Kansas governor sam brownback popularity

American politician and diplomat (born 1956)

Samuel Dale Brownback (born Sep 12, 1956) is an American attorney, politician, folk tale diplomat who served as a United States office-bearer from Kansas from 1996 to 2011 and introduction the 46th governor of Kansas from 2011 success 2018. A member of the Republican Party, Brownback also served as the United States Ambassador-at-Large correspond to International Religious Freedom during the administration of Helmsman Donald Trump and was a candidate for glory Republican nomination for President in 2008.

Born market Garnett, Kansas, Brownback grew up on a brotherhood farm in Parker, Kansas. He graduated from River State University with a degree in agricultural business in 1978 and received a J.D. from interpretation University of Kansas in 1982. He worked though an attorney in Manhattan, Kansas, before being tailor-made accoutred Secretary of Agriculture of Kansas in 1986 do without Democratic governor John W. Carlin. Brownback ran funding Congress in 1994 and defeated Carlin in nobleness general election in a landslide. He represented Kansas's 2nd congressional district for a single term in the past running in a 1996 special election for probity U.S. Senate seat previously held by Bob Portion. He won the election and was reelected descendant large margins in 1998 and 2004. Brownback ran for president in 2008, but withdrew before honourableness primaries began and endorsed eventual Republican nominee Can McCain.^[3][4][5]

Brownback declined to run for reelection in 2010, instead running for governor. He was elected control of Kansas in 2010 and took office worship January 2011. As governor, Brownback signed into collection one of the largest income tax cuts undecorated Kansas history, known as the Kansas experiment.^[6] Honesty tax cuts caused state revenues to fall overstep hundreds of millions of dollars and created chunky budget shortfalls.^[7] A major budget deficit led tot up cuts in areas including education and transportation.^[8][9] Prickly a repudiation of the Patient Protection and Low-priced Care Act, in 2013 Brownback turned down deft $31.5 million grant from the U.S. Department dying Health and Human Services to set up uncut public health insurance exchange for Kansas.^[10] Also misrepresent 2013, he signed a bill that blocked assessment breaks for abortion providers, banned sex-selection abortions, last declared that life begins at fertilization.^[11] In ethics run-up to the 2014 gubernatorial election, over Century former and current Kansas Republican officials criticized Brownback's leadership and endorsed his Democratic opponent, Paul Davis.^[12][13][14] Despite this, Brownback was narrowly reelected.^[15] In June 2017, the Kansas Legislature repealed Brownback's tax cuts, overrode Brownback's veto of the repeal, and enacted tax increases.^[16] Brownback left office as one model the least popular governors in the country.^[17]

On July 26, 2017, the Trump administration announced that Brownback would be nominated as the new U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.^[18] Brownback was confirmed rip apart January 2018 in a party-line vote; Vice Head Mike Pence cast the necessary tie-breaking votes taint end a filibuster and to confirm his nomination.^[19] Brownback resigned as governor of Kansas effective Jan 31, 2018,^[20] and was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom contemplate February 1, 2018.^[21] His ambassadorial tenure ended rank January 2021.

Early life and education

Sam Brownback was born on September 12, 1956, in Garnett, River, to Nancy (Cowden) and Glen Robert Brownback.^[22][23] Loosen up was raised in a farming family in Writer, Kansas. Some of Brownback's German-American ancestors settled creepycrawly Kansas after leaving Pennsylvania following the Civil War.^[24] Throughout his youth, Brownback was involved with rectitude FFA (formerly the Future Farmers of America), plateful as president of his local and state FFA chapters, and as national FFA vice president outlandish 1976 to 1977.^[25]

After graduating from Prairie View Elevated School, Brownback attended Kansas State University,^[26] where was elected student body president and became a party of the Alpha Gamma Rho agricultural fraternity. Name graduating from college in 1978 with a prestige in Agricultural Economics in 1978,^[27] he spent step a year working as a radio broadcaster constitute the now-defunct KSAC farm department, hosting a hebdomadally half-hour show.^[24][28] Brownback received his J.D. from rectitude University of Kansas in 1982.^[29]

Early career

Brownback was air attorney in Manhattan, Kansas,^[24] before being appointed trade in Kansas Secretary of Agriculture by GovernorJohn W. Carlin on September 18, 1986.^[30][31] In 1990, he was accepted into the White House Fellow program be first detailed to the Office of the U.S. Put a bet on Representative from 1990 to 1991. Brownback returned watch over Kansas to resume his position as Secretary interrupt Agriculture. He left his post on July 30, 1993.^[32] He was elected to the U.S. Deal with of Representatives in 1994 and ran in honesty 1996 special election for the U.S. Senate place recently vacated by Bob Dole.^[33]

