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Issue Ted Cruz Rand Paul Marco Rubio Hillary Clinton

Afghanistan

Position on the war in Afghanistan

Unknown. Cruz was not yet in office when the withdrawal announcement was made in 2011 and he has not taken a clear public position on the topic.

The Washington Post says Paul is on record as approving troop withdrawals in Iraq and Afghanistan, a position that he reiterated in Apr. 2015 [1, 2]

In 2011, Rubio said: [A] troop withdrawal plan based not on progress towards our ultimate goal, but rather on a desire to hit certain numbers, would be a tragic mistake. Yes, American troops need to leave Afghanistan, but they should do so pursuant to a plan that accomplishes our vital goal. [1]

According to the memoir of former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Clinton argued forcefully that withdrawing the surge [before the end of 2012] would signal we were abandoning Afghanistan. The troops departed in Sept. 2012. [1]

ISIL-Specific AUMF & the Forever War

Positions on existing and proposed AUMFs

& the Forever War

Cruz has stated that he believes the President requires an ISIL-specific AUMF, he has not publicly stated what limits should be included in the authorization. [1, 2]

Paul doesnt believe ISIL is covered by the 2001 AUMF and has advocated for a 1-year sunset on any new AUMF. Paul has also said that the 2001 AUMF is being used too broadly and without geographic limit. He tried to force a vote on an ISIL-specific AUMF in Dec. 2014 by offering an amendment that would declare war on the group. [1, 2, 3, 4]

In Feb. 2015, Rubio said he believes the President should be given unconditional authorization to defeat and destroy ISIS. Rubio has also said that he believes the President has authority to attack ISIS without an AUMF. [1, 2]

Clinton voted for the 2002 AUMF, which provided legal authority for the Iraq War. She has not staked out a clear stance on an ISIL-specific AUMF or the Forever War. [1]

Cuba

Support for normalizing relations

with Cuba

Cruz condemned reopening diplomatic relations with Cuba in Dec. 2014. [1]

Paul has said that resuming trade with Cuba is probably a good idea. [1]

Rubio told This Week that he opposed the Presidents plan, but that he was open to changing policies toward Cuba generally. [1]

Clinton has said the embargo wasnt achieving its goals and should be lifted. [1]

Cybersecurity

Position on pending cybersecurity

legislation

Cruz has not yet publicly articulated his position on the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA).

Unknown. Paul opposed CISPA, which was similar to CISA, in 2013. [1] Rubio voted for CISA in committee. [1]

Unknown. As a member of the Obama administration, Clinton opposed the 2012 version of CISPA, which was similar to CISA. [1]

Detention & Guantnamo

Support for closing Guantnamo and civilian criminal prosecutions for

detainees

In 2013, Cruz argued that if Guantnamo was closed, there would be nowhere to send detainees. In June 2014, Cruz attempted to place moratorium on all detainee transfers until investigation into Bowe Bergdahl investigation was complete. [1, 2]

Paul has said that detainees deserve trials, but they should not be brought to the US. But, he also voted for the 2014 Defense Authorization Act in committee (though not its final form), which loosened the rules for transferring detainees. [1, 2, 3]

In Apr. 2015, Rubio said he would reopen the military detention facility, even if President Obama succeeds in closing it. [1]

Clinton pushed for the closure of Guantnamo, including writing roadmap for the detention facilitys closure on her last days as Secretary of State. [1]

Intelligence, Surveillance, & Privacy

Support for surveillance reform

Cruz has said that the Section 215 bulk phone records program is not necessary for national security and that the NSA needs greater transparency. He was one of four Republicans to vote for the USA FREEDOM Act in Nov. 2014. [1, 2]

Paul has said the Section 215 bulk phone records program is not necessary for national security and supports letting the program expire in June 2015. Voted against the USA FREEDOM Act in Nov. 2014. Paul also voted against the reauthorization of the FISA Amendments Act in 2012. [1, 2, 3]

Rubio has said that the Section 215 program is vital to US national security. He opposed the USA FREEDOM Act, saying that the proposed reforms were a reaction to misinformation and alarmism not rooted in the reality. Rubio also voted for the reauthorization of the FISA Amendments Act in 2012. [1, 2, 3]

Clinton has said that she believes the NSA must be more transparent. She also voted against the FISA Amendments Act in 2008. [1, 2]

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Iran

Support for Iran nuclear deal framework

Cruz opposes the framework, saying: The so-called deal, unilaterally arranged without any consultation with Congress, lifts sanctions and effectively puts Iran on the path to the bomb after a 10-year horizon. Under no circumstance should a U.S. President lift sanctions and grant nuclear capability to a nation that proudly chants Death to America. [1]

Paul supports negotiations, but believes only Congress can relieve sanctions. He has said: I voted to put sanctions on Iran. Sanctions can only be relieved by Congress voting to remove those, and so thats why Ive signed onto the Corker bill, which would actually say that any kind of permanent reduction or relief from sanctions has to be voted on in Congress. [1]

Rubio said the details of the Iran Deal were very troubling. He promised to ensure that any final agreement, if reached, is reviewed by Congress and that additional sanctions continue to be imposed on Iran until it completely gives up its nuclear ambitions and the regime changes its destructive behavior. [1]

Clinton called the deal an important step, adding that while the devil is always in the details in such negotiations, diplomacy deserves a chance to succeed. [1, 2]

