However, if his Wikipedia page is true and accurate he’d make the best candidate by far.
SOTN Editor’s Note: Please see the stated political positions of Justin Amash as taken right from his Wiki page:
Political positions
Amash is a libertarian Republican.[36][37][38] He is regarded as one of the most conservative members of Congress,[1][2][4] receiving high scores from conservative interest groups such as the Club for Growth, Heritage Action for America, and Americans for Prosperity,[2] and praise from conservative think tanks and nonprofit organizations.[39] He is a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus,[40] a group of hard-line conservative Republicans in the House.[3][40]
As a member of Congress, Amash has gained a reputation as a gadfly within the Republican Party; his staunchly libertarian and sometimes contrarian views have resulted at times in disagreements with party leadership and other members of the Michigan congressional delegation.[41][42]
Amash has called economists F. A. Hayek and Frédéric Bastiat his “biggest heroes” and political inspirations,[21] and has described himself as “Hayekian libertarian”.[43] When The New York Times asked him to explain his approach to voting on legislation, he replied, “I follow a set of principles. I follow the Constitution. And that’s what I base my votes on. Limited government, economic freedom, and individual liberty.”[44]
Abortion
Amash opposes abortion and federal funding for abortion.[45] He describes himself as “100 percent pro-life”[46] and in 2017 voted in favor of federal legislation to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.[47]
Amash voted “present” rather than “yes” or “no” on the 2011 Full Year Continuing Appropriations Act, which provided for the cessation of federal funding to Planned Parenthood. Although he supports eliminating federal funding for Planned Parenthood, he abstained from defunding legislation, arguing that “legislation that names a specific private organization to defund (rather than all organizations that engage in a particular activity) is improper” and an “arguably unconstitutional” bill of attainder.[44][48]
Economy
Amash opposes government bailouts and tax increases.[21]
He was one of four Republicans who joined 161 Democrats to oppose a Constitutional amendment that would require a yearly balanced budget, due to serious concerns[clarification needed] with that specific proposal.[49] Earlier that year, Amash had introduced H.J. Res. 81, an alternative balanced budget amendment that addressed those concerns.[50]
Energy and environment
Amash has criticized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), arguing that many environmental regulations are overreaching.[51] He voted in favor of the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, which would have amended the Clean Air Act of 1963to prohibit the EPA from regulating specified greenhouse gasses as air pollutants.[52] In a 2017 debate Amash “exaggerated uncertainty around the basics of climate science”—specifically, the scientific consensus that carbon emissions cause climate change.[53] He opposed Obama’s decision to sign the Paris Agreement to combat climate change.[54] Amash voted against legislation to block Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement[55] and in favor of legislation “expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy.”[55]
Amash voted against Great Lakes restoration legislation.[51]
Amash was the only representative from Michigan to oppose federal aid in response to the Flint water crisis, arguing that “the U.S. Constitution does not authorize the federal government to intervene in an intrastate matter like this one.” Instead Amash contended that “the State of Michigan should provide comprehensive assistance to the people of Flint.”[56]
Foreign policy
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Amash speaking at the 2016 Young Americans for Liberty National Convention in Washington, D.C.
Amash supports decreasing U.S. military spending, and believes there is significant waste in the military spending of the U.S. Department of Defense.[57]
He believes only Congress has the power to declare war, criticizing President Obama’s intervention in Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant for proceeding without a Congressional declaration of war.[58]
In 2011 Amash was one of six members of Congress who voted against House Resolution 268 reaffirming U.S. commitment to a negotiated settlement of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict through direct Israeli–Palestinian negotiation, which passed with 407 members in support.[6][59] In 2014 he was one of eight members of Congress who voted against a $225 million package to restock Israel‘s Iron Dome missile defenses, which passed with 398 members in support.[60] He supports a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[6]
Amash joined 104 Democrats and 16 Republicans in voting against the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which specified the budget and expenditures of the Department of Defense,[61] calling it “one of the most anti-liberty pieces of legislation of our lifetime”.[62] Amash co-sponsored an amendment to the NDAA that would ban indefinite military detention and military trials so that all terror suspects arrested in the United States would be tried in civilian courts. He expressed concern that individuals charged with terrorism could be jailed for prolonged periods of time without ever being formally charged or brought to trial.[63]
On March 14, 2016, Amash joined the unanimous vote in the House to approve a resolution declaring the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to be committing genocide against religious minorities in the Middle East (it passed 383–0), but joined Representatives Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) in voting against a separate measure creating an international tribunal to try those accused of participating in the alleged atrocities (it passed 392–3).[64]
