Rashida Tlaib
Bio | Rashida Tlaib studied law at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, after which she worked as an attorney at the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice. She has made history as the first Muslim woman to serve in the Michigan State Legislature, the first woman of Palestinian descent to serve in the United States Congress, and, along with Ilhan Omar, one of the first two Muslim women to be elected to serve in the US Congress. |
Status and Position | Current US House of Representatives of Michigan |
Political Party and Jurisdiction | Democrat, Michigan |
Elections | Election Jurisdiction | Started Campaign | Campaign Status | Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| 2020 House of Representatives Election MI-13 | MI-13 | Yes | Running | N/A |
Campaign Financing | Tlaib has most of her campaign contributions coming from individuals. She condemns those who accept vast amounts of money from PACs. |
Voting Rights | Tlaib believes that the provisions granted in the Voting Rights Act should be restored. |
Opinions on Issues
Issues | Stance | Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | For | She supports universal health coverage. Tlaib is astonished by the amount of people that are not covered by healthcare. She has made public statements on standing for the movement Medicare for All. |
| Socialized Healthcare | For | Tlaib is a believer in socialized healthcare such as Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. |
| Private Healthcare | Against | Tlaib generally does not advocate for private healthcare and instead focuses on reducing costs and increasing coverage. |
| LGBT Rights | For | She stands behind the LGBT community. Tlaib contends that we should go farther in extending more civil rights protections for the LGBT community. She has stated that every bill must protect LGBT people. |
| Taxes | For | She opposes tax cuts. Tlaib is supportive of raising taxes on corporations and on higher income tax brackets. She has denounced Trump's tax bill for privileging the rich. |
| Flat Tax Rate | Against | She does not advocate for a flat tax rate. Tlaib is supportive of raising taxes on corporations and on higher income tax brackets. She has denounced Trump's tax bill for privileging the rich. |
| Abortion | For | She is pro-choice. Tlaib maintains that it is not the role of government to interfere with the reproductive choices of a woman. As such, she vows to fight any legislation that threatens to limit this freedom. |
| Gun Control | For | She advocates for gun control legislation. Tlaib has voted in favor of the Enhanced Background Checks Act. She sees this as a means of curbing gun violence by keeping guns out of the hands of those who are dangerous. |
| Assisted Suicide | Unknown | She does not have a position on assisted suicide. Tlaib has voted in favor of the Enhanced Background Checks Act. She sees this as a means of curbing gun violence by keeping guns out of the hands of those who are dangerous. |
| Government Interference | For | Tlaib's endorsed policies heavily rely on government interference such as welfare programs and taxes. |
| Planned Parenthood | For | She advocates for funding Planned Parenthood. |
| Welfare | For | She advocates for welfare programs. Tlaib sees welfare programs as essential for funneling money and resources to the most needy of the American population. She opposes privatizing or cutting funding to welfare programs such as Social Security. |
| Welfare | Unknown | She has not taken a stance on stem cell research. |
| Death Penalty | Against | She opposes capital punishment. In commenting on brutal executions that take place outside the US, she has explained why capital punishment should not be practiced in our own country. She also sees the presence of innocent people on death row as an issue. |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | Unknown | Tlaib does not have a strong opinion on mandatory minimum prison sentences. |
| Military Spending | Against | She would like to ease defense spending. |
| War on Terrorism | Against | Tlaib is the second Muslim to serve in a state legislature nationwide and sees the War on Terror as Islamophobic. |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | Against | Tlaib is cautious about international interaction. The congresswoman has been one of the few House Representatives that question the impact of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement due to the fact that it might adversely affect the American job market. She contends that we should be weary in extending ourselves internationally. |
| United Nations power | Unknown | She does not have a known position on the United Nations. |
| Nationalism | Against | Tlaib sees white nationalism as concerning. |
| Free Markets | Against | She opposes free markets. Much of Tlaib's platform heavily regulates the market through measures such as corporate taxes and higher minimum wages. She hopes to sacrifice this freedom in the market for better labor standards. |
| Brexit | Against | Tlaib opposes Brexit. |
| Affirmative Action | For | Tlaib sees affirmative action as a means of uplifting Latino and Black communities. |
| Government Spending | For | Tlaib advocates for government spending. |
| Charter Schools | Against | Tlaib has aided legislation that seeks to increase the oversight and accountability of charter schools. |
| Common Core | Unknown | Tlaib's stance on Common Core is not clear. N/A |
| Clean Energy | For | Tlaib advocates for clean energy. Tlaib promotes both restrictions on fossil fuel production and investment into the renewable energy industry. She believes that by subsidizing this part of the US economy, we can create jobs and help address climate change. |
| Religious Freedom | For | Tlaib is supportive of religious freedom. As the second Muslim to serve in a state legislature nationwide, Tlaib understands the importance of religious freedom. She has received hate mail for her religion and seeks to create a country in which everyone can practice their religion without fear of persecution. |
| Separation of Church and State | For | She advocates for the separation of church and state. |
| Slavery Reparations | For | Talib has voiced her opinion that reparations must be a part of the nation's efforts to recover from systemic racism. |
| Border Control | Against | She does not favor increased border security. Tlaib has condemned Trump's hard stance on immigration due to its prejudicial foundation. She has made many emotional statements on ICE detention centers and other atrocities that she sees as contributing to the humanitarian crisis of immigration. |
| Passenger Profiling | Against | Tlaib opposes passenger profiling. |
| DACA | For | Tlaib praised the federal judge's decision to uphold DACA. |
| Sanctuary Cities | For | Tlaib has made efforts to push Congress to help immigrants in sanctuary cities. |
| Legalizing Marijuana | For | Tlaib is supportive of both decriminalizing and legalizing marijuana. |