Texas Congressional Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Abortion

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

2. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Budget

1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- Yes

3. Other or expanded principles
- In order to balance the budget, we should first look to implement the GAO recommendations to eliminate duplication and produce cost savings. Additionally, we should eliminate improper payments. As a last resort, we should change the tax code and our approach to defense spending. The tax code should be changed to generate more revenue by eliminating deductions that benefit a few and encourage investments that do not benefit the broader economy. Regarding defense spending, we must ensure that the military has the necessary resources to execute their mission and ensure that defense spending is done efficiently.

Campaign Finance

1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Economy

1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- We must invest in infrastructure and clean energy to create jobs and promote economic development. Regarding infrastructure, I want to make investments such as expanding high-speed internet to rural America and make improvements to waterways, roads and highways, public transit, and airways to facilitate the easier movement of goods and people. Regarding clean energy, I want to invest in wind and solar farms, energy research and development, and energy efficiency. With the recent corporate tax cut, I do not believe that we need a lower corporate tax rate.

Education

1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- No

2. Other or expanded principles
- States have differing populations that require different approaches to education. I want to fund universal pre-K, so our children are prepared for further education. I will support public schools by increasing funding for teacher training/ technology and low-income students. I also support investing in vocational education by: (1) expanding the definition of vocation to include 21st century skills like coding; (2) incentivizing businesses to partner with vocational schools to develop curriculums and offer apprenticeships; and (3) expanding financial aid for vocational education.

Energy & Environment

1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

3. Other or expanded principles
- We must change how we produce and consume energy. Regarding energy production, I want to: (1) build solar and wind farms in the district; (2) increase tax incentives for businesses/individuals to install solar panels; (3) invest in clean energy R&D; and (4) pay for these investments with a tax on harmful greenhouse gasses. Regarding energy usage, I want to weatherize buildings, improve electricity efficiency, and increase fuel efficiency standards. Lastly, I support fully funding the EPA and allowing it to enforce existing environmental regulations.

Guns

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- I am for several common sense steps including (1) comprehensive background checks (and ensuring that all relevant data is in the background check system); (2) preventing people convicted of violent crimes (including misdemeanors) from purchasing guns; (3) repealing the Dickey Amendment; (4) ending the sale of bump stocks and military style weapons; (5) instituting magazine limits; and (6) expanding mental health services, because 60% of all gun deaths are suicides.

Health Care

1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No

2. Other or expanded principles
- I will work towards Medicare-for-All so we can have quality, affordable healthcare for every single American. To effectively and smoothly transition 20% of our economy to such a system, I support creating a government subsidized healthcare plan that employers and individuals can buy into. Simultaneously, I want to cut the cost of healthcare by eliminating redundancies, lowering the price of pharmaceutical drugs, and mandating price/quality transparency by healthcare providers.

Immigration

1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No

2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- Our current immigration system is outdated, inefficient, and encourages undocumented immigration. I would fix our legal immigration system, so it improves our economy and security. I support the passage of a clean DACA bill. I would also create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently in the US if they meet certain criteria. Regarding border security, we should employ a strategy grounded in technology specific to each border area. Furthermore, we should also partner with our southern neighbors to fight criminal organizations operating in their countries.

Marijuana

1. Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- Legalizing marijuana has economic, health, and social benefits. From an economic standpoint, we can encourage the growth of legitimate businesses and can use the tax revenue to benefit programs such as education. From a health perspective, medicinal marijuana can solve many ailments and alleviate pain. From a social perspective, legalizing marijuana is an important part of criminal justice reform and frees up resources to combat major crimes.

National Security

1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- No

2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- The use of military force, should be a last resort only to be used if all other avenues such as diplomacy and sanctions have been exhausted. There must be a clear benefit to the interests of the United States that outweighs the costs and the goals must be clearly defined and achievable. The military should have the resources to accomplish their goals, and there must be an accompanying political and economic strategy.

Administrative Priorities

Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- My focus is on creating opportunity for every person to advance. To that end, I want to work towards quality, affordable healthcare for every person, create a 21st century economy that works for everyone by making investments in infrastructure, clean energy, and education, and break down barriers that hold people back. To the extent that these policies require any new funding, we should first look to implement the GAO recommendations to eliminate duplication and produce cost savings. Additionally, we should eliminate improper payments.