Political positions of Michael Bloomberg

In April 2006, along with Boston mayor Thomas Menino, Bloomberg co-founded Mayors Against Illegal Guns.{{cite news |title=Mayors Against Illegal Guns And Moms Demand Action To Join Forces, Unite A National Movement To Protect Communities And Save Lives |url=http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/19/6013494/mayors-against-illegal-guns-and.html |newspaper=Sacramento Bee |date=December 19, 2013 |type=Press Release |access-date=December 28, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230232604/http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/19/6013494/mayors-against-illegal-guns-and.html |archive-date=December 30, 2013}}{{cite news |last1=Bloomberg |first1=Michael R. |last2=Menino |first2=Thomas M. |date=June 30, 2008 |title=Some Gun Rules We Can All Agree On |url=https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB121478283640414407 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |location=New York |type=Opinion |access-date=December 28, 2013 |url-access=limited}}{{Subscription required|date=September 2023}} A December 2013 press release by the group said the bipartisan coalition included over 1,000 mayors. In 2014, the organization merged with Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America to form Everytown for Gun Safety,Ho, Catherine (June 20, 2016). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/06/20/everytowns-survivors-network-stands-on-the-front-lines-of-the-gun-control-battle/ Inside the Bloomberg-Backed Gun-Control Group's Effort to Defeat the NRA."] The Washington Post. Retrieved from WashingtonPost.com January 12, 2019. which in 2018 in collaboration with student groups organized the March For Our Lives.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43105699 |title=American teens demand 'Never Again' |work=BBC News |date=2018-02-18 |last1=Cooper |first1=Kelly-Leigh}} When asked in an April 2014 interview why he was devoting so many of his personal resources to supporting gun control, restrictive food choice, and smoking cessation, his concern was about his mortality, replying: "I am telling you if there is a God, when I get to heaven, I'm not stopping to be interviewed. I am heading straight in. I have earned my place in heaven. It's not even close."{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/16/us/bloomberg-plans-a-50-million-challenge-to-the-nra.html |title=Bloomberg Plans a $50 Million Challenge to the N.R.A. |work=The New York Times |date=2014-04-15 |last1=Peters |first1=Jeremy W.}}

As mayor, Bloomberg increased the mandatory minimum sentence for illegal possession of a loaded handgun, saying: "Illegal guns don't belong on our streets, and we're sending that message loud and clear. We're determined to see that gun dealers who break the law are held accountable, and that criminals who carry illegal loaded guns serve serious time behind bars."{{cite web |url=http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Mike_Bloomberg_Crime.htm |title=Mike Bloomberg on Crime |access-date=August 2, 2007 |work=On The Issues}} He opposes the death penalty, saying he would "rather lock somebody up and throw away the key and put them in hard labor". He has called the death penalty "murder by the state".{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Robert |title=What Would Bloomberg's Platform Look Like? |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18518874 |access-date=25 November 2019 |publisher=National Public Radio |date=29 January 2008}}

Bloomberg was a staunch proponent of stop-and-frisk in New York City, and has argued that it lowered the murder rate.{{cite news |last1=Bloomberg |first1=Michael |title='Stop and frisk' keeps New York safe |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/michael-bloomberg-stop-and-frisk-keeps-new-york-safe/2013/08/18/8d4cd8c4-06cf-11e3-9259-e2aafe5a5f84_story.html |access-date=9 November 2019 |agency=Washington Post |date=18 August 2013}} The manner in which the NYPD utilized the practice was ruled unconstitutional in 2013, but the practice itself was not deemed unconstitutional.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/17/us/politics/bloomberg-president-2020-democrat.html |title=Bloomberg May Run for President as a Democrat. Some of His Views May Cause Him Trouble. |last1=Burns |first1=Alexander |date=2018-09-17 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2019-01-21 |last2=Ember |first2=Sydney |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/09/28/trumps-false-claim-that-stop-and-frisk-was-not-ruled-unconstitutional/ |title=Trump's false claim that stop and frisk in NYC wasn't ruled unconstitutional |date=2016 |newspaper=The Washington Post }} There is no evidence that the practice reduced the crime rate.{{cite web |url=http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2013/08/two-unpublished-studies-say-stop-and-frisk-doesnt-work/6616/ |title=2 Unpublished Studies Say Stop-and-Frisk Doesn't Work |last=Riggs |first=Mike |website=CityLab |language=en |access-date=2019-01-21}} New York City did not see an increase in violent or property crime following the end of stop-and-frisk, and in fact experienced lower murder rates after the policy was scaled back in 2013.{{cite web |last1=Grawert |first1=Ames |title=Fact Sheet: Stop and Frisk's Effect on Crime in New York City |url=https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/fact-sheet-stop-and-frisks-effect-crime-new-york-city |website=Brennan Center for Justice |access-date=16 February 2020}}

In June 2013, Bloomberg pushed back against accusations that the stop-and-frisk practice disproportionately targeted minorities. Bloomberg argued that the demographic data of police stops should be assessed based on suspects' descriptions and not the population as a whole, saying, "it's not a disproportionate percentage of those who witnesses and victims describe as committing the [crime]. In that case, incidentally, I think we disproportionately stop whites too much and minorities too little."{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/06/28/bloomberg-police-minorities-stops/2474261/ |title=Bloomberg: Police stop minorities "too little" |agency=Associated Press |work=USA Today |date=June 28, 2013 |access-date=February 11, 2020}}

In 2015, Bloomberg defended New York City's stop-and-frisk practices, saying:

{{quote|text=Ninety-five percent of murders- murderers and murder victims fit one M.O. You can just take the description, Xerox it, and pass it out to all the cops. They are male, minorities, 16-25. That's true in New York, that's true in virtually every city (inaudible). And that's where the real crime is. You’ve got to get the guns out of the hands of people that are getting killed. So you want to spend the money on a lot of cops in the streets. Put those cops where the crime is, which means in minority neighborhoods.

So one of the unintended consequences is people say, ‘Oh my God, you are arresting kids for marijuana that are all minorities.’ Yes, that's true. Why? Because we put all the cops in minority neighborhoods. Yes, that's true. Why do we do it? Because that's where all the crime is. And the way you get the guns out of the kids’ hands is to throw them up against the wall and frisk them... And then they start... ‘Oh I don't want to get caught.’ So they don't bring the gun. They still have a gun, but they leave it at home.|author=Michael Bloomberg|source=speech to the Aspen Institute, February 2015{{cite web |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/02/leaked-audio-bloomberg-aspen-institute-racial-profiling-stop-and-frisk-policing.html |title=Leaked Audio Captures Bloomberg Defending Racial Profiling and Stop-and-Frisk Policing |author=Hannon, Elliott |work=Slate |date=February 11, 2020 |access-date=February 11, 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/11/michael-bloomberg-stop-and-frisk-clip-113902 |title=Bloomberg in hot water over 'stop-and-frisk' audio clip |author=Forgey, Quint |work=Politico |date=February 11, 2020 |access-date=February 11, 2020}}}}

