Kent Abernathy's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
Indiana Congressional Election 2020 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| We must protect the rights of the unborn. In Congress, I'll oppose legislation that uses tax dollars to fund abortions. | |||
| No | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| No | Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare? | ||
| Social Security (24%) and Medicare(15%) comprise two of the largest and fastest growing segments of the Federal budget. The Social Security Trust Fund is projected to be insolvent by 2034. We must protect the benefits of those already in the system. Fixing Medicare will require solving overall national health care issues with common sense, patient-focused, market driven solutions such as price transparency and curbing retail prescription drug prices coupled with correcting rampant improper billing in the Medicare system. | |||
| No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | Do you support increasing defense spending? | ||
| The first priority of the federal government is to ensure the safety and security of our citizens. We must make sure we have a well-trained and well-equipped military, but make responsible choices on how we best spend our defense dollars. | |||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| We need to reform our complicated and outdated tax code and replace it with a simple, fair, flat, modern tax structure, as well as reduce or eliminate the estate ("death") tax that particularly penalizes farmers and small business and stifles economic growth, in order to allow the private sector to do what it does best - create jobs. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
| We need to put education and education funding back in the hands of parents and teachers. We need an education system that emphasizes high standards, accountability for results, local control, transparency and parental choice. We need to simplify and streamline the allocation of federal tax dollars back to states and local leaders to use as they see fit. | |||
| No | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Our climate has changed since long before the industrial revolution. The United States is the world's largest producer and has also been a leader in reducing carbon emissions. Even supporters of regulation admit that global carbon emissions would increase even if the US cut its emissions to zero. Americans cannot afford to bear all of the burden of trying to slow climate change while other countries free-ride on our efforts. Responsibly growing America's economy and letting the free market create solutions is much more effective and economically sustainable than strangling the US industrial base and forcing them to move offshore. | |||
| No | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| The individual right to bear arms is a fundamental right provided by the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution and affirmed by the US Supreme Court (District of Columbia v Heller). In Congress, I will make sure that right is never taken away. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| Simply put, Obamacare has not and is not working. We need to reform health care nationwide and replace Obamacare with a common sense, patient-focused, market-driven solution that drives down costs by empowering Americans to make their own health care choices. We need to ensure price transparency, allow insurers to tailor plans to individual needs versus all-inclusive "cadillac" plans, and end surprise billing. We also need to address spiraling retail prescription drug prices and examine the role of pharmacy benefit managers and others in the procurement chain. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border? | ||
| Yes | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| Every nation has the right to secure its borders. The idea that we have a permeable border in this age of terrorism and the current pandemic strains common sense. We need comprehensive immigration reform which includes: 1) securing the border with physical barriers which incorporates a "wall", improved surveillance and monitoring methods, and the appropriate number of border agents; 2) enforcing the laws that are currently on the books; and, 3) a comprehensive review and reform of the immigration process. Deportations should primarily focus on criminals, but everyone who is in our country illegally should go through the proper process. | |||
| Yes | Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)? | ||
| No | Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts? | ||
| American foreign policy should support vital US interests. To achieve this, the US must build strong alliances and reserve foreign aid and other favorable actions for those acting in support of American ideals and interests. It is also important to recognize that America is unique in the world (American exceptionalism) and must be a leader in the global war on terrorism. The use of military force should only be used as a last resort. When US troops are ordered into action, they must have a clearly defined mission, specific objectives, and a definitive exit strategy. They must complete the mission. | |||
| Yes | Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)? | ||
| Free markets and open trade are critical elements of a vibrant economy. This includes negotiation of fair, enforceable trade agreements that do not impose tariffs, do not limit US access to foreign markets, do not allow theft of US patents, technology and designs, and prohibit requirements to share US trade secrets with foreign entities as a condition to gaining entry. Tariffs should rarely, if ever, be used and only as a last resort to handle bad actors. | |||
| Duty - Honor - Country. These tenets of the West Point motto have been my guiding principles throughout my life. As a member of Congress, I will put country first and focus on providing solutions, where my priorities will be defending the Constitution, supporting our military, honoring our veterans, and paying down our debt. |
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