Issues

I firmly believe that America has the hardest working, most talented, and best educated workforce in the world. Our country has been successful because of our excellent workforce, and it will continue to thrive as a result. This is also why I am confident that, moving forward, we will maintain the highest standard of living in the world. Throughout my career, I have consistently fought to safeguard critical worker rights to protect our strong workforce.

We need to ensure that the rights and freedoms of citizens are protected. When the fundamental rights of life, liberty, and equal opportunity are unfairly denied to a person or a group of people, it is the role of the federal government to step in and fulfill the promise of America.

It is critical that we set realistic goals to hold schools accountable for providing the education students deserve while taking into consideration the unique challenges that must be overcome in the classroom. Our education system must support and revitalize our public schools instead of labeling them as failing when they are not.

One of my top priorities in Congress is to improve the relationship that citizens have with their government. In many ways, government has gotten too big, too burdensome and is not efficient and responsive enough to fulfill the needs of the people. I am committed to providing the most dedicated service to the people of the Ninth Congressional District of Washington by creating broad-based opportunities for all, growing our economy, keeping our country strong and forward-looking, and making government work better for everyone.

Historically, our health care system has cost too much, didn’t cover enough people, and incentivized inefficiencies. Reforms must expand access, reduce the overall amount of money we spend on health care, and promote quality of care over quantity. In order to succeed, real reform continued improvements must be built on these three pillars, without which we will not be able to provide sustainable universal access.

Reforming our immigration system is long overdue. Our current laws, regulations, and enforcement do not recognize the importance of sound immigration policies to our economy and national security. We cannot afford to wait any longer to reform our immigration system in a comprehensive way.

Several years after our country was thrust into the worst economic crisis in generation, the outlook in Washington State and many areas throughout the United States is gradually improving. Congress responded to the crisis with multiple initiatives to prevent a much deeper economic disaster, but we are not out of the woods yet. There is still much work to do to create good jobs, lower the employment rate, and create the conditions that encourage Washington State businesses to grow.

I firmly believe that investment in our nation's infrastructure is critical. It provides jobs for thousands, ensures the efficient movement of goods that keeps our economy growing, and ensures the safety of countless lives. That's why for the past four sessions of Congress I've introduced legislation creating a grant program for transportation infrastructure projects.