Political positions of Jeb Bush

Bush during his announcement tour in June 2015

Jeb Bush is a Republican politician in the United States. Bush was governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is currently a candidate for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in the 2016 election.

Overall political stance

In 2013, statistician Nate Silver "constructed ideological scores for a set of plausible 2016 Republican candidates based on a combination of three statistical indices." Bush's ideological score on this scale was similar to that of previous Republican nominees John McCain and Mitt Romney. A January 2015 Bloomberg News analysis suggested the Jeb Bush is more conservative than former presidents George W. Bush (Jeb's brother) and George H. W. Bush (Jeb's father).

Before winning two terms as governor, Bush lost his first run for governor of Florida in 1994 to the incumbent Democratic Governor, Lawton Chiles. In his 1994 race, Bush "called himself a 'head-banging conservative.'" Andrew Prokop of Vox writes that after his loss in the 1994 election, Bush retained very conservative beliefs and policies, but sought to adopt a more moderate image.

Bush was subsequently elected governor for two terms in office, from 1999 to 2007. Darryl Paulson, professor emeritus of government at the University of South Florida, said: "[Bush] governed as a conservative, and everyone in the Florida Republican Party considered him a conservative." Adam C. Smith, political editor of the Tampa Bay Times, writes that "Bush was not just a successful Republican governor politically; he was a conservative activist governor who relished pushing the envelope on policy." Steve Schmidt, senior campaign advisor to McCain in the 2008 presidential campaign, stated that at the time Bush left office as governor of Florida, "he was widely, unanimously, unambiguously regarded as the most conservative governor in the United States." Political scientist Susan MacManus of the University of South Florida, said: "In Florida, [Bush is] still perceived as conservative, especially on fiscal issues and even on social issues."

In a February 2015 question-and-answer session with Sean Hannity at the CPAC conference, Bush stated: "I would describe myself as a practicing, reform-minded conservative."

Bush has been criticized by some Tea Party members as being insufficiently conservative, as he supports positions on immigration and the Common Core State Standards Initiative that are unpopular with some conservatives.

Domestic issues

Abortion

In 2003, Bush described himself as "probably the most pro-life governor in modern times." As governor, Bush signed a parental notification act into law and supported the creation of a "Choose Life" specialty license plate.

In 2003, Bush attracted national media attention after his administration sought the appointment of a guardian for the fetus of a developmentally disabled rape victim, a move which "angered women's rights groups and reignited the debate over abortion in Florida." In 2005, Bush sought to block a 13-year-old pregnant girl who had lived in a state-licensed group home from obtaining an abortion; a judge ruled against the state, and Bush decided not to appeal further.

Bush supports the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act which would ban abortion after 20 weeks, making exceptions for the life of the mother, rape, or incest.

Bush supports the defunding of Planned Parenthood (which currently only uses federal money for non-abortion services). In July 2015, Bush called for a congressional investigation of Planned Parenthood.

Affirmative action

In early 2015, Bush touted an executive order that he issued as governor of Florida which limited affirmative action. In November 1999, as governor of Florida, Bush issued a "One Florida" executive order banning affirmative action in the State University System of Florida. Bush stated that he issued the order to head off a more-restrictive Ward Connerly-backed ballot initiative. The order was controversial, particularly among black Americans, and led to a widely publicized sit-in in Bush's Florida State Capitol office by two Democratic state legislators, Senator Kendrick Meek and Representative Tony Hill. Following the Bush executive order, black enrollment at state universities (and especially at the University of Florida and Florida State University) has declined.

Civil liberties and electronic surveillance

Bush supports the USA Patriot Act, and criticized efforts to stop its reauthorization. Bush stated that opponents of the Act's reauthorization were "wrong" and that "the Patriot Act has kept us safe, plain and simple. The metadata program has kept us safe, plain and simple. There's been no violation of civil liberties."

Bush supports the continued collection of metadata of phone calls by the National Security Agency. In a February 2015 speech, Bush said that the NSA metadata domestic-surveillance program was "hugely important" and said that he was perplexed at the opposition to the program: "For the life of me I don't understand, the debate has gotten off track." In August 2015, Bush said that he favored expanded government surveillance of Americans to "make sure that evildoers aren't in our midst." Bush said that encryption "makes it harder for the American government to do its job" and called for more cooperation between the government and U.S. technology companies. Bush stated, "There's a place to find common ground between personal civil liberties and [the National Security Agency] doing its job. I think the balance has actually gone the wrong way."

