Kirsten Gillibrand

Progressive

Democrat

Senator

New York

Current Position: Senator from New York

Running For: N/A

Policy Positions

For paid family leave; introduced the FAMILY Act to establish a national paid family and medical leave program and co-founded the Senate Bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group in 2023
Against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (bank bailout); voted against it twice as a House member, calling it 'fundamentally flawed'
For a federal jobs guarantee

For the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare); voted in favor and also supported the public option which did not pass
For Medicare for All; co-sponsored Bernie Sanders' 2017 Medicare for All bill and has supported single-payer healthcare since her first House run in 2006
For the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022; helped secure passage of legislation extending presumptive health benefits to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits

For same-sex marriage; supported legalization in New York, supported repeal of DOMA, introduced legislation to repeal DOMA, supported the Equality Act of 2017, and opposed Trump administration policies limiting LGBTQ diplomatic visas and Pride Month recognition
For repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell; actively lobbied for its repeal and was a major force behind its passage in 2010
Against gender dysphoria treatment for children of military personnel; voted in December 2024 to strip TRICARE coverage for gender dysphoria treatment for children of military members
For abortion rights; states she will always protect a woman's right to choose, voted against the Ben Nelson amendment that would have prohibited insurance plans covering abortion in the ACA exchange, and opposed the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act
For net neutrality; signed letters urging FCC to reclassify internet providers and voted in 2018 to reinstate net neutrality rules overturned by the FCC

Against Citizens United; opposes the Supreme Court decision and supports the DISCLOSE Act requiring disclosure of political donations
For banning congressional stock trading; introduced bipartisan legislation (Restore Trust in Congress Act) in 2026 to prohibit congressional members and their immediate families from owning or trading individual stocks
For preserving the Senate filibuster; stated in 2019 it is 'useful' because it encourages bipartisan consensus-seeking

For a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants; co-sponsored the DREAM Act in 2010, supports earned path to citizenship, and opposes deporting undocumented immigrants
For abolishing ICE; became the first sitting U.S. senator in 2018 to call for abolishing ICE and replacing it with a new agency with a different mission focused on separating criminal justice from immigration issues
Against border wall funding; voted against legislation containing $1.375 billion for border barriers and voted to block Trump's national emergency declaration to access $3.6 billion in military construction funding for border barriers
For closing Guantanamo Bay detention facility

For gun control measures; shifted from a 100% NRA rating in the House to an F rating by 2010; co-authored the Gun Trafficking Prevention Act, opposed concealed carry reciprocity across state lines, introduced background check expansion legislation, called for bans on bump stocks and high-capacity magazines, and called the NRA 'the worst organization' in the US
For cannabis legalization; unveiled a 2019 proposal to federally legalize marijuana with regulation, taxation, expungement of nonviolent marijuana convictions, and expanded medical access; called for Biden administration to deschedule cannabis in 2024
For eliminating cash bail; supported the No Cash Bail Act requiring states to implement alternative pretrial systems as a condition of federal funding
For the First Step Act; voted for the 2018 criminal justice reform legislation reducing recidivism through expanded job training, early-release programs, and sentencing modifications for nonviolent drug offenders
For removing military sexual assault prosecutions from the chain of command; fought for nearly a decade to shift prosecution of sexual assault cases to independent military prosecutors, ultimately securing provisions in the 2022 NDAA