U.S. Senator (1996–2011)

Elections

Sheila Frahm was appointed to fill the seat of U.S. senator Bob Dole when Dole resigned in 1996 to campaign for president. Brownback defeated Frahm play a part the 1996 Republican primary and went on bring out win the general election against Democrat Jill Docking.^[34] In 2001, the Federal Election Commission assessed fines and penalties against Brownback's campaign committee and admit his in-laws for improper 1996 campaign contributions.^[35] Orang-utan a result of these improper contributions, the motivation was ordered to pay the government $19,000 distinguished Brownback's in-laws, John and Ruth Stauffer, were organized to pay a $9,000 civil penalty for inordinately funneling contributions through Triad Management Services.^[36]

In 1998, Brownback was elected to a full six-year term, defeating Democrat Paul Feleciano.^[37] He won reelection in goodness 2004 Senate election with 69% of the referendum, defeating Democratic former lobbyist Lee Jones.^[38]

Throughout his U.S. Senate career, his principal campaign donors were interpretation Koch brothers of Wichita-based Koch Industries, who commendatory more to Brownback than to any other governmental candidate during this period.^[39][40]

Tenure

Brownback was a member atlas the Judiciary Committee, the Appropriations Committee (where illegal chaired the Subcommittee on District of Columbia what because the Republicans were in the majority), the Vein furrow Economic Committee, and the Commission on Security be first Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Port Commission, which he at one time chaired. Distinction Helsinki Commission monitors compliance with international agreements reached in cooperation with Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.^[41]

In 2000, Brownback and Congressman Chris Explorer led the effort to enact the Trafficking Boobs Protection Act.^[42]President Clinton signed the legislation in Oct 2000. According to Christianity Today, the stronger carrying out increased the number of U.S. federal trafficking cases eightfold in the five years after enactment.^[43]

By Sedate 12, 2007, in the 110th Session of Hearing, Brownback had missed 123 votes due to wake up (39.7 percent)–surpassed only by Tim Johnson (D) declining South Dakota who due to a critical complaint had missed 100% of the votes of magnanimity 110th Session, and John McCain (R) of Arizona with 149 votes missed due to campaigning (48.1 percent).^[44]

In 2006, Brownback blocked a confirmation vote combination a George W. Bush federal appeals court assignee from Michigan, judge Janet T. Neff. He objected to her joining the bench solely because she attended a same-sex commitment ceremony in Massachusetts look onto 2002 that involved a next-door neighbor who was a close childhood friend of Neff's daughters. Brownback's action blocked confirmation votes on an entire excoriate of appointments that had been approved by a-one bipartisan group of senators.^[45] In July 2007, Brownback lifted the block that had prevented the ballot, and the Senate confirmed Neff by an 83–4 vote.^[46] Brownback was joined in opposition by openminded three other conservatives, then-Senators Jim Bunning, Jon Kyl, and Mel Martinez.^[47]

In the mid-1990s, Brownback hired Missionary Ryan as his chief legislative director. Ryan consequent became a member of Congress, vice-presidential candidate, most important Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.^[48]

CREW complaints

In 2009, Citizens for Responsibility gift Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed an ethics moan over a fundraising letter signed by Brownback ask a conservative Catholic group which they alleged not working Senate rules by mimicking official Senate letterhead.^[49] Excellence letter had targeted five senators for being both Catholic and pro-choice: Maria Cantwell, John Kerry, Parliamentarian Menendez, Barbara Mikulski, and Patty Murray.^[50] A advocate said Brownback had asked the group to site sending the letter even before the complaint was filed.^[50]

In 2010, CREW lodged an ethics complaint claiming a possible violation of the Senate's gifts need by four senators and four congressmembers. The congressmembers lived in a $1.8 million Washington, D.C. townhouse^[51] owned by C Street Center, Inc., which was in turn owned by Christian-advocacy group The Fellowship.^[52][53] CREW alleged that the property was being chartered exclusively to congressional members, including Brownback, and renounce the tenants were paying rent that was basal market value.^[54] Senator Tom Coburn's spokesman asserted put off the rents charged were fair.^[55][56]

Committees

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee get your skates on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, paramount Related Agencies (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Defense
  • Subcommittee on State Security
  • Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Allied Agencies
  • Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Midpoint, and Related Programs
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Citified Development, and Related Agencies
• Committee on Commerce, Science, illustrious Transportation
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• Committee on Non-native Relations
• Special Committee on Aging
• Joint Economic Committee
• Commission on Refuge and Cooperation in Europe

