Senate Report Card: Pat Roberts R-KS

Senator Pat Roberts is the junior Republican United States Senator from the state of Kansas. Senator Roberts assumed office in 1997.

Senator Roberts serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Ethics; Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees. He was the former chairman of the Senate Committee on Intelligence.

Roberts is a true conservative. He is pro-life. He opposes same-sex marriage. He was a staunch supporter of the USA Patriot Act. He was in favor of loosening restrictions on the NSA wiretapping debacle during his tenure on the Intelligence Committee.

Pat Roberts has been highly criticized by environmentalists. He voted for more drilling off the U.S. shores. He was in favor of drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He voted against providing funding for low income energy assistance. He voted to exempt oil and gas smokestacks from mercury regulations.

He is fiercely against gun control. He was a cosponsor of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. This legislation prohibits many civil actions from being brought against firearm manufacturers and dealers. He argues that gun control does not reduce crime or violence.

Roberts voted with a largely Republican majority to suspend habeas corpus provisions for anyone deemed by the Executive Branch an "unlawful combatant," barring them from challenging their detentions in court.

Roberts was responsible for the committee's investigation into the intelligence failures prior to the invasion of Iraq. According to language voted on by the full Committee, consists of five parts including: whether public statements and reports and testimony regarding Iraq by U.S. Government officials made between the Gulf War period and the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom were substantiated by intelligence information; the postwar findings about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and weapons programs and links to terrorism and how they compare with prewar assessments; prewar intelligence assessments about postwar Iraq; any intelligence activities relating to Iraq conducted by the Policy Counterterrorism Evaluation Group and the Office of Special Plans within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; and the use by the Intelligence Community of information provided by the Iraqi National Congress. Senator Roberts has been accused of stalling and insuffiently investigating President Bush and his actions regarding pre-war intelligence by Democrats.

Senator Pat Roberts voted in favor of the Iraq War Resolution. He has voted against extending time off between soldier's tours of duty. He is opposed to troop reductions or withdrawals from the region.

Senator Pat Roberts is up for reelection in 2008.