When asked by Michael Medved on talk radio "what has been the best part of the Obama administration?" Bush responded: "I would say the best part of the Obama administration would be his continuance of the protections of the homeland using the big metadata programs, the NSA being enhanced."

In July 2015, Bush said that NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden "should be given no leniency." Bush's comment was in response to a statement made by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who suggested that some sort of deal was possible to allowing Snowden to return to the United States.

Confederate flag

In early February 2001, while governor of Florida, Bush quietly ordered the removal of the Confederate "Stainless Banner" flag from the Florida State Capitol grounds. In June 2015, Bush stated that he viewed the Confederate flag as a racist symbol.

Crime and criminal justice

Bush is a supporter of the death penalty. In his unsuccessful 1994 campaign for Florida governor, Bush promised to sign many more death warrants as governor. One of the "central themes" of Bush's 1994 campaign was his proposal to shorten the appeals period in capital cases. Bush proposed limiting death-row inmates to a single appeal (a plan called Bush called "one trial, one appeal") to speed up the execution process to "two to four years in most death cases." During Bush's term as governor, some 21 prisoners were executed.

Also in his 1994 campaign, Bush proposed publishing the names of juvenile delinquents so the public would "know who the thugs are in their neighborhoods."

In 2002, Bush opposed a Florida ballot measure that would have allowed nonviolent drug offenders to enter treatment programs instead of prison. Bush's then-24-year-old daughter had been arrested the same year on drug-related charges and underwent treatment.

Education

K-12

As Florida governor, Bush placed significant emphasis on education reform, particularly in the areas of "test-based accountability, private-school vouchers, and support for improved reading instruction." A major provision of Bush's voucher plan (the Opportunity Scholarship Program) was struck down in 2006 by the Florida Supreme Court and was replaced by a different plan, which is also being challenged in courts. Bush has frequently criticized traditional public schools and teachers' unions. He has described public schools as "politicized, unionized monopolies" and "government-run monopolies run by unions." He is a proponent of charter schools, and as governor he advocated high-stakes testing in Florida, arguing that this improves accountability.

In August 2015, Bush expressed support for "total voucherization" of schools, saying that schools would benefit from "innovation."

Bush supports the Common Core State Standards Initiative, but "opposes using federal funds to motivate or force states to adopt Common Core." He has challenged opponents of Common Core to come up with an alternative with even more rigorous standards, saying: "If people don't like Common Core, fine. Just make sure your standards are much higher than they were before."

Bush was a staunch opponent of a 2002 amendment to the Florida Constitution which limited class sizes. The amendment was approved by voters over Bush's strong objections. In 2015, Bush called for the class-size amendment to be repealed.

In his 1995 book, Bush suggested that corporal punishment in schools could prevent school shootings.

Higher education

Bush has supported a shift from "a provider-driven model to a consumer-driven one" in higher education and has suggested "exporting U.S. post-secondary education to global consumers at scale."

In 2015, Bush criticized Democratic presidential candidates' college affordability and debt-free college proposals, characterizing such proposals as "more free stuff" without reform.

Bush is a supporter of for-profit colleges and has "close ties to for-profit online education models." He has criticized the "gainful employment rule" adopted by the Department of Education under the Obama administration. This rule aims "to hold institutions accountable for consistently leaving students with big debts and little employment prospects." Bush believes that the rule's treatment of for-profit institutions is too harsh.

As governor of Florida, Bush proposed cutting $111 million from the budgets of Florida public universities and community colleges. Bush ultimately signed a budget that cut $11 million from community college budgets, which "forced them to turn away about 35,000 students looking to enroll." By 2004, however, "Bush was able to fully fund community colleges, earning plaudits from state educators."

Other

In a November 1994 interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Bush stated that he "would abolish the Department of Education as it now exists."

In 2003, as Florida governor, Bush sought to close the Florida State Library, and lay off its entire staff of 41 as a cost-cutting measure. Bush proposed moving the library's collection to a private university in South Florida. Bush's proposal generated substantial public opposition, and was dropped after the Florida Legislature refused to support it.

Environment

In early 2015, Bush called the Environmental Protection Agency "a pig in slop" and stated "We have to begin to rein in this top-down driven regulatory system."

