP contender who said he would consider supporting the Iran deal. Kasich stated, “Now, this agreement, we don't know what's going to happen in 18 months. I served on the Defense Committee for 18 years. I've seen lots of issues in foreign affairs, and foreign—in terms of global politics, you have to be steady. Now, here's the—if they cheat, we slap the sanctions back on. If they help Hamas, and Hezbollah, we slap the sanctions back on. And, if we find out that they may be developing a nuclear weapon, than the military option is on the table. We are stronger when we work with the Western civilization, our friends in Europe, and just doing it on our own I don't think is the right policy.”[56]
  • On September 8, 2015, John Kasich signed a letter to President Obama, along with 14 other governors, expressing opposition to the Iran deal and advocating to keep state sanctions against Iran in place.[57]
  • Kasich declined to say on September 2, 2015, that he would terminate the Iran nuclear deal immediately if he became president. Instead, Kasich said, “If it passes, if we see one violation of that agreement, I would slap on sanctions even if it's unilateral. And if I were president, I would hope it wouldn't be unilateral, because the Europeans are experiencing an awful lot of pressure over there, in many different ways. If the security of the United States and our allies are threatened, it's a whole new ball game."[58]
  • During a speech at the New America Foundation's April 24, 2015, conference Kasich expressed his concern with the Iran nuclear deal. He said, "This is serious business about mankind. This is not some political discussion. And I want to have a deal that I'm going to trust. This is about my 15-year-old daughters and their survival. We have to be careful here what we do."[32]

Military preparedness and budget

  • John Kasich discussed his position on veterans issues at a campaign event in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. He said that the Department of Veterans Affairs “system right now is so broken. A veteran should be able to get health care where it's closest to them. They should have a choice.”[59]
  • In 1999, Kasich voted against S Con Res 21 - A concurrent resolution authorizing the President of the United States to conduct military air operations and missile strikes against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro).[61]
  • In 1989, Kasich and former Rep. Ron Dellums (D-Calif.), worked together to "halt production of the costly B-2. The unlikely allies ran up against a powerful adversary in then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, but their efforts led to reductions in the program," according to Cleveland.com.[62]

National security

  • In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on March 27, 2016, Kasich described some Republicans’ calls for the monitoring of Muslim communities a “knee-jerk” reaction. “In order for us to have great human intelligence, I want the public to hear this. We are going to have to have intimate communication and coordination with our friends in the Muslim community. There is no question about it,” Kasich said. He added that he believed NATO should be reformed to be more involved in policing and intelligence gathering.[63]
  • Kasich issued the following statement, in part, on March 22, 2016, commenting on the Brussels terrorist attacks: "We must also redouble our efforts with our allies to identify, root out and destroy the perpetrators of such acts of evil. We must strengthen our alliances as our way of life and the international system that has been built on our common values since the end of the Second World War comes under challenge from these and other actors of evil.” He warned against monitoring Muslims in the U.S. because of their religion, however. He told reporters, “We are not at war with Islam; we’re at war with radical Islam."[64][65]
  • During the ninth Republican presidential primary debate on February 13, 2016, John Kasich discussed the use of military force. "I served on a defense committee for 18 years and was called into the Pentagon after 9/11 by Secretary Rumsfeld to deal with some of the most serious problems that we faced. The fact is, is that we should go to war when it is our direct interest. We should not be policemen of the world, but when we go, we mean business. We'll do our job. We'll tell our soldiers, our people in the service, take care of your job and then come home once we've accomplished our goals. That's what we need to do.”[66]
  • At the eighth Republican presidential primary debate on February 6, 2016, John Kasich discussed North Korea’s missile launch: "Well, we've got to to (sic) step up the pressure. And by the way, I've gotta say, after being here, every one of my 100 town hall meetings in New Hampshire were a lot more fun than what I saw here today, were so much more positive. Look, in terms of North Korea, Martha, we have to make sure that we intercept both the ships and their aircraft, because what they're trying to do is to proliferate this very dangerous material, along with the—with the technology, the instruments that can be used for mass destruction. That's what I worry about the most, frankly, is non-state actors, people who don't have a uniform, people don't have a country, who can spread this, who are not subject to the—to the mutual assured defense. In other words, you strike us, we strike you. Some of these radicals, they don't care about that. That's what I worry about, for my children, and for their children, going forward. So, we have to be very tough. And we should tell the Chinese, look, if you're not going to do this ballistic missile defense to the Koreans, ballistic missile defense to Japan—and by the way, we should impose the same kind of sanctions on North Korea that we imposed on Iran, because they're able to shift money. They're able to send money and receive money. We've gotta to be very tough on this. And frankly, I think we could have—I think we could have let the Japanese know that if you want to take action on that—on that missile that's rising, you want to take action—you will have our support, if that's what you think is the best thing to do. We cannot continue to be weak in the face of the North Koreans, or, frankly, in the entire rest of the world."[67]