However, in 2018, Bloomberg walked back his stance on stop-and-frisk, saying, "The history of the decline in police stops is misunderstood. As crime hit historic lows, and more than a year before any court ruling, I pledged to a Sunday congregation in Brooklyn and to all New Yorkers that 'we must and will do better' by reforming police practices while continuing to drive down crime. And that's exactly what we did, on our own accord. We cut police stops by 94 percent, while continuing to reduce crime and incarceration."{{cite news |last1=Cheney |first1=Brendan |title=Bloomberg's "stop-and-frisk" legacy would complicate presidential bid |url=https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2018/11/22/bloombergs-stop-and-frisk-legacy-would-complicate-presidential-bid-707075 |access-date=9 November 2019 |agency=Politico |date=11 November 2019}} On November 17, 2019, while speaking in Brooklyn's non-denominational Christian Cultural Center, Bloomberg renounced his previous support for stop-and-frisk, and issued an apology.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/17/us/politics/michael-bloomberg-speech.html|title=Michael Bloomberg Pushed "Stop-and-Frisk" Policing. Now He's Apologizing.|first=Shane|last=Goldmacher|date=November 17, 2019|newspaper=The New York Times}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/17/opinion/Michael-bloomberg-stop-and-frisk.html|title=Opinion | Bloomberg Apologizes for Stop-and-Frisk at Just the Right Time|first=Mara|last=Gay|date=November 17, 2019|newspaper=The New York Times}} New York Mayor Bill de Blasio responded to Bloomberg's apology by stating: "This is LONG overdue, and the timing is transparent and cynical."{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/1196130583409283072|title=This is LONG overdue and the timing is transparent and cynical. With all due respect to my predecessor, we've spent six years undoing the damage he created with this bankrupt policy. We ended stop and frisk AND drove down crime. Actions speak louder than words|first=Mayor Bill|last=de Blasio|date=November 17, 2019}} Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch also criticized Bloomberg's apology, noting in a statement that, "We said in the early 2000s that the quota-driven emphasis on street stops was polluting the relationship between cops and our communities", and that the "[Bloomberg] administration's misguided policy inspired an anti-police movement that has made cops the target of hatred and violence, and stripped away many of the tools we had used to keep New Yorkers safe".{{Cite web|url=https://www.pix11.com/2019/11/17/too-little-too-late-pat-lynch-police-union-president-slams-bloomberg-stop-and-frisk-apology|title="Too little, too late": Police union president slams Bloomberg "stop and frisk" apology|date=November 17, 2019|website=WPIX}}

Bloomberg supports an increase in spending on research and development by over $100 billion through agencies including the Department of Defense and National Institutes of Health to invest in manufacturing and agriculture.{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/2020-election/candidates-views-on-the-issues/michael-bloomberg/ |title=Michael Bloomberg |work=Politico |date=February 14, 2020 |access-date=February 19, 2020}}

Bloomberg supports investing in federal apprenticeship programs to provide retraining for rural workers whose jobs may be affected due to the increasing reliance on technology and automation. During a 2016 appearance at a University of Oxford Distinguished Speaker Series, Bloomberg elaborated on the educational disparity and inequality between rural and white-collar workers, saying:

{{quote|text=I could teach anybody — even people in this room, no offense intended — to be a farmer. It's a [process]. You dig a hole, you put a seed in, you put dirt on top, add water, up comes the corn. You could learn that. Then you have 300 years of the industrial society. You put the piece of metal on the lathe, you turn the crank in the direction of the arrow and you can have a job. And we created a lot of jobs. [At] one point, 98% of the world worked in agriculture, today it's 2%, in the United States.

Now comes the information economy. And the information economy is fundamentally different because it's built around replacing people with technology, and the skill sets that you have to learn are how to think and analyze. And that is a whole degree level different. You have to have a different skill set, you have to have a lot more gray matter.|author=Michael Bloomberg|source=speaking at University of Oxford Saïd Business School, November 17, 2016{{cite web |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article240392636.html |title=Another Bloomberg tape comes back to haunt campaign. And this time it's about farmers |author=Duncan, Charles |work=Miami Herald |date=February 18, 2020 |access-date=February 19, 2020}}}}

As mayor, Bloomberg launched a program called Opportunity NYC, the nation's first-ever conditional cash transfer pilot program, designed to help New Yorkers break the cycle of poverty in the city. He instituted a $7.5 billion municipal affordable housing plan, the largest in the nation, that is supposed to provide 500,000 New Yorkers with housing.{{cite web |url=http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Mike_Bloomberg_Welfare_+_Poverty.htm |title=Mike Bloomberg on Welfare and Poverty |access-date=August 2, 2007 |work=On The Issues}}

Bloomberg blamed the subprime mortgage crisis and 2008 economic downturn on policies implemented by Congress.{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2011/11/bloomberg-plain-and-simple-congress-caused-the-mortgage-crisis-not-the-banks-000000 |title=Bloomberg: 'Plain and simple,' Congress caused the mortgage crisis, not the banks |author=Paybarah, Azi |work=Politico |date=November 1, 2011 |access-date=February 14, 2020}} In a 2008 speech at Georgetown University, he cited government housing policies intended to reduce the effects of redlining as a contributing factor in the housing crisis, saying:

{{quote|text=It all started back when there was a lot of pressure on banks to make loans to everyone. Redlining, if you remember, was the term where banks took whole neighborhoods and said, ‘People in these neighborhoods are poor, they’re not going to be able to pay off their mortgages, tell your salesmen don’t go into those areas.’ And then Congress got involved -- local elected officials, as well -- and said, ‘Oh that’s not fair, these people should be able to get credit.’ And once you started pushing in that direction, banks started making more and more loans where the credit of the person buying the house wasn’t as good as you would like.|author=Michael Bloomberg|source=Speech at Georgetown University, September 2008{{cite web |url=https://apnews.com/8cbb1fafbb4faf01e8d9571363979501 |title=Bloomberg once blamed end of 'redlining' for 2008 collapse |author=Slodysko, Brian |work=Associated Press |date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=February 13, 2020}}}}

Bloomberg is a proponent of large-scale development. He has repeatedly supported projects such as the Pacific Park mega-development, the Hudson Yards Redevelopment and associated rail-yard development (even supporting a subway extension to Hudson Yards), and the Harlem rezoning proposal.Williams, Timothy (April 2, 2008). [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/nyregion/02rezone.html?ref=nyregion "Harlem Councilwoman Opposes Rezoning Plan"]. The New York Times. On smaller-scale issues, Bloomberg usually takes the side of development as well. He favors the demolition of Admiral's RowBelenkaya, Veronika. [http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2007/11/08/2007-11-08_navy_yard_museum_approved_but_admirals_r.html "Navy Yard Museum Approved but 'Admiral's Row' Gotta Go"], Daily News, November 21, 2007. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013091907/http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2007/11/08/2007-11-08_navy_yard_museum_approved_but_admirals_r.html|date=October 13, 2011}} to build a supermarket parking lot. However, Bloomberg has occasionally sided with preservation, most notably in vetoing landmark revocation for the Austin Nichols warehouse.Pogrebin, Robin (December 8, 2005). [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/08/arts/08land.html "Bloomberg, a Landmark and, Suddenly, a Veto"]. The New York Times. This move was widely applauded by architectural historians. The City Council overruled the veto shortly thereafter, however.{{cite web |url=http://thevillager.com/villager_137/votesoverbutdebate.html |title=Votes over, but debate continues about warehouse |publisher=Thevillager.com |access-date=November 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121208172303/http://thevillager.com/villager_137/votesoverbutdebate.html |archive-date=December 8, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}

Bloomberg has characterized himself in the past as a fiscal conservative for turning New York City's $6 billion deficit into a $3 billion surplus. He did so by raising property taxes and making cuts to city agencies.{{cite web |last=Rubinstein |first=Dana |url=http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2012/05/5832308/bloomberg-presents-balanced-budget-moving-parts |title=Bloomberg presents a balanced budget, with moving parts |publisher=Capital New York |date=May 3, 2012 |access-date=November 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506142304/http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2012/05/5832308/bloomberg-presents-balanced-budget-moving-parts |archive-date=May 6, 2012 |url-status=dead}}

{{Quote|text=Being a fiscal conservative is not about slashing programs that help the poor, or improve health care, or ensure a social safety net. It's about insisting services are provided efficiently, get to only the people that need them, and achieve the desired results. Fiscal conservatives have hearts too – but we also insist on using our brains, and that means demanding results and holding government accountable for producing them.