As governor of Florida, Bush oversaw an Everglades restoration plan that was part of an $8 billion project conducted in conjunction with the federal government. The plan set aside over one million acres of land for conservation. Michael Grunwald writes that "at best, [Bush's] legacy in the Everglades is mixed. It's hard to argue for better considering how little of his vision has come to fruition, even if you accept his claim that his vision was foolishly abandoned by a successor who listened too carefully to shortsighted Everglades activists. ... Still, his critics and allies agree he’s formidable. When it came to the Everglades, he did his homework, devised a plan and stuck to it."

Energy

Early in his term as governor of Florida, Bush was an outspoken opponent of drilling for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico, off Florida's shores. This stance was in opposition to the position of most Republicans, including Jeb's brother George W. Bush, who sought to expand drilling. However, later on in his term, Bush switched positions; "in 2005, he angered environmentalists by backing a bill in Congress to allow drilling in some of the same areas he had fought to keep off limits in 2001, in exchange for creating a 125-mile buffer zone around the state where drilling would be blocked," arguing that this was the most realistic plan to protect Florida waters. In July 2008, Bush stated "had I known that gas was going to be $4.30 per gallon, ... I would have supported a lifting of the [drilling] moratorium with proper safeguards."

Bush has consistently supported offshore drilling outside Florida, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 2013, Bush "called for opening up 'federal lands and water for drilling in a thoughtful way.'" Bush supports the TransCanada's Keystone XL oil pipeline, stating that it is a "no-brainer." In emails in 2006, Bush expressed support for the Keystone Pipeline System, Keystone XL's predecessor.

Bush supports hydraulic fracturing (fracking). In the summer of 2013, Bush called fracking a "phenomenal achievement" and stated that New York and other states that would not allow it "are choosing not to grow." At the time, Bush had a financial interest in a private equity company which was then "raising $40 million to back a Denver-based company acquiring fracking wells in hopes New York would lift its ban." Bush also sees support for natural gas development as a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In March 2015, Bush called for eliminating the federal wind-energy production tax credit over a three-to-five-year phase-out period.

In July 2015, Bush said at an Americans for Prosperity event that "we should phase out, through tax reform," current tax credits and subsidies for all energy sectors, including wind, solar, and fossil fuels (oil and gas).

Bush is a supporter of nuclear power, saying that it will address global climate change while increasing energy security.

Climate change

Bush acknowledges climate change, but has equivocated about the degree to which humans are responsible. National Journal writes that Bush "does not acknowledge the scientific consensus that human activity drives climate change."

In May 2015, Bush stated: "The climate is changing" but that "I don't think the science is clear what percentage is man-made and what percentage is natural. It's convoluted. And for the people to say the science is decided on, this is just really arrogant, to be honest with you." At the same event, Bush said that climate change should not be "the highest priority" issue, but should not be ignored either.

In April 2015, Bush stated that "The climate is changing, and I'm concerned about that. We need to work with the rest of the world to negotiate a way to reduce carbon emissions." But Bush "also said he was more concerned about protecting the economy, warning of 'the hollowing out of our industrial core, the hollowing out of our ability to compete in an increasingly competitive world.'" In 2011, Bush stated that "global warming may be real," but that "it is not unanimous among scientists that it is disproportionately manmade."

The director of the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund has characterized Bush as a climate change denier, writing: "If you say the climate is changing but fail to acknowledge the role of human activity, then you are still a climate denier. And if you acknowledge the science of climate change, but fail to declare how America should deal with it, then you are still a climate denier. For inaction in the face of grave danger is another form of denial."

In 2015, Bush took issue with Laudato si', an encyclical written by Pope Francis which calls for a global effort to combat climate change. Bush stated "I don't get economic policy from my bishops or my cardinals or my pope. ... religion ought to be about making us better as people and less about things that end up getting in the political realm."

LGBT rights

Bush has explicitly opposed same-sex marriage for years, believing that the issue of same-sex marriage should be decided by the states rather than by the federal government and that it is not a constitutional right. He holds that businesses should have the right to refuse to provide services for same-sex couples on religious grounds.

In January 2015, Bush signaled openness to some form of recognition for same-sex relationships, in a statement issued after Florida began allowing same-sex marriage following a court ruling. In the statement, Bush said: "We live in a democracy, and regardless of our disagreements, we have to respect the rule of law. I hope that we can also show respect for the good people on all sides of the gay and lesbian marriage issue – including couples making lifetime commitments to each other who are seeking greater legal protections and those of us who believe marriage is a sacrament and want to safeguard religious liberty."

