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
- I support every woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions in consultation with her doctor and her family. I will defend access to contraception and a woman's right to choose; I will fight any efforts by insurance companies to discriminate based on gender; I will protect Planned Parenthood from funding cuts that would diminish their ability to provide critical reproductive and preventative health care services to women and men.

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
- No Answer

Campaign Finance

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I support taking steps to reverse the effects of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. We can curb the influence of dark money, corporate backers, and powerful lobbyists by strengthening campaign disclosure rules, implementing public campaign financing, and limiting the length of time during which campaigns can be conducted.

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
- Reducing corporate taxes does not guarantee that corporations will reinvest additional money to promote economic growth. Instead, I support initiatives that will level the playing field for small businesses to help them compete in a global economy.

Education

1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- I believe that our schools should receive the resources they greatly need to invest in technology for the classroom, to reduce class sizes, and to hire and retain great teachers. I am adamantly opposed to privatizing public schools through voucher systems or private charter school expansion. Every student should be able to afford college without incurring crushing amounts of student loan debt. I will work to ensure public schools get the resources they need and that students have access to debt-free public college 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
- When it comes to environmental policy, I will be informed by scientists, and not by lobbyists. The consensus by experts who study climate change is clear; human activity is responsible for climate change. I support H.R. 3671, The Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act, which would drastically reduce carbon emissions and transition us towards energy independence through renewable sources such as wind and solar.

Guns

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I support Americans' Second Amendment right to own firearms. I also believe that we can find common ground on common-sense gun laws that help us protect our families from unneccessary gun violence. I support measures such as expanding background checks, improving the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), improving access to mental health services, and limiting access to military-style assault rifles for civilians.

Health Care

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I support keeping the protections offered under the Affordable Care Act, but I recognize that our current healthcare system does not work for all Americans. I will work to implement a single-payer healthcare system that will offer universal healthcare coverage and bring down costs.

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
- No Answer

Marijuana

1. Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- No

2. Other or expanded principles
- I fully support the legalization of medical marijuana and the federal decriminalization of recreational marijuana. I support H.R. 1227, The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017, which would remove marijuana from the list of schedule I controlled substances. It would decriminalize the use and distribution of marijuana in states where its use are permitted for medical or recreational purposes, while keeping in place criminal penalties for those who knowingly ship or distribute marijuana to states where its use is illegal.

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
- No Answer

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 top priorities in office would include establishing a single-payer healthcare system and increasing public education funding, both of which can be funded by ensuring the top 1% of income earners pay their fair share of taxes. I will also focus on working towards comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to legal status for undocumented residents.