Even before becoming a Republican in 2004, Alexander had a conservative voting record. He is against abortion rights and for gun control. He supported the GOP's 2003 Medicare prescription drug benefit and extending the 2001 George W. Bush tax cuts. He also opposed the March 2010 health-care reform bill.
In the 111th Congress (2009-2010), he had voted with House Republicans 94.1 percent of the time through August 2010.
The Economy
Like most Republicans, Alexander opposed President Obama's February 2009 stimulus bill.
He did, however, support, the fall 2008 plan to bail out the financial markets and create the Troubled Assets Relief Program. But he opposed the July 2010 overhaul of the financial regulatory system meant to prevent such future bailouts. "This bill is nothing more than a permanent bailout that makes the bad decisions of Wall Street the responsibility of Main Street," Alexander contended.
Alexander is a supported of extending the George W. Bush-era tax cuts that slashed rates for capital gains and stock dividend taxes, and also favors permanently eliminating the alternative minimum tax and the estate tax.
Energy
Alexander "believes one immediate approach to dissolving America's dependence on foreign oil is to allow greater access to federal lands containing natural gas resources and the removal of barriers to development on lands that we have already leased." However, he opposed the House-passed June 2009 energy bill containing the cap-and-trade provision meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill along the Gulf in spring 2010, Alexander, along with other members of the Louisiana delegation, fought the presidential moratorium on offshore oil drilling.
"The moratorium on deepwater energy production has already led companies to begin moving rigs overseas and stands to eliminate even more jobs than those already lost - essentially crippling our economy. This is not a responsible solution to the crisis," Alexander said.
Immigration
Alexander is a member of the Immigration Reform Caucus (IRC). The IRC is a group that tries to identify legislative solutions to the issue of illegal immigration.
In July 2010, he joined 81 other House Members in opposing the Obama Justice Department's lawsuit against Arizona's immigration law, which allows state law-enforcement officials to detain persons suspected of being illegal immigrants.
"Instead of wasting time and energy suing the state of Arizona, the administration should be devoting its resources to enforcing border security," Alexander said in a statement.
Generally, Alexander has taken a hard line on immigration issues, arguing that Congress must "authorize and routinely fund adequate" border personnel and security and that employers who hire illegal immigrants should be prosecuted.
Instead of granting amnesty to illegal immigrants currently living in the U.S., Alexander says that another "compassionate solution" for that population should be found.
Social Security and Retirement Security
Alexander was a co-sponsor of The Social Security Fairness Act during the 108th, 109th, 110th Congresses, and most recently HR 235 in the 111th Congress.
This legislation amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal government pension offset requirements applicable to a spouse's insurance benefits (including a widow or widower) and mother's and father's insurance benefits with respect to OASDI payments. It also would repeal the windfall elimination requirements with respect to computation of an individual's primary insurance amount. These provisions significantly decrease the retirement pay of millions of retired government workers.
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