| “
|
HEALTHCARE & PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS
Throughout my first term in Congress, healthcare has been my top priority. I have been working to ensure that every person has quality, affordable healthcare. No one should have to choose between putting food on the table and getting the care, medication, or life-saving treatments they need. No one should lose or be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition, and no one fighting a serious illness should face the fear of lifetime coverage caps.
We can improve our healthcare system, while lowering costs, ensuring greater coverage, and achieving better outcomes, but it will take tremendous political will and a commitment to creatively looking at the options. Partisan assaults against our healthcare system, such as the removal of the individual mandate, are causing rising premiums and losses of coverage across our district and country. I support measures that would strengthen the framework of the ACA, such as reinstating the individual mandate, which mitigates risk, and moving the enrollment deadline to align with tax day.
At town halls across Central Virginia during my first term, I’ve repeatedly heard from our neighbors about the extremely personal effects of rising prescription drug prices. I support measures that would help lower the cost of prescription drugs for Central Virginia seniors and families, such as giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices. I’ve been proud to lead bipartisan legislation passed in Congress that would bring greater transparency to prescription drug negotiations and help hold pharmacy benefit managers accountable.
To increase coverage nationwide, I support pursuing universal coverage through a public option, specifically the proposed Medicare-X Choice Act. I support Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP and the vital resources they provide to our seniors and most vulnerable citizens and children. I also support protecting women’s access to reproductive healthcare, including federal funding to Planned Parenthood and other providers that ensure essential healthcare to women and men.
Key Actions
- Led the introduction of the Public Disclosure of Drug Discounts Act, which passed in the U.S. House by a vote of 403 to 0
- Cosponsored and passed the Lower Prescription Drug Costs Now Act to give Medicare the power to directly negotiate drug prices
- Cosponsored and passed legislation to protect Central Virginians with pre-existing conditions
- Introduced bipartisan legislation to level the playing field for generic drugs and crack down on “patent gaming”
- Held multiple prescription drug-focused town halls and district-wide healthcare tours in the Seventh District
GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
Thousands of Americans die each year due to violence, suicide, or accidents involving firearms, and the unwillingness of some lawmakers to address this problem has left our citizens and our children vulnerable. As a former federal law enforcement officer, I used to carry a firearm every day for my job, and I support responsible gun ownership and our Second Amendment, but the ever-increasing number of Americans who die each day requires that we take action.
Addressing gun violence and protecting lives should not be a partisan issue; it is a public safety issue. I am a cosponsor of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and support the application of the same background checks for all firearm purchases, regardless of where or from whom the purchases are made. States that require background checks for all purchases have fewer suicides by gun, fewer law enforcement officers shot and killed, and fewer women killed by an intimate partner. Ninety-four percent of Americans support background checks for all firearms purchases, as well as the Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence and the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police.
During my first term in Congress, I have been proud to support commonsense gun policies like closing the Charleston Loophole and Extreme Risk Protective Orders. The implementation of Gun Violence Restraining Orders allow family, friends, and law enforcement to help people facing crisis who, with a firearm in their possession, might be a risk to themselves or others. I support ensuring that states have the ability to provide current information to the NICS database to ensure informed background checks, and I support funding the research of gun violence as a public health issue. Thoughts and prayers are not enough. Members of Congress must have the courage to address this problem and implement policies that will help keep our children and communities safe.
Key Actions
- Cosponsored and helped pass the Bipartisan Background Checks Act to require universal background checks on all firearm purchases
- Voted to pass the Enhanced Background Checks Act, which would close the Charleston Loophole
- Member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
- Cosponsored legislation to fund gun violence prevention research by the Centers for Disease *Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Cosponsored the Threat Assessment, Prevention, and Safety (TAPS) Act to prevent targeted violence directed against children, law enforcement, and communities
PROTECTING SOCIAL SECURITY & MEDICARE
For decades, Central Virginia’s workers have paid into the Social Security and Medicare programs with the understanding that they were paying for retirement security later in life. I am wholly committed to protecting these programs and making sure they receive the urgent attention they deserve — especially at a time when many of my colleagues would like to gut these programs. I oppose any attempts to privatize these systems or to cut benefits. I am committed to ensuring their solvency and viability, and I will keep working to protect Social Security and Medicare, as well as expanding Medicare benefits, so we can meet our obligations to seniors, now and long into the future.
