U.S. Senate: Questions and answers
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10/25/2008 - 10/25/08
Here are the complete answers to a series of questions placed before U.S. Senate candiates Rep. Tom Udall and Rep. Steve Pearce. Both candidates were asked to give yes or no answers to the following questions with the option of explaining their answers.Do you support a time table for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq?
Pearce: No
Udall: Yes. In the Senate, I will fight to end the war in Iraq and work tirelessly to care for our veterans when they get home. I believe we took our eye off the ball when we shifted our focus away from Afghanistan and the terrorists who actually attacked us. Our troops have done an incredible job in Iraq and they deserve our thanks. Now, I believe it is time to responsibly redeploy them from Iraq.
New Mexico is home to over 200,000 veterans, many of whom have served this nation proudly in the time since the Sept.11 terrorist attacks. We need to continue improving their benefits, like we did when I helped pass the new GI Bill earlier this year. We also need to improve veterans' medical care, especially for our disabled soldiers suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.
Should a psychological evaluation be required for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan?
Pearce: No
Udall: Yes. We should ensure all of our soldiers receive full medical examinations when they return from war, including psychological evaluations. Although not every medical condition can be immediately identified, such examinations help identify the signs of serious injuries to our service members and open the door to needed medical care and treatments. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan should be evaluated for behavioral health conditions and post-traumatic stress disorder, but prior to that they should be tested for traumatic brain injury. If veterans are treated with pharmaceuticals for PTSD, it could permanently complicate treatment of TBI. Further, we should ensure that there is mandatory health care funding for all veterans so that every man and women who served in uniform receives the care they were promised.
In Congress I co-sponsored several bills to increase funding for veterans with PTSD and TBI and to address some of the core issues that are preventing our veterans from receiving the best care possible when they return home. The Veterans TBI Act of 2007, for example, created a long-term care program for veterans with traumatic brain injury and created a transition office to ensure no veterans slip through the cracks.
Should there be changes to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to allow more or less gaming in the state? What, if any, regulations need to be tightened or changed?
Pearce: Less.
Udall: No. The current Interior Department IGRA regulations appear to have worked. I would certainly be open to suggestions.
Should this country deport minor U.S.-citizen children of illegal immigrants who get deported?
Pearce: Decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis.
Udall: No. Under our Constitution, children born in the United States are citizens and, as such, should not face mandatory deportation.
Should parents of children born here get special consideration as they face deportation?
Pearce: All considerations should be made on a case-by-case basis.
Udall: Yes. I believe cases such as these are further evidence of the need for a comprehensive immigration reform proposal. When families could be forcibly split up, special consideration should be taken to examine the particular circumstances in each case.
Should the U.S. waive environmental laws in order to build the border fence/wall?
Pearce: No.
Udall: No. This administration has gone too far in exercising all of the waivers in this legislation. They have not gone far enough, however, to protect the ecosystems and the health and well-being of the U.S. families and communities that live along the border.
Should Los Alamos National Laboratory revamp its mission?
Pearce: No
Udall: No. The core mission of LANL, stockpile stewardship, needs to be adequately funded. Stockpile stewardship is critical to ensuring the safety and reliability of our nuclear stockpile, but as well look to the future it is important that our labs are prepared to face the changing national security threats now facing our country.
The employees at our laboratories are national treasures and I have worked extensively with our labs to encourage growth in new areas of research as a way to ensure the labs' long-term viability. In addition to their indispensable role maintaining our essential nuclear arsenal, I believe the labs' work should grow in the areas of nuclear nonproliferation, homeland security, counterterrorism, intelligence analysis and expanded energy research. We also must provide adequate funding for the cleanup of hazardous legacy waste from the labs.
What, if anything, should Congress do to preserve "Net neutrality?"
Pearce : (no answer)
Udall: I support the protection of Net neutrality and I sought to enforce the Federal Communications Commission's 2005 broadband policy statement with explicit network neutrality requirements. I cosponsored legislation on the matter and believe Congress should enact these types of neutrality provisions to prevent discrimination resulting from bottleneck taxes for broadband networks. I also believe that if a measure like this is not passed, it could negatively affect small businesses and the digital economy by imposing access tolls for high bandwidth users. If service providers begin imposing fees to those Web site creators, the openness and fundamentally free nature of the Internet will be compromised.
Do you think the District of Columbia's gun ban is constitutional?
Pearce: No.
Udall: No. I support the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Washington D.C.'s ban on firearms. I have always believed the Second Amendment guarantees all law-abiding citizens the right to own firearms. While this decision affirms that right, it does not mean we can stop being vigilant, and as a senator I will continue to fight to protect the rights of law-abiding gun-owners.
Should states be allowed to purchase generic prescription drugs from Canada to save money?
Pearce: No
Udall: Yes. Competition in the sale of prescription drugs can help reduce the costs and make prices more affordable for all. The excessive cost of prescription medications is a key problem facing America's health care system.
Should Congress pass legislation that would authorize states to create their own medical marijuana programs and provide guidelines for such programs?
Pearce: No.
Udall: Yes.
Should contributions from political action committees to candidates for federal office be prohibited?
Pearce: No.
Udall: No. I have always been a strong proponent of campaign finance reform, and a complete overhaul of the congressional finance system. PAC contributions should have clear and strict limits and the myriad existing loopholes should be closed. In the House, I helped introduce the Let the People Decide Clean Campaign Act to fundamentally change the way campaigns are financed and restore the public's faith in the system.
Do you support long-term renewable energy credits?
Pearce: Yes
Udall: Yes. I supported legislation to expand tax incentives that encourage innovation to create jobs and put our nation on a path toward energy independence. The renewable tax credit package was fully paid for by closing loopholes that allow corporate executives to avoid U.S. taxes by shipping investments overseas.
Spurring renewable energy by passing tax incentives is a step toward doing what's right for both our economic and energy security. More importantly, it does what's right for our state's future. This legislation will create the jobs of the future energy industry, help make America safer, and spur prosperity without borrowing money and passing the debt to our children.
Would you vote to mandate significantly higher mileage standards in autos even if that means higher car prices?
Pearce: No
Udall: DPQ (I Disagree with the Premise of this Question.) Innovative technologies and consumer demand will ensure that higher mileage standards do not mean higher car prices. This is evidenced by the many vehicles out there that are more fuel efficient but cost no more or even less than a car of similar type with lower gas mileage.
I have voted for higher automobile fuel efficiency standards, which will both help decrease our dependence on foreign oil and reduce overall car costs.
Do you support a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage?
Pearce: Yes
Udall: No. Discrimination should not be incorporated into the Constitution.
Are there any lobbyists working directly on your campaign, either paid or volunteer? (Please name them.)
Pearce: No
Udall: No
Do you favor oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?
Pearce: Yes
Udall: No. I have been advocating for a "Do It All" energy policy that includes increased domestic oil production. There are some special places, however, that should be protected from energy development and I believe ANWR falls into that category. Oil and gas companies already have 68 million acres of leases that are lying idle.
