Scott has been called a
moderate, as well as a
liberal Republican. His views are "
fiscally conservative but
socially liberal". Scott has said: "I am very much a fiscal conservative. But not unlike most Republicans in the Northeast, I'm probably more on the left of center from a social standpoint... I am a pro-choice Republican". He supported the
impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump that began in September 2019, and called for Trump to "resign or be removed from office" after the
2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol building. In the
2020 and
2024 presidential elections, Scott announced he voted for Democratic nominees
Joe Biden and
Kamala Harris, respectively, calling the latter "a vote against Donald Trump" and a move to "put country over party". Scott made addressing Vermont's long-term unfunded liabilities a priority, and worked with State Treasurer
Beth Pearce to pay down Vermont's pension debt.
Taxes and fees The FY18 budget Scott signed into law did not include any new or increased taxes or fees. He has said that he opposes any new taxes. He also refused to sign a bill that would have raised property taxes. Scott vetoed the FY19 budget twice before allowing it to go into law without his signature, as the threat of a government shutdown approached. In early 2018, Scott called for eliminating the tax on
Social Security benefits. House legislators incorporated a modified form of this proposal into the final FY19 budget, eliminating the tax for low- and middle-income retirees. The tax reform Scott planned (which was ultimately implemented) also lowered state income tax rates by 0.2% for all brackets; tied Vermont's tax system to Adjusted Gross Income (AGI); created Vermont-defined income deductions and personal exemptions similar to the federal tax code; increased the state
earned income tax credit by three percentage points; and added a new 5% charitable contribution tax credit. Scott's administration has reduced both Workers' Compensation and Unemployment Insurance tax rates. He has twice proposed to phase out the tax on military retirement income, which the legislature did not advance.
Economic development In 2016, Scott set a goal of boosting the state's economy by increasing the state's population to 700,000 within 10 years by encouraging young people who come to study in the state to remain after graduation.
University of Vermont economics professor Arthur Woolf Scott suggested that retention of older Vermonters, with larger incomes and tax revenues, would be a better focus, but Scott pointed to the lower average healthcare costs associated with a younger population. Scott's economic development plan has largely focused on workforce development and economic incentives. He has advocated and achieved increasing tax credits for development, new support for small business, additional initiatives for rural economic growth,
tax increment financing, permitting reform, and tax exemptions in key industries. Scott has made expanding the labor force a priority of his administration, and has proposed and achieved initiatives that invest in workforce recruitment, retention, and relocation.
Healthcare Scott signed a bill requiring Vermonters to have health insurance, making Vermont among a few states to implement such a policy after the federal repeal of the
individual mandate provision of the
Affordable Care Act. But in part due to his opposition to a financial penalty for an individual mandate, the legislature passed and Scott signed a bill that would simply require attestation of health insurance. Scott has advocated moving away from a fee-for-service-based healthcare system, and has suggested focusing more on the quality of care and services rendered. This model has been implemented on a pilot basis with an
accountable care organization. In April 2021,
Bryan Kehl and
Christopher Rufo, among others, criticized Scott for implementing a race-based
COVID-19 vaccination schedule. In response, he released a statement condemning what he called a "racist response" to the plan.
Education Scott has called for modifying Act 46 to improve cost containment measures, incorporate property tax reduction, preserve local control and school choice, and allow communities to keep the funds they save through school district mergers. He has expressed support for flexible learning plans and new technologies to improve educational outcomes. The budget also expanded a base appropriation for child care financial assistance by $2.5 million. The FY20 budget Scott signed into law built on these investments, with an additional $7.4 million for child care and $3 million more for higher education. The next year, Scott worked with the legislature to eliminate tuition for members of the
Vermont National Guard. Scott's FY18 budget froze property tax rates, and the FY19 budget froze residential property tax rates.
Gun law Scott passed legislation that banned bump stock devices, expanded background checks for gun purchases, raised the age to purchase firearms to 21 (with certain exceptions), limited the sale of certain high-capacity magazines, increased restrictions on the sale of firearms to alleged domestic abusers, and created risk protection orders. In September 2018, Scott created a Violence Prevention Task Force, ordered a security assessment of all Vermont schools, and signed legislation appropriating $5 million for school security grants. Scott also signed gun control legislation that "limits some aspects of gun possession and empowers authorities to remove guns from people who may be dangerous."
