2010 Elections: Questions for the Candidates

Download and print questions for the candidates

The debates leading up to the mid-term congressional elections in November 2010 provide you an opportunity to talk with members of Congress and candidates about issues of peace, justice, and the environment.

Invite candidates for Congress in your area (including incumbents) to answer specific questions about how they will work to eliminate nuclear weapons, promote diplomacy to prevent wars, fix our broken immigration system, and address global warming.

Don’t miss this opportunity to take a stand in public!

The following questions can help you get started. How far can you climb the ladder of engagement with candidates for the 2010 elections? Put up a "War Is Not the Answer" sign at your home. Next, write letters to the candidates. Then, try to organize a letter from your local meeting, church, or community group to the candidates. Pencil in a few public events where you can meet your candidates—a town hall meeting, a shopping mall meet-and-greet, or an in-home visit with a few potential supporters. Then invite the candidates to speak with your group.

Afghanistan: A Strategy to End the War

Question to ask your candidates

Congress continues to vote more money for war in Afghanistan. The failure of U.S. strategy to bring peace and security to that country and the region is not addressed. President Obama said he would begin to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan in July 2011. Will you support legislation to begin a withdrawal no later than this date and to negotiate a timetable for withdrawal with the Afghan government

FCNL's view

In 2010, the debate on Afghanistan in Congress tends to break down between “out now” and “keep fighting.” The debate in Congress should be about the strategy that will end the fighting, bring U.S. troops home, and support efforts by the Afghan people to rebuild their country. Find out more.

Time to Invest in Peace

Question to ask your candidates

In 2009, 33% of my tax dollars went to fund the Pentagon and related agencies. Just 1% was spent on tools to prevent war: diplomacy, development, and international cooperation. The U.S. needs civilian experts and readily available funds to prevent, not just fight, wars. Will you support fully funding the State Department’s new Civilian Response Corps, as well as the president’s $100 million request for a Complex Crises Fund to help prevent crises?

FCNL's view

President Obama, Secretary of Defense Gates, and congressional leaders of both parties agree that the United States needs more than just military might to build security in today’s world. Congress has yet to invest adequately in the civilian tools of diplomacy, development, and international cooperation. For example, the Civilian Response Corps—a new corps of experts from civilian agencies who can help prevent and rebuild after wars—continues to be underfunded. Find out more.

Broken Bookkeeping - Time to Audit the Pentagon

Question to ask your candidates

Every major federal agency, except the Pentagon, is required to account for what it spends each year. The Pentagon has acknowledged that its financial books do not conform to accounting standards. Will you publicly endorse the call for the Pentagon to be subject to annual audits? Will you support legislation, like Senator Chuck Grassley’s bill this year, that would require the Pentagon’s books to be audited?

FCNL's view

As Defense Industry Daily noted in 2009, “It’s not that the US Department of Defense fails audits. The problem is more fundamental: it is not currently possible to audit it, and any comprehensive audit would be a first-ever event in modern times.” The Pentagon spent 33 cents of every income tax dollar you paid in 2009. It should be required to account for that money like every other government agency. Find out more.

Fix the Broken Immigration System

Question to ask your candidates

The U.S. immigration system is broken. For more than 15 years, Congress has failed to pass comprehensive legislation to reform the system. Will you support strong, comprehensive immigration reform legislation similar to Rep. Luis Gutierrez’s bill this year that promotes family unity, brings undocumented immigrants out of the shadows, and upholds immigrants’ human and civil rights?

FCNL's view

Few people dispute that the U.S. immigration system is broken and inhumane, but most solutions offered focus on tighter controls on the border and more law enforcement, rather than changing the current system. Instead, Congress should create an equitable legal immigration system; protect labor rights for all workers and immigrants’ civil and human rights; facilitate immigrant integration; and align enforcement with humanitarian values. Find out more.

Honor the Promises for Native Americans

Question to ask your candidates

Indian Country is experiencing a public safety crisis. Will you cosponsor or endorse the Tribal Law and Order Act to increase communication and cooperation between federal, state, local and tribal authorities; increase funding, training and authority of tribal governments and law enforcement agencies; and take steps to reduce violent crime and violence against women?

FCNL's view

Native Americans are addressing problems on Indian reservations. Yet a deficient justice system and insufficient funding and support from the federal government set the stage for high crime rates and high rates of domestic and sexual violence on some reservations. Congress should act to assist tribes in addressing these problems. Find out more.

Cut Greenhouse Gas Pollution

Question to ask your candidates

Global warming threatens the survival of the planet as we know it. Working together, the United States and other nations have the resources to address global warming by creating a new green global economy. Will you support legislation like that introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell and Susan Collins this year that would provide simple, fair and effective means to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, or support similar legislation in the House?

FCNL's view

If the international community does not act now to mitigate global warming and dramatically diminish the human contribution to it, the human species could face a catastrophic global change that would affect all life on Earth. The cap and trade legislation passed by the House in 2009 and similar legislation debated in the Senate did not take us in the right direction. The CLEAR Act (S. 2877) is the kind of legislation that should be supported. Find out more.

Reduce the Risk of Nuclear Weapons

Question to ask your candidates

Do you support the call from former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, former Sen. Sam Nunn, and former Defense Secretary William Perry for the United States to make a priority of pursuing “a world free of nuclear weapons?” If you are in the Senate when the new START treaty with Russia and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) are brought to a vote, will you vote for ratification?

FCNL's view

For the first time in decades, leading opinion makers in both major political parties recognize that nuclear weapons don’t assure U.S. security. In the next two years, the Senate will have an opportunity to ratify the new START treaty with Russia and the CTBT. Ratification requires 67 votes. Find out more.