To me, fiscal conservatism means balancing budgets – not running deficits that the next generation can't afford. It means improving the efficiency of delivering services by finding innovative ways to do more with less. It means cutting taxes when possible and prudent to do so, raising them overall only when necessary to balance the budget, and only in combination with spending cuts. It means when you run a surplus, you save it; you don't squander it. And most importantly, being a fiscal conservative means preparing for the inevitable economic downturns – and by all indications, we've got one coming.|author=Michael Bloomberg|source=speech at Conservative Party Conference (UK), September 30, 2007[http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&catID=1194&doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2007b%2Fpr348-07.html&cc=unused1978&rc=1194&ndi=1 Mayor Bloomberg Delivers Remarks at 2007 Conservative Party Conference] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121214013429/http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&catID=1194&doc_name=http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/2007b/pr348-07.html&cc=unused1978&rc=1194&ndi=1 |date=2012-12-14 }}". The New York Times. July 2, 2007.}}

Bloomberg has expressed a distaste for taxes, stating, "Taxes are not good things, but if you want services, somebody's got to pay for them, so they're a necessary evil."{{cite web |url=http://www.woopidoo.com/business_quotes/authors/michael-bloomberg-quotes.htm |title=Michael Bloomberg Quotes |access-date=August 2, 2007 |publisher=woopidoo.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070627024326/http://www.woopidoo.com/business_quotes/authors/michael-bloomberg-quotes.htm |archive-date=June 27, 2007 |url-status=dead}} As mayor, he did raise property taxes to fund budget projects; however, in January 2007, he proposed cuts in property taxes by five percent and cuts in sales taxes, including the elimination of taxes on clothing and footwear. Bloomberg pointed to the Wall Street profits and the real estate market as evidence that the city's economy is booming and could handle a tax break.{{cite news |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30914FF3A540C748DDDA80894DF404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fP%2fProperty%20Taxes |title=Mayor Plans Cut in Property Tax And End to Sales Tax on Clothes |work=The New York Times |first=Diane |last=Cardwell |date=January 17, 2007 |access-date=August 2, 2007}}

Bloomberg is in favor of providing tax breaks to big corporations to promote economic growth. As mayor, Bloomberg lobbied the CEO of Goldman Sachs to establish its headquarters across from Ground Zero by promising $1.65 billion in tax breaks. Regarding this deal, Bloomberg stated, "This [New York City] is where the best want to live and work. So I told him [CEO of Goldman Sachs], 'We can help with minimizing taxes. Minimizing your rent. Improving security. But in the end, this is about people.'"{{cite web |url=http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/features/14573/index1.html |title=The Strange Dichotomy of Mayor Michael Bloomberg – Philanthropist and politician |work=New York |date=October 3, 2005 |access-date=November 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516064353/http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/features/14573/index1.html |archive-date=May 16, 2007 |url-status=live}}

Bloomberg is a staunch advocate of free trade, and is strongly opposed to protectionism, stating, "The things that we have to worry about is this protectionist movement that has reared its head again in this country. ..." He worries about the growth of China, and fears the lessening gap between the United States and other countries. "The rest of the world is catching up, and, there are people that say, surpassing us. I hope they are wrong. I hope those who think we are still in good shape are right. But nevertheless, the time to address these issues is right now."{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/nyregion/14mayor.html |title=New York Mayor Warns Against Growing Inequality in U.S. |work=The New York Times |author=Chan, Sewell |date=March 14, 2007 |access-date=January 2, 2010|author-link=Sewell Chan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317181734/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/nyregion/14mayor.html |archive-date=March 17, 2007 |url-status=live |url-access=limited}}{{Subscription required|date=September 2023}}

Bloomberg had less cordial relations with unions as mayor. In 2002, when New York City's transit workers threatened to strike, Bloomberg responded by riding a mountain bike through the city to show how the city could deal with the transit strike by finding alternate means of transportation and not pandering to the unions.{{cite web |url=http://www.transalt.org/press/askta/021216.html |title=Bikes, Mike and Transit Strike |access-date=August 2, 2007 |publisher=transalt.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000156/http://www.transalt.org/press/askta/021216.html |archive-date=September 27, 2007}} Three years later, a clash over wages and union benefits led to a three-day strike. Negotiations led to the end of the strike in December 2005.{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/bloomberg-remarks-on-transit-strike-raise-charges-of-racism |publisher=Fox News Channel |title=Bloomberg Remarks on Transit Strike Raise Charges of Racism |date=December 1, 2011 |access-date=June 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526144813/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,179800,00.html |archive-date=May 26, 2013 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}

In 2013, Bloomberg compared the leadership of the United Federation of Teachers to the National Rifle Association of America (NRA), saying "The NRA's another place where the membership, if you do the polling, doesn't agree with the leadership."{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2013/01/teachers-union-bloomberg-undermined-himself-on-gun-control-000000 |title=Teachers union: Bloomberg undermined himself on gun control |author=Paybarah, Azi |work=Politico |date=January 8, 2013 |access-date=February 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216231057/https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2013/01/teachers-union-bloomberg-undermined-himself-on-gun-control-000000 |archive-date=February 16, 2020 |url-status=live}} The same year, he made a similar comparison to the NRA and the New York Civil Liberties Union when defending the city's stop-and-frisk policy, saying "We don't need extremists on the left or the right running our police department, whether it's the NRA or the NYCLU."{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/16/michael-bloomberg-teachers-civil-libertarians-nra-115430 |title=Bloomberg in 2013: Civil libertarians and teachers union are like NRA 'extremists' |author=Korecki, Natasha |work=Politico |date=February 16, 2020 |access-date=February 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216155344/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/16/michael-bloomberg-teachers-civil-libertarians-nra-115430 |archive-date=February 16, 2020 |url-status=live}}

Bloomberg replaced New York City's school board set up by the state of New York with a set-up providing direct mayoral control over public education.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.cityandstateny.com/allies |title=Allies |magazine=City & State |access-date=November 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416022013/http://www.cityandstateny.com/allies |archive-date=April 16, 2012}} This was criticized by some, such as former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch, who has argued that mayoral control led to further privatization of education.{{cite web |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/598327/slaying-goliath-by-diane-ravitch/ |title=Slaying Goliath by Diane Ravitch: 9780525655374 {{!}} PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books |website=PenguinRandomhouse.com |language=en-US |access-date=2019-12-18}} Bloomberg states that he raised the salaries of teachers by fifteen percent while boosting test scores and graduation rates.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39427801 |title=Transcript: Mayor Michael Bloomberg Speech; NBC'S Tom Brokaw Introduction |publisher=NBC News |date=September 29, 2010 |access-date=November 5, 2012}}{{cite news |title=Mayor praises NYC high school graduation rate |url=http://www.boston.com/news/education/articles/2012/06/12/mayor_praises_nyc_high_school_graduation_rate |date=June 12, 2012 |first=Verena |last=Dobnik |work=Boston Globe |agency=Associated Press |access-date=May 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014029/http://www.boston.com/news/education/articles/2012/06/12/mayor_praises_nyc_high_school_graduation_rate |archive-date=December 3, 2013}} Some, such as the United Federation of Teachers, dispute these claims, criticizing Bloomberg for including things that do not show up on a paycheck, such as increased spending on teachers' pensions and healthcare, which they say inflate the amount teachers' salaries were raised; they also accuse him of exaggerating the boost in graduation rates and the role his administration played in it, pointing out that New York City's graduation rates still far lagged behind the rest of New York State.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2013/05/03/fact-checking-bloombergs-claim-that-teachers-have-had-raises/|title=Fact-checking Bloomberg's claim that teachers have had raises|date=May 3, 2013 |publisher=Chalkbeat}}{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/education/articles/2012/06/12/mayor_praises_nyc_high_school_graduation_rate/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014029/http://www.boston.com/news/education/articles/2012/06/12/mayor_praises_nyc_high_school_graduation_rate/ |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |title=Mayor Praises NYC High School Graduation Rate |last=Dobnik |first=Verena |date=June 12, 2012 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=December 17, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/news/education/articles/2012/06/12/mayor_praises_nyc_high_school_graduation_rate/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014029/http://www.boston.com/news/education/articles/2012/06/12/mayor_praises_nyc_high_school_graduation_rate/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 3, 2013|title=Mayor praises NYC high school graduation rate - Boston.com|date=December 3, 2013}}