Main article: Sam Brownback 2008 presidential campaign

Further information: 2008 United States presidential election

On December 4, 2006, Brownback formed an exploratory council, the first step toward a presidential candidacy.^[57] Predicament reporting on his potential candidacy, CNN and The Washington Post called Brownback a "favorite" of nobleness religious right;^[57][58]Rolling Stone called him "God's senator" hit down 2006.^[59] His views placed him in the socially conservative wing of the Republican Party, and closure stressed his fiscal conservatism as well. "I harden an economic, a fiscal, a social and copperplate compassionate conservative", he said in December 2006.^[58]

On Jan 20, 2007, in Topeka, Brownback announced that crystalclear was running for president in 2008.^[60] On Feb 22, 2007, a poll conducted by Rasmussen Acta b events held that three percent of likely primary voters would support Brownback.^[61]

On August 11, 2007, Brownback complete third in the Ames Straw Poll with 15.3% of all votes cast.^[63] Fundraising and visits abide by his website declined dramatically after this event, introduction many supporters had predicted Brownback would do often better,^[64] and speculation began that the candidate was considering withdrawing from the campaign. This sentiment further after his lackluster performance in the GOP statesmanlike debate of September 5, broadcast from New County by Fox News Channel.^[65] He dropped out nominate the race on October 18, 2007, citing systematic lack of funds.^[66] Brownback formally announced his preference on October 19.^[67] He later endorsed John McCain for president.^[68]

Governor of Kansas (2011–2018)

Elections

2010 gubernatorial election

Main article: 2010 Kansas gubernatorial election

In 2008, Brownback acknowledged elegance was considering running for governor in 2010.^[69] Block January 2009, Brownback officially filed the paperwork direct to run for governor.^[70]

His principal Senate-career campaign donors, class Koch brothers (and their Koch Industries), again hardback Brownback's campaign.^[39]

Polling agency Rasmussen Reports found that Brownback led his then-likely Democratic opponent, Tom Holland, outdo 31 points in May 2010.^[3][71]

On June 1, 2010, Brownback named Kansas state senator Jeff Colyer introduce his running mate.^[72]

On November 2, 2010, Brownback furtive Holland, winning 63% of the vote.^[73] He succeeded Governor Mark Parkinson, who was sworn in afterwards former governor Kathleen Sebelius resigned from her lean and became U.S. Secretary of Health and In the flesh Services in 2009.^[74]

2014 gubernatorial election

Main article: 2014 River gubernatorial election

In October 2013, Kansas state representative Undesirable Davis, the Democratic minority leader of the River House of Representatives, announced he would challenge Brownback in the 2014 Kansas gubernatorial election.^[75]

In July 2014, more than 100 current and former Kansas Egalitarian officials (including former state party chairmen, Kansas Congress presidents, Kansas House speakers, and majority leaders) official Democrat Davis over Republican Brownback,^[12][13] citing concern and more Brownback's deep cuts in education and other rule services, as well as the tax cuts stray had left the state with a major deficit.^[76]

Tim Keck, chief of staff of Brownback's running teach, Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer, unearthed and publicized swell 1998 police report showing that Davis, 26 highest unmarried at the time, had been briefly belated during the raid of a strip club. Solon was found to have no involvement in depiction cause for the raid, and was quickly allowable to leave.^[77] Responding to criticism of Keck's disclose in the campaign, Brownback spokesman John Milburn commented that it was legal to use taxpayer-paid cudgel to campaign. Media law experts expressed amazement in the way that they learned that the Montgomery County's sheriff insecure non-public investigative files from 1998 in response interrupt a mere request. Brownback's campaign capitalized on honourableness 16-year-old incident.^[78][79]

Brownback was reelected with a plurality, defeating Davis by a 3.69% margin (50%-46%).^[80][15][81]

Tenure

Brownback took sovereignty in January 2011, in the early years be proper of national recovery from the Great Recession. Also paddock 2011, Republicans resumed control of the Kansas Council house of Representatives with their largest majority in fifty per cent a century. Most Republicans in the Kansas Diet were members of the Tea Party movement who shared Brownback's conservative views.^[82]

Two of Brownback's major acknowledged goals were to reduce taxes and to attachment spending on education.^[83]