Bush has stated that his views were informed by his Catholic faith. Before the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges was issued, Bush said that "irrespective of" the outcome "we need to be stalwart supporters of traditional marriage." Bush also stated "To imagine how we are going to succeed in our country unless we have committed family life, committed child-centered family system, is hard to imagine." After the Supreme Court's July 2015 ruling in Obergefell that there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, Bush issued a statement in which he said that the decision was wrong, saying: "Guided by my faith, I believe in traditional marriage. I believe the Supreme Court should have allowed the states to make this decision." However, Bush also said in a statement that he does not support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to reverse the decision and limit marriage to opposite-sex couples.

As governor, Bush championed Florida's strict ban on adoptions of children by gays and lesbians. In January 2015, Bush said: "Previously, I opposed gay adoption, but it has since become the law in our state, and I respect that decision."

In July 2015, Bush stated that he was "fine" with lifting the military's ban on allowing transgender people to openly serve in the military, so long as "the military's comfortable with this" and it did not impact morale.

In a 1994 op-ed written while Bush was making his first campaign for governor, Bush argued that LGBT persons should not have the same protections accorded to persons based on race or religion, writing "[should] sodomy be elevated to the same constitutional status as race and religion? My answer is No." In 2015, a Bush spokesperson said that the op-ed "does not reflect Governor Bush's views now, nor would he use this terminology today."

In his 1995 book, Profiles in Character, Bush described the "gay rights movement," "feminist movement," and "black empowerment movement" as "modern victim movements" which "have attempted to get people to view themselves as part of a smaller group deserving of something from society." Bush said that such movements are, "a major deviation from the society envisioned by Martin Luther King, who would have had people judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin — or sexual preference or gender or ethnicity."

Gun control

Bush believes in the right to bear arms and favors allowing citizens to carry concealed firearms, but wants to have certain restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms. Overall, Bush is for expanding gun owners’ rights.

In 2005, when he was governor of Florida, he signed the "stand-your-ground law" on the use of deadly force.

In 2015, following the Charleston church killings, Jeb Bush rejected calls for stricter gun control laws, stating that he does not believe tougher gun laws would prevent mass shootings.

Healthcare

Bush favors repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA or "Obamacare") and replacing it with a "market-oriented" alternative. Bush has called the current law a "monstrosity" that is "flawed to its core." Bush has proposed some sort of state- or local-government funded "catastrophic coverage" system, in which "if you have a hardship that goes way beyond your means of paying for it, ... the government is there or an entity is there to help you deal with that." After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ACA in King v. Burwell in June 2015, Bush stated that the decision was "not the end of the fight" against the law.

In March 2013, Bush expressed opposition to Florida accepting federal funds for Medicaid expansion, as provided for by the ACA (which allocates funds to extend medical coverage to all adults with annual incomes at or below 133% of the federal poverty level).

In April 2014, Bush expressed opposition to the ACA provision which bars health insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, stating "What if you have a Big Mac for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? You’ll get a pre-existing condition pretty soon, because you’ll get a heart condition. Should society pay for that behavior? That's a question that the ACA ignores." Bush has suggested limiting the definition of "pre-existing condition" to genetic disorders at birth.

In July 2015, Bush stated that "we need to figure out a way to phase out" Medicare, the federal program that provides health insurance to Americans once they turn sixty-five years old. Bush praised Paul Ryan's proposal to replace Medicare with a voucher system.

In April 2015, Bush has suggested that Medicare recipients be required to sign advance directives (outlining end-of-life care instructions) before receiving benefits.

In June 2015, Bush said that he opposed requiring employers to provide health-care benefits to employees (the employer mandate) and opposed requiring individuals to carry health insurance (the individual mandate).

In August 2015, at a Southern Baptist Convention event, Bush stated that "I'm not sure we need half a billion dollars for women's health issues." Several hours later, Bush released a statement saying: "With regards to women's health funding broadly, I misspoke, as there are countless community health centers, rural clinics, and other women's health organizations that need to be fully funded. They provide critical services to all, but particularly low-income women who don’t have the access they need."

Bush has called for privatizing some elements of the Veterans Affairs health-care system. While Bush was governor of Florida, the State launched an privatization initiative in which three state veterans' nursing homes contracted out their nursing and food services to private companies; one of the facilities suffered from substandard care problems, however, and Bush's successor, Governor Charlie Crist, ended the program.

