Hillary Clinton

==U.S. Senate (2001–2009)==
{{Main|US Senate career of Hillary Clinton}}

===2000 U.S. Senate election===
{{Main|2000 United States Senate election in New York}}

When New York's long-serving U.S. senator [[Daniel Patrick Moynihan]] announced his retirement in November 1998, several prominent Democratic figures, including Representative [[Charles Rangel]] of New York, urged Clinton to run for his open seat in the [[2000 United States Senate elections|Senate election of 2000]].{{sfn|Bernstein|2007|p=530}} Once she decided to run, the Clintons purchased a home in [[Chappaqua, New York]], north of New York City, in September 1999.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Nagourney, Adam |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/03/nyregion/with-some-help-clintons-purchase-a-white-house.html |title=With Some Help, Clintons Purchase a White House |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 3, 1999 |author-link=Adam Nagourney}}</ref> She became the first wife of the president of the United States to be a candidate for elected office.{{sfn|Gerth|Van Natta|2007|p=204}} Initially, Clinton expected to face [[Rudy Giuliani]]—the mayor of New York City—as her Republican opponent in the election. Giuliani withdrew from the race in May 2000 after being diagnosed with prostate cancer and matters related to his failing marriage became public. Clinton then faced [[Rick Lazio]], a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives who represented [[New York's 2nd congressional district]]. Throughout the campaign, opponents accused Clinton of [[Parachute candidate|carpetbagging]], because she had never resided in New York State or participated in the state's politics before the 2000 Senate race.{{sfn|Gerth|Van Natta|2007|pp=200, 204}}

[[Bill de Blasio]] was Clinton's campaign manager. She began her drive to the U.S. Senate by visiting all 62 counties in the state, in a "listening tour" of small-group settings.{{sfn|Gerth|Van Natta|2007|p=210}} She devoted considerable time in traditionally Republican [[Upstate New York]] regions. Clinton vowed to improve the economic situation in those areas, promising to deliver 200,000&nbsp;jobs to the state over her term. Her plan included tax credits to reward job creation and encourage business investment, especially in the high-tech sector. She called for personal tax cuts for college tuition and long-term care.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://cgi.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/11/07/senate.ny/ |title=Hillary Rodham Clinton scores historic win in New York |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=November 8, 2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115201929/http://cgi.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/11/07/senate.ny/ |archive-date=January 15, 2016 }}</ref>

The contest drew national attention. During a September debate, Lazio blundered when he seemed to invade Clinton's [[personal space]] by trying to get her to sign a fundraising agreement.{{sfn|Gerth|Van Natta|2007|pp=212–13}} Their campaigns, along with Giuliani's initial effort, spent a record combined $90&nbsp;million.<ref name="nyt121300">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/13/nyregion/lazio-sets-spending-mark-for-a-losing-senate-bid.html |title=Lazio Sets Spending Mark for a Losing Senate Bid |author=Levy, Clifford J. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 13, 2000}}</ref> Clinton won the election on November 7, 2000, with 55&nbsp;percent of the vote to Lazio's 43&nbsp;percent.{{sfn|Gerth|Van Natta|2007|pp=212–13}} She was sworn in as U.S. senator on January 3, 2001, and as [[George W. Bush]] was still 17 days away from being inaugurated as president after winning the 2000 presidential election, that meant from January 3–20, she simultaneously held the titles of First Lady and Senator&nbsp;– a first in U.S. history.{{sfn|Bernstein|2007|p=6}}

===First term===
[[File:ClintonSenate (1).jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Al Gore administering Hillary Clinton's oath of office as Bill and Chelsea look on|2001 reenactment of Hillary Clinton's swearing-in as a U.S. senator by vice president [[Al Gore]]]]

