Military, Intelligence, and National Security Issues:

• in favor of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001, which proposed to ease restrictions on government wiretap and surveillance operations; permit government officials to share with one another the information they obtain from such surveillance operations; strengthen security along the U.S./Canadian border; and deny U.S. visas to suspected money-launderers
• cast no vote either for or against the 2001 anti-terrorism measure known as the Patriot Act
• against a 2002 bill permitting airline pilots to carry firearms for the purpose of defending the aircraft against acts of violence or terrorism
• against an October 2002 joint resolution authorizing U.S. military action against Iraq
• against reauthorizing the Patriot Act in 2005
• against a 2006 amendment which called for allowing the government to use electronic surveillance to investigate suspected terrorist operatives
• against a 2006 resolution which stated that it was not in America's national security interest to set an arbitrary date for the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq
• cast no vote either for or against a 2007 bill permitting the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General to monitor foreign electronic communications which were routed through the United States—provided that the purpose of such monitoring was to obtain "foreign intelligence information" about suspected terrorists
• in favor of a resolution expressing disapproval of President Bush's 2007 decision to move ahead with the so-called troop "surge"—the deployment of some 21,500 additional U.S. soldiers in an effort to quell the violent insurgents in Iraq
• in favor of a 2007 proposal to expedite the transfer of all prisoners who, at that time, were being held in the Guantanamo Bay detention center
• in favor of a 2007 proposal to begin dramatically reducing the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq by April 1, 2008
• in favor of a 2010 bill requiring a timetable for U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan
• in favor of a 2011 bill calling for the swift withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan

Immigration, Nationality, and English-Language Issues:

• against a 2004 bill requiring hospitals to report (to the federal government) illegal aliens who receive emergency medical treatment
• against the Real ID Act, which proposed, in 2005, to set minimal security requirements for state driver licenses and identification cards
• against a 2005 bill calling for the construction of some 700 miles of fencing along America's southern border; the establishment of a system requiring business owners to verify the legal status of all their employees; the detention of any person attempting to enter the U.S. illegally; and an increase in the penalties on anyone attempting to smuggle illegal aliens into the U.S.
• against a 2006 bill authorizing the construction of 700 miles of double-layered fencing between the U.S. and Mexico
• against a 2006 proposal to grant state and local officials the authority to investigate, identify, and arrest illegal immigrants
• in favor of a 2010 bill to grant "conditional nonimmigrant status" to illegal immigrants who meet certain criteria

Taxation and Economic Issues:

• against an 11-year, $1.35 trillion tax-cut plan in 2001
• against a $350 billion tax-cut bill in 2003
• against a ten-year, $145 billion tax cut for domestic manufacturers and small corporations in 2004
• in favor of a 2005 proposal to permanently repeal the estate tax
• against a 2005 proposal for $56.1 billion in federal spending reductions
• against a 2006 bill calling for $69.96 billion in tax cuts and credits through 2010, including reductions of capital gains taxes and dividends taxes
• in favor of a 2006 proposal to reduce estate taxes beginning in 2010
• in favor of a 2009 bill to prohibit federal funding to the scandal-plagued community organization ACORN
• against a 2010 bill to raise the maximum estate-tax rate from 35 percent to 45 percent, and to make it more difficult to avoid estate taxes

Energy and Environmental Issues:

• in favor of a 2001 bill to prohibit drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• against a 2005 bill calling for the construction of new oil refineries
• against a 2006 proposal to provide funds for offshore oil exploration along the Outer Continental Shelf
• in favor of a 2009 “Cap and Trade” bill, which would levy taxes on carbon emissions

Housing Issues:

• in favor of a 2007 bill to establish an Affordable Housing Fund to provide grants that make rent and home ownership more affordable for low-income families

Election Law Issues:

• in favor of a 2002 campaign finance reform bill which put restrictions on paid advertising during the weeks just prior to political elections, and tightly regulated the amount of money which political parties and candidates could accept from donors

Gun Rights Issues:

• against two separate bills – in 2003 and 2005 – to ban lawsuits against gun manufacturers as punishment for violence that is committed with guns
• against a 2008 bill that would allow Washington, DC residents to possess firearms in their homes, and would repeal the DC ban on possession of semiautomatic weapons

Health Care Issues:

• in favor of a 2007 bill to expand coverage of the Children's Health Insurance Program
• in favor of a 2009 bill to expand coverage of the Children's Health Insurance Program
• in favor of the 2010 health care reform bill commonly known as “Obamacare”

Abortion and the Rights of the Unborn:

• against separate bills calling for a ban on the late-term abortion procedure commonly known as partial-birth abortion, in June 2003 and October 2003
• against a 2004 bill which proposed to make it an added criminal offense for someone to injure or kill a fetus while carrying out a crime against a pregnant woman
• against the Abortion Pain Bill in 2006, which mandated that abortion providers, prior to performing an abortion on a fetus older than 20 weeks, inform the mother that: (a) the fetus might feel pain during the procedure, and (b) the use of some pain-reducing drugs may have health risks associated with them
• against a 2009 bill to prohibit federal funds from being used to pay for abortions
• against a 2011 bill to prohibit federal funds from being made available to the scandal-plagued Planned Parenthood Federation of America

For a more comprehensive look at Clay's voting record, visit Project Vote Smart and On The Issues.