The Issues
Inhofe’s voting record is consistently conservative. He voted with his party 85.4 percent of the time in the 110th Congress. The American Conservative Union gave the senator a 100 percent score in its 2007 congressional ratings of Congress. ACU and Human Events, a conservative publication, also named Inhofe the “Most Outstanding Conservative Senator” for 2005 and the top conservative senator in 2007. National Journal ranked Inhofe the 8th most conservative senator in its 2008 scorecard.
Inhofe backed the Bush administration’s policies on taxes and the war in Iraq, but split from the Bush White House in 2008 over how to address the financial crisis.
But the Republican is notably conservative on social issues. He opposes same-sex marriage and abortion rights largely on religious grounds and has been known to cite passages from the Bible to defend his political positions. During the national 2006 debate on immigration reform, Inhofe authored legislation that declared English the country’s official language. The bill, which instructed the government to “preserve and enhance” the role of the English language in America, passed 63 to 34.
Global Warming
Inhofe was chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee from 2003 to 2006. He is currently the ranking member on the committee, which has jurisdiction over such things as climate change.
As the issue of climate change has become more politically urgent, Inhofe has fashioned a reputation as a crusader against the global warming “alarmists” who he says have reached a false consensus. He called President Obama’s plan to allow states like California to set their own greenhouse gas emission restrictions the equivalent of “environmental thuggery.”
In 2006, Inhofe delivered a speech claiming that members of Congress, the media, Hollywood elites and pop culture – particularly former Vice President Al Gore’s 2006 documentary on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth”— are responsible for spreading false hysteria over climate change.
Inhofe backs expanding domestic oil and gas drilling, including opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He opposes the Endangered Species Act.
Highway and Transportation Funding
During his chairmanship of the EPW Committee, Inhofe fought to substantially increase federal highway funding when negotiating the reauthorization of the 2004 highway bill.
Inhofe gathered bipartisan support to pass a $318 billion transportation bill in the Senate. His success was overshadowed by a veto threat from the Bush White House, which insisted on capping spending at $256 billion. The House eventually passed a much smaller spending package. Inhofe, the chairman of the legislation’s conference committee, continued to try to get his version enacted. After a year of negotiations, Inhofe eventually agreed to a $286 billion package, but expressed concerns that the programs would be underfunded at the current levels. Under Inhofe’s proposal, Oklahoma would have seen a 46 percent increase in funding.
As of 2005, Inhofe’s efforts resulted in Oklahoma shedding its status as a “donor state” — it now receives more money in federal highway funding than it sends to Washington.
Defense
Inhofe backs increased military spending and was a strong supporter of the Bush administration’s policies in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Inhofe was a strong supporter of military intervention in Iraq. He claims that enough weapons of mass destruction to kill 47 million people were found in Iraq after the U.S. invasion.
Inhofe is the second-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Service Committee behind ranking Republican and GOP 2008 presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). In July 2009, he was also added to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, accepting the seat once held by former Sen. Norm Coleman.
Taxes and Spending
Inhofe’s economic policies are centered on lowering taxes and curbing government spending. He supports making George W. Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent and eliminating the estate tax and the Alternative Minimum Tax.
However, Inhofe voted against the Bush administration’s 2008 financial bailout package. He called the plan an irresponsible “blank check” to the financial services industry and said the $700 billion rescue plan gave too much authority to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to decide how the funds would be distributed.
Inhofe also voted against the 2008 proposed bailout of the “Big Three” automakers. He characterized the plan as an attempt to nationalize U.S. industries, calling it overly bureaucratic and the wrong approach to solving the business crisis.
In response to the Bush administration’s proposal to divert funds from the financial bailout package to help the auto industry, Inhofe said he worried Washington might be “completely out of control.”
The National Tax Limitation Committee has given Inhofe an “A” grade and the “Tax Fighter Award” every year since 1996 for his record on tax and spending issues.