While Bush was governor of Florida, he launched a Medicaid overhaul plan intended to reduce the costs of the program to the state. Under the Bush pilot program (which Bush referred to as "empowered care"), which began in 2006 and later expanded to five counties, private insurers were permitted to manage the Medicaid program and decide which benefits to offer. In 2012, Bush stated that the program was a success that led to better cost control and health outcomes. In 2013, reports showed that plans participating in the Bush reform program "ranked below the national Medicaid average on 21 of the 32 quality indicators reported by the state."

Immigration

In 2015, Bush took the position that people in the United States illegally should have a path to legal status, but not a path to citizenship, and said that legal status and avoiding deportation should require immigrants to pay fines, get work permits, pay taxes, not receive government assistance, learn English, and not commit crimes. He supports tougher enforcement of immigration laws, including prosecution of businesses that try to hire illegal aliens.

In 2015, Bush said that illegal immigrants could not simply be rounded up and deported. In a January 2015 speech, Bush stated of people overstayed their visas, "We ought to be able to find where they are and politely ask them to leave."

Bush says that he wants to increase the number of people permitted to immigrate to the U.S. based on their skills, while decreasing the number who immigrate because of family relationships. He compared President Obama's executive orders creating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) programs to the decrees of "a Latin American dictator," stating that he favors changes through legislation and not by executive order. Bush vowed to revoke those executive orders.

Previously, in 2013, Bush stated on NBC's Meet the Press that comprehensive immigration reform could take either the path to citizenship or a path to legalization, but that illegal immigrants should not get these benefits at lower cost than legal immigrants. Bush also stated that the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill (which passed the Senate in 2013, but was never taken up by the House) was a "good effort" in addressing the problem.

In 2014, Bush referring to those who "crossed the border because they had no other means to work to be able to provide for their family," said: "Yes, they broke the law, but it's not a felony. It's an act of love. It’s an act of commitment to your family. I honestly think that that is a different kind of crime that there should be a price paid, but it shouldn't rile people up that people are actually coming to this country to provide for their families."

In July 2015, Bush said that federal funds should be withheld from so-called "sanctuary cities," jurisdictions that do not cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "Bush acknowledged in his remarks that there are different types of sanctuary cities, but did not go into detail on how he would decide which would be blocked from receiving funding."

In a 2013 book and again in August 2015, Bush said that he disagreed with proposals to amend the Constitution to eliminate the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of jus soli ("birthright") citizenship to persons born in America.

Also in August 2015, Bush used the pejorative phrase "anchor babies" to refer to children born in the United States to undocumented immigrants, although he previously chaired the conservative Hispanic Leadership Network group, which had issued a memo advising Republicans to not use the term. Bush later said that he did not believe the phrase was offensive and that he did not regret using the phrase.

Marijuana

Bush believes that each state should decide on marijuana legalization. He has opposed measures to allow either recreational or medical marijuana in his home state of Florida. In 2014, he opposed the "United for Care" amendment (Florida Amendment 2), a proposed state constitutional amendment on the ballot which would have "allow[ed] physicians to recommend medical marijuana to people with 'debilitating' medical conditions." Bush issued a statement reading, "I strongly urge Floridians to vote against Amendment 2."

Bush is "conflicted" over whether the federal government should enforce federal marijuana laws in states in which medical marijuana is legal under state law, stating "I don't know. I'd have to sort that out."

Bush has acknowledged that he smoked marijuana while a high school student at Phillips Academy. He says that choice was "wrong" and a "stupid decision."

Puerto Rico

In April 2015, Bush said in San Juan that the political status of Puerto Rico should be determined by Puerto Ricans (saying "This should be a question of self-determination") and that he supported statehood (saying "I think statehood is the best path, personally. I have believed that for a long, long while"). Bush said the next president should "use their influence" to pressure Congress into taking an up-or-down vote on whether to admit Puerto Rico to the Union.

On the Puerto Rican debt crisis, Bush supports granting Puerto Rico the option of using Chapter 9 of the bankruptcy code to restructure its debts.

Terri Schiavo case

Main article: Government involvement in the Terri Schiavo case

During the Terri Schiavo case in 2003 while he was governor, the Florida state legislature passed legislation ("Terri's Law") giving Bush authority to intervene in the case. Bush ordered a feeding tube reinserted, and sent the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to remove Schiavo from a hospice where she was staying. In 2004, the Florida Supreme Court unanimously overturned the law as unconstitutional.

