Explain your response. What is your plan for expanding affordable health care to more Americans?

I’ve heard from many North Carolinians who are struggling because of Obamacare, forced to either pay skyrocketing premiums or forgoing health insurance altogether and paying the individual mandate penalty. More than 70% of North Carolinians who have been forced to pay the penalty make less than $50,000, which is why I successfully worked to repeal the individual mandate. I’ll continue to fight for affordable health care that gives North Carolinians the choices they want and the protections they need, which is why I introduced the Protect Act, which would guarantee that you can’t be denied coverage or charged more for a pre-existing condition.

Explain your response. What is your plan for expanding affordable health care to more Americans?

The Affordable Care Act works for some people. We need a system that works for everyone. Free market private health insurance would help the most people have the best coverage at the lowest cost. But we must also address the problem of pre-existing conditions. According to health care expert Christopher Jacobs - “Obamacare uprooted the entire market to address a comparatively small universe of truly uninsurable patients. A better reform would use a more specialized approach.” One possible solution is to set up a network of state high-risk pools. Jacob’s research shows that would cost significantly less than Obamacare.

Keep, Expand

Explain your response. What is your plan for expanding affordable health care to more Americans?

Health care is one of the biggest and most consequential expenses families incur. But our health care system has put quality, comprehensive healthcare out of reach for millions of Americans. Rather, we have a system in which health care is made available only to some and primarily through private insurance companies. In other words, we have a system in which, metaphorically, the fox is guarding the hen house. Insurance companies are deciding the amount, cost and quality of care for individuals -- life and death decisions in the hands of entities for which their primary motive is making a profit. This is not sustainable. Meanwhile, nearly 30 million Americans have no health insurance at all. I believe health care is a right for all Americans. The passage of the Affordable Care Act was an important first step. Now is the time for bold action to finish the job with universal health care available for everyone. Medicare for All makes that possible, and that is why I support it.

Explain your response. What is your plan for expanding affordable health care to more Americans?

I will work to strengthen and extend coverage under the Affordable Care Act, and will stand up against all attempts to roll back protections for people with pre-existing conditions and other benefits of this law. I will also build on the ACA by creating a public health insurance option, and do more to support rural hospitals and address doctor shortages. Moreover, it is long past time that North Carolina expand Medicaid, which would cover more than 600,000 North Carolinians.

Explain your response. What is your plan for expanding affordable health care to more Americans?

I absolutely support the ACA which, while still imperfect, has brought peace of mind to over half a million North Carolinians this year alone, confident that they cannot be denied coverage of pre-existing conditions and that they can find affordable insurance. A recent reduction in premiums and continuous enrollment has promoted efficacy of the ACA. I support transitioning from the ACA to Medicare for All, a single payer system that extends health care for all Americans that includes prescription drug price controls, no limitations on pre-existing conditions, and reinvestment of profits to consumers through tax deductibles.
Our health-care system, and its inequities and inadequacies, is a complex of interconnected problems. As an engineer, I know that we cannot take a simple-minded approach to repairing a complex system, just as I know that few if any members of Congress have the skill and insight to solve the problem without the deep contributions of public health experts, health-care economists, medical thought-leaders, educators, and NGOs focused on health-care equity. I believe that Congress must convene a body of such experts to study the problem systematically and to craft non-partisan recommendations for a systematic legislative solution, following which we must launch a ‘Manhattan Project’ to achieve the goal. “Further study of the problem” is too often used as a dodge and excuse for doing nothing, but study designed to lead to action is truly needed here. I don’t believe that any of us – least of all politicians - yet has a complete solution to our nation’s health-care crisis.
Health care should be approached as population health with coordinated strategies that would improve health ratings, access to health care and comprehensive population wellness. This health task force should have the responsibility of addressing the health-care crisis by stabilizing access to universal health care and improving population health through multidisciplinary and multi-department strategies that include the USDA, Department of Education, Health and Human Services and all other necessary agencies to increase access to preventative health, increase recreation access and fitness awareness and promote access to healthy food options.
• Congressional appropriations of resources through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) for funding programs to address health disparities through community health partnerships.
• Providing more access to preventative care by closing the health-care coverage gap through expansion would make a tremendous impact with reducing high costs of patient emergency care and provide early diagnosis and prevention of serious illness.
• Addressing food deserts and consequent lack of healthy options through farm-to-table initiatives, community gardens. USDA grants, and healthy eating public service programs.
• Promoting ecotourism and recreation through expanding development of walking, biking and scooter trails, of which Durham is leading the push for biking lanes and community health initiatives. Revise our elementary and secondary education standards of learning to include an increase in P.E. requirements for students K-12.