Russia & Ukraine

Position on providing arms to Ukraine and

Russian sanctions

Cruz has called on the President to provide defensive arms to Ukraine. He also co-sponsored a bill to expand the Presidents authority to impose sanctions on Russia (the House version of the bill was passed in Dec. 2014). [1, 2]

Paul has argued for economic sanctions and visa bans against Russia, and the suspension of loans to Ukraine. Before that, in Feb. 2014, Paul argued that the US should seek respectful relations with Russia and shouldnt provoke Putin over Ukraine. [1, 2]

Rubio pushed for strong economic and travel restrictions against top Russian officials in an eight-point plan released in Mar. 2014. [1]

In Jan. 2015, Clinton urged more financial and military assistance for Ukraine. In 2009 as Secretary of State, Clinton famously tried to reset the US-Russian relationship, an endeavor she stood behind in her memoir. [1, 2]

Syria

Support for Syrian intervention and

arming Syrian rebels

Cruz opposed the Sept. 2013 AUMF authorizing intervention in Syria and voted against arming Syrian rebels in Sept. 2014. [1, 2]

Paul voted against the Sept. 2013 AUMF in committee and voted against arming Syrian rebels in Sept. 2014. [1, 2]

Unclear. Rubio voted against the AUMF in committee, but voted to arm Syrian rebels in Sept. 2014. [1, 2]

Clinton supported the Sept. 2013 Syria AUMF according to CBS, and advocated to arm Syrian rebels as Secretary of State. [1, 2]

Torture, Interrogation, & the SSCI Report

Position on the release of the SSCI report

Cruz has said that torture is unambiguously wrong, but also criticized the release of the SSCIs torture report as a political maneuver. He said he does not support the CIAs use of the techniques described in the report, but did not refer to them as torture. [1]

In 2009, Paul denounced the CIAs practices as torture and said the Republican party should distance itself from Dick Cheney as a result. Paul has also said that the government should be more transparent about its past interrogation practices and should take a moral stance against torture. [1, 2]

Rubio called the release of the SSCI report reckless and irresponsible. He also joined the Minority Response to the SSCIs report, which disagreed with many of the majoritys approach and findings. [1, 2]

Clinton has said the US should never condone or practice torture anywhere in the world and supported the release of the SSCI reports executive summary. [1, 2]

Yemen

Most recent significant statement on Yemen

In a Jan. 2015 op-ed, Cruz wrote that, The Obama administration has refused to recognize the dangerous reality that is Yemen, and has instead embarked on a campaign of outreach that has until recently been touted as a hallmark of its achievements on the international stage. [1]

Rand Paul has been an outspoken critic of US drone strikes in Yemen, mentioning it during his 2013 filibuster on US drone policy. Paul has not publicly articulated his position on the current crisis in Yemen. [1]

In a recent op-ed, Rubio cited Yemen as evidence of the Obama administrations failed counterterrorism and foreign policy approach. He noted that the unfolding chaos in Yemen and loss of a U.S. partner in the fight against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) raises serious concerns about the future of a country that four months ago President Obama cited as a successful model for U.S.-led efforts to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), but offered no proposed solution to the crisis. [1]

Unknown. Clinton has not made any recent statements on the crisis in Yemen, nor has she commented on US drone strikes in the country in recent years.

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China

Most recent significant statement on China

In a 2013 Heritage Foundation speech, Cruz said, [W]e should understand that you dont deal with nations like Russia and China by embracing arm-in-arm and singing kumbaya. The one thing China and Russia understand and respect is strength - principled strength - and they will act in their own interests. And we may be able to cooperate in specific ways where it is in their interests and our interest to do so. But we shouldnt be for a moment nave that Mr. Putin loves peace and the American way of life. [1]

In a 2014 speech at the Center for National Interest, Paul said, While our relations with China are complicated, trade has drawn us together and mutual investment can also play a constructive role. In an era in which geopolitics could drive us apart, we need to look for new areas for US-Chinese cooperation. [1]

Rubios most pointed statements on China have focused on the countrys human rights record. As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio helped pass a Resolution urging the Peoples Republic of China to take meaningful steps to improve freedom of expression in China as fitting of a responsible international stakeholder in Apr. 2014. In Apr. 2015, he called for the release of political prisoners. [1, 2]

Prior to becoming Secretary of State, Clinton took a harsh stance against Chinas human rights record, but as a member of the Obama administration, she embraced the pivot to Asia, treating China as a vital partner on issues as diverse as climate change, weapons of mass destruction non-proliferation, and global economic issues. [1]

Presidential nominations: Missile defense: Syria: Womens rights:

Other

Additional stances on important national

security issues

Cruz has voted against a number of President Obamas executive branch nominees in the last several years. He voted against Samantha Powers nomination for UN Ambassador, opposed Rose Gottemoellers nomination for Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, and is currently opposed to Loretta Lynchs nomination for Attorney General. [1, 2, 3]

Paul wants land-based missile defense in Eastern Europe. I would reinstitute the missile-defense shields President Obama abandoned in 2009 in Poland and the Czech Republic, only this time, I would make sure the Europeans pay for it. [1]

In Mar. 2015, Rubio co-sponsored the Syrian War Crimes Accountability Act of 2015, which would require the State Department to investigate and report on potential crimes against humanity committed by Bashar al-Assad and his regime. [1]

Clinton is well known for the so-called Hillary Doctrine, an argument that womens rights around the world should be considered an issue of national security. In her words, the subjugation of women [is] a threat to the common security of our world and to the national security of our country. [1, 2, 3]