In early 2015, Bush referred to the case, and defended his actions, suggesting that a way to deal with such situations in the future would be by requiring Medicare recipients to sign advance directives outlining end-of-life care instructions before receiving benefits.

Science and technology

Net neutrality

Bush is an opponent of net neutrality (calling it "one of the craziest ideas I've ever heard") and has said that "I hope that Congress acts" to reverse the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules. In July 2015, Bush said of net neutrality: "It's a stupid idea" and "Sometimes when there's not a problem, maybe we shouldn't solve it."

NASA, FDA, and federal research spending

In a July 2015 interview, Bush called himself a "space guy" and said that if elected president, he would propose an increase in NASA funding. In the same interview, Bush also said that he supported increasing federal spending on research and development.

In May 2015, Bush suggested that he might support an increase in funding for National Institutes of Health medical research. At the same event, Bush stated: "We need to reform F.D.A. [regulations] to accelerate the approval process for drug and device approval."

Voting rights

During Bush's tenure as governor of Florida, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris oversaw a "botched" voter purge of the Florida voters' roll. The initiative was aimed at removing ineligible voters from the rolls, but when program was launched, "it became immediately clear that the effort was generating a slew of false positives. Voters in good standing, who happened to share names with convicted felons, but had never been in trouble with the law, were being taken off the voting rolls." A number of emails from aggrieved voters who had been wrongfully removed from the voters' roll were sent to various Jeb Bush email accounts. The purge "wrongfully denied thousands of legitimate voters the ability to participate" in an extremely close presidential contest in Florida, which ultimately led to the Florida election recount in 2000 and Bush v. Gore, a Supreme Court ruling which ultimately decided the election. Estimates vary widely on how many people had been wrongly denied the right to vote; a 2001 Palm Beach Post investigation concluded "that at least 1,100 eligible voters were wrongly purged," but other reports put the figure much higher; the Brennan Center for Justice estimated that 12,000 eligible voters had been wrongly identified as convicted felons and purged.

After the recount, Bush was subpoenaed in a post-election investigation by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; at a Commission hearing in January 2001, "Bush sought to distance himself from the botched purge, arguing that as governor, he was not charged with administering the election." The Commission's final report, issued in June 2001, found that there was a "strong basis" to determine that violations of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 had occurred in the 2000 election in Florida. The report found that Bush and Harris's "overall lack of leadership in protecting voting rights was largely responsible for the broad array of problems in Florida during the 2000 election," but did not find that they "conspired to disenfranchise voters."

Ahead of the 2004 election, the State of Florida attempted, but ultimately canceled, a second voter purge described as "botched." In 2004, a lawsuit forced the state to make public a list of 47,000 potential felons on the voting rolls; the Miami Herald reported in July 2004 that more than 2,000 names were incorrectly listed, and due to a database flaw, almost all Hispanic felons were omitted from the list. Less than two weeks after the list became public, the state stopped the initiative; Bush stated at the time that "Not including Hispanic felons that may be voters on the list...was an oversight and a mistake...And we accept responsibility and that's why we're pulling it back."

Economic issues

Bailouts

Bush, who served as a senior advisor to the Barclays banking company after leaving office as Florida governor, supported the 2008 Troubled Asset Relief Program (the "Wall Street bailout"), which initially authorized $700 billion in loans from the U.S. government to the banking sector. Bush endorsed the bailout at a 2012 hearing before the House Budget Committee.

Bush opposed the 2008-2009 auto-industry bailout.

Social Security

Bush favors raising the retirement age (i.e., the age for collecting Social Security retirement benefits) "from 65 to 68 or 70." His position attracted scrutinity given the fact that the retirement age is 66, not 65 as Bush stated, and that under current law, full benefits must be delayed to 67.

Bush has called for raising the retirement age "gradually, over a long period of time for people that are just entering the system. And I think we need to do that in relatively short order." He has not provided specifics.

Financial regulation

Bush is a frequent critic of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.

In November 2013, Bush asserted that new financial regulation rules instituted by Dodd–Frank in response to the Great Recession inhibited economic growth, stating that while banks "made some terrible and costly decisions in the past," they are now doing business more responsibly.