In 2017 Amash criticized U.S. involvement in Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, arguing that “Al Qaeda in Yemen has emerged as a de facto ally of the Saudi-led militaries with whom [Trump] administration aims to partner more closely.”[65]
In July 2017 Amash was one of only three House members to vote against the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, a bill that imposed new economic sanctions against Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The bill passed the House on a 419–3 vote, with Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and John Duncan Jr. (R-TN) also voting no.[66][67] Trump initially opposed the bill, saying that relations with Russia were already “at an all-time and dangerous low”, but ultimately signed it.[67]
In 2019 Amash signed a letter led by Representative Ro Khanna and Senator Rand Paul to Trump asserting that it is “long past time to rein in the use of force that goes beyond congressional authorization” and that they hoped this would “serve as a model for ending hostilities in the future – in particular, as you and your administration seek a political solution to our involvement in Afghanistan.”[68][69]
Gerrymandering
Amash opposes political gerrymandering, saying in 2018 that he strongly supported adopting “an independent process for drawing districts” based on geographic considerations, so that districts would be “as compact and contiguous as possible.”[70] As of February 2019 Amash was the only Republican member of Michigan’s congressional delegation who did not join a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s political boundaries.[71]
Health care
On May 4, 2017, Amash voted in favor of repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and to pass a revised version of the American Health Care Act.[72] Amash initially opposed the American Health Care Act, describing it as “Swampcare”,[73] tweeting that “It didn’t take long for the swamp to drain @realDonaldTrump”[74] and criticizing House leadership for attempting to “ram it through.”[75] Nevertheless, Amash voted for the updated AHCA plan before the Congressional Budget Office could determine its impact or cost.[76]
Immigration
In July 2018 House Republicans introduced a resolution supporting the officers and personnel of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Amash was the only Republican in the chamber to vote against the resolution.[43][77] He tweeted, “The House voted today on an inane resolution regarding ICE. The resolution makes several dubious claims and denounces calls to abolish ICE. I wouldn’t abolish ICE without an alternative, but there’s no reason to treat a federal agency as though it’s beyond reproach and reform.”[77]
In December 2018 Amash was one of eight House Republicans to vote against a stopgap government funding bill that included $5.7 billion in border wall funding. Amash tweeted, “This massive, wasteful spending bill – stuffed with unrelated items – passed 217–185. It’s amazing how some wall funding causes my fellow Republicans to embrace big government.”[78]
In February 2019 Amash was the only House Republican to co-sponsor a resolution to block Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to redirect funds to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border without a congressional appropriation for such a project. He wrote, “A national emergency declaration for a non-emergency is void”, and “[Trump] is attempting to circumvent our constitutional system.”[79] On February 25 Amash was one of 13 House Republicans to vote to block Trump’s declaration.[80]
Marijuana legalization and forfeiture
Amash and fellow U.S. Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) introduced a bill[81] to block the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from financing its Cannabis Eradication Program through civil asset forfeitures.[82]
Amash took aim at civil asset forfeiture in a statement, saying that the practice allows for “innocent people to have their property taken without sufficient due process“.[83]
Amash co-sponsored H.R. 1227, the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017. The bill was introduced by U.S. Representative Thomas Garrett (R-VA).[84]
Same-sex marriage
Amash supported a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, saying that the “real threat” to traditional marriage and religious liberty is government, not gay couples.[45][85]
Security and surveillance
Amash has been a frequent critic of the National Security Agency‘s anti-terrorism surveillance programs.[7][86][87]
He voted against the 2011 reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act,[88] the 2012 reauthorization of the FISA Amendments Act,[89]and the USA Freedom Act.[90]
In 2013 Amash and 15 other members of Congress filed an amicus brief in Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court supporting the release of the Court’s unpublished opinions regarding the “meaning, scope, and constitutionality” of Section 215 of the Patriot Act.[91]
Amash opposed President Donald Trump‘s 2017 executive order to ban citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States. Amash said: “Like President Obama’s executive actions on immigration, President Trump’s executive order overreaches and undermines our constitutional system.”[92]
Amash proposed an amendment to the reauthorization bill of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.[93] The Amash amendment would have required the government in criminal cases to seek a warrant based on probable cause before searching surveillance data for information about Americans.[94][95] While the Amash amendment received bipartisan support as well as support from civil liberties groups including the American Civil Liberties Union,[96] the amendment ultimately failed by a vote of 183 to 233.[97]