International relations

  • While campaigning at Great Neck Synagogue in New York over the April 16, 2016, weekend, John Kasich said that he was “not a neutral broker when it comes to Israel.” He continued, “The one thing I said was that the Israelites have entered the promised land, and they will always be in the promised land, forever – until the end of human history; they will be there. I am not neutral when it comes to Israel. I consider them to be one of the greatest allies. The only democracy in the Middle East under constant attack – both above the ground and beneath the ground. With people walking in and trying to kill Jews just because they happen to live in Israel. We would all love to see a two-state solution, but that’s up to the parties. I am not going to tell the Israelis how to run their security and how to run all their foreign policy.”[68]
  • During an interview with CNN on March 21, 2016, John Kasich discussed the importance of NATO. He said, "We clearly have to make sure we strengthen NATO, we have to make sure that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin understands we will arm the Ukrainians so they fight for freedom. We need NATO. NATO is important, we all wish they would do more."[69]
  • Kasich said he would not seek to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during an interview on February 14, 2016. “I would only go to Syria to destroy ISIS. I would not use U.S. troops to depose Assad. But I would support the rebels there. It's okay to support those people who share your view. But for the United States to be embroiled in a civil war in Syria against Assad I think is a big mistake,” Kasich said.[70]
  • During the ninth Republican presidential primary debate on February 13, 2016, Kasich discussed how he would handle Russia: “First of all, look, we have to make it clear to Russia what we expect. We don't have to declare an enemy, rattle a sword or threaten, but we need to make it clear what we expect. Number one is we will arm the folks in Ukraine who are fighting for their freedom. They deserve it. There will be no ifs, ands or buts about it. Secondly, an attack on NATO, trumped up on any excuse of Russian- speaking people, either in the NATO countries or in Finland or Sweden is going to be an attack on us. And look, I think we have an opportunity as America to put something really great together again. The Egyptians, the Saudis, the Jordanians, the Gulf states, they all know they're at risk. We need to look into Europe, we look at France, we look at Germany and the migrants. We look at Belgium, we look at Britain. Everybody now is being threaten by radical Islam. We have an opportunity to lead. You know, the fact of the matter is the world is desperate for our leadership. Sometimes they may -- they may make a remark here or there that we don't like, but frankly, the world needs us. And we have an opportunity now to assemble a coalition of the civilized people, those who respect civilization, the rights of women, the rights to protest, to be able to reassert our leadership all across this globe again and make sure this century is going to be the best we've ever seen.”[71]
  • During a campaign event in New Hampshire on February 3, 2016, John Kasich expressed his support for Israel in their attempts to create peace with Palestinians. Kasich said, “Israel has given a lot of stuff back. They gave Gaza back. How is that working out? They have everything launching into Israel. I don’t know how you get a two-state solution when people are walking into your country and stabbing people. I will say this: Recognize the State of Israel, guarantee their permanent security, stop launching Katyusha rockets into Israel, stop sending in people with knives to kill people in Israel—they went from rocks to knives now—and knock it off. And then, I think you can get to a two-state solution. … Every day that you go by without there being major problems there, that is a win. And I can tell you, we are not going to bully Israel; it’s their survival. It’s just very serious stuff. It’s like – man, we want to survive.” Kasich was also critical of the Obama administration and its handling of the relationship with Israel.[72].

ISIS and terrorism

  • During the seventh Republican presidential primary debate on January 28, 2016, John Kasich talked about defeating ISIS: “See, I was there when Reagan rebuilt the military. I was there in '89 when the wall came tumbling down because we were strong. And I was there when we went into the Gulf War. We didn't win that war just from the air, we won that war by assembling a group of Arab leaders who stood in the Rose Garden and stood with America. We want to destroy ISIS, it has to be in the air and on the ground. It has to be with our friends in the Arab world and our friends in Europe, the coalition that we had when we went to the first Gulf War. And then when we win that, and we will win that against ISIS as it settles down, and we should leave. Because we shouldn't be policemen of the world. But what we need to do is turn it over to the regional powers to be able to handle that. But we have a unique time in America to connect with people all around the world that understand that there's an existential threat against all of them, the Arabs, the Jordanians, the Saudis, the Egyptians, our friends in Europe, including the Turks. So we have a unique opportunity to bring everybody together. I saw Reagan do it, I've seen other presidents do it. And frankly, if you want to be commander in chief, you have to have the experience. At the same time we're doing all that, the Pentagon must be reformed so we get what we need for our men and women in uniform. All of that together, we're going to be just fine and America is going to continue to lead the world.”[73]
  • At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Kasich discussed how he would protect the nation against terrorist attacks and defeat ISIS: “Well, first of all...I said last February that we needed to have people on the ground, troops on the ground in a coalition similar to what we had in the first Gulf War. I remember when the Egyptian ambassador to the United States stood in the Rose Garden and pledged Arab commitment to removing Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. Before we came out here tonight, I am told that the Saudis have organized 34 countries who want to join in the battle against terrorism. First and foremost, we need to go and destroy ISIS. And we need to do this with our Arab friends and our friends in Europe. And when I see they have a climate conference over in Paris, they should have been talking about destroying ISIS because they are involved in virtually every country, you know, across this world. Now, you destroy ISIS in a coalition. You get joint intelligence with our European friends. And then here at home, there are things called the Joint Terrorism Task Force, headed by the FBI, and made up of local law enforcement, including state police. They need the tools. And the tools involve encryption where we cannot hear what they're even planning. And when we see red flags, a father, a mother, a neighbor who says we have got a problem here, then we have to give law enforcement the ability to listen so they can disrupt these terrorist attacks before they occur. We can do this, but we've got to get moving. Pay me now or pay me a lot more later. This is the direction we need to go.”[74]
  • Kasich spoke before the Republican Jewish Coalition on December 3, 2015. He said that U.S. troops should be sent to the Middle East to combat the Islamic State “where they live.” He warned, “The longer we wait, the higher the price we'll pay.”[75][76]
  • On November 19, 2015, Kasich defended his proposal to create a federal agency to promote Judeo-Christian values. He said, “We used to have the Voice of America, and look, I believe in the Western ethic. What is the Western ethic? Equality for women, respecting science and education, the importance of recognizing that every single life matters. … But this is not designed to be exclusive. It's not designed to tell people you gotta go to church. It's basically to do what the Voice of America did, which is to communicate very effectively what our values are as a civilization. Because our very civilization is under attack.”[77]
  • On November 18, 2015, Kasich wrote an op-ed for TIME outlining his plan to combat ISIS. “In addition to destroying ISIS with a coalition of boots on the ground, we must arm moderates, we must arm the Kurdis [sic] in both Syria and Iraq in order to help them defend their homelands and take the fight to ISIS as we prepare our collective response. With a coalition we must create and enforce no-fly zones in Syria where refugees can find shelter. Our allies in the region must provide sanctuary for those displaced by war,” Kasich wrote.[78]
  • On November 17, 2015, Kasich proposed creating a government agency that would promote Judeo-Christian values around the world, as part of a larger plan to defeat ISIS. "We need to beam messages around the world" about the freedoms Americans enjoy, Kasich said in an interview with NBC. "It means freedom, it means opportunity, it means respect for women, it means freedom to gather, it means so many things."[79] [80]
  • On November 14, 2015, Kasich said that "NATO should invoke Article 5 of our NATO agreement, which basically says an attack on an ally is an attack on us and an attack on all of the Western world. We as Americans must assert leadership and we need to stand shoulder to shoulder with France and the French people. This is a moment to bring us together." After his speech, Kasich said Article 5 would be a "good organizing tool and a good method to get joint action" to combat ISIS.[81]

