As the campaign for the GOP nomination progresses, keep track of the Republican candidates' nonprofit activities, their records on philanthropic issues and stances on tax policy. Check back regularly for updates.
Related: Nonprofits Focus Advocacy Efforts on GOP Hopefuls
| Nonprofit activities | Record | Positions on taxes and spending | |
 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (Texas) |
Founded the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, a charity, and Campaign for Liberty, an advocacy group, which both promote free-market principles and limited government. |
Has consistently pushed in Congress to sharply reduce the size of government. |
Would end income, capital-gains, and estate taxes. Would cut $1-trillion in federal spending the first year in office, eliminating Commerce, Education, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, and Interior Departments. Would turn Medicaid and other welfare programs into block-grant programs. |
 Former governor of Massachusetts, businessman |
Was chief executive of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Runs the Tyler Charitable Foundation with his wife, Ann. It had $10-million in assets in 2010 (PDF). Served on the national board of City Year, a nonprofit youth corps, from March 1995 to June 1999.
Charitable giving: Mr. Romney and his wife, Ann, contributed $4-million to charity in 2011 and $3-million in 2010, more than 16 percent of their income.
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Led the effort to craft a Massachusetts health-care law that is considered a model for the new federal law. It requires most residents to buy insurance and offers subsidies or free coverage to those who can’t afford it. |
Would cut tax rates by 20 percent, bringing the top rate down from 35 percent to 28 percent. Would limit tax deductions, exemptions, and credits for high-income people. Would end the estate tax. Would cut non-security discretionary spending by 5 percent, except for security programs, and would limit federal spending to 20 percent of Gross Domestic Product by 2016. Supports a constitutional amendment to require balanced federal budgets. Would consolidate federal job-training programs and turn them into block-grant programs providing lump sums to states. Would turn Medicaid into a block-grant program and cap spending, the budget increasing each year by the Consumer Price Index plus 1 percent.
Other budget cuts: Would end federal spending on Title X family-planning programs that benefit "abortion groups" like Planned Parenthood. Would enact deep cuts to the Legal Services Corporation. |