Explain your response. What is your plan for expanding affordable health care to more Americans?

Get liberal politicians and government out of health care. Provide services to the poor.

Explain your response.

It has been disappointing to see the Democratic Party embrace “Medicare for All” because it’s a radical proposal that represents the total government takeover of our health care system, forcing every North Carolinian off their employer-sponsored health insurance that they earned. I believe in patient-centered health care reform that protects pre-existing conditions and will provide all North Carolinians with the affordable and quality choices that work best for their needs and their budget, and I will oppose all efforts to move America towards a system that eliminates your choices and gives control of your health care to government bureaucrats.

Explain your response.

I am for limited government. A free-market approach that uses deregulation to enable companies to offer affordable insurance plans is preferable to growing a big government program. I have seen families with sick children. I have had sick children. I know we need health care that meets everyone's needs. I think we can get there without growing our government even more.

Explain your response.

I support Medicare for All because it is consistent with American values, it will improve the health of all Americans at a lower cost, it will reduce health disparities, people will no longer go bankrupt because of a medical condition, and because the rapacious profiteering in our current healthcare system simply cannot be sustained.

Explain your response.

I share the goal of making sure everyone has access to health care and I think we can achieve that by adding a public option to the Affordable Care Act, while ensuring no one loses their employer-sponsored coverage who wants to keep it.

Explain your response.

I further support transitioning from the ACA to Improved Medicare for All, single payer system that guarantees coverage of medically necessary health care for all Americans, including prescription drug price controls, no limitations on pre-existing conditions, vision, dental, mental and behavioral health, long-term and home health care with reinvestment of profits to consumers through tax deductibles. There are several proposals for Medicare for All; I find Rep. Jayapal’s HR1384, the Medicare for All Act of 2019, as a progressive and pragmatic approach to this transition. The Act includes retraining and/or severance for any health-care workers, including insurance professionals displaced by the Improved Medicare for All program, for a period of five years.
Our health-care system, and its inequities and inadequacies, is a complex of interconnected problems. As an engineer, I know that we cannot take a simple-minded approach to repairing a complex system, just as I know that few if any members of Congress have the skill and insight to solve the problem without the deep contributions of public health experts, health-care economists, medical thought-leaders, educators, and NGOs focused on health-care equity. I believe that Congress must convene a body of such experts to study the problem systematically and to craft non-partisan recommendations for a systematic legislative solution, following which we must launch a ‘Manhattan Project’ to achieve the goal. “Further study of the problem” is too often used as a dodge and excuse for doing nothing, but study designed to lead to action is truly needed here. I don’t believe that any of us – least of all politicians – yet has a complete solution to our nation’s health-care crisis.
I broadly support the goal of providing every American with equitable and affordable health-care coverage. After intensive research and funding analysis, I have concluded that IMFA is the strongest proposal to get us there. For a better understanding of funding, plan overview, cost comparisons and information, I recommend www.healthcareforallyall.org. This will be one of my first and foremost goals when I am seated in the U.S. Senate.

Explain your response.

"Single payer" is a confusing term that few understand, China is a single-payer country. I am against single-payer socialized government health care.

Explain your response and how you would work to stop or limit illegal immigration.

We must fix America’s broken immigration system and secure our borders. That’s why I support an all-the-above strategy to invest in personnel, technology, and infrastructure, including walls where they make sense.

We need to move to a merit-based immigration system built on the needs of our economy. I support reforms that stop illegal immigration, which is a matter of fairness to both American workers and to legal immigrants who follow our laws and patiently wait for their chance at the American Dream. Unlike my opponents, who support sanctuary policies, I've led efforts to crack down on sanctuary jurisdictions that shield violent criminals.