Because Bill Clinton's term as president did not end until 17 days after she was sworn in, upon entering the Senate, Clinton became the first and so far only first lady to serve as a senator and first lady concurrently. Clinton maintained a low public profile and built relationships with senators from both parties when she started her term.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0310/p01s01-uspo.html |title=Clinton's quiet path to power |author=Chaddock, Gail Russell |work=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |date=March 10, 2003}}</ref> She forged alliances with religiously inclined senators by becoming a regular participant in the Senate Prayer Breakfast.<ref name="mj0907">{{Cite news |title=Hillary's Prayer: Hillary Clinton's Religion and Politics |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/09/hillarys-prayer-hillary-clintons-religion-and-politics |work=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |date=September–October 2007 |author=Joyce, Kathryn |author2=Sharlet, Jeff}}</ref>{{sfn|Bernstein|2007|p=548}} She sat on five Senate committees: [[United States Senate Committee on the Budget|Committee on Budget]] (2001–02),<ref name="umich">{{cite web |url=http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/congress/sncom012.html |title=Senate Temporary Committee Chairs |publisher=[[University of Michigan]] Documents Center |date=May 24, 2001 |access-date=May 30, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707064827/http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/congress/sncom012.html |archive-date=July 7, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Committee on Armed Services]] (2003–09),<ref name="hwar">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/29/magazine/03Hillary-t.html |title=Hillary's War |work=[[The New York Times Magazine]] |date=May 29, 2007 |author=Gerth, Jeff |author-link1=Jeff Gerth |author2=Van Natta, Don Jr. |author-link2=Don Van Natta Jr.}}</ref> [[United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works|Committee on Environment and Public Works]] (2001–09), [[United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions|Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions]] (2001–09)<ref name="umich"/> and [[United States Senate Special Committee on Aging|Special Committee on Aging]].<ref name="hccom">{{cite web |url=http://clinton.senate.gov/senate/committees/index.cfm |title=Committees |publisher=Official U.S. Senate website |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011195718/http://clinton.senate.gov/senate/committees/index.cfm}}</ref>
She was also a member of the [[Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.csce.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=AboutCommission.Commissioners&CFID=3874739&CFTOKEN=75235387 |title=About the Commission: Commissioners |publisher=[[Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe]] |access-date=September 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103052420/http://www.csce.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=AboutCommission.Commissioners&CFID=813748&CFTOKEN=79881044 |archive-date=January 3, 2009}}</ref> (2001–09).<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/2001/200109.shtml |title=Senate, House appoint Helsinki commissioners |work=[[The Ukrainian Weekly]] |date=May 20, 2001 |access-date=April 27, 2008 |archive-date=October 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018060914/http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/2001/200109.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Following the September 11 [[September 11 attacks|terrorist attacks]], Clinton sought to obtain funding for the recovery efforts in New York City and security improvements in her state. Working with New York's senior senator, [[Chuck Schumer]], she was instrumental in securing $21&nbsp;billion in funding for the [[World Trade Center site]]'s redevelopment.{{sfnm |1a1=Bernstein |1y=2007 |1p=548 |2a1=Gerth |2a2=Van Natta |2y=2007 |2pp=231–32}} She subsequently took a leading role in investigating the [[Health effects arising from the September 11 attacks|health issues faced by 9/11 first responders]].{{sfn|Gerth|Van Natta|2007|pp=238–39}} Clinton voted for the [[USA Patriot Act]] in October 2001. In 2005, when the act was up for renewal, she expressed concerns with the USA Patriot Act Reauthorization Conference Report regarding civil liberties.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/~clinton/news/statements/details.cfm?id=249895 |title=Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on the USA Patriot Act Reauthorization Conference Report |publisher=Official U.S. Senate website |date=December 16, 2005 |archive-date=February 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214165103/https://www.senate.gov/~clinton/news/statements/details.cfm?id=249895}}</ref> In March 2006, she voted in favor of the [[USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005]] that had gained large majority support.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00029 |title=U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 109th Congress&nbsp;– 2nd Session ... On the Conference Report (H.R. 3199 Conference Report) |publisher=[[United States Senate]] |date=March 2, 2006 |access-date=April 24, 2008}}</ref>

Clinton strongly supported the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|2001 U.S. military action in Afghanistan]], saying it was a chance to combat terrorism while improving the lives of Afghan women who suffered under the Taliban government.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=New Hope For Afghanistan's Women |url=http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,185643,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |author=Clinton, Hillary |date=November 24, 2001}}</ref> Clinton voted in favor of the October 2002 [[Iraq War Resolution]], which authorized President George W. Bush to use military force against Iraq.<ref name="balz-76">{{harvnb|Balz|Johnson|2009|pp=74, 76–77}}</ref>

