Bachmann has represented Minnesota’s 6th district since 2007 and also founded and chairs the congressional Tea Party Caucus. She served in the Minnesota State Senate from 2001-2007 and is a former federal tax attorney.

Bachmann’s foreign policy priorities have largely focused on strengthening the military, opposing cuts to defense spending, and in general projecting an internationalist view. On Afghanistan, she opposes the president’s recent drawdown in troops. With regard to Libya, she voted against a measure in June that would have cut off most funding for U.S. activities there, although she has stated that overthrowing Gaddafi is not a vital national interest for the United States.

On issues relating to civilian-led programs, Representative Bachmann voted in favor of the FY10 State-Foreign Operations bill in July 2009, the last time the House considered the annual foreign assistance appropriations bill. This year, with the heightened focus on spending, she supported amendments that would defund the U.S. Institute for Peace, make deep cuts in funding for U.S. multilateral assistance, and impose deep reductions to FY12 funding for international food aid programs. In 2008, she voted against the reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) saying, “The United States is the most generous nation on earth. We have to have a balancing act between our benevolence and our prosperity. And our prosperity today is at risk. We will not survive if our benevolence allows the treasury to not only be empty – but to have us be a debtor nation greater than we have ever been before.” ¹

Bachmann currently serves on the House Permanent Select Committee for Intelligence and on the House Committee on Financial Services’ Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade. While in Congress, she has traveled to Colombia, Germany, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Kuwait, Mexico, and Pakistan.

Bachmann on America’s Global Leadership

“We learned through the tragic experience of September 11 that passive defense alone cannot protect us…Prevailing in this struggle will require far more than military force. It will require the use of all elements of our national power: public diplomacy; law enforcement training; and robust intelligence capabilities.” (Foreign policy speech in South Carolina, November 2011)²

“In fiscal year 2010, the United States gave away, in a measure nothing more than fiscal insanity, $1.4 billion to countries like China, Mexico, Egypt, and other countries, each of whom own at least $10 billion in U.S. treasury bonds. Unbelievable! China owns over $1.2 trillion in these bonds…It’s like giving your banker a large gift while he still holds your unpaid mortgage. I will stop that foreign aid and I’ll stop it at once.” (Remarks at Family Research Council, November 2011)³

“I would not agree with that assessment to pull all foreign aid from Pakistan. I would reduce foreign aid to many, many countries. But there’s a problem, because Pakistan has a nuclear weapon.”(GOP CBS Foreign Policy debate, November 2011)⁴ – Watch the video

“I think a person is well served to be perennially a student of foreign policy because we live in an interconnected world. It’s important we understand each other.” (Speech in New Hampshire, March 2011)⁵

“I’m a member of the Intelligence Committee, and we’re very focused on the problems and solutions for the Colombian people and the Mexican people and how our vital U.S. interests are impacted by those two nations.” (Interview with Politico, March 2011)⁶

Bachmann on National Security

“Our government is in a fiscal crisis. As debt skyrockets, the spending decisions before us in the coming months and years will have a deep impact on the future of our nation. Lawmakers and the American public must debate the merits and faults of each category of spending. But, as we work to reverse the tide of deficit spending, I urge that we exercise great caution before anyone takes a scalpel to the defense budget.” (Statement on Defense Spending May 2011)⁷

“We are a nation at war, pitted against terrorists who are bent on destroying our nation and our very way of life. The enemy is adapting, evolving and plotting further attacks. We must be informed and always one step ahead. The security of America and the survival of her people rely heavily upon our ability to prosecute and win these wars. Investing in manpower, equipment and technology is a necessary part of that equation.” (Guest blog for Heritage, May 2011)⁸

Videos

1. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/12/liberal-activists-crash-bachmanns-carefully-choreographed-nh-rollout/
2. http://www.michelebachmann.com/2011/11/keepingamericafreesafeandsovereign
3. http://www.michelebachmann.com/2011/11/bachmann-delivers-address-to-faith-and-family-leaders-at-the-family-research-council
4. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505103_162-57323734/cbs-national-journal-debate-transcript-part-1/?tag=contentMain;contentBody
5. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/50463.html#ixzz1OVdrMcWd
6. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/50463.html
7. http://blog.heritage.org/2011/05/04/guest-blog-rep-michele-bachmann-on-the-defense-for-defense-spending/
8. http://bachmann.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=240190