Syrian refugees

  • During the sixth Republican presidential primary debate, on January 14, 2016, Kasich discussed his position on Syrian refugees: “I've been for pausing on admitting the Syrian refugees. And the reasons why I've done is I don't believe we have a good process of being able to vet them. But you know, we don't want to put everybody in the same category. And I'll go back to something that had been mentioned just a few minutes ago. If we're going to have a coalition, we're going to have to have a coalition not just of people in the western part of the world, our European allies, but we need the Saudis, we need the Egyptians, we need the Jordanians, we need the Gulf states. We need Jordan. We need all of them to be part of exactly what the first George Bush put together in the first Gulf War. It was a coalition made up of Arabs and Americans and westerners and we're going to need it again. And if we try to put everybody in the same—call everybody the same thing, we can't do it. And that's just not acceptable. But I think a pause on Syrian refugees has been exactly right for all the governors that have called for it, and also, of course, for me as the governor of Ohio.”[82]
  • Shortly after the terrorist attacks in Paris, Jim Lynch, a spokesman for John Kasich, issued the following statement explaining that Ohio would seek ways to keep Syrian refugees out of the state: "The governor doesn't believe the U.S. should accept additional Syrian refugees because security and safety issues cannot be adequately addressed. The governor is writing to the President to ask him to stop, and to ask him to stop resettling them in Ohio. We are also looking at what additional steps Ohio can take to stop resettlement of these refugees."[83]