Key Actions
- Joined a bipartisan effort calling for congressional action to make sure Social Security remains solvent for future generations of workers and retirees
- Cosponsored and voted for the Butch Lewis Act, legislation to stabilize multiemployer pensions plans and prevent cuts to thousands of Virginians’ retirement savings
- Voted to expand Medicare coverage for vision, hearing, and dental for low-income Medicare beneficiaries
- Voted in support of the SECURE Act, which would make it easier for small businesses to offer retirement plans to employees and for Central Virginia workers to escalate their retirement savings
- Spoke out against a topline budget from the administration that would have slashed Medicare funding by hundreds of billions of dollars
JOBS AND ECONOMY
COVID-19 has created a massive unemployment crisis, one that has altered the employment landscape for thousands of our neighbors and their families. In the months to come, we must take steps to promote long-term economic growth across our country, and we must ensure that our workforce training not only meets the needs of our region’s businesses, but also allows our workers to stay competitive in a rapidly changing, global economy.
Our strength as a nation comes from the idea that anyone with a good idea can make it happen. This is why I support policies that empower small businesses (the backbone of our economy) to innovate and pursue bold entrepreneurial ventures, and during a time of uncertainty, I strongly support the goals of the Paycheck Protection Program to help businesses eventually return to normal operations.
I also support organized labor, as unions have historically been a driver of economic stability within America’s middle class. This has been true for my own family, as my grandfather, a member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, was able to raise his four children as a young widower because of the stability his union employment provided. From conversations with local employers, I know that union apprenticeship programs remain an invaluable asset as they train the next generation of skilled workers.
I also know that many Central Virginia’s businesses and farms depend on access to strong export markets, and that’s why one of my top priorities last year was to help negotiate and pass the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Key Actions
- Helped negotiate and voted to pass the landmark USMCA trade agreement
- Joined a small, bipartisan meeting at the White House with Vice President Pence to discuss the need for the USMCA in Central Virginia
- Advocated for increased support to Central Virginia businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) amid COVID-19
- Successfully pushed for commonsense PPP reforms to help Central Virginia restaurants and small businesses cover overhead costs and to cut red tape
- Successfully fought to protect market facilitation program payments to Central Virginia farmers in the face of the administration’s continued trade war
- Received the Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship and the Spirit of Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
EDUCATION
As a proud graduate of Henrico County Public Schools and as a mother of children who attend public schools, I believe deeply in the value of public education. I will advocate for and work to strengthen our public education system, including our early childhood programs like Head Start. In Congress, I’ve supported increasing access to affordable workforce training and apprenticeship programs for Americans whose path to employment does not require a four-year degree. For those who attend two and four-year colleges, we should ensure that they are not saddled with debt when they graduate and enter the workforce. I’m proud to be a tireless advocate for our nation’s students from the day they enter school to the day they graduate.
Key Actions
- Introduced bipartisan legislation to allow Central Virginia students and workers to use their 529 savings to pay for workforce training and credentialing programs
- Supported a bipartisan bill to expand Pell Grant eligibility to career and technical education programs, like IT and commercial truck driving programs
- Introduced bipartisan legislation to allow Head Start programs to receive federal work study dollars
- Cosponsored legislation to encourage more women and minority students to enter STEM fields
- Helped introduce the Student Loan Disclosure Transparency Act, which would require monthly disclosures of student loan debt information to borrowers
IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY
The United States was founded as a nation of immigrants, but our current immigration system is broken. Too many politicians use immigration as a political talking point instead of actually trying to solve the problems. In Congress, I’m commtted to finding real, bipartisan solutions to fix our immigration system, and I will work with anyone to create a proposal for immigration reform that strengthens the security of our borders and ports of entry, takes into account the needs of our workforce, respects our values and history, gives certainty to DACA recipients, and creates an earned pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants currently living here as long as they abide by the law, work hard, and pay taxes. As a CIA officer, I worked on counterterrorism and international drug trafficking cases. I understand the security threats we face, and I know we can secure our borders and points of entry without breaking from American values or tearing families apart. And as a former federal agent, I oppose any efforts to create safe havens for violent criminals.