Bloomberg opposes social promotion, stating that students should be promoted only when they are adequately prepared for the next grade level. Some educators disagree, however, arguing that leaving children behind stigmatizes them as failures, only to face failure again as they repeat the grade.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may04/vol61/num08/Does-Social-Promotion-Work%C2%A2.aspx|title=Does Social Promotion Work? - Educational Leadership|website=www.ascd.org}} He favors after-school programs to help students who are behind. As mayor, Bloomberg strengthened the cellphone ban in schools.{{cite web |url=http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Mike_Bloomberg_Education.htm |title=Mike Bloomberg on Education |access-date=August 2, 2007 |work=On The Issues}} In Los Angeles, Bloomberg waded into the controversy over the proliferation of charter schools, donating over $1 million to elect pro-charter school board candidates opposed by United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA).{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2013-apr-24-la-me-school-board-money-20130425-story.html |title=Michael Bloomberg donates $350,000 to L.A. school board race |date=2013-04-24 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |access-date=2019-12-18}}

During his second term as the mayor of New York City, Bloomberg unveiled PlaNYC: A Greener, Greater New York on April 22, 2007, to fight global warming, protect the environment and prepare for the projected 1 million additional people expected to be living in the city by the year 2030.{{cite news |title=Bloomberg Draws a Blueprint for a Greener City |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/nyregion/23mayor.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 23, 2007 |access-date=November 15, 2015 |issn=0362-4331 |first=Thomas J. |last=Lueck}}

Under PlaNYC, in just six years New York City reduced citywide greenhouse gas emissions by 19% since 2005 and was on track to achieve a 30% reduction ahead of the PlaNYC 2030 goal.{{cite web |title=Significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and new expanded programs to continue the progress |url=http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/440-13/mayor-bloomberg-deputy-mayor-holloway-office-long-term-planning-sustainibility |website=The official website of the City of New York |date=December 30, 2013 |access-date=November 15, 2015}} In October 2007, as part of PlaNYC, Bloomberg launched the Million Trees NYC initiative, which aimed to plant and care for one million trees throughout the city in the next decade. In November 2015, New York City planted its one millionth tree, two years ahead of the original 10-year schedule.{{cite news |title=Bronx Planting Caps Off a Drive to Add a Million Trees |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/nyregion/new-york-city-prepares-to-plant-one-millionth-tree-fulfilling-a-promise.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 20, 2015 |access-date=November 15, 2015 |issn=0362-4331 |first=Lisa W. |last=Foderaro}}

In 2008, Bloomberg convened the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC), an effort to prepare the city for global warming (climate change).{{cite web |url=http://www.nyas.org/Publications/Annals/Detail.aspx?cid=ab9d0f9f-1cb1-4f21-b0c8-7607daa5dfcc |title=Climate Change Adaptation in New York City: Building a Risk Management Response |publisher=The New York Academy of Sciences |year=2010}} Bloomberg has been involved in motivating other cities to make changes and has spoken about reducing carbon dioxide emissions, using cleaner and more efficient fuels, using congestion pricing in New York City, and encouraging public transportation.{{cite web |url=http://www.mikebloomberg.com/en/issues/environment_sustainability/mayor_michael_bloomberg_delivers_keynote_address_at_the_c40_large_cities_climate_summit |title=Mayor Michael Bloomberg Delivers Keynote Address at the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit |date=May 15, 2007 |access-date=August 2, 2007 |publisher=mikebloomberg.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928061215/http://www.mikebloomberg.com/en/issues/environment_sustainability/mayor_michael_bloomberg_delivers_keynote_address_at_the_c40_large_cities_climate_summit |archive-date=September 28, 2007}}

Bloomberg unveiled the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR) in June 2013, after the city was affected by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. The $20 billion initiative laid out extensive plans to protect New York City against future effects of global warming. The plan was cultivated by Cisco DeVries, the chief of staff to Berkeley's mayor and then-CEO of RenewableFunding and Matthew Brown of Lestis Private Capital Group.{{cite news |title=3 Years After Hurricane Sandy, Is New York Prepared for the Next Great Storm? |url=http://www.thenation.com/article/3-years-after-hurricane-sandy-is-new-york-prepared-for-the-next-great-storm |newspaper=The Nation |access-date=November 15, 2015 |issn=0027-8378}} On September 26, 2013, Bloomberg announced that his administration's air pollution reduction efforts had resulted in the best air quality in New York City in more than 50 years.{{cite news |title=New York's Air Is Cleanest in 50 Years, Survey Finds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/nyregion/new-yorks-air-is-cleanest-in-50-years-survey-finds.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 26, 2013 |access-date=November 15, 2015 |issn=0362-4331 |first=Kate |last=Taylor}} The majority of the air quality improvement was attributed to the phasing out of heavy polluting heating oils through New York's "Clean Heat" program.{{cite news |title=Cleanest air in 50 years! How did New York do it? |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2013/0927/Cleanest-air-in-50-years!-How-did-New-York-do-it |newspaper=Christian Science Monitor |access-date=November 15, 2015 |issn=0882-7729 |first=Harry |last=Bruinius}} As a result of the improved air quality, the average life expectancy of New Yorkers had increased three years during Bloomberg's tenure, compared to 1.8 years in the rest of the country.{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/22/bloomberg-public-health_n_4489289.html |title=Bloomberg Public Health Legacy Lauded In NYC |date=December 20, 2013 |access-date=November 9, 2015 |website=Huffington Post |last=Oh |first=I.}}

By 2017, Bloomberg donated $100 million to the campaign Beyond Coal, that helped close over half of the US coal power stations, since 2011 when it was expanded due to his financial help. In 2017 he donated $64 million more, the day after EPA head Scott Pruitt began to abolish President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan.{{cite web |last1=McGuigan |first1=Connor |title=Michael Bloomberg Donates Millions to Help Transition Away From Coal |url=https://content.sierraclub.org/coal/posts/michael-bloomberg-donates-millions-help-transition-away |website=Sierra Club |access-date=10 January 2020}}

