Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.)

On social issues, DeFazio is pro-abortion rights. But he has bucked liberal orthodoxy on gun rights. He has been a critic of gun control, particularly of the assault-weapon ban, opposing measures like background checks at gun shows. He has received support from the National Rifle Association, which gave him a "B" grade in 2008.

The Economy

DeFazio is best known for his economic populism, which places him to the left of the majority of his Democratic colleagues. He has been a staunch opponent of free-trade agreements. In 1993, DeFazio voted against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), warning that it would allow U.S. companies to move jobs to Mexico. He would later say that "NAFTA was a lie from the beginning." In the following years, he voted against General Agreement on Tarriffs and Trade (GATT) Uruguay Round agreementsand opposed granting the White House trade promotion authority, also known as fast track.

A critic of budgetary deficits, DeFazio supported a constitutional amendment requiring that the federal budget be balanced.Yet, unlike more moderate Blue Dog Democrats, DeFazio faults tax cuts as the main cause of budget deficits and defends the need for heavy spending. "The failed policies of the past are tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts," he said in February 2009. "The Blue Dogs are going to say look, no more borrowing. The case I want to make is there are things you can justify borrowing money for that enhance the country in the future - education, infrastructure investment."

DeFazio champions redistributive policies that tax the wealthiest to fund ambitious government programs. "They want to have a consumer-driven recovery," he said of President Obama's advisers during the February 2009 debate on the economic stimulus bill. "We need an investment- and productivity-driven recovery for this country, a long-term recovery." As a fix to Social Security, for instance, he has proposed removing the payroll deduction limitation that benefits higher incomes.To fund a high-speed rail system, he has proposed taxing oil by the barrel when it enters refineries.

"Leader of the left's Anti-Bailout Forces"

This outlook has made DeFazio a critic of the House Democratic leadership's response to the economic crisis. In the fall of 2008, The Oregonian described DeFazio as the "leader of the left's anti-bailout forces in Congress."

Not only did DeFazio oppose the financial bailout plan - "one of the best votes of my career," he said - but he introduced an alternative plan, which included an array of regulatory reforms for the financial sector and a tax on security transfers.

In a speech delivered on the House floor, DeFazio compared the haste with which the bailout was introduced to the rush to the Iraq war in 2003. "You have the execs come out whole and they scoot the money offshore," he warned, pleading with his colleagues not to be "rolled by our Wall Street exec who is masquerading as secretary of the Treasury."

In the early months of the Obama administration, DeFazio has faulted the president's economic team for resisting tax increases and higher levels of government spending. "The focus has all been Wall Street, Wall Street, Wall Street," he declared in March 2009.

During the February 2009 stimulus debate, DeFazio was infuriated by the changes to the package made by centrist senators and by the House-Senate conference committee. He denounced the fact that 45% of the stimulus was devoted to tax cuts, expressing concern that the bill would make people "sober up about [too much government] spending" and complicate efforts to fund education and infrastructure programs later on. On February 13th, 2009, DeFazio unexpectedly voted against the final stimulus package, becoming only one of seven Democrats in opposition.

Transportation and Energy

A longtime member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, DeFazio has become one of the most prominent congressional voices on transportation issues. As chairman of the Highways and Transit subcommittee, he played a leading role in drafting the reauthorization bill allocating transportation funds for the next four years. DeFazio mastered the technical intricacies of reauthorization bills in 2005, when he adjusted funding formulas to give Oregon an additional $200 million for bridge repair.

In 2009, DeFazio indicated that he will champion increases in infrastructure spending and argued that the country's transportation system needs to be revamped. In particular, he wants to boost funding for mass transit and is a major advocate of a national high-speed rail network. "We need to start thinking in big terms like that instead of, 'Gee, let's do another little increment and have a fight over a pie that is too small,'" he said.

DeFazio has also been known as energy expert since his days as an aide to Rep. Jim Weaver (D). He has linked mass transit issues to the need to reduce the demand for oil. Earlier in the 2000s, in the face of mounting energy prices, DeFazio took a leading role in criticizing deregulatory measures. He tried to re-regulate the power industry and advocated price controls for power rates, as well as proposed a state takeover of Portland General Electric.

After Sept. 11th, DeFazio made news as a member of the Transportation Aviation subcommittee. He criticized security standards and he pushed through an amendment to allow pilots to carry guns in the cockpit over the objections of the George W. Bush administration. Bush ended up signing the law.

Foreign Policy

DeFazio was a critic of George W. Bush's foreign policy. He voted against the USA Patriot Act in 2001 and against the Iraq war resolution in 2002.

He later supported proposals for a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops. In 2007, DeFazio joined a group of about 90 House Democrats who sent a letter to President Bush expressing "opposition to appropriating any additional funds for U.S. military operations in Iraq other than a time-bound, safe redeployment."

That same year, DeFazio proposed an amendment to the defense authorization bill that sought to restrict President Bush's options in dealing with Iran; the amendment failed on a 136-288 vote.

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