Explain your response and how you would work to stop or limit illegal immigration.

An immigration policy based on merit would be ideal. Those seeking political asylum should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Refugees should be housed as close to their home country as possible until it is safe for them to return. Our borders must be secured. Build the wall where it is needed.
I support a robust guest worker program that is unrelated to immigration. They must be sponsored by companies, and there are strict guidelines as to who can participate. They are not in line to become citizens. They cannot vote.

Explain your response and how you would work to stop or limit illegal immigration.

Immigration has been deplorably politicized by this Republican president and his Republican allies in Congress. Yet, they acknowledge that we cannot deport the 11-12 million undocumented immigrants who already are in our country, they tacitly acknowledge the importance that immigrant labor has played in the economy, and they know that we cannot continue to cage children at our southern border. From these basic truths, I believe there is room for comprehensive immigration reform. So I support the following approach:

1. Increase foreign aid to the nations of Central America from which many of the undocumented immigrants are coming, for the purpose of improving the conditions that are causing them to flee their homes;

2. Pass DACA legislation that cannot be taken away summarily by an executive order;

3. Pass legislation to end family separation at the border (in fact, making it illegal to separate children from their families), allow asylum seekers to remain the U.S. while going through the application process, and provide better funding to speed the asylum and naturalization processes; and

4. Create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people already in the country, so as to bring people out of the shadows and improve public safety in our communities.

State and local governments should not be responsible for the enforcement of federal immigration law.

Explain your response and how you would work to stop or limit illegal immigration.

As an Army veteran, I take the safety and security of North Carolinians seriously, including border security. While I don’t support President Trump’s efforts to divert money from our military bases to build a wall along the entirety of the southern border, I do believe that the smartest and most cost effective way to secure our border is through a strategic mixture of physical barriers, technology, and manpower. I also support comprehensive immigration reform that fixes our broken system and modernizes it for the economy of today, grows North Carolina’s economy, protects DREAMers, and provides a fair pathway to citizenship.

Explain your response and how you would work to stop or limit illegal immigration.

I do not support an ornamental Southern border as it is simply a distraction and lacks any real and serious conversation about immigration or immigration reform. The border walI currently being constructed with illegally diverted funds from other congressionally approved projects is already being rendered useless with sawed through portions revealing the fallacy of depending upon a simple structure as a comprehensive immigration plan. I am not in favor of open borders, but there are so many other methods and techniques to defend our border with technology, drones, etc. There are so many other ways to defend our borders with a comprehensive approach to immigration.

I will support and defend DACA, as well as comprehensive immigration reform providing a pathway to citizenship. And because we have always been a nation of immigrants, always will be, and are enriched by the energy that immigrants bring with them to our country, I will fight to reverse the current administration’s hostile immigration policies, while recognizing that secure borders and orderly immigration procedures are necessary for any country.

Needed reforms of U.S. immigration policy include:
-Defense of DACA. In my service as a state senator I have already demonstrated my support for DACA recipients through my sponsorship of 2019 Senate Bill 615 (“DACA Recipients In-State Tuition”). But so much more remains to be done for these innocent and eager would-be citizens that can only be accomplished at the federal level.
-A clear and equitable pathway to citizenship for current undocumented immigrants who have proven themselves to be responsible and contributing members of our society.
-Border security (not Trump’s ornamental wall!) implemented hand-in-hand with humane immigration and refugee policies and quotas that incentivize legal entry to our country by those who seek a better life and offer their boundless energy to this nation – a nation built (and still being built) by immigrants, refugees, and their offspring – that is to say, nearly all of us.
As we work toward these admittedly challenging goals, near-term measures needed to better humanize our treatment of current undocumented immigrants consist, first, of systematically reversing each and every one of the president’s heartless and destructive new DHS policies and procedures. Comprehensive congressional investigation is called for to thoroughly document the disaster of our government’s recent and current family separation activities, with the goal of guiding legislation and appropriations to reverse as much of the damage as possible, and to ensure our nation can never take this same inhuman course again. Additionally, on both moral and public health grounds, we must extend Obamacare (and universal health insurance when it becomes available) to include immigrants both documented and undocumented.
The Department of Homeland Security has, over the past three years, proven itself to be vulnerable to being hijacked by despots and xenophobes. New legislation is required to ensure that can never happen again.