Domestic

Federalism

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Federalism
Judiciary
  • John Kasich said that Senate Republicans should meet with Chief Judge Merrick Garland. He said, "I never thought the president should send it because I knew nothing was going to happen. Frankly, they probably ought to all sit down and meet with the guy. ... My feeling is, at the end of the day, whoever gets elected president should be in a position to be able to pick, you know, who they want and the American people will either decide by voting for a Republican or Democrat what the makeup of the court is." Kasich also said that he would consider nominating Garland, if he is elected president. Kasich said, "Well, you know, he received, you know, overwhelming support, I think even from Sen. Hatch, so of course we'd think about it. The way we do it, John [Dickerson], is we look at a person's record. I want a conservative who's not going to make the law but who will interpret the law and somebody of high standing. I don't care about their peccadilloes, you know, 30 years ago."[84]
  • During an interview on March 19, 2016, Kasich said that he would have considered nominating federal judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. “Well, you know, he received overwhelming support, I think even from Senator Hatch. So, of course we'd think about it. The way we do it, John, is, we look at a person's record. I want a conservative who is not going to make the law, but who will interpret the law, and somebody of high standing. I don't care about their peccadillos 30 years ago,” said Kasich.[85] He clarified his comments on Garland while speaking to reporters later that same day. “In an effort to be polite today, I've created little bit of a situation. Look, you know, Garland is — I'm gonna have my own picks for the Supreme Court. You know, the fact is, I said that they ought to meet him and talk to him and, you know, I'm not gonna pick somebody who's, you know, obviously not a respecter of the Second Amendment. I don't want people making law and so, nobody should be confused, worked up or upset. He's not gonna be my pick for the Supreme Court,” he said.[86]
  • During a campaign event on March 16, 2016, Kasich commented on President Obama nominating Chief Judge Merrick Garland to the United States Supreme Court, saying, "I didn’t think the president should send anybody up now, because it’s not going to happen. It’s just more division."[87]
  • Although he said on February 14, 2016, that President Obama should not nominate anyone to the U.S. Supreme Court, John Kasich conceded that he would if he were president. “Of course I would send somebody. But it would probably be a different situation,” Kasich said, before noting that the “polarized” nature of Washington, D.C., will make the confirmation process contentious.[88]
  • During the Republican presidential debate on February 13, 2016, Kasich said that he wished Antonin Scalia's death would not be politicized and recommended that President Obama either nominate a universally appealing judge or defer to the next president. He said, "The country is so divided right now, and now we're going to see another partisan fight take place. I really wish the president would think about not nominating somebody. If you were to nominate somebody, let's have him pick somebody that's going to have unanimous approval, and such wide spread approval across the country that this could happen without a lot of recrimination. I don't think that's going to happen, and I would like the President just to for once here put the country first. We're going to have an election for President very soon, and the people will understand what is at stake in that election."[89]
  • Kasich also released the following statement on February 13, 2016, prior to the debate: "I am deeply saddened by the passing of Justice Scalia and send my prayers out for his family in this difficult time. His death is a serious loss to our nation and the Court. He was an essential, principled force for conservative thought and is a model for others to follow. His dedication to the Constitution and love for and service to our country will be deeply missed."[90]
  • John Kasich appointed Appellate Judge Judith French to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2012. French "served as chief legal counsel for former Gov. Bob Taft from 2002 to 2004 and burnished her conservative credentials by arguing a landmark case defending Ohio's school voucher program before the U.S. Supreme Court," according to Cleveland.com.[91]
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
See also: 2016 presidential candidates on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
  • John Kasich suggested on September 8, 2015, that “dust-ups” like the jailing of Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis could drive young people away from religion. “In this case, when young people, or people who are looking at what is religion all about, what is faith all about -- when they see dust-ups like this, my concern is they would go the other way and say, 'Look, I don't want anything to do with that,’” Kasich said. He added that although he believes in “traditional marriage,” there are “bigger fish to fry in terms of the whole issue of faith.”[92]
  • On September 6, 2015, Kasich said the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious grounds “should follow the law.” He said, “Now, I respect the fact that this lady doesn't agree, but she's also a government employee. She's not running a church. I wouldn't force this on a church, but in terms of her responsibility I think she has to comply. I don't think – I don't like the fact that she's sitting in a jail, that's just absurd as well. But I think she should follow the law."[93]
  • In 1999, Kasich voted for an amendment to HR 1501, which proposed allowing the "States to decide whether or not to display the Ten Commandments on or within publicly owned property."[94]
  • In 1998, Kasich voted for HJ Res 78, which proposed securing "the people's right to pray and to recognize their religious beliefs, heritage, or traditions on public property, including schools" and preventing individuals from being discriminated against because of religious beliefs.[95]
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)
  • On April 10, 2015, John Kasich commented on whether Ohio needed a bill similar to Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He said, "I think we’re doing fine in Ohio. Everbody’s opinion has to be respected in all of this and we have to strike a balance...I don’t see a reason to do any more," according to The Columbus Dispatch.[96]
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
  • On January 5, 2016, John Kasich commented on President Obama’s executive actions on gun control. He said, “You don’t just shove these things down their throat. All you’re doing is further poisoning the well. You have got to be able to get along with people who are the lawmakers and not just take it into your own hands, no matter how frustrated you get.”[97] [98]
  • While speaking at an editorial board meeting of The Des Moines Register on December 17, 2015, Kasich said he opposed banning “assault weapons” and favored, instead, greater enforcement of existing gun laws. “The governor also said he would ‘scrub’ a no-fly list and give people on the list due process, but he would then not permit them to purchase guns.”[99]
  • On December 6, 2015, Kasich said he was supportive of individuals on terror watch lists being barred from purchasing guns if it does not “tip somebody off that they’re under review.” He explained, “We want to make sure that we can exploit all the information that we possibly can get. So if all of a sudden you tell everybody who’s on the watch list that you can’t do this or that, then guess what happens. Then we lose our ability to track, we lose our ability to gather information, so I think we have to be careful.”[100]
  • On December 3, 2015, night, Kasich argued that the San Bernardino, Calif., mass shooting was an act of terrorism, saying, “The FBI hasn’t said it, but I’m convinced it was a terrorist attack, that these people were inspired by ISIS, that they planned this over a long period of time and this was not about a distraught worker.” He added that “you’re not going to fix that problem by some kind of gun control.”[101]
Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
  • At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, John Kasich talked about his support for collecting metadata on U.S. phone calls: “We know we have to hold this data for a longer period of time. ... Look, what a president has to do is take a position. We don't want to err on the side of having less. We want to err on the side of having more. That's good for our families. In addition to that ... there is a big problem. It's called encryption. And the people in San Bernardino were communicating with people who the FBI had been watching. But because their phone was encrypted, because the intelligence officials could not see who they were talking to, it was lost. We have to solve the encryption problem. It is not easy. A president of the United States, again, has to bring people together, have a position. We need to be able to penetrate these people when they are involved in these plots and these plans. And we have to give the local authorities the ability to penetrate to disrupt. That's what we need to do. Encryption is a major problem, and Congress has got to deal with this and so does the president to keep us safe.”[102]
Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
  • On the road in Michigan on September 1, 2015, John Kasich put forth his views on infrastructure and government regulation. “Let's keep our own money in our own states to do what we want with our own regulations, not with them scooping stuff off the top,” Kasich said. After the speech, Kasich stated in an interview with MLive, “You've got to maintain the interstate, but look that's a (federal) committee, they play a lot of pork. Why would we send our money there so they can send less back?”[103]
  • In 1996, Kasich voted against H Amdt 1286 to HR 3396, which proposed allowing a state's definition of marriage to take precedence over the federal government's definition.[104]
Crime and justice
  • After it was announced on December 28, 2015, that a grand jury did not indict two Cleveland police officer for the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, John Kasich issued a statement urging residents “to turn frustration into progress.” He said, “Tamir Rice’s death was a heartbreaking tragedy and I understand how this decision will leave many people asking themselves if justice was served. We all lose, however, if we give in to anger and frustration and let it divide us. We have made progress to improve the way communities and police work together in our state, and we’re beginning to see a path to positive change so everyone shares in the safety and success they deserve.”[105]
  • In 2011, Kasich signed a bill that allowed judges "to send non-violent fourth- and fifth-degree felons to community-based halfway-house facilities instead of prison" and increased "the earned credit system so that inmates can more quickly shave days off of their sentences," according to Cleveland.com. After signing the bill, Kasich said, "I don't want anyone to think we've lost discipline. You do bad. . . We're locking you up. But for someone that wants to do better, we're giving you a chance."[106]

