Mill Creek Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

The Mill Creek Beacon sent three identical questions to the two candidates running for the U.S. House Representatives District 1 seat, a two-year term. The district includes Mill Creek.

Democratic incumbent Suzan DelBene, first elected in 2012, is challenged by Republican Vince Cavaleri, a Mill Creek City Council member whose term expires Dec. 31, 2023.

SUZAN DELBENE

Beacon: The recent Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade reopened a national debate on abortion. What can be done to bring the two sides together?

I believe that reproductive choices should rest with a woman, her family, and her doctor – not with politicians. This is a deeply personal issue. I do not believe that it is appropriate for the government to intervene in a woman's access to contraception, other family planning services or critical health care.

That's why I voted for the Women's Health Protection Act (H.R. 3755). The bill, which I am an original cosponsor of, would prohibit unnecessarily burdensome restrictions on a woman's access to abortion services and prohibit any such laws from being enacted in the future.

Beacon: With inflation at record levels, what can the federal government do to ease the financial burdens on working families?

I believe all families should have the resources to provide for their children. That's why I am a strong champion of the expanded Child Tax Credit. Last year, Democrats in Congress, with my support, enhanced the benefit so it provided over 36 million families with monthly checks of up to $300 per child in the American Rescue Plan (H.R. 1319).

In just six months, the expanded Child Tax Credit lifted 3.7 million children out of poverty, a historic achievement. The expansion was just for one year, but any parent knows that kids don't grow up in one year.

We must renew this program to help struggling families with rising costs and provide the next generation with a brighter future. The enhanced Child Tax Credit is a proven tool for families, and I will continue fighting to make this expansion permanent.

Beacon: What steps should the federal government be taking to combat climate change?

I believe that climate change is one of the most serious threats we face, and that we need to take the necessary steps to build a new economy based on clean and renewable energy sources and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil.

That's why I voted for two landmark bills – the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) and the Inflation Reduction Act (H.R. 5376). These two laws mark the largest-ever federal investment in combatting climate change.

The bipartisan infrastructure law invests over $1.2 trillion in updating our nation's roads, bridges, airports, public transit, and other critical infrastructure, with a focus on making it cleaner, greener, and more resilient to climate change.

The Inflation Reduction Act will put the United States on a path to reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030 through clean energy tax incentives, grant programs, and more.

This law also includes two provisions I championed to create a tax credit for clean hydrogen production and expand the tax credit for carbon capture technology.

I will keep advocating for and advancing policies that help us reduce our emissions and preserve our planet for generations to come.

VINCE CAVALERI

Beacon: The recent Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade reopened a national debate on abortion. What can be done to bring the two sides together?

I believe a national dialogue on this matter is a distraction, and we should return to the way our country was meant to operate: focusing primarily on states' rights.

Allowing the state legislatures to decide the abortion issue would best represent the will of the people, rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. As your congressman, I will ensure that the federal government does not overstep in this matter and that the will of the people is best represented by stopping any federal legislation regarding national abortion laws.

This includes whether it be a national pro-life bill, like the one (U.S. Sen.) Lindsey Graham floated a few months prior, or a pro-choice bill, like the one that failed to pass in the Senate in May.

Beacon: With inflation at record levels, what can the federal government do to ease the financial burdens on working families?

There are three major ways we can reduce the record-high inflation our nation is facing: stop congressional spending, focus on energy independence, and reduce the budget of our overinflated federal bureaucracies.

When elected, I plan on holding Congress fiscally accountable for the trillions of dollars they have spent at the taxpayers' expense. Just last year, Congress introduced and passed the largest spending bill in American history: $3.5 trillion. This has to stop.

We must also focus on energy independence by utilizing the natural resources available at home. Encouraging the production of oil alongside renewable resources without utilizing massive spending bills is key to reducing the soaring energy prices, as well as stopping the strain the lack of oil production is putting on our power grid.

Finally, on day one in Congress, I plan on implementing a 5% budget cut across the board to all federal bureaucracies, with the exemption of Medicare, Social Security, and our nation's military.

Beacon: What steps should the federal government be taking to combat climate change?

I believe the biggest factor in climate change is the lack of standards present in other countries' economies. Large countries, such as China and India, do not abide by the same practices we are held to.

To solve this and reduce the amount of global carbon dioxide emissions, I believe in bringing production back home by incentivizing companies to relocate any factories they may have back to America while still holding them to the same environmental standards we hold every other company to.

This would provide an additional increase in American labor and help revitalize our economy.

Ultimately, with renewable energies becoming the increasingly cheaper solution, the clearer path forward is to allow the free market to continue on its trajectory of slowly phasing out gas-powered machines in favor of ones powered by electricity.