After the [[Iraq War]] began, Clinton made trips to Iraq and Afghanistan to visit American troops stationed there. On a visit to Iraq in February 2005, Clinton noted that the insurgency had failed to disrupt the democratic elections held earlier and that parts of the country were functioning well.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Clinton says insurgency is failing |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2005-02-19-iraq-senators_x.htm |agency=Associated Press |work=[[USA Today]] |date=February 19, 2005}}</ref> Observing that war deployments were draining regular and reserve forces, she co-introduced legislation to increase the size of the regular [[U.S. Army]] by 80,000&nbsp;soldiers to ease the strain.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://poststandard.newspaperarchive.com/syracuse-post-standard/2005-07-14/page-279/ |title=Clinton among senators urging larger-sized army |last=Lyman |first=Peter |date=July 14, 2005 |website=poststandard.newspaperarchive.com |access-date=August 11, 2019}}</ref> In late 2005, Clinton said that while immediate withdrawal from Iraq would be a mistake, Bush's pledge to stay "until the job is done" was also misguided, as it gave Iraqis "an open-ended invitation not to take care of themselves".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Hillary Clinton says immediate withdrawal from Iraq would be 'a big mistake' |agency=Associated Press |work=[[U-T San Diego]] |date=November 21, 2005 |url=http://legacy.utsandiego.com/news/world/iraq/20051121-1341-hillaryclinton-iraq.html |author=Fitzgerald, Jim |access-date=September 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122001004/http://legacy.utsandiego.com/news/world/iraq/20051121-1341-hillaryclinton-iraq.html |archive-date=November 22, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Her stance caused frustration among those in the Democratic Party who favored quick withdrawal.<ref>Heilemann and Halperin 2010, pp.&nbsp;34, 39.</ref> Clinton supported retaining and improving health benefits for reservists and lobbied against the closure of several military bases, especially those in New York.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Hillary's Military Offensive |url=http://www.newsweek.com/hillarys-military-offensive-113773 |author=Meadows, Susannah |date=December 12, 2005 |work=[[Newsweek]]}}</ref><ref name="landler-nytm"/> She used her position on the Armed Services Committee to forge close relationships with a number of high-ranking military officers.<ref name="landler-nytm">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/magazine/how-hillary-clinton-became-a-hawk.html |title=H is for Hawk |author=Landler, Mark |author-link=Mark Landler |work=[[The New York Times Magazine]] |date=April 24, 2016 |pages=28–35}}</ref> By 2014 and 2015 Clinton had fully reversed herself on the Iraq War Resolution, saying she "got it wrong" and the vote in support had been a "mistake".<ref>{{cite news |author=Lerner, Adam |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/hillary-clinton-iraq-war-vote-mistake-iowa-118109 |title=Hillary Clinton says her Iraq war vote was a 'mistake' |work=[[Politico]] |date=May 19, 2015}}</ref>

Clinton voted against President Bush's two major tax cut packages, the [[Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001]] and the [[Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003]].<ref name="pvs-hrc"/> Simon & Schuster released ''Living History'':{{sfn|Bernstein|2007|p=544}} The book set a first-week sales record for a nonfiction work,<ref name="auto1">{{Cite news |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2003-06-17-hillary-list_x.htm |title=Clinton memoir tops Best-Selling Books list |author=Donahue, Deirdre |work=[[USA Today]] |date=June 17, 2003}}</ref> went on to sell more than one million copies in the first month following publication,<ref name="auto2">{{cite news |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-75361570.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511212054/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-75361570.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 11, 2011 |title=Clinton's Book Sales Top 1 Million |agency=Associated Press |date=July 9, 2003}}</ref> and was translated into twelve foreign languages.<ref name="auto3">{{cite web |url=http://www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org/the-administration/hillary-rodham-clinton |title=Hillary Rodham Clinton |publisher=[[William J. Clinton Presidential Center]] |access-date=May 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708145221/http://www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org/the-administration/hillary-rodham-clinton |archive-date=July 8, 2009}}</ref> Clinton's audio recording of the book earned her a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.<ref name="auto4">{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3472495.stm |title=Gorbachev and Clinton win Grammy |work=BBC News |date=February 9, 2004}}</ref>

Clinton voted against the 2005 confirmation of [[John Roberts]] as [[Chief Justice of the United States|chief justice of the United States]] and the 2006 confirmation of [[Samuel Alito]] to the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], [[filibuster]]ing the latter.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/us/politics/28judges.html |title=Stark Contrasts Between McCain and Obama in Judicial Wars |author=Lewis, Neil A. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 28, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Anti-Alito filibuster soundly defeated |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/30/alito/ |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=January 30, 2006}}</ref>