Explain your response and how you would work to stop or limit illegal immigration.

A wall is just one of many tools we should use. Liberal politicans and media are trying to bring about a cultural political revolution of traditional America through no borders.

What should the government do (or not do) to combat the effects of climate change?

We need to address the long-term effects of climate change with free-market innovation and not a heavy-handed, big-government approach that would tank our economy and cause our tax and utility bills to skyrocket. I firmly oppose the Green New Deal, which dictates where Americans can live, what types of cars they can drive, and what kinds of foods they can eat. Instead, I support commonsense steps to enhance our clean energy infrastructure. That’s exactly what I did as speaker when I negotiated a renewable portfolio standard for the state, and what I’ve done in the Senate by promoting renewable energy like solar.

What should the government do (or not do) to combat the effects of climate change?

While we have many serious challenges in North Carolina, including coal ash leaks and cancer clusters, I do not believe draconian laws that will ultimately destroy our economy will benefit us. The Green New Deal promises a massive economic transformation that would touch every corner of society. It is as much about solving "inequality" as it is about the environment.
I am very concerned about the environment. I love being outdoors. I want clean air and clean water. But to me the Green New Deal looks like just another plan to redistribute wealth, take my liberty and bankrupt the country.

What should the government do (or not do) to combat the effects of climate change?

Climate change is real. I believe the science. To witness supposedly educated people deny the science is perplexing. I support the Green New Deal. It is a bold road map for addressing the impact of climate change on our lives. In particular, I favor its focus on building resiliency against climate change-related disasters, providing Americans with improving access to clean water and air, repairing and upgrading our national infrastructure, including building energy-efficient and smart power grids, spurring growth in clean energy jobs, supporting family farming, high-speed rail, and many other initiatives to improve the quality of our life on this planet.

What should the government do (or not do) to combat the effects of climate change?

Climate change is one of the most urgent issues we face. We need to invest in a clean energy economy that will create good-paying jobs, reduce carbon pollution, and make North Carolina a leader. I support efforts to move to 100% renewable energy by 2050, rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, and retrain workers for green energy jobs. North Carolina can be a leader. Solar energy is spreading, providing good-paying jobs and economic investment in rural areas. We also need green and sustainable investments in infrastructure in North Carolina to help drive the economic growth of the future.

What should the government do (or not do) to combat the effects of climate change?

My expertise and experience in equitable, sustainable economic development informs my position that growing a green economy is good business and good for the Earth. The switch to sustainable, carbon-free energy, climate remediation, and 21st century transportation systems can both supercharge our economy and save our planet. I will support and sponsor legislation in each of these areas.

First and foremost, the dangers of the impacts of climate change are real. I am an engineer and I believe in facts; science facts over science fiction. Currently, I represent several counties in northeastern NC that experienced major impacts from Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. I learned, first-hand, the importance of providing responses to natural disasters with an organized, comprehensive and structured response that addresses immediate emergency needs and sets resiliency planning. The types of 100-year and 500-year floods that we have experienced in two years across this nation is a warning to America that we must have a more proactive plan to deal with global warming, climate control and disaster responsiveness. Communication is a key component in responding to disasters. In this vein, we must continue to invest in satellite and communications technology that provide early prediction and monitoring of storm patterns in order to evacuate as many people as possible out of the eye of the storm. We must further perform analysis of climate change and implement policy and target goals for reducing emissions and carbon-power generation. Other necessary steps would be to relocate threatening industries outside of the flood plains so that we can limit pollution to our clean water supplies that result from spillage, pond overflow, and flooding. Our local, state and federal planners must optimize engineering designs for emergency structures that withstand category 2, 3 and 4 winds and stop relying on schools – many of which are in no condition to safely house residents in a storm. There must be federal, state and local efforts to audit regulations, policies and statutes with various EPA, Emergency Management and FEMA related to crisis response and modify any current practices for more optimized results.

