Questions by Columbian staff writer Kathie Durbin
Q: Economic recovery: As a member of Congress, how would you work with other House members, the Obama administration and Washington state leaders to help small businesses and create jobs in Southwest Washington? Please be specific.
A: Across Southwest Washington, people need safe, well-paying jobs that don’t make people or the planet sick. I’ll work to promote federal investment that will build needed clean energy and transportation infrastructure, provide jobs to people out of work, and spur economic growth. In the long run, we need to fund post-secondary education, including technical training and apprenticeships. We must move beyond reliance on building war machines or dirty energy to provide jobs. Where we have to move away from an industry because it is harmful to environmental and human health, Congress needs to fund worker retraining and compensation for people put out of work.
Q: Columbia River Crossing: Our congressional delegation warns that the window for securing federal funding for a new I-5 bridge over the Columbia is rapidly closing, and that the region’s failure to reach consensus on a bridge design and the local funding match could kill the project. Do you believe a new crossing is essential to the growth of Southwest Washington? If so, what would you do to break the political gridlock? If not, what if anything should be done to improve the existing spans?
A: A new, larger Columbia River Crossing, including light rail, is vital to the continued economic growth of Southwest Washington and the larger region. The current bridge is old and vulnerable. In Congress, I’ll work tirelessly for adequate federal funding so that the brunt of the cost doesn’t fall on Clark and Multnomah Counties. With enough federal help, we can avoid funding the bridge with tolls — which fall too heavily on poor and working people.
Q: Energy: Describe briefly your vision for the nation’s energy future and the region’s. What new energy sources should the federal government promote/subsidize? Do you believe it’s possible for the U.S. to wean itself from fossil fuels? Regarding the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, what steps, if any, would you support to hold BP accountable, repair the environmental and economic damage in the region, and strengthen federal spill prevention rules?
A: We have the ability to move away from fossil fuels, and we must do it as soon as possible. I will vote to subsidize all regionally appropriate clean energy technologies until they can stand on their own feet, and I’ll vote to stop subsidizing oil and coal. The BP disaster and the Massey coal mine explosion show that we cannot rely on these old forms of energy — they are too dangerous, not only to the environment, but to human lives, as well. In Germany, individual homes are built with solar panels on their roofs, and citizens sell extra power back to the grid to recoup enough money to cover the cost of the panels. I’ll work for similar programs here — that provide safe, cheap, clean energy. The sun and the wind are gifts from God — renewable energy that doesn’t pollute or put our health at risk — and we must make the most of them.
We must hold BP accountable for every dollar lost as a result of their oil explosion. I applaud President Obama for negotiating a $20 billion escrow fund, and BP must fund any costs beyond that, as well. We cannot drill for oil without a guarantee of safety — and if that is not possible, we cannot drill at all. I’ll vote to oppose any expansion of off-shore drilling.
Q: Financial reform: What is your plan to protect American consumers from a recurrence of the abuses committed by Wall Street investment banks that led to the Great Recession? Do you favor reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act or something similar?
A: We must rein in the corporate abuses that caused the recession. That means reinstating an updated Glass-Steagall Act to prevent FDIC-insured banks from gambling with our savings, while still encouraging other firms to make the investments, such as venture capital, that spur innovation and economic growth; creating an independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency to catch cheaters; auditing the Federal Reserve to account for the taxpayer money they spent bailing out Wall Street; and capping the size of banks so that they are no longer “too big to fail.” I support the efforts of Congress and President Obama to implement these measures, though strengthening the regulations will only work if Congress provides tough oversight. I’ve been a stockbroker, I’ve seen the games traders will play, and in Congress I’ll watch closely to make sure Wall Street plays by the new rules.
Q: Immigration reform: Assuming Congress does not act this year, what is your vision for strengthening our borders and dealing with the 12 million undocumented immigrants who are in the U.S. today? Do you favor amnesty? Deportation? A path to citizenship for illegals? What is your take on the Arizona law? Please be specific.
A: Our immigration policy must be crafted with common sense and compassion. Laws that spread fear — like Arizona’s SB 1070 — don’t help. We don’t need an enormous, expensive wall to keep our country safe. I instead support using that money to provide more well-trained, well-equipped personnel. We can expand the use of E-Verify by private companies, and hold accountable companies that exploit undocumented workers. We must also provide undocumented immigrants already here with a clear path to citizenship. This isn’t a radical idea — the U.S. military offers a path to citizenship for immigrants who serve.
Q: Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: President Obama announced in March 2009 that he would withdraw most combat troops from Iraq by August 2010, deploy 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and train Afghan troops, and begin withdrawing military forces from Afghanistan in 2011. Do you agree in general with those goals? Briefly, what in your view should be the nation’s future military and political objectives in these two countries?
A: We must bring our troops home. The Obama Administration’s goals for withdrawal are too slow, but distant goals are better than none at all. I agree with Ambassador Eikenberry when he says there is no military solution in Afghanistan. Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, offers better solutions. He calls for building infrastructure, schools, and hospitals, and listening to the needs of the Afghan people.
Our foreign policy in the Middle East — and across the world — must be based upon peaceful engagement and diplomacy. My son is an active duty Tech Sergeant in the Air Force, I’ve lived many years in military communities, and I know that we can keep our country safe without an expensive empire. We are spending a million dollars per soldier, per year, in Afghanistan — all to fight fewer than 100 Al Qaeda members. Taxpayers in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District have spent $2.5 billion on war since 2001. That’s money that could have provided tens of thousands of Washingtonians with health care, powered more than half the homes in the area, or retrained every person out of work in Southwest Washington. I’ll work to transition our foreign policy and our domestic economy away from war and domination and towards peace and people’s needs.
