Fiscal Responsibility

Americans deserve the certainty of knowing their government will be funded and open tomorrow, next week, and next year. It is critical that Congress set aside partisan differences when it comes to meeting our country's financial commitments. I am committed to finding smarter, better ways to do things and use federal resources. My approach is to ask whether any spending proposal is a good investment, which includes considering the investment in the long-term as well as the short-term.

Americans also need to know that the earned benefits they have paid into — like Medicare and Social Security -  and safety net programs - like food stamps and housing supports — will be there when they need them. I will always advocate for these programs and their funding and I will always fight against privatization. I oppose the plan of some House and Senate Republicans to cut these and many other programs that provide a safety net for Oregonians and Americans in need.

Finally, we need a tax code that leads to better jobs, better wages, and a better future for all of us. Currently, our tax code exacerbates income inequality at a time when it is rising and threatening our nation's prosperity. I opposed House Republicans’ partisan tax reform in 2017 because it provided unnecessary benefits and loopholes to wealthy corporations and billionaires at the expense of middle and low-income Americans. It is reprehensible that the so-called Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has increased the debt by at least $1 trillion by giving tax cuts to successful corporations and the wealthiest in our country while asking hard-working Americans to do more with less as costs rise and wages remain stagnant. The Inflation Reduction Act will help close some tax loopholes and require that the wealthy pay their fair share, and I stand against any attempts to rollback these important tax reforms.