In 2019, Bloomberg, with the Sierra Club and other organizations, launched "Beyond Carbon," an initiative to complete the USA's transition to non-fossil energy sources.{{cite web |last1=Anne Hitt |first1=Mary |title=We're Moving Beyond Carbon Entirely, in Partnership With Bloomberg Philanthropies |url=https://www.sierraclub.org/articles/2019/06/we-re-moving-beyond-carbon-entirely-partnership-bloomberg-philanthropies |website=Sierra Club |access-date=10 January 2020|date=June 7, 2019 }} Bloomberg and former California Governor Jerry Brown launched and are leading America's Pledge, a coalition of cities, businesses, states and more in the US to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.{{cite web |title=Jerry Brown and Michael Bloomberg Launch "America's Pledge" in Support of Paris |url=https://unfccc.int/news/jerry-brown-and-michael-bloomberg-launch-americas-pledge-in-support-of-paris |website=UNFCCC |publisher=United Nation |access-date=10 January 2020}}{{cite web |title=About America's Pledge |url=https://www.americaspledgeonclimate.com/about/ |website=America's Pledge |access-date=10 January 2020}} The organization covers 68% of the GDP and 65% of the population of the United States. In COP25 it presented a report named "ACCELERATING AMERICA'S PLEDGE," in which it stated that already existing commitments can cut USA greenhouse gas emissions by 19% by 2025 and by 25% by 2030. Accelerating local action can lower emissions by 37% by the year 2030, and if federal support will be adjusted, by 49% by the same year relative to the level of the year 2005.{{cite book |last1=Hultman |first1=N. |last2=Frisch |first2=C. |last3=Clarke |first3=L. |title=The America's Pledge Initiative on Climate Change (2019) "Accelerating America's Pledge: Going All-In to Build a Prosperous, Low-Carbon Economy for the United States. |date=2019 |publisher=Bloomberg Philanthropies with University of Maryland Center for Global Sustainability, Rocky Mountain Institute, and World Resources Institute. |location=New York |page=2 |url=https://www.bbhub.io/dotorg/sites/28/2019/12/Accelerating-Americas-Pledge.pdf |access-date=13 January 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Michelle |title=Trump skipped the UN climate summit, but Bloomberg's America's Pledge is there with a plan |url=https://electrek.co/2019/12/09/trump-skipped-un-climate-summit-bloomberg-americas-pledge-report/ |website=Electrek |access-date=10 January 2020}}

As mayor, Bloomberg made trips to Mexico, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Israel in the first four months of 2007.{{cite web |url=http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Mike_Bloomberg_Foreign_Policy.htm |title=Mike Bloomberg on Foreign Policy |access-date=August 2, 2007 |work=On The Issues}} In late 2007, he conducted an Asia trip that brought him to China, where he called for greater freedom of information to promote innovation. He attended the 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali.

In September 2019, Bloomberg defended China's President, General Secretary Xi Jinping, saying he "is not a dictator", and that the autocratic ruling party of China, the Communist Party, "listens to the public" on issues such as pollution.{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3030970/xi-jinping-no-dictator-american-businessman-michael-bloomberg|title=Xi Jinping "no dictator", US businessman Michael Bloomberg says|date=2019-09-30|website=South China Morning Post|language=en|access-date=2019-12-01}} In January 2020, Bloomberg came out in favor of sanctions on Chinese officials for "human rights violations in both Hong Kong and Xinjiang".{{cite web |url=https://www.cfr.org/article/michael-bloomberg|title=Candidates Answer CFR's Questions: Michael Bloomberg; January 23, 2020 |website=cfr.org}}

In 2003, Bloomberg strongly supported the war in Iraq, and the rationale for going in. He stated, "Don't forget that the war started not very many blocks from here",{{cite magazine |last=Larison |first=Daniel |url=http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/friedmans-bloomberg-fetish-and-centrist-foreign-policy |title=Friedman's Bloomberg Fetish and "Centrist" Foreign Policy |magazine=The American Conservative |date=April 18, 2012 |access-date=November 5, 2012}} alluding to Ground Zero. In regard to the global War on Terrorism, including Iraq, he said: "It's not only to protect Americans. It's America's responsibility to protect people around the world who want to be free." During the 2004 presidential election campaign, New York City hosted the Republican National Convention where Bloomberg endorsed President George W. Bush for President of the United States.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46503-2004Aug30.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |title=Text of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Speech at the Republican National Convention |date=August 30, 2004 |access-date=May 12, 2010}} In 2005, Bloomberg spoke out against creating a timeline for withdrawing troops from Iraq, calling Congressional Democrats who supported withdrawing troops "irresponsible".{{cite web |url=https://www.city-journal.org/bloomberg-foreign-policy-presidential-run |title=The Mayor and the World |last=Miller |first=Judith |author-link=Judith Miller |work=City Journal |date=November 11, 2019 |access-date=February 15, 2020}} Later in 2005, he said: "I think everybody has very mixed emotions about the war that was started to find weapons of mass destruction, and then they were not found."{{cite web |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0542,barrett1,68949,5.html |title=Mayor Mute |date=October 11, 2005 |first=Wayne |last=Barrett |access-date=June 18, 2011 |work=The Village Voice |archive-date=June 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616113203/http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0542,barrett1,68949,5.html |url-status=dead }}

Bloomberg supports adding a public health insurance option for those who do not have access to insurance. In 2009, Bloomberg wrote an op-Ed for the New York Daily News in support of a public option.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/public-insurance-plan-heal-broken-health-care-system-article-1.427465|title=A public insurance plan will help heal a broken health care system|last=Bloomberg|first=Michael|website=nydailynews.com|date=July 2009 |access-date=2020-02-29}} In 2010, Bloomberg criticized the Affordable Care Act, saying that it would do "absolutely nothing to fix the big health care problems".{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/16/politics/kfile-bloomberg-called-obamacare-a-disgrace/index.html |title=Mike Bloomberg in 2010 called Obamacare legislation "a disgrace" and "another program that's going to cost a lot of money" |author1=Kaczynski, Andrew |author2=Steck, Em |work=CNN |date=February 16, 2020 |access-date=February 16, 2020}} Bloomberg has since advocated for preserving and expanding the program.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/08/us/politics/michael-bloomberg-issues.html|title=Where Michael Bloomberg Stands on the Issues|first=Maggie|last=Astor|date=November 8, 2019|work=The New York Times}} In a 2017 interview, Bloomberg praised the concept of single-payer health care, but conceded that "the politics of single payer do not work at the moment, but maybe someday people will look at it differently".{{Cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mike-bloomberg-talks-trump-explains-181348344.html|title=Mike Bloomberg talks Trump, and explains why he didn't run for president|website=finance.yahoo.com|date=16 June 2017 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-29}}

On December 5, 2006, New York City under Bloomberg became the first city in the United States to ban trans fat from all restaurants. This went into effect in July 2008.{{cite news|first=David W.|last=Dunlap|title=Blocks; Capturing the Spirit of 1776, but With a Different Number|work=New York Times|date=January 1, 2004|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40D16F83C550C728CDDA80894DC404482|access-date=July 19, 2006}}

In 2012, the NYC Board of Health approved Bloomberg's proposal to ban the sale of many sweetened drinks more than 16 ounces (473ml) in volume. The limit would have applied to businesses such as restaurants and movie theaters but did not apply to grocery stores, including 7-Eleven. Diet varieties of sweetened drinks were unaffected.{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/13/new-york-approves-soda-ban-big-sugary-drinks_n_1880868.html |work=The Huffington Post |title=New York Soda Ban Approved: Board Of Health OKs Limiting Sale Of Large-Sized, Sugary Drinks |first=Jill |last=Colvin |date=September 13, 2012 |access-date=November 30, 2012}}

On March 12, 2013, hours before the ban was scheduled to take effect, State Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling struck it down, ruling that the Board of Health lacked the jurisdiction to enforce it and that the rule was "arbitrary and capricious". The city appealed the decision.{{cite news |title=New York City Soda Ban Health Fallout: Bloomberg's Legislation Struck Down ... Now What? |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/12/new-york-city-soda-ban-bloomberg-loses-judge_n_2856642.html |first=Meredith |last=Melnick |date=March 12, 2013 |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=March 12, 2013}} On July 30, the Appellate Division upheld the lower court's ruling, stating the Board of Health "failed to act within the bounds of its lawfully delegated authority" and the ban was a violation of the separation of powers doctrine, which reserves legislative power to the legislature and does not allow the board to "exercise sweeping power to create whatever rule they deem necessary". Bloomberg announced that the city would appeal the decision.{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/30/us/new-york-large-soda-ban/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 |title=New York-size sodas get green light from appeals court |first=Erinn |last=Cawthon |publisher=CNN |date=July 30, 2013}}