Government reform and modernization Scott supports limiting Vermont's annual legislative session to 90 days. According to him, the session's unpredictable length discourages everyday Vermonters from running for office. A 90-day session, according to Scott, would encourage more people to run for elected office by setting clear parameters. He also created the Program to Improve Vermont Outcomes Together (PIVOT) initiative, which asks frontline state employees for ways to make state government systems more efficient and easier to use. He also merged the Department of Liquor Control and the Lottery Department into the Department of Liquor and Lottery to achieve savings. He said he would strengthen the link between economic growth and Vermont's infrastructure; oppose additional transportation taxes, including a
carbon tax; oppose accumulating additional state debt for transportation; encourage innovation in transportation by implementing a
Research and Development (R&D) tax credit and an Angel Investor tax credit (a 60% credit toward cash equity investments in Vermont businesses, specifically targeted toward transportation, energy and manufacturing firms); protect the state's transportation fund to ensure it is used for transportation purposes only; advocate federal reforms and flexibility in transportation policy; and update the
Agency of Transportation's long-range plan for transportation.
Abortion Scott is
pro-choice. In June 2019, he signed into law an
abortion rights bill that was among the most wide-ranging in the U.S. in providing for abortion at any time, protecting "the fundamental right of every individual who becomes pregnant to choose to carry a pregnancy to term, to give birth to a child, or to have an abortion." In June 2022, Scott expressed his disappointment over the
overturning of Roe v. Wade, and announced that a constitutional amendment to safeguard abortion rights would appear on the November ballot. In December 2022, he signed a constitutional amendment passed by Vermont voters to further protect the right to abortion in the state.
LGBT Scott supports
same-sex marriage. He signed into law a gender-neutral bathroom bill intended to recognize the rights of transgender people. Of the new law, he said, "Vermont has a well-earned reputation for embracing equality and being inclusive".
Drugs while testifying in Congress about the opioid epidemic in 2018 On May 24, 2017, Scott vetoed a bill that would have
legalized recreational marijuana in Vermont. In October 2020, he announced he would not veto another bill to legalize recreational marijuana use, allowing the bill to become a law without his signature. As governor, Scott created an Opioid Coordination Council, appointed a director of drug policy and prevention, and convened a statewide summit on growing the workforce to support opioid and substance abuse treatment. Scott boosted efforts to reduce the drug supply through the Vermont Drug Task Force, Drug Take Back days, and expanding prescription drug disposal sites. and the Department of Justice notified Vermont that it had been preliminarily found to be a
sanctuary jurisdiction on November 15, 2017. Scott opposed the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy and the
separation of families at the border.
Environmental issues Scott approved $48 million for clean water funding in 2017. He signed an executive order creating the Vermont Climate Action Commission. Scott announced a settlement with
Saint-Gobain to address water quality issues and
PFOA contamination in
Bennington County. His FY18 budget proposal called for a tax holiday on energy efficient products and vehicles. On June 2, 2017, Scott led Vermont to join the
United States Climate Alliance, after
President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the
Paris Agreement. Scott committed to achieving 90% renewable energy by 2050. In 2019, he signed several pieces of legislation related to water quality, including creating a long-term funding mechanism for cleaning up the state's waterways, testing for lead in schools and child care centers, and regulating
perfluorooctanoic acid and related PFAS chemicals in drinking water. On September 15, 2020, Scott vetoed the Global Warming Solutions Act, which mandated reductions to Vermont's carbon emissions. Ten days later, his veto was overridden.
2025 deployment of National Guard in U.S. cities In 2025, the
Trump administration initiated federal deployments of
National Guard and other government entities to several U.S. cities, citing aims to combat crime, civil unrest, and threats to federal property. In August 2025, Scott declined a federal request to deploy Vermont's National Guard to Washington, D.C., as part of the administration's expanded security operations in that city. In October 2025, Scott called Trump's decision to dispatch the National Guard to cities like
Chicago and
Portland "unconstitutional", arguing that militarizing domestic settings without clear justification threatens public stability and encroaches on state sovereignty. == Racing career ==