Natural resources

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Natural resources
Renewable energy
  • In 2012, Kasich supported legislation that "accounted for newly accessible shale gas and embraced Ohio’s renewable energy and efficiency targets as vital to the state’s economy."[109]
  • In June 2014, Kasich signed a bill to freeze Ohio's standards for renewable energy. While many environmental groups were disappointed, groups such as Americans for Prosperity (AFP) praised Kasich, saying, "Governor Kasich has done the right thing by providing a temporary freeze to these standards so that the economic well-being of our working families and businesses can be factored in before moving forward."[110] The standards were first set in 2008, and the 2014 bill suspended those standards for two years in order to re-evaluate them.[109]
Energy production
  • At the twelfth Republican debate on March 10, 2016, Kasich discussed his stance on climate change and energy production, saying, “Well, I—I do believe we contribute to climate change, but I don't think it has to be a, you know, either you're for some environmental stringent rules or, you know, you're not going to have any jobs. The fact is, you can have both... We want all the sources of energy. We want to dig coal, but we want to clean it when we burn it. We believe in natural gas. We believe in nuclear power. And you know what else I believe in? I happen to believe in solar energy, wind energy, efficiency, renewables matter.”[111]
  • John Kasich unveiled "The Kasich Action Plan" on October 15, 2015. The package included provisions designed to boost energy from all sources—including oil and gas, nuclear, coal, alternatives, and renewables, and emerging technologies—in order to become independent from overseas energy producers and ultimately source all the nation's energy entirely from North America. The plan would approve the Keystone XL pipeline; increase access to oil and gas production on non-sensitive public lands with proper environmental protections; keep fracking regulations at the state level and eliminate efforts by the federal government to impose new ones; repeal regulations on energy production that are counterproductive, such as the Clean Power Plan; and encourage research in new technologies that increase efficiency and conservation while reducing costs and environmental impact such as battery technologies, fuel cells, the high-efficiency smart electricity grid, and clean coal.[112] [113]
  • As governor, Kasich signed a bill that allowed drilling for oil and gas in Ohio state parks and on other state-owned land.[114]
  • In 2000, as a congressman, Kasich voted against the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, which aimed to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. The amendment would have authorized the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to begin implementation of various aspects of the treaty prior to it being ratified by Congress.[115]
Cap and trade
  • In 2010, Kasich said that he opposed "cap and trade" limits on emissions. He stated, "Cap and trade will be immensely harmful to our state, kill Ohio's low-cost coal power, and cripple our manufacturing jobs. Our industries must be competitive in a global marketplace. We need affordable, reliable energy if we are to be successful, and with its abundance of coal, Ohio has an advantage in this area."[116]
Clean air and water
  • In 1995, Kasich voted in favor of a bill that dedicated $2.3 billion per year through 2000 to programs under the Clean Water Act. The bill also required reimbursement to land owners for diminished property value due to EPA actions and prohibited new water quality standards with "no reasonable relationship between the cost and anticipated benefits of attaining such standard."[118]
  • As governor in 2012, Kasich signed a bill to limit the amount and circumstances under which water could be withdrawn from the Great Lakes.[119]
Environmental protection
  • Kasich voted in favor of a bill that would have created a "$50 million forest recovery and protection program managed by the U.S. Forest Service."[120]

Healthcare

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Healthcare
  • John Kasich’s administration announced on January 19, 2016, new voluntary guidelines for the prescription of short-term pain medication. According to The Lexington Herald-Leader, “People with short-term pain from injuries or surgery should be given alternatives to prescription painkillers whenever possible and be provided only the minimum amounts if absolutely needed.”[121]
  • On January 8, 2016, Kasich said he opposed paid maternity leave, recommending instead flexible working arrangements. “The one thing we need to do for working women is to give them the flexibility to be able to work at home online. The reason why that’s important is, when women take maternity leave or time to be with the children, then what happens is they fall behind on the experience level, which means that the pay becomes a differential,” he said.[122]
  • Kasich described the healthcare system he would like to see succeed the Affordable Care Act in an interview with NPR’s Scott Simon on July 25, 2015. Kasich said, “I'd like to replace it with a health care system that would be market-driven, that would begin to shift us to quality-based health care rather than quantity-based health care. In other words, with the primary care doctor being the shepherd to shepherd us through our health care needs, with insurance companies and hospitals working together to share profits, to share the gains they make by keeping people healthy rather than treating them on the basis of how they're sick.”[123]
  • According to Project Vote Smart, John Kasich supports a "managed competition" healthcare plan that would "contain costs and improve access that does not include mandated health alliances, government cost control powers, or employer/employee mandates."[124] He also said that he supported reforms to allow healthcare to be purchased in other states, to reduce frivolous lawsuits, to cover pre-existing medical issues, to give incentives for people to live healthy lifestyles, and to implement electronic medical records.[125]