Bloomberg has been criticized for some of his policies which have been described by many as facilitating the creation of a nanny state.{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Watkins |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402223955/http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/24/us/michael-bloomberg-profile |archive-date=April 2, 2013 |url-status=live |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/24/us/michael-bloomberg-profile |title=Bloomberg: Nanny-in-chief or health crusader? |publisher=CNN |date=March 24, 2013 |access-date=April 29, 2013}} Comedian Bill Maher, while on Jimmy Kimmel Live, said that Bloomberg's soda ban "gives liberals a bad name".{{cite news |first=Jessica |last=Chasmar |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/3/bill-maher-jimmy-kimmel-bloombergs-soda-ban-gives- |title=Bill Maher to Jimmy Kimmel: Bloomberg's soda ban 'gives liberals a bad name{{'-}} |work=The Washington Times |date=April 3, 2013 |access-date=April 29, 2013}} In response to the soda ban, The Center for Consumer Freedom ran a full-page ad in The New York Times featuring an image of Bloomberg's face superimposed on an elderly female body wearing a dress and scarf, with the title "The Nanny", and the tagline "New Yorkers Need a Mayor, Not a Nanny."{{cite news |first=Ron |last=Dicker |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/04/nanny-bloomberg-ad-in-new_n_1568037.html |title={{-'}}Nanny Bloomberg' Ad in New York Times Targets N.Y. Mayor's Anti-Soda Crusade (PHOTO) |work=The Huffington Post |date=June 4, 2012 |access-date=April 29, 2013}} Others have pointed out that the smoking rate dropped quickly during Bloomberg's time in office (which has involved the banning of smoking in certain areas).

Criticism of Bloomberg's attempt to ban the sale of large soft drinks was picked up, mostly by Republican and libertarian commentators and politicians, as a line of attack in political campaigns around the United States. In one example, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul brought Big Gulps to a joint appearance for Cuccinelli's ultimately unsuccessful 2013 gubernatorial campaign to symbolize Bloomberg's efforts to restrict soft drink sales, criticizing the mayor for wanting "to buy the governor's office down here", a reference to pro-gun control advertisements his political action committee was running in the state.{{cite news |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/10/31/ken-cuccinelli-s-libertarian-love-affair.html |work=The Daily Beast |title=Ken Cuccinelli's Libertarian Love Affair |date=October 31, 2013 |access-date=November 8, 2013}} Republican legislators in Wisconsin reacted to the ban by inserting language to prohibit communities from restricting the sale of large soft drinks throughout the state in a 2013 budget bill.{{cite news |url=http://news.wpr.org/post/gop-lawmakers-want-prohibit-restrictions-big-gulp-sodas |publisher=Wisconsin Public Radio |title=GOP Lawmakers Want To Prohibit Restrictions on Big Gulp Sodas |date=May 9, 2013 |access-date=November 8, 2013}}

In 2013, as New York mayor, Bloomberg launched a number of anti-tobacco and anti-smoking initiatives, including making cigarettes more expensive through taxation and attempted provisions that stores which sell cigarettes hide them out of sight of consumers.{{cite news |last1=Hartocollis |first1=Anemona |title=Bloomberg's Plan Would Make Stores Conceal Cigarettes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/19/nyregion/bloomberg-proposes-anti-cigarette-legislation.html |work=The New York Times |date=March 18, 2013}}{{cite news |last1=Campbell |first1=Colin |title=Mayor Bloomberg Moves to Hide Cigarettes in Stores |url=https://observer.com/2013/03/mayor-bloomberg-moves-to-hide-cigarettes-in-stores/ |work=Observer |date=March 18, 2013}} In September 2019 Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a $160 million initiative to "end the youth e-cigarette epidemic". In 2020, Bloomberg said that he would like to ban the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes, raise taxes on cigarettes, push to reduce levels of nicotine in these products to "non-addictive levels", and require that health insurance companies cover counseling and smoking cessation medicines for smokers trying to quit without copays or limits on treatment if he became president.{{cite news |last1=Hellmann |first1=Jessie |title=Bloomberg vows to ban flavored e-cigarettes if elected president |url=https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/478403-bloomberg-vows-to-ban-flavored-e-cigarettes-if-elected-president |work=The Hill |date=January 15, 2020 |language=en}}

Bloomberg has criticized those who advocate for mass deportation of illegal immigrants, calling their stance unrealistic: "We're not going to deport 12 million people; so, let's stop this fiction. Let's give them permanent status."{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/nyregion/31bloomberg.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1198350110-vYFGBtHCTCLxOWUXqw9TUw |title=Mayor Attacks 2 Main Ideas on Immigrants |access-date=December 22, 2007 |work=The New York Times |author=Chan, Sewell |date=March 31, 2006|author-link=Sewell Chan }} He supports a federal ID database that uses DNA and fingerprint technology, to keep track of all citizens and to verify their legal status.{{cite web |url=http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Mike_Bloomberg_Homeland_Security.htm |title=Mike Bloomberg on Homeland Security |access-date=August 2, 2007 |work=On The Issues}} Bloomberg has held that illegal immigrants should be offered legalization, and supported the congressional efforts of John McCain and Ted Kennedy in their attempt at immigration reform in 2007.{{cite news |url=https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703387904576279293334248326 |title=A New Immigration Consensus |author=Michael R. Bloomberg |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=May 2, 2011}}

Regarding border security, he compared it to the tide, stating: "It's as if we expect border control agents to do what a century of communism could not: defeat the natural market forces of supply and demand ... and defeat the natural human desire for freedom and opportunity. You might as well as sit in your beach chair and tell the tide not to come in. As long as America remains a nation dedicated to the proposition that 'all Men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness', people from near and far will continue to seek entry into our country."{{cite web |url=http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/testimony.cfm?id=1983&wit_id=5493 |title=Testimony of The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg, mayor, City of New York, before the Committee on the Judiciary |date=July 5, 2006 |access-date=August 31, 2010 |publisher=United States Senate |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831185634/http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/testimony.cfm?id=1983&wit_id=5493 |archive-date=August 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}

In 2006, Bloomberg stated on his weekly WABC radio show that illegal immigration does not strain the financial resources of New York City, since many immigrants are hard-working and "do not avail themselves of services until their situation is dire".{{cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/records/pdf/mayoral-collections/michael-r-bloomberg-2002-2013.pdf |title=Guide to Office of the Mayor }}