In 2005, Clinton called for the [[Federal Trade Commission]] to investigate how [[Hot Coffee mod|hidden sex scenes]] showed up in the controversial video game ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Clinton wades into GTA sex storm |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4682533.stm |date=July 14, 2005 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> Along with senators [[Joe Lieberman]] and [[Evan Bayh]], she introduced the [[Family Entertainment Protection Act]], intended to protect children from inappropriate content found in video games. In 2004 and 2006, Clinton voted against the [[Federal Marriage Amendment]] that sought to prohibit same-sex marriage.<ref name="pvs-hrc">{{cite web |url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/55463/hillary-clinton |title=Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton&nbsp;– Voting Record |publisher=[[Project Vote Smart]] |access-date=April 14, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/13181735/ |title=Gay marriage ban defeated in Senate vote |agency=Associated Press |work=[[NBC News]] |date=June 7, 2006}}</ref>

Looking to establish a "progressive infrastructure" to rival that of [[American conservatism]], Clinton played a formative role in conversations that led to the 2003 founding of former Clinton administration chief of staff [[John Podesta]]'s [[Center for American Progress]], shared aides with [[Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington]], founded in 2003 and advised the Clintons' former antagonist [[David Brock]]'s [[Media Matters for America]], created in 2004.{{sfn|Gerth|Van Natta|2007|pp=267–69, 313, 401}} Following the [[2004 United States Senate elections|2004 Senate elections]], she successfully pushed new Democratic Senate leader [[Harry Reid]] to create a Senate [[war room]] to handle daily political messaging.{{sfn|Gerth|Van Natta|2007|pp=267–69}}

===2006 reelection campaign===
{{Main|2006 United States Senate election in New York}}

In November 2004, Clinton announced she would seek a second Senate term. She easily won the Democratic nomination over opposition from antiwar activist [[Jonathan Tasini]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Hillary_Clinton_presidential_campaign,_2016/Senator |title=Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016/Senator |website=ballotpedia.org |access-date=August 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=GOP Primary Turnout Was Lowest in More Than 30 Years |work=Newsday |date=September 17, 2006}} {{Dead link|date=July 2022}}</ref> The early frontrunner for the Republican nomination, [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]] [[District Attorney]] [[Jeanine Pirro]], withdrew from the contest after several months of poor campaign performance.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/21/ny.pirro/index.html |title=Sen. Clinton's GOP challenger quits race |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=December 21, 2005 |author=Hirschkorn, Phil}}</ref> Clinton's eventual opponent in the general election was Republican candidate [[John Spencer (mayor)|John Spencer]], a former mayor of [[Yonkers, New York|Yonkers]]. Clinton won the election on November 7, 2006, with 67&nbsp;percent of the vote to Spencer's 31&nbsp;percent,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2006/general/2006_ussen.pdf |title=New York State Board of Elections, General Election Results |publisher=New York State |date=December 14, 2006 |access-date=December 16, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822221220/http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2006/general/2006_ussen.pdf |archive-date=August 22, 2012 }}</ref> carrying all but four of New York's sixty-two counties.<ref>{{Cite news |work=Newsweek |url=http://www.newsweek.com/campaign-2008-us-ready-woman-president-105521 |title=Is America Ready? |date=December 25, 2006}}</ref> Her campaign spent $36&nbsp;million for her reelection, more than any other candidate for Senate in the 2006 elections. Some Democrats criticized her for spending too much in a one-sided contest, while some supporters were concerned she did not leave more funds for a potential presidential bid in 2008.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Kornblut |first1=Anne |last2=Zeleny |first2=Jeff |work=[[The New York Times]] |title=Clinton Won Easily, but Bankroll Shows the Toll |date=November 21, 2006 |page=A1}}</ref> In the following months, she transferred $10&nbsp;million of her Senate funds toward her presidential campaign.{{Sfn|Balz|Johnson|2009|p=91}}

===Second term===
[[File:Hillary Clinton at the Senate Armed Services Committee.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Clinton listens as the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Mullen, responds to a question during his 2007 confirmation hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee. She is in the background, sitting behind a desk with a placard bearing the words "MRS CLINTON", and is wearing a blue suit. A man wearing a black suit sits behind Clinton, taking notes.|Clinton listens as the [[Chief of Naval Operations|chief of naval operations]], Admiral [[Michael Mullen]], responds to a question during his 2007 confirmation hearing with the [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Senate Armed Services Committee]].]]

