Senate Report Card: Richard Shelby R-AL

Senator Richard Shelby is the senior Republican United States Senator from the state of Alabama. Senator Shelby was originally elected to the Senate as a Democrat, Shelby switched to the Republican Party in 1994 when it gained the majority in Congress. He first assumed office in 1987.

Senator Shelby serves on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Appropriations Committees, as well as the Special Committee on Aging. Shelby is currently co-chair of the Congressional Privacy Caucus and Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus. He is also the Senate co-chair of the National Security Caucus.

Shelby formerly served on the Select Intelligence Committee where he took an offensive approach towards the intelligence community. He prevented Anthony Lake's nomination as CIA director. He vowed to investigate the use of American-made satellites by the Chinese to gather intelligence. He was also highly critical of CIA Director George Tenet in the aftermath of September 11. According to a federal investigation, Shelby revealed classified information to the media when he was a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Shelby is known for the Shelby Amendment, a law he sponsored that eased some of the restrictions placed on Dallas' airport. He sponsored bills to make English the sole language of the federal government, to limit federal government spending, and to provide a moratorium on certain forms of immigration.

He is against gun control and abortion. He supports a Federal Marriage Amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. He supported the Bush Administrations tax cuts and prefers a flat tax.

Shelby was against President Reagan's nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. He did support President Bush's nomination of Samuel Alito.

Senator Shelby opposed the Bush Administration's comprohensive Immigration Reform Bill. He believes that illegal immigration is a major problem that must be addressed but that the current bills offered merely provide amnesty to illegal immigrants that have broken U.S. laws. He believes the first step in any immigration process should be to secure the borders fully. He supports a secure border coupled with strong enforcement laws and stricter penalties for those who break them.

Shelby supported the Iraq Resolution that allowed for military force against Saddam Hussein. He cosponsored an amendment that would strike language imposing a mandatory withdrawal date from Iraq. He offered his amendment because he believes that by specifying a timetable for withdrawal at 120 days, the Senate has named a date for defeat in Iraq. He argued that it is the wrong message to send to troops and will only serve to embolden the enemy. He is against a phased withdraw from Iraq.

Senator Richard Shelby is due for reelection in 2011.