I also believe that we must address the root causes of instability and violence in Central America that lead to illegal migration, and during my first year in Congress, the President signed into law my bipartisan legislation to combat narcotics trafficking and human smuggling networks in the region.
Key Actions
- Introduced legislation to combat the root causes of instability and illegal migration in Central America that was signed into law by the President
- Visited the southern border with Democrats and Republicans to see the humanitarian situation at the border firsthand
- Helped introduce and pass a bipartisan bill to reform the current U.S. immigration system for farmworkers and provide certainty to Central Virginia farmers, agribusinesses, and greenhouses
- Attended a bipartisan meeting at the White House with President Trump to discuss border security and the need to end the 2019 federal government shutdown
- Voted for necessary border security reforms, including additional immigration judges, Customs and Border Protection officers, and technology to detect drugs at ports of entry
GOOD GOVERNANCE
The United States of America was founded on the principle that our government is of and for the people. We each have the right to engage in the political process, express our opinions and concerns, and vote for the representatives we want to be our voice in Washington. However, across the campaign trail and during my first term in Congress, I have been struck by how often people share the view that Congress is not working for them. People feel that their opinion doesn’t matter, that their needs do not matter, and that ultimately their vote doesn’t matter. If we are to live up to our principle of being a government of and for the people, we must ensure that voters have faith, not just in those whom they send to Washington, but also in our democratic process. To do that, I’ve worked to increase transparency and accountability in Congress, including in our federal budget process. Voters must know that their elected representatives are focused on serving them, not special interests or themselves. I believe that it is the responsibility of Members of Congress to hold themselves to the highest standards of ethical behavior and accountability, and commit to strengthening our system with reforms that will restore trust and give voters a stronger voice.
Key Actions
- Kept promise to hold a town hall in each of the Seventh District’s ten counties by the end of her first year in Congress
- Refused to take a dime of corporate PAC money
- Helped lead the successful effort to block a pay raise for Members of Congress
- Introduced bipartisan legislation, the TRUST in Congress Act, requiring Members of Congress to place their assets in a blind trust to prevent insider trading
- Cosponsored the No Budget, No Pay Act, meaning that if lawmakers can’t pass a budget, they can’t receive a salary
NATIONAL SECURITY
I worked to keep our country safe as an officer in the CIA’s clandestine service, and in Congress, I’ve been vocal in my support of a tough, smart national security strategy. As a Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I’ve advocated for Congress to reassert its constitutional authority in decisions to send U.S. men and women to put their lives at risk overseas.
Our elected leaders should understand and acknowledge the interconnected nature of our national security, our foreign policy, and our economic prosperity. We must also continue to value and support our military, diplomats, intelligence officers, and civil servants, as they work together to serve our country and protect our nation. And as our nation continues to be threatened by foreign adversaries, we also need to take real, concrete steps to strengthen our election, telecommunications, and national security systems.
Key Actions
- Introduced legislation passed in the U.S. House that would require online political ads to boost their transparency and make clear any foreign connections
- Co-founded “Task Force Sentry,” a bipartisan group of House freshmen committed to finding fixes to glaring vulnerabilities in U.S. election systems and infrastructure
- Led the introduction of a resolution that passed in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate to block the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia that could be used to target civilians
- Led and joined several congressional efforts to reevaluate and repeal existing Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs)
RACIAL JUSTICE, EQUITY, AND CIVIL RIGHTS
Every person must be treated with dignity and have equal rights under the law. No person in a free and fair society should make less money, be denied government services, pay more for healthcare, lose a job or housing opportunities, or face discrimination in the community or workplace because of their gender, race, creed, national origin, disability, whom they love, or anything else that defines them.