Clinton opposed the [[Iraq War troop surge of 2007]], for both military and domestic political reasons (by the following year, she was privately acknowledging the surge had been successful).{{efn|General [[Jack Keane]], one of the architects of the surge, later related that he tried to convince Clinton of its merits at the time, but that she felt it would not succeed and that U.S. casualties would be too high. Keane said that sometime during 2008 she told him, "You were right, this really did work".<ref name="landler-nytm"/> In 2014, Secretary of Defense Gates related that after Clinton had left the Senate and become Secretary of State, she told President Obama that her opposition to the 2007 Iraq surge had been political, due to her facing a strong challenge from the anti-Iraq War Obama in the upcoming Democratic presidential primary. Gates also quotes Clinton as saying, "The Iraq surge worked."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2014/01/10/_hillary_told_the_president_that_her_opposition_to_the_surge_in_iraq_had.html |title=Hillary Told the President That Her Opposition to the Surge in Iraq Had Been Political |author=Weigel, David |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |date=January 10, 2014}}</ref> Clinton responded that Gates had misinterpreted her remark regarding the reason for her opposition.<ref name="landler-nytm"/>}} In March of that year, she voted in favor of a war-spending bill that required President Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq by a deadline; it passed almost completely along party lines<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bush Repeats Veto Threat on Spending Bill That Includes Iraq Withdrawal Timetable |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/03/28/bush-repeats-veto-threat-on-spending-bill-that-includes-iraq-withdrawa-687978709/ |publisher=[[Fox News Channel]] |date=March 28, 2007 |access-date=September 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227190747/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/03/28/bush-repeats-veto-threat-on-spending-bill-that-includes-iraq-withdrawa-687978709/ |archive-date=December 27, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> but was subsequently vetoed by Bush. In May, a compromise war funding bill that removed withdrawal deadlines but tied funding to progress benchmarks for the Iraqi government passed the Senate by a vote of 80–14 and would be signed by Bush; Clinton was one of those who voted against it.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/24/iraq.funding/index.html |title=House, Senate pass war funding bill |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=May 25, 2007}}</ref> She responded to General [[David Petraeus]]'s September 2007 [[Report to Congress on the Situation in Iraq]] by saying, "I think that the reports that you provide to us really require a willing suspension of disbelief."<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nysun.com/national/clinton-spars-with-petraeus-on-credibility/62426/ |title=Clinton Spars With Petraeus on Credibility |author=Lake, Eli |work=[[The New York Sun]] |date=September 12, 2007}}</ref>

In March 2007, in response to the [[dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy]], Clinton called on Attorney General [[Alberto Gonzales]] to resign.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Hillary Clinton Calls for Gonzales' Resignation |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2948538&page=1 |work=[[ABC News]] |date=March 13, 2007}}</ref> Regarding the high-profile, hotly debated immigration reform bill known as the [[Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007]], Clinton cast several votes in support of the bill, which eventually failed to gain [[cloture]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00228 |title=On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider S.1639) |date=June 26, 2007 |publisher=[[United States Senate]]|access-date=April 22, 2008}}</ref>

As the [[financial crisis of 2007–08]] reached a peak with the liquidity crisis of September 2008, Clinton supported the [[proposed bailout of the U.S. financial system]], voting in favor of the [[Public Law 110-343|$700&nbsp;billion law that created]] the [[Troubled Asset Relief Program]], saying it represented the interests of the American people. It passed the Senate 74–25.<ref name="ny1-tarp">{{Cite news |url=http://www.ny1.com/archives/nyc/all-boroughs/2008/10/02/senate-passes-economic-rescue-package-NYC_86538.old.html |title=Senate Passes Economic Rescue Package |publisher=[[NY1 News]] |date=October 2, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401080451/http://www.ny1.com/archives/nyc/all-boroughs/2008/10/02/senate-passes-economic-rescue-package-NYC_86538.old.html |archive-date=April 1, 2016}}</ref>

In 2007, Clinton and Virginia senator [[Jim Webb]] called for an investigation into whether the body armor issued to soldiers in Iraq was adequate.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/12/03/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-hillary-clintons-senate-career |title=10 things you didn't know about Hillary Clinton's senate career |last=O' Shea |first=Jennifer |date=December 3, 2008 |website=[[US News]] |access-date=July 25, 2016}}</ref>