Eric Cantor (R-Va.)

One of Cantor's major House objectives has been thwarting Democratic plans and needling that party's leaders. He introduced an amendment in 2007 that drew attention to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) request to use an air force jet to fly home to California. During a minimum wage debate in 2008, he gave out stickers with smiling tuna to highlight what he called an exemption for a tuna plant for a company based in Pelosi's district.

Health-Care Reform

Cantor became a prominent Republican voice opposing the Obama administration's health-care proposals.

He disagreed with the administration's insistence that a public insurance option would compete with private insurance and keep the industry honest. In fact, Cantor said a public option would be an "unfair competitor" when he spoke with The Washington Post's Lois Romano in May 2009.

Cantor and his Republican colleagues fought the legislation for more than a year, and helped promote a grassroots outcry against what they dubbed a "government takeover" of health care.

Despite their best efforts, the House passed the Senate version of health-care reform without any Republican votes on March 21, 2010, clearing the way for the Senate to approve a package of amendments insisted on by the lower chamber with a simple majority (using a process known as reconciliation).

The $940 billion bill requires most Americans to carry health insurance and require that insurance companies cover them, regardless of pre-existing conditions. It establishes a national insurance exchange allowing Americans to compare and purchase insurance plans. The bill will be paid for by increasing taxes on well-off Medicare recipients and by taxing premium insurance plans. By the end of the bill's 10-year roll-out, 32 million uninsured Americans will have health coverage and the deficit will be $138 billion lower, the Congressional Budget Office estimated.

The Economy

Cantor is a strong fiscal conservative. He took a major gamble when he urged all House Republicans to solidly oppose President Obama's economic stimulus package, which passed the House without a single Republican vote on Feb. 13, 2009.

Though Cantor voted in favor of the $700 bank bailout bill when it was initially proposed (one of 65 Republicans to do so), he quickly became one of the party's top advocates for an alternative that would have had the government insure all mortgages. He was one of the top negotiators for the proposal, which the Treasury opposed.

But not without an ear for the politically popular, Cantor voted with Democrats on a bill that would charge a 90 percent tax on all executive bonuses. The move angered many of his fellow legislators, who accused Cantor of teaming with Democrats to sponsor a potentially unconstitutional bill.

Taxes

As a member of the plum House Ways and Means Committee, Cantor has advocated for reducing taxes on businesses and families.

He told the Weekly Standard in October 2007: "I don't think we came to Washington to fix everybody's problems." He said he's worried that Republicans have lost their "fiscal brand."

One of his first legislative acts was to push a tax credit of $1,000 per child for all parents with school-age children.

In 2006, he introduced legislation that offered tax cuts for those who made contributions to a high-deductible health savings account. He has proposed tax cuts on hedge fund gains. In 2007, he pushed for a bill that would have provided tax credits to those who invest in rail infrastructure.

Israel

Cantor is the sole Jewish Republican in the House, and he is the highest beneficiary of pro-Israel campaign dollars.

He has used these connections to bridge the divide between wealthy Israeli donors and Republicans, pushing the party to take a stronger stand on Israel. As a member of the House's terrorism task force, he has advocated for a tougher stance on Syria, Iran and Iraq.

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