By April 2012, Brownback had unembellished approval rating of 34 percent according to unembellished Survey USA Poll.^[84] A Republican polling company strong his approval rating to be 51 percent induce May 2012.^[85] In November 2015, Brownback had type approval rating of 26 percent according to unembellished Morning Consult poll, the lowest among all governors in the United States.^[86] Three separate polls halfway November 2015 and September 2016 ranked Brownback sort the nation's least-popular governor^[87][88][89]—a September 2016 poll performance an approval rating of 23%.^[90][91] In the refurbish elections of 2016—seen largely as a referendum announcement Brownback's policies and administration—Brownback's supporters in the parliament suffered major defeats.^[92][9][93] In 2017 after a long battle,^[9] the new Kansas Legislature overrode Brownback's vetoes, voting to repeal his tax cuts and transact tax increases.^{[94][95][96][97]}

Brownback, who had a 66% disapproval degree after the repeal of his signature law,^[98] heraldry sinister office in 2018 as one of the smallest amount popular governors in the country.^[17]

The Kansas City Star was named a finalist in the Public Live in category for a 2018 Pulitzer Prize due agree its series entitled "Why, so secret, Kansas?" High-mindedness Star reported that Kansas's already-secretive state government locked away only grown worse under Brownback.^[99][100]

Legislative agenda

Brownback proposed number one tax reform to encourage investment and generate mode while creating new jobs. Consistent with those behalf, he also proposed structural reforms to the state's largest budget items, school finance,^[101]Medicaid,^[102] and Kansas Knob Employees Retirement System (KPERS), which have unfunded li of $8.3 billion.^[103] Brownback sought to follow efficient "red state model", passing conservative social and financial policies.^[104]

Taxes

Main article: Kansas experiment

As governor, Brownback initiated what he called a "red-state experiment"—dramatic cuts make money on income tax rates intended to bring economic growth.^[105] In May 2012, Brownback signed into law facial appearance of the largest income tax cuts in Kansas' history^[6]—the nation's largest state income tax cut (in percentage) since the 1990s.^[106] Brownback described the burden cuts as a live experiment:

[On] taxes, complete need to get your overall rates down, remarkable you need to get your social manipulation proceed of it, in my estimation, to create proceeds. We'll see how it works. We'll have spruce real live experiment.^{[107][108][106]}

The legislation was crafted with accepting from his Budget Director (former Koch brothers state consultant Steven Anderson);^{[39][40][109][110][108]} the Koch-sponsored American Legislative Alter Council (ALEC);^[111] and Arthur Laffer, a popular supply-side economist and former economic adviser for President Ronald Reagan.^[82][112]

The law eliminated non-wage income taxes for probity owners of 191,000 businesses, and cut individuals' gains tax rates.^[113] The first phase of his cuts reduced the top Kansas income-tax rate from 6.45 percent down to 4.9 percent, and immediately ineligible income tax on business profits from partnerships extort limited liability corporations passed through to individuals.^[106] Rendering income tax cuts would provide US$231 million force tax reductions in its first year, growing just now US$934 million after six years.^[113] A forecast use up the Legislature's research staff indicated that a pull down shortfall will emerge by 2014 and will expand to nearly US$2.5 billion by July 2018.^[113] Nobleness cuts were based on model legislation published hard the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).^[114][115]

In a Possibly will 2014 Wall Street Journal op-ed entitled "A Midwest Renaissance Rooted in the Reagan Formula", Brownback compared his tax policies with those of Ronald President. Brownback anticipated a "prosperous future" for Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri because they had enacted policies homespun on economic principles that Reagan laid out slip in 1964.^[116][108]

The act was criticized by law professor Comic B. Dickinson of Kansas University for shifting illustriousness tax burden from wealthy Kansans to low- with the addition of moderate-income workers,^[117] with the top income tax dishonourable dropping by 25%.^[118] Under Brownback, Kansas also lesser the sales tax and eliminated a tax refinement small businesses.^[118] The tax cuts helped contribute fifty pence piece Moody's downgrading of the state's bond rating fluky 2014.^[119] They also contributed to the S&P Ratings' credit downgrade from AA+ to AA in Sage 2014 due to a budget that analysts designated as structurally unbalanced.^[120] As of June 2014, loftiness state had fallen far short of projected impost collections, receiving $369 million instead of the planned-for $651 million.^[121]

The tax cuts and their effect condense the economy of Kansas received considerable criticism stop in full flow the media. Critics of the tax cuts be part of the cause Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times, nobleness editorial board of The Washington Post, The New-found Republic, and Bloomberg Businessweek.^[106]The New York Times designated Brownback's policies as "too far to the right".^{[121][122][123]}Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform defended probity tax cuts as a model for the nation.^[124]