Immigration

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Immigration
  • At the eighth Republican presidential primary debate on February 6, 2016, John Kasich discussed immigration: "Look, the situation is, we need to finish the border. It has to be completed. Just like we lock our doors at night, the country has to be able to lock its doors. And we can have a guest worker program, where people can come in and out in an orderly way. And then for the 11.5 million that are here, if they have not committed a crime since they've been here, I believe they ought to pay some back taxes, pay a fine, never get on the path to citizenship, but get legalization. It is not -- I couldn't even imagine how we would even begin to think about taking a mom or a dad out of a house when they have not committed a crime since they've been here, leaving their children in the house. I mean, that is not, in my opinion, the kind of values that we believe in. And secondly, I think at the end of the day, that Americans would support a plan like this. I think Congress would pass a plan to finish the border, guest worker, pay a fine, a path to legalization, and not citizenship. And we've got to get this done. And I will tell you this, within the first 100 days that I am president, I will put that proposal to the Congress."[126]
  • Kasich discussed his position on immigration at a campaign event in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. He said, “For the 11 million that are here, in my view if they've been law abiding they should pay a penalty. They broke the law. They should not have a path to citizenship but a path to legalization and they should assimilate.”[127]
  • In an exchange with Laura Ingraham on September 1, 2015, Kasich supported the Fourteenth Amendment and birthright citizenship. Kasich also said that people should “count their blessings here in the United States of America” rather than continually focusing on all of the problems, in response to Ingraham’s statement that people object to the Fourteenth Amendment because of the practices relating to “anchor” babies.[128][129]
  • On August 16, 2015, Kasich described his immigration platform, saying, “In my opinion there is a solution to this issue of immigration. Finish the wall, and make it clear. Anyone that comes over that wall once we’ve done it, you’re going back. And to the 12 million that are here, you know, legalize them, but make sure we don’t have anybody with a criminal element here. And have a guest worker program here. I think the country can unite around that.”[130]

Education

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Education
  • John Kasich unveiled "The Kasich Action Plan" on October 15, 2015. The proposal called for shrinking the Department of Education by consolidating more than 100 programs into four key block grants. The plan also called for balancing the budget in eight years; reforming the tax code; downsizing the Department of Transportation to focus on safety and research; and incorporating job training programs into a handful of block grants administered by the states.[131] [132]
  • American Principles in Action gave Kasich a grade of F for his position on the Common Core, The Hill reported on August 19, 2015. In an interview on the same day, Kasich said, “If I were not president, but if I were King of America, I would abolish all teacher's lounges, where they sit together and worry about 'woe is us.'" A spokesman later explained his comments, saying, “He thinks teachers have far more support in their communities than they sometimes give themselves credit for and they shouldn't pay attention to the small number of pot-stirrers in their ranks who try to leverage problems for political gain.”[133]
  • Kasich has expressed support for school choice. Ohio's school voucher program, EdChoice, allows students in poorly performing school districts to attend private schools through government scholarships.[134] Kasich expanded the EdChoice program by increasing the number of available vouchers from 14,000 to 60,000 in two consecutive budgets.[135]
  • Kasich supports the implementation of a merit or performance-based pay system for teachers.[135] In 2011, he met with a group of teachers and concluded by asking teachers across the state to send ideas for the program to his office, explaining, "I'd be the most comfortable if the teachers themselves could put together what they think is a fair process."[136]

