Fiscal policy On February 13, 2009, Pryor voted to pass the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. On April 16, 2012, Pryor was the only Democratic senator to vote against the "
Buffett Rule," which was defeated 51 voting in favor to 45 voting against
cloture of the
filibuster. In April 2014, the United States Senate debated the
Minimum Wage Fairness Act (S. 1737; 113th Congress). The bill would amend the
Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to increase the
federal minimum wage for employees to $10.10 per hour over the course of a two-year period. The bill was strongly supported by President
Barack Obama and many of the Democratic Senators, but strongly opposed by Republicans in the Senate and House. Pryor opposed the bill.
Agriculture Senator Pryor was consistently opposed to proposed cuts to conservation, rural development, agriculture research, nutrition, and forestry programs. In 2014, as Chairman of the
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, he wrote the $20 billion annual spending legislation that allocates funds for agriculture programs. Pryor secured a legislation within the 2014 Farm bill to allow domestic forestry products to be recognized by USDA as biobased, ensuring such products can be used by the federal government and can be sold as a greener alternative to consumers. Through the annual budget process, Pryor helped allocate more than $125 million to advance research in forestry, specialty crops, animal science, wetland management, aquaculture and weather management. Pryor also worked closely with
Senator Boozman to advance agricultural and food law research by allowing institutions such as the
National Agricultural Law Center to enter into partnerships with private industry.
Estate tax In June 2006, Pryor voted against repeal of the
federal estate tax. In 2013, Pryor and Senator
John Boozman were credited by
Arkansas Farm Bureau president Randy Veach for their opposition to President Obama's plan to raise the estate tax. Pryor co-sponsored a bill that would implement a one-year extension on current estate tax rates. The bill did not pass. In 2008 Pryor voted against expanding the pool of people exempt from the estate tax.
Health care Pryor voted for the
Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in December 2009. He later voted against the
Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
Foreign policy Pryor opposed bringing
Guantanamo Bay prisoners to the
United States for trial. On September 28, 2006, Pryor was one of 12 Democratic senators who voted to adopt S.3930, the
Military Commissions Act of 2006. He voted against the
flag burning amendment in June 2006. On March 15, 2007, Pryor was one of two Democratic senators to have voted against a resolution aimed at withdrawing most American combat troops from
Iraq in 2008. The vote, requiring 60 votes to pass, was 50 to 48 against. He has voted in favor of the expansion of embryonic
stem cell research. He voted against restricting UN funding for population control policies, prohibiting minors crossing state lines for abortion, and barring Health and Human Services grants to organizations that perform abortions. On December 18, 2010, Pryor voted in favor of the
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.
Gun policy In 2004, Pryor voted to extend the
Federal Assault Weapons Ban. In 2013, Pryor voted against a measure that would have required background checks for all firearms purchases. In March 2013, Pryor cosponsored a bill that would flag individuals attempting to buy guns who have used an insanity defense, were ruled dangerous by a court, or had been committed by a court to mental health treatment. It did not address the
gun show loophole. The bill was not passed into law.
Judicial nominees On May 23, 2005, Pryor was one of
14 senators who forged a compromise on the Democrats' use of the judicial
filibuster. This effectively ended any threat of a Democratic filibuster (and thus also avoided the Republican leadership's threatened implementation of the so-called
nuclear option). Under the agreement, the Democrats would exercise the power to filibuster a
Bush judicial nominee only in an "extraordinary circumstance." The threat of a filibuster removed, Republicans were able to force
cloture on the three most conservative Bush
appellate court nominees (
Janice Rogers Brown,
Priscilla Owen and
William Pryor-no close relation), who subsequently passed a vote by the full Republican-controlled Senate. He did, however, vote against the nomination of
Samuel Alito to the
U.S. Supreme Court. On November 21, 2013, Pryor was one of only three Democratic senators to dissent from Harry Reid's leadership to vote against the
nuclear option which switched the Senate away from operating on a supermajority basis, to requiring only a simple majority for certain decisions. In his speech on the Senate floor that day, he said that the Senate was, "a place for debate...where Members...can reach across the aisle and find solutions...Part of that is to allow the minority to speak, even if it is a minority of one. We need to protect that right, and we need to protect every Senator's right to debate and to amend legislation." He said that the Senate was, in a sense, "the only place where the minority is guaranteed a voice. They sometimes get outvoted, but they are guaranteed at least to be heard," and said that he was, "disappointed in the use of the nuclear option. I opposed that. I think it could do permanent damage to this institution and could have some very negative ramifications for our country and for the American people.". ==Post-Senate career==