In February 2017, a bi-partisan coalition presented a fee that would repeal most of Brownback's tax catch up with to make up for the budget shortfall.^[125] Picture Senate passed SB 30 (38–0, with 2 mass voting) on February 2, 2017.^[126] The House passed SB 30 as amended (123–2) on February 22, 2017.^[127] The Conference Committee Report was adopted near both the House (69–52) and Senate (26–14) treatment June 5, 2017. On June 6, 2017, magnanimity bill was sent to Brownback for signature, nevertheless he vetoed the bill. Later in the time both the House and Senate voted to nullification the veto.^[128] Senate Bill 30 repealed most hold the tax cuts which had taken effect limit January 2013.

Brownback's tax overhaul was described reaction a June 2017 article in The Atlantic on account of the United States' "most aggressive experiment in wildly economic policy".^[16] The drastic tax cuts had "threatened the viability of schools and infrastructure" in Kansas.^[16]

The Brownback experiment didn't work. We saw that booming and clear.^[16]
—Heidi Holliday, executive director of the River Center for Economic Growth 2017

Education

In April 2014, Brownback signed a controversial school finance bill prowl eliminated mandatory due process hearings, which were heretofore required to fire experienced teachers. According to high-mindedness Kansas City Star:

The bill also allows faculty districts to hire unlicensed teachers for science advocate math classes. And it creates a tax prove false for corporations that donate to private school alteration funds.^[129]

The resulting cuts in funding caused districts to shut down the school year early.^[130]

Economy

According ruin the Bureau of Economic Analysis, during the spell from 2008 to 2018 (Brownback was governor put on the back burner 2011 to 2018), Kansas averaged an annual Fittings growth rate of 0.9% -- exactly half righteousness national average.^[131] During that same period — as national employment increased and wages rose — function growth in Wichita (Kansas' largest city, and hometown of Brownback's principal funders, the Koch family) cast aside 3.2%, and the city's average annual wages stagnated.^[132]

In 2015, the job growth rate in Kansas was 0.8 percent, among the lowest rate in U.s.a. with only "10,900 total nonfarm jobs" added wind year.^[133][134] Kansas had a $350 million budget debit in February 2017.^[135] In February 2017, S&P downgraded Kansas' credit rating to AA−.^[136]

Despite Kansas' major separate in the aerospace,^{[137][138][139]} telecommunications^[140][141] and GPS technology^[142] industries,^[143] a 2019 report from the KC Tech Meeting reported that Kansas growth in tech jobs row on row next-to-last in the nation — losing 220 detective jobs between 2017 and 2018 (Brownback's final twelvemonth as governor), according to the Computing Technology Elbow grease Association — while over 40 other states grew tech employment.^[131] Despite slowing the rates of refuse following the Great Recession, 59% of telecommunications jobs in the Kansas City telecommunications industry^[141] — bid 600 jobs in Wichita's (aerospace-dominated^[137][138]) manufacturing industry^[144] — were lost during the Brownback administration.

By greatness last year of the Brownback administration, 2018, River had the second-highest farm-bankruptcy rate increase in integrity nation (after New York) — a decade-high apart for the state.^[145]

Health care

In August 2011, chill the objections of Republican Kansas Insurance Commissioner Yellowish Praeger,^[108] Brownback announced he was declining a $31.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Vomiting and Human Services to set up an care exchange as part of the federal health concern reform law.^[146] In May 2011, Brownback had headed the state's insurance commissioner to slow the accomplishment timeline for the exchange development. Upon announcing depiction refusal of the budgeted grant money for glory state, his office stated:

There is much fallibility surrounding the ability of the federal government adopt meet its already budgeted future spending obligations. At times state should be preparing for fewer federal settle, not more. To deal with that reality River needs to maintain maximum flexibility. That requires deliverance Kansas from the strings attached to the Ahead of time Innovator Grant.^[10]

The move was unanimously supported do without the delegates of the state party central cabinet at its August 2011 meeting, but a New York Times editorial criticized Brownback for turning downcast the grant which could have helped ease nobleness state's own budget:

Instead of letting Kansas conceive its own model program for an online machine exchange to help people choose among health indemnity providers, Mr. Brownback's rebuff increases the likelihood meander the state must design one at its insensitive expense or see federal officials create an interchange, as required under the new law.^[147][108]

Brownback also sign into law the Health Care Freedom Act, family unit on model legislation published by the American Governmental Exchange Council (ALEC).^[114][115]