Bloomberg supported the use of surveillance to combat terrorism. In 2008, Bloomberg spearheaded the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative, a security and surveillance network designed to detect terrorist threats.{{cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/436-09/mayor-bloomberg-police-commissioner-kelly-24-million-homeland-security-funding-for |title=Mayor Bloomberg And Police Commissioner Kelly Announce $24 Million In Homeland Security Funding For Expansion Of Lower Manhattan Security Initiative To Midtown |author1=Loeser, Stu |author2=Post, Jason |work=City of New York |date=October 4, 2009 |access-date=February 14, 2020 |archive-date=June 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608181823/https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/436-09/mayor-bloomberg-police-commissioner-kelly-24-million-homeland-security-funding-for |url-status=dead }} The initiative spearheaded the installation of over 3,000 new security cameras in Lower Manhattan, as well as 100 automatic number plate recognition devices which are intended to scan plates and compare the numbers with information in a database.{{Cite news|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/post-911-nyc-video-surveillance/?redirect=1|title=The Apple of Its Eye: Security and Surveillance Pervades Post-9/11 New York City|last=Greenemeier|first=Larry|date=September 11, 2011|work=Scientific American|access-date=February 14, 2020}} Bloomberg acknowledged advocacy groups' concerns about privacy, but insisted that the surveillance network was necessary to boost safety, saying: "We just have to do something here to make the city safer. Sadly, it is a little bit of an infringement on your rights."{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-newyork-surveillance/bloomberg-defends-city-surveillance-camera-plan-idUSN0243142020071002 |title=Bloomberg defends city surveillance camera plan |author=Honan, Edith |work=Reuters |date=October 2, 2007 |access-date=February 15, 2020}}

Following the Boston Marathon bombing, Bloomberg said that laws and the interpretation of the United States Constitution have to change to provide greater security against such attacks, "the people who are worried about privacy have a legitimate worry, but we live in a complex world where you're going to have a level of security greater than you did back in the olden days, if you will ... our laws and our interpretation of the Constitution, I think, have to change."{{cite web |url=https://observer.com/2013/04/bloomberg-says-post-boston-interpretation-of-the-constitution-will-have-to-change/ |title=Bloomberg Says Interpretation of Constitution Will "Have to Change" After Boston Bombing |website=The New York Observer |date=2013-04-22}}

In 2014, Bloomberg voiced support for the National Security Agency, and said that he does not have a problem with apps selling their user's personal data, explaining:

{{quote|text=Look, if you don't want it to be in the public domain, don't take that picture, don't write it down. In this day and age, you've got to be pretty naive to believe that the NSA isn't listening to everything and reading every email. And incidentally, given how dangerous the world is, we should hope they are, because this is really serious, what's going on in the world.|author=Michael Bloomberg|source=Speech at Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit, October 8, 2014{{cite web |url=https://theintercept.com/2020/02/14/mike-bloomberg-privacy-nsa-surveillance-emails/ |title=Mike Bloomberg in 2014: "We should hope" the NSA is "reading every email" |author=Emmons, Alex |work=The Intercept |date=February 14, 2020 |access-date=February 16, 2020}}}}

As mayor, Bloomberg oversaw a surveillance program that tracked Muslims in places of worship, schools, and public places in New York City.{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/02/27/810181314/we-re-supposed-to-do-that-bloomberg-defends-nypd-s-spying-of-muslims-after-9-11 |title="We're Supposed To Do That": Bloomberg Defends NYPD's Spying Of Muslims After 9/11. |author=Allyn, Bobby |work=NPR |date=February 27, 2020 |access-date=March 3, 2020}} In 2020, Bloomberg defended the intelligence-gathering program, saying that it was part of a larger effort to keep the city safe from terrorism:

{{quote|text=We sent some officers into some mosques to listen to the sermon that the imam gave... We had just lost 3,000 people at 9/11. Of course we're supposed to do that. It does not, incidentally, mean that all Muslims are terrorists or all terrorists are Muslim. But, the people that flew those airplanes came from the Middle East, and some of the imams were urging more of the same.|author=Michael Bloomberg|source=Interview with PBS NewsHour, February 27, 2020{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/02/27/810181314/we-re-supposed-to-do-that-bloomberg-defends-nypd-s-spying-of-muslims-after-9-11 |title=WATCH: "Of course we were supposed to do that", Bloomberg says of surveillance of American Muslim community post-9/11 |author=Alamiri, Yasmeen |work=PBS |date=February 27, 2020 |access-date=March 3, 2020}}}}

Bloomberg believes that the September 11, 2001 attacks were not intended to be solitary events. When he assumed office, he set up a Counterterrorism Bureau which works along with the NYPD intelligence division to gather information about worldwide terrorism affecting New York City.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-YoDS2xu1aQC&q=michael+bloomberg+counterterrorism+bureau&pg=PT23 |title=A Decade of Hope: Stories of Grief and Endurance from 9/11 Families and Friends – Dennis Smith – Google Books |access-date=November 5, 2012 |isbn=978-1-101-54351-1 |last1=Smith |first1=Dennis |date=2011-08-23|publisher=Penguin }} He believes that funding for Homeland Security by the federal government should be distributed by risk, where cities that are considered to have the highest threat for a terrorist attack would get the most money.{{cite web |url=http://hsgac.senate.gov/_files/010907Bloomberg.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070110071504/http://hsgac.senate.gov/_files/010907Bloomberg.pdf |archive-date=January 10, 2007 |title=Michael Bloomberg addresses the Senate |access-date=August 2, 2007 |publisher=U.S. Senate}} Bloomberg is also a supporter of the USA PATRIOT Act.{{cite web |url=http://www.ontheissues.org/Mike_Bloomberg_VoteMatch.htm |title=Mike Bloomberg on the Issues |access-date=August 2, 2007 |work=On The Issues}}

Bloomberg supports abortion rights, stating: "Reproductive choice is a fundamental human right, and we can never take it for granted. On this issue, you're either with us or against us." He has criticized "pro-choice" politicians who support "pro-life" candidates.{{cite web |url=http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Mike_Bloomberg_Abortion.htm |title=Mike Bloomberg on Abortion |access-date=August 2, 2007 |work=On The Issues}}

In September 2012, Bloomberg spearheaded a New York City law regulating the practice of circumcision among ultra-Orthodox Jews. The legislation requires that at each event, the mohel receives signed consent forms from the parents, acknowledging that they were notified of health risks associated with cleaning the wound by sucking blood from the male baby's genitalia. This regulation caused an outcry among certain Haredi Jewish communities on this alleged infringement of their religious freedom,{{cite news |url=http://www.nysun.com/editorials/new-york-to-regulate-circumcision/87981 |work=The Sun |location=London, UK |title=New York To Regulate Circumcision |date=September 12, 2012 |access-date=November 30, 2012}}{{cite news |url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-09-13/news/33823098_1_circumcision-wound-metzitzah-mohel |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130208152620/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-09-13/news/33823098_1_circumcision-wound-metzitzah-mohel |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 8, 2013 |work=Daily News |location=New York |title=Leave circumcision ritual alone |date=September 13, 2012 |access-date=November 30, 2012}} and the matter was taken to federal court.{{cite news |url=http://www.algemeiner.com/2012/10/12/jewish-groups-sue-nyc-over-circumcision-regulation |work=The Algemeiner |title=Jewish Groups Sue NYC Over Circumcision Regulation |date=September 12, 2012 |access-date=November 30, 2012}}

In January 2011, Bloomberg introduced a pilot program in New York City schools which allowed girls over 14 years old to be provided with Plan B emergency contraception without parental consent, unless parents opt out in writing. Beginning with five schools, the pilot was expanded to thirteen schools by September 2012.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/24/nyregion/resistance-low-to-school-contraceptives-effort-new-york-health-officials-say.html |first=Anemona |last=Hartocollis |work=The New York Times |title=More Access to Contraceptives in City Schools |date=September 23, 2012 |access-date=March 20, 2013}}{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/york-city-plan-contraception-teens-school/story?id=17310468 |first=Susan |last=Donaldson James |publisher=ABC News |title=New York City Schools Give Plan B 'Morning After' Pill to Teens |date=September 24, 2012 |access-date=March 20, 2013}}