In recent months, Central Virginians have taken to the streets to demand changes to a system that does not always uphold the promise of equal justice, and as a Member of Congress, I am working to ensure that justice is realized and to honor the voices of advocates with my legislative actions. I am committed to applying a lease of equity to my legislative efforts, particularly in the areas of healthcare, education, housing, criminal justice, and banking policies; areas where disparities and structures exist that disadvantage some Americans on the basis of race.
I support efforts to combat bias and increase accountability within law enforcement, and I’m committed to advancing policies that eliminate long-standing biases, ban chokeholds, improve training, increase accountability for those committing acts of hate, limit the continued militarization of local police departments, and rebuild strained community relationships. We cannot continue to live in a society where unarmed Black men and women feel threatened, or worse die at the hands of those sworn to protect them or those who take action with impunity.
I will work to protect marriage equality and LGBTQ rights, and I’ve been proud to help introduce and pass the Equality Act. I also support the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. I support the rights of individuals with disabilities and will work to preserve the protections afforded under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I support protecting women’s access to reproductive healthcare and federal funding to Planned Parenthood and other providers that ensure essential healthcare to women and men.
We must pursue criminal justice reform, but we must do more than talk about this problem. We need wide-ranging criminal justice reform to ensure that our justice system is fairly sentencing offenders regardless of race or economic status, and that we’re addressing issues related to addiction in our jails and prisons. I also support bolstering reentry efforts, which reduce recidivism and ensure that those who have paid their debt to society have the knowledge and resources necessary to become employed and engaged community members.
Key Actions
- Cosponsored the Justice in Policing Act in the U.S. House to address issues of systemic racism in law enforcement
- Helped introduce and pass the Equality Act to protect our LGBTQ neighbors from discrimination
- Helped introduce and pass a resolution to remove the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
- Joined the Black Maternal Health Caucus to reduce inequalities in Black maternal mortality rates in Virginia
- Cosponsored and voted to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act to protect the rights of all Americans at the ballot box
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
The Citizens United ruling is one of the most destructive decisions ever handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court. It ushered in an era of unchecked and unaccounted for political spending, and our nation has paid a dear price for it. I support campaign finance reform and efforts to reduce the influence of money in politics. I support efforts to bring greater transparency to campaign finance, overturn the Citizens United decision, and block illegal foreign funds from influencing our elections. During my first term in Congress, I was proud to help introduce and pass the For the People Act, a landmark campaign finance and ethics reform package. As we’ve increasingly dealt with the effects of special interests in campaign finance, it’s important that all elected officials take a stand against letting a small group of funders influence our elections. And because of my commitment to campaign finance reform, I will continue to refuse any corporate PAC donations. I am proud that our campaign has earned the support of End Citizens United, a national organization committed to fighting for campaign finance reform.
Key Actions
- Helped introduce and pass landmark campaign finance reform legislation, the For the People Act, to reduce the influence of special interests, mega-donors, and lobbyists in our democratic system
- Introduced and passed legislation as part of the For the People Act that would assess current cyber, terror, and foreign-based threats to U.S. election systems
ENVIRONMENT & CONSERVATION
Climate change is real, and it is a threat to our national security. We’re already seeing the effects right here in Virginia with rising sea levels, higher average temperatures, and stronger hurricanes. An investment in clean, renewable energy is an investment in our ecosystem, our health, and our economy. These efforts require significant coordination, as well as a shared baseline of facts, and I will stand up to attacks against science.
As a kid, I cherished the time I spent outdoors, trekking through the woods or picnicking in parks with my family. As an adult, I know how lucky we are to have Virginia’s mountains, rivers, and beaches. It is our responsibility to protect these resources for our children and generations to come by investing in alternative and renewable energy sources and decreasing air and water pollution. An investment in clean, renewable energy is an investment in our ecosystem, our health, and our economy.