Our state and nation are rich with agriculture, eco-tourism and natural resources, including mountains, beautiful lakes, rivers, streams and coastal beaches. I support environmentally responsible growth that harnesses these resources toward promoting clean energy initiatives, fishing and wildlife protections as well as our state’s No. 1 industry, “farming." I support solar and wind energy installations, broadband expansion and environmental justice for land owners.

What should the government do (or not do) to combat the effects of climate change?

Continue progress to control polution of the air but also the water and ground, such as ending GMO crops and chemical farming.

I’m proud to have voted for the bipartisan USMCA, which is going to be a great opportunity for workers in N.C., especially our farmers and small businesses. We need to continue the pro-growth tax and regulatory policies that we have enacted during the last three years in order to further stimulate our economy. The 2017 tax cuts have given us record-low unemployment, unprecedented opportunities for women and minorities, and wages for rank-and-file workers that are rising even faster than those of their bosses. While my Democratic opponents want to repeal these tax cuts, I want to build on them.

I have not researched the USMCA, but any trade agreement can be improved upon. The important thing is not to enter into an agreement that is difficult to cancel or change. Obamacare, for example, was designed to be almost impossible to dismantle. In any plan or agreement it is essential that there be a way to exit. Just ask the British about their difficulties with Brexit. In North Mecklenburg we have a $665 million toll lane project that no one wants, but that no one can get rid of. Why? Because that's what Thom Tillis ordered.

Reluctantly, yes. Too many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, working two and three jobs, struggling to make ends meet. The American Promise has been that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can succeed, no matter where you’re born. But that has not been the case for a large proportion of families. It is high time for a change. We need to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, phased in over a few years. I also believe we should phase-out the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers. These measures will help us get more money into people’s pockets so that they, in turn, can purchase goods and services in our economy, which benefits everybody. In addition, since education is the key to prosperity, early childhood education is essential.
Every child, from birth to age 5, should have access to a quality early childhood education, no matter their financial circumstances. The evidence is clear that every dollar of investment in early childhood education reaps multiple returns. I led the effort to implement universal pre-K in Mecklenburg County. Nearly 2,000 children now are receiving a quality early childhood education who did not previously have access to it. That is why I support national universal early childhood education and care from birth for all children, particularly when only about 39% of third-graders read on grade-level.

Yes. I’ve long been in favor of renegotiating NAFTA because North Carolinians, like the furniture manufacturers in my hometown of Lexington, saw the impact it had on our manufacturing workforce. USMCA represents a step forward for communities who’ve been left behind by unfair trade, and has better environmental and worker protections. I support raising the minimum wage, promoting full-time jobs with benefits, and adjusting our tax system to benefit low and middle income families, not the wealthy few as the GOP tax law did. I support expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit to help more families.

The USMCA represents only slight differences between it and the former NAFTA. Those slight differences offer both net gains and net losses for the U.S. consumer and business environments to include:

*Importantly, the USMCA is largely silent on climate change and the environment. There is a small concession that all three countries will “adopt, implement and maintain” seven different multilateral environmental agreements, covering issues such as endangered species. But there is nothing in the agreement to require countries to take steps on climate change.

*Farmers will see little difference and only small gains from the provisions of NAFTA to include small additional access to the Canadian markets for limited producers. Many of the agricultural provisions are the same as in NAFTA, which has already canceled most duties on food products moving across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

*Auto makers will have more rigorous tests of North American production (75%) to comply with the USMCA versus the 62.5% requirement under NAFTA. While it could add jobs in the U.S., it could also result in higher prices for automobiles in the U.S. amid cries of protectionism.

*Pharmaceutical companies were rebuffed when attempting to include patent protections that could have made it harder for cheaper, generic versions of drugs to reach consumers faster.

*Labor unions benefit by being able to root out labor violations and take away trade benefits if goods and services are found to have been produced by workers toiling under poor labor conditions.

*Regarding digital rights of corporations, the USMCA includes provisions prohibiting duties on digital music and eBooks which benefits conglomerates such as Amazon and Netflix.

In summary I would have supported the USMCA as an initial step. The obvious improvements to the USMCA are to add provisions and teeth on environmental/climate change and to add greater trade opportunities for the farmers to sell their products and help improve their local economies to reduce the rural/urban divide.

Continue to bring jobs lost overseas back to America as Trump has been doing.