Political positions of George W. Bush

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During his administration, George Bush supported enacting generous tax cuts on the model of Ronald Reagan's supply-side fiscal policies. He believed this would help the economy at large.^[1]

George Bush supported nuclear power and expanded domestic drilling.^[2] Bush pledged to work toward reduced reliance on foreign oil by reducing fossil fuel consumption and increasing alternative fuel production.^[3] He lifted a ban on offshore drilling in 2008,^[4] saying at the time, "This means that the only thing standing between the American people and these vast oil reserves is action from the U.S. Congress."^[4] Bush said in June 2008, "In the long run, the solution is to reduce demand for oil by promoting alternative energy technologies. My administration has worked with Congress to invest in gas-saving technologies like advanced batteries and hydrogen fuel cells... In the short run, the American economy will continue to rely largely on oil. And that means we need to increase supply, especially here at home. So my administration has repeatedly called on Congress to expand domestic oil production."^[5]

In 2008, Bush announced that the United States would commit $2 billion towards an international fund to promote clean energy technologies, saying, "along with contributions from other countries, this fund will increase and accelerate the deployment of all forms of cleaner, more efficient technologies in developing nations like India and China, and help leverage substantial private-sector capital by making clean energy projects more financially attractive."^[6]

Bush supported the privatization of Social Security by allowing individuals to set up personal retirement accounts.^[7] He also supported the expansion of Medicare to cover prescription drugs using private insurance through his Medicare Part D program.^[8]

Bush generally supported free-market capitalism, but claimed to understand the importance of government involvement in private financial affairs to mitigate negative effects of the economy.^{[citation needed]} In November 2008, Bush said, "Our aim should not be more government. It should be smarter government."^[9] Bush also embraced democratic capitalism, saying that "Democratic capitalism is the greatest system ever conceived."^[10] While he supported free-market capitalism, he also supported state interventionism and a bigger welfare state.^{[citation needed]} Because of this, Bush is viewed by some as a Third Way advocate and compared to Bill Clinton.^[11] Right-libertarians from the Cato Institute have criticized Bush due his support of state interventionism while claiming to support free-market capitalism.^[12] In practice, Bush advocated for a mixture of neoliberalism and Keynesianism.^{[13][14][15][16][17][18]}

During the beginning of his first term, Bush enacted corporate tax cuts in the hopes that the economy would flourish as a result.^[19] Later, in 2008, Bush supported major bailout plans for mortgage lenders and automakers who were facing bankruptcy.^[20] Bush also enacted the first major economic stimulus of the 2008 Recession, which provided stimulus checks to American citizens.^[21]

During his Presidency, Bush supported a temporary-worker program to create a legal path for foreign workers to enter the United States. He opposed amnesty for those already in the country illegally, although said he does not support deporting people that are already here. He also put a strong emphasis on secure borders and support for border patrol.^[22]

While in office, Bush was a supporter of free trade, and called on nations to reject protectionism.^[23]

Bush supported a free-market health care system, and opposed a universal health plan. In 2004, Bush planned a health care program that he said would cover as many as 10 million people lacking health insurance at a cost of $102 billion over the next decade.^[24]

On March 19, 2003, Bush ordered an invasion of Iraq, launching the Iraq War. That night, he addressed the nation, stating that his decision to invade Iraq served "to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger".^[25] The United States and its allies charged that Saddam Hussein's government possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), and thus posed a serious and imminent threat to the security of the United States and its coalition allies.^[26][27] This assessment was supported by the U.K. intelligence services, but not by other countries such as France, Russia and Germany. After the war, extensive searches and investigations revealed that the claimed "weapons of mass destruction" never existed; this was confirmed by the findings reported by multiple international and national commissions.^[28][29][30]

In his 2002 State of the Union Address, Bush declared the nations of North Korea, Iran, and Iraq, as well as "their terrorist allies", were part of the axis of evil for their alleged support of terrorism.^[31][32]

After the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, President Bush founded the Department of Homeland Security.^[33][34] He initially opposed it, arguing that the department placed an unnecessary bureaucratic burden on the U.S. government.^{[35][36][better source needed]} Bush changed his mind in June 2002, approving of the proposal;^{[citation needed]} however, its creation was delayed due to disagreements in Congress over labor protection and the role of trade unions in the department.^[37][38][39] The department was created on November 25, following the passage of the Homeland Security Act.

In office, Bush was a supporter of anti-terrorist surveillance and information-gathering methods.^[40] In 2001, he signed the Patriot Act into law, a piece of anti-terrorism regulation that remained in place until its expiration in March 2020.^[40]

The November 13, 2001, Presidential Military Order gave the President of the United States the power to detain suspects, suspected of connection to terrorists or terrorism as an unlawful combatant. As such, it was asserted that a person could be held indefinitely without charges being filed against him or her, without a court hearing, and without entitlement to a legal consultant. Many legal and constitutional scholars contended that these provisions were in direct opposition to habeas corpus and the United States Bill of Rights.^{[citation needed]}

Although generally an opponent of gun control, Bush showed support for certain gun-restrictive policies.^[41] Following a shooting spree in Atlanta in July 1999, Bush announced his support for a ban on high-capacity magazines and an increase of the legal age for firearms from 18 to 21, calling these "reasonable measures."^[41][42] As governor of Texas, Bush initiated a program to provide Texas handgun owners with free trigger locks in May 2000, and pledged to push for the initiative on a nationwide scale if elected president.^[43][44][45] In 2003, Bush declared that he would seek a renewal of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban which was due to expire the following year,^[46] however it was later reported that he "seemed disinclined" to push for it in Congress.^[47] Bush signed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act into law in October 2005.^[48]