Bloomberg has supported the strict drug laws of New York City. He has stated that he smoked marijuana in the past, and was quoted in a 2001 interview as saying, "You bet I did. I enjoyed it." This led to a reported $500,000 advertising campaign by NORML, featuring his image and the quote. Bloomberg stated in a 2002 interview that he regretted the remark, and did not believe that marijuana should be decriminalized.{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E6D6113DF933A25757C0A9649C8B63 |title=Bloomberg Says He Regrets Marijuana Remarks |work=The New York Times |author=Steinhauer, Jennifer |date=April 10, 2002 |access-date=January 11, 2008}} In 2012, Bloomberg backed an effort by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana in the state.{{cite news |last1=Kaplan |first1=Thomas |title=Bloomberg Backs Plan to Limit Arrests for Marijuana |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/05/nyregion/mayor-supports-plan-to-change-marijuana-arrest-policy.html |access-date=17 November 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=4 June 2012}} In January 2019, Bloomberg said, "Last year, in 2017, 72,000 Americans OD'd [overdosed] on drugs. In 2018, more people than that are OD-ing on drugs, have OD'd on drugs, and today, incidentally, we are trying to legalize another addictive narcotic, which is perhaps the stupidest thing anybody has ever done."{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/426560-bloomberg-trying-to-legalize-marijuana-is-perhaps-the-stupidest|title=Bloomberg: Trying to legalize marijuana is "perhaps the stupidest thing anybody has ever done"|first=Michael|last=Burke|date=January 23, 2019|website=TheHill}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/michael-bloomberg-marijuana-addictive-legalization-stupidest-thing-ever-1302068|title=Bloomberg calls legalizing marijuana the "stupidest thing anybody has ever done"|first=Tim|last=Marcin|date=January 23, 2019|website=Newsweek}} In December 2019, Bloomberg came out in favor of marijuana decriminalization, and allowing states to legalize it without federal intervention.{{cite web |url=https://www.marijuanamoment.net/michael-bloomberg-backs-decriminalization-as-marijuana-views-evolve-amid-presidential-run/ |title=Michael Bloomberg Backs Decriminalization As Marijuana Views Evolve Amid Presidential Run |last=Jaeger |first=Kyle |date=2019-12-04 |website=Marijuana Moment |language=en-US |access-date=2019-12-29}}

Bloomberg has expressed concern about poverty and growing class divisions, stating, "This society cannot go forward, the way we have been going forward, where the gap between the rich and the poor keeps growing."

In 2011, in conjunction with the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, Bloomberg launched the "Young Men's Initiative", a public-private initiative to provide educational, employment, and mentoring opportunities for young African-American and Latino men in New York City.{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2014/07/bloombergs-anti-poverty-initiative-shows-mixed-results-014641 |title=Bloomberg's anti-poverty initiative shows mixed results |author=Goldenberg, Sally |work=Politico |date=July 28, 2014 |access-date=February 17, 2020}} In an interview with PBS NewsHour about the initiative, Bloomberg said:

{{quote|text=The blacks and Latinos score terribly in school testing, compared to whites and Asians. If you look at our jails, it’s predominantly minorities. If you look at where crime takes place, it’s in the minority neighborhoods. If you look at who the victims and the perpetrators are, it’s virtually all minorities. This is something that has gone on for a long time.There’s this enormous cohort of black and Latino males, let’s say 16 to 25, that don’t have jobs, don’t have any prospects, don’t know how to find jobs, don't know what their skill sets are, don’t know how to behave in the workplace where they have to work collaboratively and collectively.|author=Michael Bloomberg|source=Interview with PBS NewsHour, August 2011{{cite web |url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/bloomberg-black-latino-workplace-comments |title=Bloomberg says 'enormous cohort' of black and Latino men 'don't know how to behave in the workplace' in resurfaced 2011 video |author=Henney, Meghan |work=Fox Business |date=February 17, 2020 |access-date=February 17, 2020}}}}

Bloomberg supports same-sex marriage, and supported legalizing same-sex marriage in New York in 2011.{{cite web |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-michael-bloomberg-bio-age-family-and-key-positions-2019-11 |title=Michael Bloomberg is running for president in 2020. Here's everything we know about the candidate and how he stacks up against the competition. |author=Relman, Eliza |work=Business Insider |date=February 11, 2020 |access-date=February 15, 2020}} Bloomberg has said that "government shouldn't tell you whom to marry".{{cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/ben-smith/2010/10/bloomberg-for-same-sex-marriage-029686 |title=Bloomberg for same-sex marriage |author=Smith, Ben |date=October 4, 2010 |access-date=April 5, 2012 |work=Politico}}

In April 2002, Bloomberg signed a law to protect "gender identity and expression" under New York City Human Rights Law.{{Cite web|url=http://www.antibiaslaw.com/sites/default/files/all/LL3-2002.pdf|title=Local Laws of the City of New York}} Bloomberg has spoken out against the Trump administration's ban on transgender individuals serving in the military.

In 2016, at a panel discussion at Oxford University, Bloomberg argued that many people in the Midwest oppose transgender rights, and that it would be difficult to convince them otherwise, saying:

{{quote|text=We, the intelligentsia, the people who could make it into this room, we believe a lot of things in terms of equality and protecting individual rights that make no sense to the vast bulk of people. They're not opposed to you having some rights, but there's a fundamental disconnect between us believe the rights of the individual come first and the general belief around the world, I think it's fair to say, that the rights of society comes first. I don't know how many of you are familiar with the bathroom issue in the United States. Anybody know what I'm talking about? If you want to know if somebody is a good salesman, give them the job of going to the Midwest and picking a town and selling to that town the concept that some man wearing a dress should be in a locker room with their daughter. If you can sell that, you can sell anything. I mean, they just look at you, and they say, 'What on earth are you talking about?' And you say, 'Well, this person identifies his or her gender as different than what's on their birth certificate.' And they say, 'What do you mean? You're either born this, or you're born that.'"... "But it's so many things that we are nuanced and the social issues that we're very proud of achieving aren't believed by the vast bulk of the people."|author=Michael Bloomberg|source=speech at Oxford University, December 2016{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/dawnstaceyennis/2020/02/18/mike-bloomberg-described-trans-women-as-some-man-wearing-a-dress-in-2016-what-about-now/#26c2b02f40b6 |title=Michael Bloomberg Described Trans Women As "Some Man Wearing A Dress" In 2016. What About Now? |author=Ennis, Dawn |work=Forbes |date=February 18, 2020 |access-date=February 18, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2020/02/mike-bloomberg-said-trans-rights-man-wearing-dress-using-locker-room-girls/|title=Mike Bloomberg said trans rights are about "some man wearing a dress" using a locker room with girls|last=Bollinger|first=Alex|date=2020-02-07|website=LGBTQ Nation|access-date=2020-02-29}}}}

In March 2019, he questioned the effectiveness of Democratic politicians campaigning on transgender rights, saying: "If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress, and whether he, she, or it can go to the locker room with their daughter, that's not a winning formula for most people."{{cite web |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/dominicholden/michael-bloomberg-2020-transgender-comments-video |title=Mike Bloomberg Once Again Called Transgender People "It" And "Some Guy Wearing A Dress" |author=Holden, Dominic |work=BuzzFeed News |date=February 18, 2020 |access-date=February 18, 2020}}

Bloomberg supports governmental funding for embryonic stem cell research, calling the official Republican position on the issue "insanity".{{cite web |url=http://mudge.essoenn.com/2007/07/10/mm056-rolling-stone-bloomberg-08-can-a-republican-mayor-of-new-york-take-the-white-house |title=Bloomberg '08: Can a Republican Mayor of New York Take the White House? |publisher=Mudge.essoenn.com |date=July 10, 2007 |access-date=November 5, 2012}}

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political positions

Category:Political positions of the 2020 United States presidential candidates

Category:Political positions of mayors in the United States