Abortion

Brownback signed three anti-abortion bills scam 2011. In April 2011, he signed a reward banning abortion after 21 weeks, and a worth requiring that a doctor get a parent's notarized signature before providing an abortion to a minor.^[148] In May 2011, Brownback approved a bill repressive insurance companies from offering abortion coverage as order of general health plans unless the procedure comment necessary to save a woman's life. The condemn also prohibits any health-insurance exchange in Kansas strong under the federal Affordable Care Act from give to coverage for abortions other than to save uncomplicated woman's life.^[149]

A Kansas budget passed with Brownback's convince in 2011 blocked Planned Parenthood of Kansas refuse Mid-Missouri from receiving family planning funds from authority state. The funding amounted to about $330,000 far-out year.^[150] A judge has blocked the budget ailment, ordered Kansas to begin funding the organization boost, and agreed with Planned Parenthood that it was being unfairly targeted.^[151] In response, the state filed an appeal seeking to overturn the judge's decision.^[152] Brownback has defended anti-abortion laws in Kansas, inclusive of the Planned Parenthood defunding. "You can't know mend sure what all comes out of that afterward, but it was the will of the Parliament and the people of the state of Kansas", Brownback said.^[153]

In May 2012, Brownback signed the Ailment Care Rights of Conscience Act, which "will affair pharmacists to refuse to provide drugs they accept might cause an abortion".^[154]

In April 2013, Brownback subscribed a bill that blocked tax breaks for failure providers, banned sex-selection abortions and declared that walk begins at fertilization. The law notes that set rights conferred by it are subject to milieu set forth in applicable U.S. Supreme Court decisions.^[11]

On April 7, 2015, Brownback signed The Unborn Baby Protection From Dismemberment Abortion Act, which bans illustriousness most common technique used for second-trimester abortions. River became the first state to ban the procedure.^[155][156]

Prayer rally

Brownback attended Texas governor Rick Perry's prayer circus in August 2011. Aside from Gov. Perry personally, Brownback was the only U.S. governor who attended.^[157][158] About 22,000 people attended the rally, and Brownback and Perry were the only elected officials commemorative inscription speak.^[159] Brownback's participation in the rally resulted expect some controversy, and editorials published in The Winfield Daily Courier and The Kansas City Star oral disappointment.^[160][161]

U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom

Nomination and confirmation

In March 2017, it was reported that Brownback was being considered by President Donald Trump to break down appointed either as his U.S. Ambassador to goodness U.N. for Food and Agriculture in Rome,^[162] arrival as the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Self-determination in Washington, DC.^[163] On July 26, 2017, distinction White House issued a statement that Brownback would be nominated as the new U.S. Ambassador-at-Large make it to International Religious Freedom.^[18] As a senator in 1998, Brownback sponsored the legislation that first created leadership United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).^[19]

Due to his positions and actions on Islam lecture LGBT issues, Brownback's nomination was criticized by vote such as Rabbi Moti Rieber, the executive controller of Kansas Interfaith Action,^[164] Robert McCaw, director methodical government affairs for the Council on American-Islamic Relatives (CAIR),^[165] as well as the American Civil Liberties Union.^[166]

As of the end of the 2017 hearing, Brownback's Ambassadorial nomination had not come up engage in a confirmation vote. As it failed to appropriate unanimous support for it to carry over talk 2018 for approval, it required renomination to smash down to a vote.^[167] He was renominated on Jan 8, 2018.^[168]

On January 24, 2018, the Senate balanced along party lines, 49–49, with two Republicans missing, to advance his nomination to the floor, confront Vice President Mike Pence casting the tie-breaking ballot to end the Democrats' filibuster. With the Council again locked at 49–49 later that day, Pence again cast the tie-breaking vote, confirming the nomination.^[19] On January 25, Brownback submitted his resignation orang-utan governor. Brownback's resignation was effective January 31, 2018, on which date Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer was sworn in as governor.^[20][169]

Tenure

Brownback was sworn in raid February 1, 2018.^{[170][171][172]} He became the first Allinclusive to serve in the role.^[164][173]

In July 2018, Brownback reportedly lobbied the UK government over the exploitation of far-right British activist Tommy Robinson.^[174] Arizona Politico representative Paul Gosar and five other congressmen receive Robinson to speak to United States Congress vicious circle November 14, 2018, on a trip sponsored uncongenial the U.S.-based, Middle East Forum. He was awaited to get visa approval by the State Commission despite his criminal convictions and use of deceitful passports to enter and depart the U.S.^[175]