Budget, taxation, and labor

In announcing his presidential candidacy in 2015, Bush stated that his "goal as president" would be annual GDP growth of 4 percent and 19 million new jobs. Many economists believe that sustained 4 percent GDP growth is highly unlikely. In a July 2015 interview with the Union Leader, Bush said that in order to achieve his "aspiration for the country" of "4 percent growth as far as the eye can see," "we have to be a lot more productive, workforce participation has to rise from its all-time modern lows. It means that people need to work longer hours" and, through their productivity, gain more income for their families. That's the only way we're going to get out of this rut that we're in."

Bush opposes tax increases, but has declined to sign Grover Norquist's anti-tax pledge. Bush also favors simplifying the tax code, but has not specified exactly how he would do that.

While Bush was in office, "Florida's outstanding debt rose from $15 billion to more than $23 billion. The state's annual debt service payments rose from $928 million to $1.7 billion."

According to a South Florida Sun-Sentinel news analysis, as Florida governor, Bush "championed tax cuts that chiefly benefited business and the wealthy." Under Bush's governorship, Florida reduced and then repealed the state's 0.2% tax on stocks, bonds, and other intangible assets.

Bush also instituted several state sales tax holidays; and enacted a manufacturing deduction for electricity. The libertarian-oriented Cato Institute has stated that Bush was "a prolific tax cutter, but he let spending rise quickly toward the end of his tenure." In all, $19 billion in tax cuts were enacted during Bush's tenure; Bush also vetoed $2 billion from state budgets (Florida has a line-item veto).

A Bush spokesperson told the Washington Times in October 2014 that he does not support tax increases of any kind, although in 2012 Bush indicated he could accept a hypothetical budget deal containing one dollar in tax increases for every ten dollars of spending cuts.

Privatization and public employees

In his unsuccessful 1994 race for governor, Bush "talked about 'blowing up' state agencies, and said he wanted to 'club [Florida's] government into submission.'"

As governor, Bush was a proponent of privatization and shrinking the state workforce. When he took his oath of office for a second term, Bush stated in his inaugural address at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee that "There would be no greater tribute to our maturity as a society, than if we can make these buildings around us empty of workers."

Over Bush's eight years in office, Florida eliminated between 5,000 and 13,000 state-worker jobs, depending on which counting method is used.

Beginning in 2002, Bush privatized the state's child protective services system, continuing a shift that had begun under Bush's predecessor. Under Bush, state government "doubled the funding for the state's child welfare services, privatized the state's entire child welfare service system and subcontracted out the work of caring for foster kids." "Bush inherited one of—if not the—worst foster systems in the nation," and his changes to the system had mixed results; supporters stated that the changes had improved outcomes, while critics criticized the system for losing track of 500 children, including some who died, such as Rilya Wilson.

Other state services that were privatized under Bush include the "state government's personnel department, ... its prison food services, its Medicaid program, and its defense of death-row inmates." Bush unsuccessfully pushed to privatize the State Library collection and move its collection to a private university.

In a speech at Florida State University in Tallahassee in July 2015, Bush called for adopting a "three-out, one-in rule across the federal workforce" (with exceptions for positions deemed "critical"). Under this system, only one new federal hire would be made for every three federal employees who leave. Bush asserted that this would cut the size of the federal workforce by 10%. In the same speech, Bush called for stripping federal employees of certain civil service protections, but did not specify which civil service laws he would try to change.

Agriculture and farm subsidies

Bush has declined to express a position on subsidies to corn farmers.

Bush supports Country of Origin Labeling regulations for meat.

Bush opposes the labeling of genetically-engineered foods.

Utility rate increases

Under a bill signed into law by Bush, Florida utility companies may "recoup advanced costs for building nuclear plants—even if they are never constructed."

In 2009, Bush expressed support for a proposed $1.27 billion annual base rate increase by Florida Power & Light (FP&L), a Florida utility company. Bush stated that an increase was necessary "to allow utility companies to make an adequate return on their investment to expand efficient, clean power generation."

Minimum wage

In 2005, Bush stated that he opposed raising the federal minimum wage, stating: "we need to leave it to the private sector. I think state minimum wages are fine." Bush later clarified that he is just opposed to raising the federal minimum wage, and does not support abolishing it altogether.

As Florida governor, Bush opposed a 2004 ballot measure (approved by Florida voters) which indexed the state minimum wage to inflation.