Abortion

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Abortion
  • John Kasich discussed abortion and the Supreme Court during an interview with The Hartford Courant on April 22, 2016. Kasich said, "I'm pro-life except in cases of rape, incest, and life of the mother. ... I think we're pretty split. I think you have about 50-50 here. I respect someone who doesn't agree with me on the issue, I just don't happen to agree with them. ... There are a lot of other issues that are critically important to women as well. Child care, early childhood, the environment, women's health ... I expanded Medicaid [in Ohio]. I'm against Roe v. Wade, but we have an appointment to the [Supreme Court] bench, which will be important. I don't do litmus tests on judges. I want a conservative judge. In terms of legislative initiatives, I have to see what comes.”[137]
  • On April 3, 2016, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Kasich why he did not believe that women should be punished for having an abortion if he believed the act took a life. Kasich answered, “Because I think it's difficult on her to begin with. That's the way I feel about it, George. And that's the end of it." After Stephanopoulos asked if doctors should be punished for performing illegal abortions, Kasich continued, “Let me just put it to you this way: I'm not. Today, I'm not. I've just told you how I feel about it. Repeal Roe v. Wade, make exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother, turn it back to the states for them to decide what they do. We would, you know, ultimately have a policy. It has to be something that can gain acceptance as something that's reasonable and we'll go from there.”[138]
  • In response to Donald Trump's statement that that “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who have abortions if abortion is criminalized, made during a town hall on MSNBC on March 30, 2016, John Kasich said, "Of course, women shouldn't be punished.”[139]
  • Kasich signed into law a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood in Ohio on February 21, 2016. The law, according to Cleveland.com, redirected "about $1.3 million in state-directed grants from Ohio's 28 Planned Parenthood centers to federally qualified health centers, health departments, and other facilities that don't perform elective abortions or contract with organizations that do." The bill also earmarked "$250,000 from Medicaid funding for community health centers only.”[140]
  • After the “Ohio House voted to strip Planned Parenthood of $1.3 million in funding February 10, 2016,” John Kasich spokesman Joe Andrews said, "Gov. Kasich has worked with legislative leaders to ensure that public dollars are used to their best purpose. The Ohio Department of Health had already stopped awarding state dollars to Planned Parenthood." Planned Parenthood attacked Kasich for supporting the defunding of the reproductive healthcare organization. According to The Columbus Dispatch, One ad said "John Kasich said he supports women and families. So why does Kasich want to defund Planned Parenthood, cut programs that prevent infant mortality and end important domestic violence prevention initiatives?” Kasich responded to the ads in a Facebook post, writing, “Planned Parenthood can't and won't intimidate me. I'm proudly pro-life. -John.”[141]
  • The Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio filed for a preliminary injunction on December 13, 2015, to prevent Ohio health officials “from interfering with its services.” The health organization took this preemptive action after Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced on December 11, 2015, that his office had conducted an investigation showing “that Planned Parenthood—or the biomedical companies working with the health organization—dispose of aborted fetal parts in landfills.” On December 13, 2015, John Kasich defended DeWine, saying, “The attorney general has done thorough work and his findings are disturbing. I've tasked the Ohio Department of Health to work with the attorney general to take appropriate legal action. This investigation shows the need for further work with the Ohio General Assembly to reign in Planned Parenthood, while continuing to ensure access to vital health care services for women."[142]
  • During CNN's September 16, 2015, Republican presidential debate, Kasich proposed finding a way to defund Planned Parenthood without shutting down the government. He said, "Well, I agree that we should defund Planned Parenthood. I don't know many people in America who don't think that we should, and in my state, we're trying to figure out how to get it done, because we are threatened with the federal government taking all of our Medicaid money away. I think there is a way to get this done by giving governors the ability to be able to act to defund Planned Parenthood. But when (ph) it comes to closing down the federal government, you gotta be very careful about that. When we shut the government down — if we have a chance at success and it's a great principle, yes. The president of the United States is not going to sign this, and all we're gonna do is shut the government down, and then we're gonna open up — open it up, and the American people are gonna shake their heads and say, 'what's the story with these Republicans?' So I think there is a way to get to cutting off the funding for Planned Parenthood. I was in the Congress for 18 years, balanced the budget, cut taxes, got it done. Changed welfare, went around the president to get welfare reform done. There are ways to do it without having to shut the government down, but I'm sympathetic to the fact that we don't want this organization to get funding, and the money ought to be reprogrammed for family planning in other organizations that don't support this tactic. But I would not be for shutting the government down because I don't think it's going to work out."[143]

Gay rights

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Gay rights
  • In a CNN interview on April 15, 2016, Kasich discussed his position on a Mississippi law preventing the prohibition of LGBT discrimination. He said that people advocating for religious liberty and LGBT rights needed to “strike a balance.” Kasich continued, “So if we would just kind of calm down here, I think things would settle down. And what I like to say is, just relax. If you don't like what somebody's doing, pray for them. And if you feel as though somebody is doing something wrong against you, can you just, for a second, get over it, you know, because this thing will settle down."[144]
  • During an interview with MSNBC's Chris Matthews on April 14, 2016, John Kasich said that "’the court has ruled’ on same-sex marriage and he would not advocate for any efforts to ban it, even though he supports traditional marriage,” according to NBC News. Kasich added, "There could be an effort to pass a Constitutional Amendment. I'm not for doing it. I'm for moving on.”[145]
  • During a televised town hall with his family on April 11, 2016, Kasich questioned a recently adopted state law that would allow private businesses to discriminate against gay individuals. “I read about this thing they did in Mississippi, where apparently you can deny somebody service because they're gay? What the hell are we doing in this country? I mean, look, I may not appreciate a certain lifestyle or even approve of it, but I can—it doesn't mean I've got to go write a law and try to figure out how to have another wedge issue,” he said.[146]
  • At the tenth Republican debate on February 25, 2016, Kasich stated, “Religious institutions should be able to practice the religion that they believe in. No question and no doubt about it. Now, in regard to same-sex marriage, I don't favor it. I've always favored traditional marriage, but, look, the court has ruled and I've moved on. And what I've said, Hugh, is that, look, where does it end? If you're in the business of selling things, if you're not going to sell to somebody you don't agree with, OK, today I'm not going to sell to somebody who's gay, and tomorrow maybe I won't sell to somebody who's divorced. I mean, if you're in the business of commerce, conduct commerce. That's my view. And if you don't agree with their lifestyle, say a prayer for them when they leave and hope they change their behavior. But when it comes to the religious institutions, they are in inviolate in my mind, and I would fight for those religious institutions. And look, I've appointed over a hundred judges as governor. I even appointed adjudge to the Ohio Supreme Court. And you know what they are? They're conservatives. Go check it out. They are conservatives. They don't make the law. They interpret the law. That's all they do. And they stick by the Constitution. So I will do that. But let's just not get so narrow here as to gotcha this or that. I think my position is clear.”[147]
  • The Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional on June 26, 2015. Following the decision, Kasich had a different response than many GOP candidates. He said, "I do believe in traditional marriage, but the court has ruled and it’s time to move on. I think everybody needs to take a deep breath to see how this evolves. But I know this. Religious institutions, religious entities — you know, like the Catholic church — they need to be honored as well. I think there’s an ability to strike a balance.”[148]
  • John Kasich opposes gay marriage, and in 2013 he stated, "I've got friends that are gay and I've told them 'Look, (same sex marriage) is just not something I agree with' and I’m not doing it out of a sense of anger or judgment, it's just my opinion on this issue."[149] At one point, Kasich commented that he supported civil unions, but his spokesman later clarified that he still opposed civil unions and that, "while he may have used the term 'civil union' loosely in this instance, he recognizes the existing rights of Ohioans to enter into private contracts to manage their personal property and health care issues."[149]