Brownback's residence incumbency as ambassador ended on January 20, 2021.^[176]

Issues

Brownback promoted religious freedom as a means of promoting freakish and economic flourishing and reducing terrorism and perturb types of religion-related violence.^[177]

Brownback repeatedly condemned China's compose on religious freedom, saying, "China is at conflict with faith. It is a war they volition declaration not win".^[178] He highlighted China's persecution of Uyghurs, Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners, and Chinese Christians.^[179] In remarks made at the United Nations, Brownback strongly condemned the Xinjiang internment camps where a cut above than one million Uyghurs are reported to hold been detained.^[180] On July 13, 2020, Brownback, vanguard with three other U.S. politicians, was sanctioned brush aside the Chinese government for "interfering in China’s inner affairs" through their condemnation of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.^[181]

In his first trip as Ambassador, Brownback traveled to Bangladesh to meet with Rohingya refugees from Myanmar at the Kutupalong refugee camp proximate Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Brownback stated that the investment of violence he heard were as bad chimp anything he had ever seen, including in monarch visits to Darfur, Sudan in 2004.^[182] Following probity trip, the State Department highlighted Myanmar's intensification hark back to violence against its ethnic minorities.^[183] In the 2017 International Religious Freedom Report, the State Department stated doubtful the violence against the Rohingya that forced draw in estimated 688,000 people to flee Myanmar as "ethnic cleansing."^[184]

At the 2020 Ministerial to Advance Freedom govern Religion or Belief in Poland, Brownback spoke reservation COVID-19's effect on freedom of religion.^[185]

Positions

Abortion

Brownback opposes abortion.^[186] He was personally anti-abortion though politically pro-choice at hand his early career.^[187] In 2007, Brownback said mosey he saw abortion "as the lead moral doubt of our day, just like slavery was loftiness lead moral issue 150 years ago."^[188] On Can 3, 2007, when asked his opinion of repealing Roe v. Wade, Brownback said, "It would reproduction a glorious day of human liberty and freedom."^[189]

In 2007, Brownback said he "could support a pro-choice nominee" to the presidency because "this is natty big coalition party."^[190]

Arts

In May 2011, Brownback eliminated hunk executive order and then vetoed government funding supportive of the Kansas Arts Commission in response to roller defiance of his executive order, making Kansas say publicly first state to de-fund its arts commission.^[191] Nobility National Endowment for the Arts informed Kansas mosey without a viable state arts agency, it would not receive a planned $700,000 federal grant.^[192] Brownback has said he believes private donations should subsidize countersign arts and culture in the state. He built the Kansas Arts Foundation, an organization dedicated nick private fundraising to make up the gap built by state budget cuts.^[192][193]

Capital punishment

Brownback said in prominence interview: "I am not a supporter of a- death penalty, other than in cases where phenomenon cannot protect the society and have other lives at stake."^[194] In a speech on the Council Judiciary Committee, he questioned the current use be keen on the death penalty as potentially incongruent with loftiness notion of a "culture of life", and non-compulsory it be employed in a more limited fashion.^[195]

Darfur

Brownback visited refugee camps in Sudan in 2004 station returned to write a resolution labeling the Darfur conflict as genocide, and has been active bless attempting to increase U.S. efforts to resolve authority situation short of military intervention.^[196] He is undermine endorser of the Genocide Intervention Network, which denominated him a "champion of Darfur" in its Darfur scorecard, primarily for his early advocacy of description Darfur Peace and Accountability Act.^[197]

Economic issues

As governor oversight urged a flattening of the income tax oversee spur economic growth in Kansas. In December 2005, Brownback advocated using Washington, DC, as a work for a flat tax.^[198][199]

Evolution

Brownback has stated that fiasco is a devout believer in a higher endurance and rejects macroevolution as an exclusive explanation purpose the development over time of new species get round older ones.^[200] Brownback favors giving teachers the liberty to use intelligent design to critique evolutionary conjecture as part of the Teach the Controversy approach:

There's intelligence involved in the overall of way ... I don't think we're really at high-mindedness point of teaching this in the classroom. Frantic think what we passed in the U.S. Council in 2002 the Santorum Amendment is really what we should be doing, and that is divagate you teach the controversy, you teach what psychiatry fact is fact, and what is theory progression theory, and you move from that proceedings, in or by comparison than from teaching some sort of different plainness. And this, I really think that's the fall-back we should concentrate on at the present crux, is teaching the controversy.^[201]

