He believes in a strong national defense and has objected to America's participation in treaties like the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty out of concern that they would weaken U.S. defense.

"We're in a time of peace and prosperity and no one wants to think about conflict," he said in 2000. "People think we can solve all conflict by signing treaties, pieces of paper. That feeling existed in another era. We even signed a treaty - the Kellogg-Briand Pact in the late 1920s - that outlawed war. Well, it didn't work, and it doesn't work."

In 2005 and 2006, Kyl slowly tried to gather a filibuster-proof number of votes to try to repeal the estate tax, a favorite cause 10 among anti-tax conservatives, and worked behind the scenes to quietly kill President Bill Clinton's proposed Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty without the Democrats noticing what was happening.

Kyl was also a strong backer of a bill to help curb online gambling, saying it encouraged underage gambling and arguing that offshore casinos often have ties to international money laundering and organized crime.

National Security and Iraq

Since coming to Washington in 1986 and serving on the House Armed Services Committee, Kyl has been a strong proponent of more national security funding. In particular, he argued for missile defense, saying it is necessary to keep the U.S. safe from China and Russia. He even threatened to sue President Clinton in 1996, claiming he had ignored Congress' decision to build a missile- defense system.

On the Senate Judiciary Committee, Kyl is the ranking Republican on the Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security subcommittee. He worked with Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to introduce bills to crack down on biological weapons and create a terrorist watch database.

He made it easier for the government to use wiretaps to intercept the communications of suspected terrorists even before Sept. 11, 2001. "Everybody talks about trying to do something about terrorism, but little action ever ends up occurring," he said in October 2000. "It just seems to me we need to do whatever we can do."

When the wiretapping debate took center stage pos, Kyl was a key player, leading the charge to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. He pushed for a more expansive bill that allowed eavesdropping without warrants for domestic calls that didn't expire after four years. "Congress could not allow another day to pass that our intelligence community is rendered blind to the activities of al-Qaeda terrorists," Kyl said in 2008. "Despite its flaws, the bill approved today will provide the authority we need for intelligence gathering."

He was one of President Bush's strongest allies on the Iraq war, and supported the 2007 troop surge and funding not associated with a timeline for withdrawal.

Immigration

Kyl took a strong stance against "amnesty" for illegal immigrants during the explosive 2005-2006 immigration debate. His position put him at odds with his Arizona colleague, Sen. John McCain and the White House. In 2006, he proposed a bill with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) that would have required illegal immigrants to leave the country and then apply for temporary work permits to return.

But in 2007, Kyl worked with McCain and liberal Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) on a more leninent bill. Conservatives who supported his opposition to amnesty, including Cornyn, criticized him for giving in, but Kyl stood by the bill, saying it was the best legislation possible in a Democratic Congress.

The Economy

Kyl supported the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street in the fall of 2008. As Senate minority whip, he was charged with rounding up votes for it after the House failed the legislation the first time around. But the Arizonan said that he understood constituents were skeptical of the bill, and he objected to the term "bailout."

Health-Care Reform

Kyl became a strong voice for the opposition when President Obama made overhauling the nation's health-care system his top priority in 2009-2010.

In June 2009, Kyl acknowledged the need for reform. But the Republican stressed "access" to care, saying he feared the Democrats' plan to create a government-funded insurance option would lead to long waits and rationing.

Along with other Republicans, Kyl instead released legislation to limit the use of comparative effectiveness research to determine the most effective medical treatments, which Obama funded in his 2010 budget.

Kyl joined Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to introduce the 2009 "Preserving Access to Targeted, Individualized and Effective New Treatments and Services (PATIENTS) Act" to forbid the government from dictating the types of treatments doctors could.

Show less