Pennsylvania 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 am Roman Catholic, but I acknowledge that access to abortion is the law in this country. I support laws that permit abortions up to 24 weeks into a woman?s pregnancy. Later in a woman's pregnancy, abortions should be performed only if her life or health is danger.

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
- Balancing the budget is a complex issue involving difficult decisions to address revenue and expense issues. For revenue, I support eliminating recent tax cuts for the wealthy and closing corporate tax loopholes. I would vote to maintain the tax cuts to the middle and working classes. For expenses, military spending is 54% and entitlement programs are 21% of federal discretionary spending. Current research indicates that the United States spends more on the military than the next 11 nations combined. Choosing where to cut spending is ultimately up to the America people, and today that favors protecting entitlement programs.

Campaign Finance

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Campaign finance reform is a top priority, and must address the indirect campaign contributions from corporations that have negatively impacted American governance since the Citizens United decision.

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
- Federal spending is a key tool for supporting economic growth, as communities and states are often unable to invest at the levels necessary to maintain competitiveness. US corporate taxes must focus on keeping America competitive in the global economy and provide incentive for investment and innovation.

Education

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- A strong economy relies on educated and talented workers. At the federal level, I will advocate for easier access to trade schools. I will also work to restore federal incentive programs for educating differently abled students at all levels. In particular, I will work to end unfair lending practices that place our college graduates in deep debt.

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
- Climate change is a complex phenomenon with many causes. However, I believe that human activity is a major source of this current wave of climate change. Addressing it will require global cooperation as well as efforts in individual countries. Such efforts include building the local economy by creating jobs in renewable energy while not forgetting those who have risked their health and their lives in the coal mines. I will support measures that advance clean air, clean water, and that preserve our beautiful natural countryside and forests in Pennsylvania.

Guns

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I grew up in a rural small town near the New York/Pennsylvania border. My family owned guns and hunted regularly. I strongly support the Second Amendment and the rights of responsible gun owners in America. Moreover, as a mother and grandmother, I am sensitive to the deep concerns that families have about the well-being of their children when they go to school. I will work collaboratively with gun owners to pass common-sense solutions to make schools and neighborhoods safer while upholding the right to keep and bear arms.

Health Care

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Health care costs for individuals in the United States are more than double the average of other western, industrialized nations. However, our health outcomes are among the worst. Our system for paying for access to good quality health care must change. I will work to improve the Affordable Care Act, and in time, seek to replace it with Medicare for All.

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
- Protecting our borders is a crucial function of government. I support immigration policy that is humane, fair, and recognizes the role of immigration in agriculture and industry. Current immigration policy lacks a clear policy direction and must be updated to address the current situation facing America.

Marijuana

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- States are beginning to treat marijuana like tobacco and alcohol, mood-altering substances that require consumer protections. Just as we do with alcohol and tobacco, we must ensure that consumers can rely on safe production practices, purity and stability of content, and safeguards for our youth. I support legalizing marijuana, and regulating it at the state level within a federal framework.

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 unilateral military force should be a weapon of last resort. Military intervention may prove necessary, but diplomatic processes must be the first avenue of approach to address international conflicts. America?s sons and daughters have been in harm?s way in Afghanistan and Iraq for years with no end in sight. Issues in other countries are complex and require all affected parties to work toward non-military solutions. Limited Middle Eastern involvement, including advisors and air assets, is a means to support the peoples of a region to defend themselves without risking American lives.

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.
- Main policy areas are the economy and high-speed internet access for everyone in Pennsylvania?s 15th Congressional District, especially legislation to create jobs that provide living wages for rural Pennsylvanians. This includes attracting and supporting large and small businesses, including the renewable energy sector, and providing access to the information economy, online education and training. Congress's role is providing seed funding for startups, low interest loans to support small business and investment in the renewal energy sector, and linking tax breaks for large businesses to sustained operation past the duration of tax breaks.