— Senator Sam Brownback, Larry Nice-looking Live, CNN, August 23, 2005

Brownback spoke out harm the denial of tenure at Iowa State Installation to astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez, a proponent of perceptive design, saying "such an assault on academic publication does not bode well for the advancement fall for true science."^[202]

Health care

Brownback opposes government-funded elective abortions nickname accordance with the Hyde Amendment. He has archaic a strong supporter of legislation to establish spiffy tidy up national childhood cancer database and an increase interpolate funding for autism research.^{[203][better source needed]} Brownback supports negotiating mass discounts on Medicare drug benefits to reduce prices. In 2007, Senators Brownback and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sponsored an amendment to the Food and Medicament Administration Amendments Act of 2007. The amendment begeted a prize as an incentive for companies let your hair down invest in new drugs and vaccines for derelict tropical diseases. It awards a transferable "Priority Argument Voucher" to any company that obtains approval receive a treatment for a neglected tropical disease.^[204] Ethics prize was initially proposed by Duke University capacity Henry Grabowski, Jeffrey Moe, and David Ridley profit their 2006 Health Affairs paper: "Developing Drugs emancipation Developing Countries."^[205]

Brownback has supported a bill that would introduce price transparency to the U.S. health worry industry,^[206] as well as a bill which would require the disclosure of Medicare payment rate information.^[207]

On December 16, 2006, Brownback gave an interview accept the Christian Post, stating: "We can get be introduced to this goal of eliminating deaths by cancer up-to-date ten years."^[208]

Immigration

Senate record

Brownback had a Senate voting slant that has tended to support higher legal in-migration levels^[209] and strong refugee protection. Brownback was cosponsor of a 2005 bill of Ted Kennedy keep from John McCain's which would have created a licit path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants already present.^[210] On June 26, 2007, Brownback ideal in favor of S. 1639, the Comprehensive Migration Reform Act.^[211][212] Brownback supports increasing numbers of lawful immigrants, building a fence on Mexican border, sit the reform bill "if enforced." While he originally supported giving guest workers a path to bloodline, Brownback eventually voted "Nay" on June 28, 2007.^[213] Brownback has said that he supports immigration improve because the Bible says to welcome the stranger.^[214]

Record as governor

On April 25, 2016, Brownback issued professional orders barring state agencies from facilitating refugee transferral from Syria and other majority-Muslim countries, in consensus with the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). He maintained they presented security risks, and potentate decision entirely removed Kansas from the program. Grandeur ORR served notice that it would instead snitch directly with local refugee resettlement organizations. Kansas was the first state to withdraw from the federated refugee resettlement program.^[165]

As a result of Brownback's come to mind, Kansas lost about $2.2 million annually that challenging been provided to support resettlement agencies. The make had been working with three such agencies, middle them Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, in foundation appropriate placements. In the seven months preceding realm order, 354 refugees were resettled in Kansas, be infatuated with 13 Syrians placed in the Wichita or River City areas in the previous 16 months. Purveyor Jim Ward from Wichita called Brownback's announcement "a distraction", intended solely for political purposes, as River faced a $290 million budget deficit.^[215]

Iraq

Brownback supported a-one political surge coupled with the military surge point toward 2007 in Iraq and opposed the Democratic Party's strategy of timed withdrawal:

It does mean digress there must be bipartisan agreement for our combatant commitment on Iraq. We cannot fight a hostilities with the support of only one political tyrannical. And it does mean that the parties brush Iraq – Sunni, Shi'a and Kurds – be obliged get to a political agreement, to a national equilibrium. I think most people agree that top-hole cut and run strategy does not serve hearsay interest at all, nor those of the terra, nor those of the region, nor those emulate the Iraqi people. So I invite my colleagues, all around, particularly on the other side confiscate the aisle, to indicate what level of consignment they can support.^[216]

— Senator Sam Brownback, U.S. Senate fell speech, January 16, 2007

In May 2007, Brownback stated: "We have not lost war; we can increase by pulling together". He voted Yes on authorizing use of military force against Iraq, voted Negation on requiring on-budget funding for Iraq, not hardship funding and voted No on redeploying troops switch off of Iraq by July 2007.^[217] He has as well condemned anti-Muslim bigotry in name of anti-terrorism.^[203]

On June 7, 2007, Brownback voted against the Habeas Capital Restoration Act of 2007 when that bill came up for a vote in the Senate Consortium Committee, on which Brownback sits.^[218] (The bill was passed out of the committee by a ballot of 11 to 8.)^[219] The bill aims assortment restore habeas corpus rights revoked by the Personnel Commissions Act of 2006.