As Chair of the House Agriculture Committee’s Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee, I know that Central Virginia is home to many successful conservation efforts, and I support businesses and farms working with local communities to build long-term climate solutions that are both beneficial for the environment and the economy.
Key Actions
- Voted to pass the Climate Action Now Act, which would keep the United States in the Paris Climate Agreement and require an evidence-based strategy for reducing U.S. emission levels
- As Chair of the House Agriculture Committee’s Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee, I’ve brought Central Virginians before my Subcommittee to share their personal experiences in protecting our area’s lands and watersheds
- Held multiple roundtables and panels with Central Virginia conservationists and farmers to discuss how we can work together to improve our region’s conservation practices
- Cosponsored legislation to require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to test for lead contamination in the water supply of all schools
- Led the introduction the Climate Readiness Act, which would recognize climate change as a national security threat and require the Pentagon to assess its response strategies
BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS
Reliable access to high-speed broadband internet provides critical economic and educational opportunities. In Congress, I’ve led multiple efforts to expand internet access to everyone in Central Virginia’s rural communities and in underserved areas across the country. I also support net neutrality. Legislation protecting net neutrality is vital to ensuring that the internet remains a conduit for free speech and a free market, and that it’s available to those who rely on the internet to create opportunities or grow their business, whether they’re working from home in Louisa or managing a farm in Culpeper. In our rapidly changing and increasingly online economy, the internet is an essential service to small businesses, educators, and everyday citizens alike, and it must become and remain equally accessible to all users.
Key Actions
- Successfully fought to protect millions of dollars for broadband internet infrastructure for Central Virginia through the USDA’s ReConnect Program
- Announced a $28 million broadband project for additional Central Virginia counties through the CVEC
- Introduced an amendment passed as part of the Save the Internet Act that would fix the FCC’s outdated and inaccurate broadband maps
- Hosted a rural broadband summit in Louisa County to bring the concerns of our rural neighbors directly to USDA and NTIA
- Called on the FCC to expand wifi hotspots in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of all Central Virginians, and we need to move forward with reopening in a way that is responsible and based in science. Since the pandemic began, I’ve fought to make sure our healthcare workers and others on the front lines have the personal protective equipment (PPE), funding, and training they need to keep themselves and others safe. Our most vulnerable populations, including our seniors citizens and those with pre-existing conditions, must continue to be protected. In response to the administration’s haphazard handling of the crisis during the pandemic’s early days, I’ve worked in Congress to demand answers about the Strategic National Stockpile’s mismanagement, delays in funding to nursing homes, and the lack of a comprehensive national COVID-19 testing strategy. This virus continues to be a persistent threat for all of us, and we cannot afford to leave any American behind or abdicate global leadership in the fight to find a long-term treatment for COVID-19.
VETERANS & MILITARY FAMILIES
Unemployment, homelessness, and suicide rates among our nation’s veterans are unacceptably high, and I’ve worked to ensure that we, as a country, make the process of transitioning from active duty to civilian life a positive one for our veterans. In Congress, I’m working to protect veterans’ continued access to quality healthcare through our VA system, and I will work to strengthen existing efforts to improve our veterans’ transitions to the civilian workforce through credentialing, education, and job training programs. I will never stop fighting to make sure our nation’s veterans and their families receive the benefits they’ve earned through their selfless service, including mental health benefits.
KEY ACTIONS
- Introduced legislation named after Powhatan veteran and firefighter Mike Lecik to provide veteran firefighters with the benefits they’ve earned through their service
- Successfully pressed the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to better address the needs of the growing women veteran population
- Helped introduce legislation that would allow the VA to reimburse veterans for emergency ambulance transportation to non-VA hospitals
- Supported legislation to improve mental health services coordination between veterans groups and other organizations to combat rising rates of veteran deaths by suicide[3]
|
”
|