Civil liberties

See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Civil liberties
  • John Kasich discussed drug policy on November 6, 2015, with Stephen Colbert. He said, “We have a huge drug crisis in this country. ...We don't even want serious drug addicts to be locked in prison for the rest of their life. We treat them, and we pass them off to the community. The problem with marijuana is this: We don't want to tell our kids, 'Don't do drugs, but by the way, this drug's OK.'" Kasich also commented on medical marijuana. He said, "Now, when it comes to medical marijuana, if the experts come back and say we need this for people who have seizures, I'm for that."
  • During the third Republican debate, held October 28, 2015, Kasich said he opposed the legalization of marijuana. Kasich said, "Well, first of all, we're running a $2 billion dollar surplus, we're not having a revenue problem right now. And, sending mixed signals to kids about drugs is a disaster. Drugs is one of the greatest scourge in this country, and I spent five years of my administration working with my team to do a whole sort of things to try to reign in the problem of overdoses, and it goes on and on. We could do a whole show on that."[150]
  • Kasich stated marijuana legalization was a “terrible idea” during a campaign stop in Michigan on September 1, 2015.[151]

Urban policy

  • During the seventh Republican presidential primary debate on January 28, 2016, John Kasich discussed the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and how he would have handled a similar crisis. He said, “Well, you've got to be on top of it right away. And, you know, I don't know all the details of what Rick Snyder has done. I know there have been people who have been fired; people who are being held accountable. But the fact is, every single engine of government has to move when you see a crisis like that."[152]
    • Kasich continued, "You've got to work with local communities and you've got to work with the federal government. Because you realize that people depending on you. And so, you go the extra mile. But people have to be alert. They have to be alert to problems. And when you see a problem, you must act quickly to get on top of it. And people at home are saying they've got a problem, listen to them. Because most of the time, they're absolutely correct. So the fact is that we work for the people. The people don't work for us. And we have to have an attitude when we're in government of serving-hood. That's what really matters. We serve you. You don't serve us. We listen to you and -- and then we act."[152]
  • After it was announced on December 28, 2015, that a grand jury did not indict two Cleveland police officers for the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, Kasich issued a statement urging residents “to turn frustration into progress.” He said, “Tamir Rice’s death was a heartbreaking tragedy and I understand how this decision will leave many people asking themselves if justice was served. We all lose, however, if we give in to anger and frustration and let it divide us. We have made progress to improve the way communities and police work together in our state, and we’re beginning to see a path to positive change so everyone shares in the safety and success they deserve.”[153]
  • On October 15, 2015, Kasich unveiled "The Kasich Action Plan," which called for shrinking the Department of Education by consolidating more than 100 programs into four key block grant, balancing the budget in eight years, reforming the tax code, downsizing the Department of Transportation to focus on safety and research and incorporating job training programs into a handful of block grants administered by the states.[154] [155]
  • To reduce high infant mortality in both rural and urban communities in Ohio, Kasich announced on December 4, 2014, the launch of a new initiative to provide high-risk care management benefits to expecting mothers in those areas who received Medicaid benefits. As part of the program, the Office of Health Transformation would also conduct research on best practices for group care of expecting mothers in the targeted areas.[156]
  • In 2014, Kasich rejected waivers for time limits on food assistance benefits for 72 Ohio counties in 2014 and 71 Ohio counties in 2014. According to Mother Jones, "Urban counties and cities, most of which had high minority populations, did not get waivers."[157]

Rural policy

  • In April 2015, rural school districts in Ohio were expected to receive decreased funding. John Kasich's administration defended the policy because "rising farmland values are generating more local tax revenue for those districts."[158]
  • In 2015, Kasich accepted waivers on time limits for federal food assistance programs in Ohio for a select group of primarily rural counties.[159]
  • In December 2014, Kasich signed into law a bill allowing hunters to use suppressors on their firearms.[160]
  • To reduce high infant mortality in both rural and urban communities in Ohio, Kasich announced on December 4, 2014, the launch of a new initiative to provide high-risk care management benefits to expecting mothers in those areas who received Medicaid benefits. As part of the program, the Office of Health Transformation would also conduct research on best practices for group care of expecting mothers in the targeted areas.[161]
  • In November 2011, Kasich appointed Ohio Sen. Jason Wilson (D) to the post of director of the Governor's Office of Appalachia, a regional agency focused on "economic development and workforce development" in the Appalachian region.[162]
  • In 1996, Kasich voted in favor of amendments that would have phased out price support programs for peanuts and sugar. However, he voted against a similar amendment for dairy products such as butter, powdered milk and cheese.[163][164][165]

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term John + Kasich + 2016


See also

Footnotes

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