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Michael BennetBorn in 1964, Michael Bennet received a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1987 and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1993. He worked briefly in a number of positions during the Clinton administration, including Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs and counsel to the Deputy Attorney General. He later moved to Denver, Colorado, and worked in the staff of Governor John Hickenlooper before becoming superintendent of the Denver public school system from 2005 to 2009. In 2009 Bennet was appointed U.S. Senator from Colorado, and elected to the position in 2010. He still holds the position today.
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Arms Trade Treaty
Bennet's position on this issue is unknown. In 2013 and 2015, he opposed Senate resolutions aimed at prohibiting the U.S. from entering the treaty or expending resources implementing it. He has stated that international humanitarian law and human rights should be considered in arms trade decisions. However, in the Amnesty International questionnaire that explicitly discussed the treaty, his response did not mention it.
Response to Amnesty International questionnaire, June 2019
Question:“Michael believes that human rights and international humanitarian law should be taken into consideration when the U.S. sells arms to other nations.”
- Arms sales: In 2019, the United States announced it would revoke its signature of the Arms Trade Treaty, a landmark instrument that ensures arms transfers are not used to fuel conflicts, atrocities, and abuses. Two of the United States’ largest weapons importers are Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have used weapons to commit human rights violations against Yemeni children and civilians and to blockade ports of entry to restrict aid from entering Yemen, thereby placing 11 million Yemenis at risk of famine. Nonetheless, the U.S. continues to build the military capacity of the Saudi-Emirati coalition, making the U.S. complicit in creating the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
- What can the U.S. do to ensure U.S. arms are not used to perpetuate human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law?
Arms Sales to Saudi Coalition
Bennet explicitly supports ending arms sales and military support to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. He voted (see also S.J. Res. 36, 38) June 20, 2019 to prevent arms sales and in favor of S.J. Res. 7, the War Powers Resolution, aimed at stopping military support (see resource page).
Response to Amnesty International questionnaire, June 2019
“Michael has voted against the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia multiple times due, in part, to human rights concerns in the war in Yemen. Michael also voted to limit U.S. military support to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.”
Firearms Export Oversight
Bennet’s position on this issue is unknown. He supports banning assault-style weapons domestically, but has not directly addressed broader export oversight rules.
Response to question on whether he would support an assault weapons ban, CNN Town Hall, May 30, 2019
"I would support that."
US Landmine Policy
Bennet's position on this issue is unknown. In 2010, he signed a letter with 67 other Senators encouraging the President to find a way to remove any obstacles to joining the Mine Ban Treaty, but no statement on the treaty has been identified in this election cycle.