COVER STORY

25 Key McCain Promises

Sat. Jul 19, 2008


Online ExtraCampaign Promises
Search a comprehensive directory of the pledges Barack Obama and John McCain have made on the campaign trail and online.

John McCain has promised to ...

Administration
Work with Democrats
"As president of the United States, I will preserve my proud conservative Republican credentials, but I will reach across the aisle to the Democrats and work together for the good of this country."
--2/4/08, Boston

Agriculture
Eliminate tariffs on agricultural imports and cut farm subsidies
"If I am elected president, I will seek an end to all agricultural tariffs and to all farm subsidies that are not based on clear need."
--5/19/08, Chicago

Defense
Expand the Army and Marine Corps
"As president, I would bring the Army and Marines from the currently planned level of roughly 750,000 to 900,000. This will cost real money, some $15 billion annually, but it will not require a draft any more than similar levels did in the 1980s."
--7/13/07, Concord, N.H.

Economy
Balance the budget
"I will propose a balanced budget by the end of my first term, but I cannot tell you that I will do it the first year."
--2/15/08, La Crosse, Wis.

Honor the North American Free Trade Agreement
"If I am elected president, this country will honor its international agreements, including NAFTA, and we will expect the same of others."
--6/10/08, Washington

Education
Ensure that all students have access to high-quality schools
"John McCain will fight for the ability of all students to have access to all schools of demonstrated excellence, including their own homes."
--JohnMcCain.com

Energy/Environment
Address climate change
"As president, I will dedicate myself to addressing the issue of climate change globally."
--5/9/08, Jersey City, N.J.

Build more nuclear reactors
"If I am elected president, I will set this nation on a course to building 45 reactors by the year 2030. And I will set the goal of 100 new plants to power the homes and factories and cities of America."
--6/25/08, Las Vegas

Expand domestic drilling
"I will authorize and support new exploration and production of America's own oil and gas reserves, because we cannot outsource the solution to America's energy problem."
--6/25/08, Las Vegas

Ethics
Veto every spending bill that includes earmarks
"When Congress sends me one of those huge, pork-barrel bills ... I will veto it. And I will make the authors who wrote it famous."
--10/20/07, Orlando

Not misuse presidential signing statements
"I do not believe and will not issue a signing statement that contradicts either the letter or the intent of legislation that's passed by Congress and signed by the president. If I disagree with the law, I will veto it, but I won't use a signing statement as a way of avoiding implementing that law as the law of the land."
--2/27/08, San Antonio

Bar closed-door lobbying sessions
"In my administration, there will be no such thing as a closed-door meeting with a lobbyist. If a lobbyist's case is important enough for my administration to hear it, then it will be important enough for the public to know about it, too."
--4/24/08, Baton Rouge, La.

Hold regular press conferences
"I commit to having press conferences once a week, or once every two weeks, depending on if I'm on foreign travel or something like that, but on a very regular basis."
--6/19/08, St. Paul, Minn.

Foreign Policy
Capture Osama bin Laden
"If I have to follow him to the Gates of Hell, I will get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice."
--2/14/08, Burlington, Vt.

Win the war in Iraq
"By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women.... The Iraq war has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension."
--5/15/08, Columbus, Ohio

Protect Israel
"I will continue to keep the commitment that I have had for many, many years that I will do whatever is necessary to preserve the independence and freedom of the state of Israel, our staunchest ally in the Middle East. I will do that, without fail and without faltering and without changing."
--5/2/08, Denver

Government Spending
Temporarily halt discretionary spending
"As president, I will also order a prompt and thorough review of the budgets of every federal program, department, and agency. While that top-to-bottom review is under way, we will institute a one-year pause in discretionary spending increases with the necessary exemption of military spending and veterans benefits."
--4/15/08, Pittsburgh

Put government purchasing information online
"Information on every step of all contracts and grants will be posted on the Internet in plain English, so that anyone can know what their government is buying and how much we're paying."
--4/24/08, Baton Rouge, La.

Health Care
Provide a refundable tax credit for individuals to purchase health insurance
"We're going to offer every individual and family in America a large tax credit to buy their health care, so that their health insurance is theirs to keep even if they move or change jobs."
--6/10/08, Washington

Labor
Overhaul unemployment insurance
"If I'm elected president, I'll work with Congress and the states to overhaul unemployment insurance and make it a program for retraining, relocating, and assisting workers who have lost a job that's not coming back to find a job that won't go away."
--10/9/2007, Detroit

Immigration
Secure the borders and deport criminal illegal aliens
"I will work with others, and we will secure our borders and then we will round up the 2 million people who have committed crimes here illegally and get them out of this country."
--1/26/08, Fort Myers, Fla.

Infrastructure
Fix the Federal Emergency Management Agency
"We're going to fix FEMA. I'm sick and tired of trucks full of ice that are intended for people in Louisiana ending up in the state of Maine.... We're going to get the smartest people in the world to run FEMA."
--1/26/08, Fort Myers, Fla.

Supreme Court
Nominate strict constructionists
"I will appoint strict constructionist judges that won't legislate from the bench."
--10/19/07, Washington

Taxes
Cut taxes
"I intend to cut [taxes]. I will start by making the Bush tax cuts permanent. I will cut corporate tax rates from 35 to 25 percent to keep industries and jobs in this country. I will end the alternative minimum tax. And I won't let a Democratic Congress raise your taxes and choke the growth of our economy."
--2/7/08, Washington

Veterans
Provide top-quality health care
"As president, I will do everything in my power to ensure that those who serve today and those who have served in the past have access to the highest quality health, mental health, and rehabilitative care in the world."
--5/26/08, Albuquerque, N.M.