International trade

Bush has repeatedly expressed support for Trans-Pacific Partnership, writing "I have no problem supporting TPP." Bush also supports granting trade promotion ("fast track") authority to the Obama administration to complete the deal.

Bush supported the 2005 Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA).

International relations and security

Iran

Bush has called the April 2015 Iran nuclear deal framework a "horrific deal" and said he would likely terminate any final agreement should he become president. He has argued that the deal would put Iran into a position where it could intimidate the Middle East. Bush condemned the July 2015 final nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 world powers, calling it "appeasement." However, Bush stated that he would not seek to revoke the agreement on his first day in office.

Israel

Bush says that he is "an unwavering supporter" of Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a speech, Bush said his brother, former President George W. Bush, was his main adviser on policy with the Middle East. Bush later clarified that he was referring to policy on Israel, rather than on the Middle East as a whole.

China

Bush has said that "we have an ongoing, deep relationship" with China and has advised letting the China-United States relationship "evolve."

Cuba

Bush opposes the normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations. In December 2014, before President Obama began that process, Bush said that "instead of lifting the embargo, we should consider strengthening it." In July 2015, Bush criticized the moves of the U.S. and Cuba to reopen their embassies. The same month, Bush told the Manchester, New Hampshire Union Leader editorial board that he would "probably" close a U.S. embassy to Cuba if elected.

Guantanamo Bay

In August 2015, asked what he would do with prisoners who remain at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, Bush replied: "Keep 'em there."

Iraq, Syria, and ISIS

Bush says that U.S. troops should not be sent now to Iraq, to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS or ISIL), but that some U.S. troops ought to be embedded with Iraqi armed forces help train them and identify targets.

In May 2015, Bush stated that he would have ordered the 2003 invasion of Iraq had he been President at the time: "I would have [authorized the invasion], and so would have Hillary Clinton, just to remind everybody. And so would almost everybody that was confronted with the intelligence they got." He also indicated that the lack of focus on post-invasion security was a mistake. Several days later, Bush stated: "knowing what we know now, ...I would not have engaged....I would not have gone into Iraq." According to reporting by CNN, "Bush argued that the invasion—though perhaps inspired by faulty intelligence—had been beneficial, saying the world was 'significantly safer' without Saddam Hussein in power."

In a August 2015 speech, Bush defended his brother's handling of the Iraq War, stating: "I'll tell you, taking out Saddam Hussein turned out to be a pretty good deal." Bush stated that "the decision to dismantle the Iraqi army was a mistake, and I think my brother would admit that today." Bush blamed President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for the rise of ISIS and other post-Iraq War turmoil, saying that this was caused by a "premature" withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011. This statement attracted criticism because the U.S. withdrawal in 2011 was negotiated in 2008 by the George W. Bush administration.

Bush favors building a new U.S. base in Iraq's al-Anbar province, and believes American ground troops would not be needed to defeat ISIS, but he has not commented on adding to the approximately 3,500 U.S. troops in Iraq now.

Daniel W. Drezner, a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, wrote in the Washington Post in August 2015 that: "If you look at Bush's actual specifics on Iraq, most of the things he suggests — 'support the Iraqi forces,' 'more support to the Kurds,' 'restart the serious diplomatic efforts' — aren't all that different from the current administration's policies. Bush might propose more forward deployment of U.S. forces, but otherwise his Iraq policy boils down to 'I'll try harder.'"

Russia

Bush characterizes Russian president Vladimir Putin a "bully" and called for a "more robust" approach. Bush told reporters during a European trip in June 2015 that the U.S. should "consider putting troops" in Poland, the Baltic states, and nearby countries. Bush also proposed expanding U.S. military exercises in the region.

Bush has not offered a "detailed plan for ending the presence of Russian-backed troops in Ukraine."

Use of torture

When asked in June 2015 on the use of torture by the United States, Bush stated "I don't think that's necessary. Because I don't think we need it, it's not the law." When pressed on whether that position applied after the September 11 attacks, Bush stated: "I think it was appropriate at the time, given what we—you know, the uncertainty. We were under attack. I think it was appropriate—it was also appropriate to change the policies once we had enough history."

In August 2015, however, when asked whether he would retain or repeal President Obama's executive order prohibited the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques," Bush refused to rule out the use of torture, saying that while he was opposed to torture in general, "I don't want to make a definitive, blanket kind of statement." Bush also "said there was a difference between enhanced interrogation and torture" but declined to be specific.