Issue Position: National Debt

Issue Position

We have pressing needs and large budget deficits, and those two facts have to guide us moving forward, on both the tax and the spending sides. I think the vast majority of voters in this district, Republicans and Democrats, agree that our tax policies benefiting those with the most -- instead of small businesses and workers -- are out of order. I want to change that.

Tax cuts, done right, can put money back in the hands of the middle class and people who need it most, they can prime the pump of consumer spending. Targeted tax cuts for businesses can encourage meaningful investment in our economy that will create jobs. I reject the notion that cuts need to come from programs that serve as a safety net for our most at risk populations. I will not support new tax breaks at the expense of critical programs for the most vulnerable among us.

Governing is about tough but also responsible choices. Congressman Mike Quigley has proposed a number of ways to reduce spending, and I agree with many of his ideas. I propose:

Ending subsidies to the oil and gas industry and certain agricultural subsidies. We need energy to power our economy, but we must stop permanently subsidizing the basic business practices of oil companies that are producing record profits. And likewise, we should end supports for crops like tobacco and programs that unduly favor large agri- businesses over small, family farms.
Medicare must to be allowed to negotiate for cheaper drug prices, like the Department of Veterans Affairs does. It is unconscionable that a consumer can buy medicines over the counter for less than the Medicare.

Make responsible, reasonable cuts to Pentagon and related programs. I can speak with experience about the spending of the Department of Defense, which has the largest budget of any federal agency.

A nonpartisan panel just reported to Congress that the US is wasting $12 million a day on contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. We must improve oversight.
We should eliminate the Joint Strike Fighter alternative engine, as the Pentagon has suggested.

The VA's Project Management Accountability System should serve as a model across government, eliminating any contract that cannot meet its time and cost requirements after three attempts to get back on track. It has saved VA over $50 million in 2010 alone.

Allow the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% to expire.

Give Medicare and Medicaid the flexibility to improve efficiency and pursue best practices. Our largest healthcare programs already deliver care with a minimum of overhead, but they must have the flexibility to emphasize prevention and demand that providers use best practices in patient care.

At the end of the day, we're going to have to make difficult choices. We can't afford to do nothing -- or keep squabbling while millions of families continue to live on the edge. But just like a family trying to balance its household budget, we have to be smart about what we can and cannot afford.

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