Debbie Halvorson Q & A

1)  What is the No. 1 issue in your district and how would you address it?

As I travel throughout the district and listen to the concerns of residents at coffee shops, churches, and Metra stations, it is clear that the number one issue is the economy and jobs.  My number one priority will be bringing to the district good-paying, local jobs that cannot be shipped overseas.  

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I grew up in the 2nd District, raised my kids in the 2nd District and have had the opportunity to represented large portions of the 2nd District in the past while a State Senator.  While some communities are prospering, many communities in our district have struggled over the past 14 years—there are too many unemployed and too many empty store fronts and vacant, foreclosed homes.  

I believe that because the 2nd District is at the crossroads of several modes of transportation—roads, rail, waterways, and more—there is an opportunity to attract businesses and manufacturers by investing in new transportation infrastructure to meet the growing population and ensure manufacturers have access to raw materials and customers across the country.  I will fight to secure a seat on the powerful Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and to pass a highway authorization bill that will allow for long-term investments in transportation infrastructure to create jobs and support economic development.  

By working with state and local officials, I have made it a priority to fight for investments in projects that will allow local businesses to expand and attract new businesses to the region.  One project I was proud to be part of was the development of a new intermodal facility in Will County.  This project created 7,000 construction and long-term jobs and will attract manufacturers that want to access necessary transportation infrastructure to transport their goods putting people in the southland back to work.  We can do the same thing in the 2nd District and that’s what I plan to do.

We can encourage manufacturers to return to the southland by highlighting the area’s access to transportation infrastructure.  We can also invest in developing the skilled workforce to operate the advanced technology often found in today’s manufacturing facilities.  Eliminating tax incentives to ship manufacturing jobs overseas will save good-paying American jobs, and providing tax incentives to small businesses—our true job creators—to expand and grow will provide job opportunities for local residents.

2)  How would you promote job growth in your district?

I will work to bring to the district good-paying, local jobs that cannot be shipped overseas by working with local, state, and federal officials as well as the private sector to invest in our transportation infrastructure, bringing manufacturing back to the southland, and providing incentives to small businesses to grow and create jobs.  I have explained in my answer to question one how I proposed to create jobs.

3)  Should the federal government cut spending and where?

I believe our number one priority should be getting our economy back on track and creating jobs.  When people are working they no longer need social services such as unemployment insurance.  Instead they pay taxes and our local, state and federal governments receive more revenue.  This will reduce our budget deficits and reduce our national debt.

However, this alone will not solve the problem.  For eight years under the Bush Administration, Congress spent money we didn’t have and gave tax cuts to the wealthy that we couldn’t afford.  Now as we face a record national debt, almost every expert on the budget as well as the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform concluded that raising revenue must be part of the overall solution to reducing the national debt along with reductions in spending.  I agree.

We must make some necessary reforms to get spending under control.  We can do this by following the bipartisan Fiscal Commission proposal to cap discretionary spending at 2011 levels.  While this would be challenging it would still allow for the full funding of vital federal programs to ensure the most vulnerable in our society are not left out in the cold during these hard economic times.  We could also make some adjustments to entitlement programs to save money without reducing benefits for those who have paid into Social Security and Medicare.

We must also ensure everyone pays their fair share of taxes and for too long the top 1% of earners in this country have received tax breaks as middle-income Americans have struggled to pay for basic necessities.  This problem is exemplified by recent reports that Warren Buffet’s tax rate is lower than his secretary’s tax rate.  This is simply unfair.  We must fix this problem by reforming the tax code, and we must also ensure that the most vulnerable in our society—seniors, extremely low-income individuals, the disabled—do not go without basic needs just to provide tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires.   We should eliminate the Bush tax cuts for those making over $250,000.  Recent reports have shown these types of tax breaks for the wealthy do not result in increased investments and job creation, instead the wealthy have increased their savings and it has cost us billions of dollars.

4)  If Republican, which GOP presidential candidate do you support?

5)  Give an example of something you’ve done that is bipartisanship in nature.

I was the first female Senate Majority Leader in Illinois, so I understand it is absolutely necessary to work with those on the other side of the aisle to get things done.  I have a long record of accomplishments that are bipartisan in nature but one that I am particularly proud of is working with Rep. Biggert when I was in Congress to keep the waterways open and save jobs when out-of-state interests were trying to shut down the locks due to Asian Carp.  Shutting down the locks would place thousands of jobs at risk and harm Illinois manufacturers trying to ship goods and raw materials.  Rep. Biggert and I worked with local, state, and federal officials to keep the locks open and urge the state to identify a solution to the Asian Carp issue.

6)  Name one good policy idea that comes from the opposing party.

Eliminating duplicative regulations on small businesses is a good idea and will allow small businesses to focus on what they do best—creating jobs.  However, it is important to ensure that as we work to eliminate these types of regulations we do not unintentionally reduce consumer and investor protections.

7)  How do you define family values?

Family values for me means living by moral and ethical standards that includes always trying to do the right thing and treat people with respect, putting your family first, and teaching your children and grandchildren right from wrong.   I also believe that family can be more than just what has traditionally been considered a family, and that anyone can create a family with the existence of love and respect.

8)  What are your thoughts on the healthcare law?

I strongly supported and voted for the healthcare reform bill signed by President Obama that provided access to quality health insurance to million of Americans and ensured insurance companies can’t discriminate based on pre-existing conditions or drop coverage when someone gets sick.  I believe we must implement and improve:  implement the bill as written and improve the law if necessary.  However, I will fight any effort to repeal the healthcare reform bill.

9) Who is your political role model?

Senator Paul Simon.  While I had always had respect for Paul Simon, in 1996, he walked door to door with me when I was running for State Senate and I got to know him.  He was everything you want a representative to be—he was honest, he had integrity, and he really cared about the people.  While people may not have always agreed with him, they liked and respected him.  It was an honor for me to have had an opportunity to get to know him and learn from him.

10) What’s on your iPod?

Tina Turner
Tom Petty
Al Green

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