Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-NV, is running for U.S. Senate as a Democrat. KNPR News sent out a questionnaire to the candidates. Here are her responses.
Question: Education in Nevada is ranked dead last or close to it. What, at the federal level, can you do to help improve education in Nevada?
I was the first in my family to graduate from college, and my daughter is a graduate of Nevada public schools. I strongly believe in the opportunities that education affords. We need better pay for our teachers and better funding to help improve Nevada’s struggling public schools. We must also ensure our schools are preparing students for jobs in a 21st century economy. As a former computer programmer and software developer, I’ve made promoting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education a top priority during my time in office. My bipartisan education bills to help encourage young girls to pursue computer science and prioritize the learning and teaching of STEM subjects in early childhood passed the House unanimously this year.
I made ends meet in college by taking out student loans and waiting tables. Students at Nevada colleges and universities today graduate with an average of $24,000 in student loan debt, which keeps higher education out of reach for far too many. We need to make higher education more affordable, whether it’s advanced skills-training, apprenticeship programs, community college, or a four-year college degree. In the Senate, I’ll work to lower interest rates on student debt and ensure that young people have access to higher education.
Question: Do you support the Dream Act? Do you think the U.S. needs to build a wall between it and Mexico? Do you have a different idea on how to deal with illegal immigration to the United States?
Yes, I am a co-sponsor of the Dream Act and have advocated for Congress to pass this commonsense, bipartisan bill to fix President Trump’s heartless decision to end the DACA program and give Dreamers a path to citizenship. America is a nation of immigrants, and I believe we can promote public safety while staying true to our values.
I do support smart and reasonable border security measures, but building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border will be ineffective and a waste of taxpayer money. That’s why I’ve co-sponsored the bipartisan Uniting and Securing America Act (USA) Act, which bolsters border security in commonsense ways while also providing a path to citizenship for Dreamers. The bill is currently supported by 30 Republicans and 30 Democrats in the House.
What we really need is for Congress to finally fix our broken immigration system by passing a comprehensive reform bill that secures our borders, grows our economy, and provides a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who are playing by the rules and contributing to our communities.
Question: Housing costs are skyrocketing in Reno and Las Vegas, and both metropolitan areas are having a difficult time providing affordable homes or apartments to the growing numbers of people moving there. How do you propose increasing investment in affordable housing?
No state was hit harder by the Great Recession and the foreclosure crisis a decade ago than Nevada. While our economy has rebounded and is moving in the right direction, too many families are still struggling to make ends meet and one of the biggest challenges is often a lack of affordable housing. We need solutions at the local, state and federal level to address this problem. In Congress, I’ve urged appropriators to increase funding for affordable housing programs like NeighborWorks that benefit Nevadans and will make access to affordable housing easier for low-income families. I've also co-sponsored bipartisan legislation that would expand eligibility for affordable housing.
Question: Nevada voters in 2016 approved slightly more stringent background checks, especially between private sellers of weapons. It did not happen after the NV Attorney General refused to enforce it, saying the technicalities of the background checks were prohibitive. Do you think that should have been enforced? Does the United States need more stringent background checks? In what form?
I believe we can support the Second Amendment and the rights of responsible gun owners while still making progress on passing commonsense gun safety measures. At the state level, I supported Question 1 in 2016 to expand background checks and close the gun show loophole in Nevada, I still want to see the will of our state’s voters enforced. I’m currently co-sponsoring bills in Congress that would expand background checks to all commercial gun sales and establish a Select Committee on Gun Violence Prevention to investigate and report on the causes of mass shootings, ways to improve the background checks system, and solutions for closing dangerous loopholes.
Question: Do you support the opening of Yucca Mountain for the storage of the nation’s high-level nuclear waste?
No, I’ve strongly opposed the misguided plan supported by the Trump Administration and Republican leaders in Congress to resume efforts to relicense the failed Yucca Mountain project. I’ve been working tirelessly in the House to help ensure Nevada does not become a dumping ground for the rest of the nation’s nuclear waste, and I will continue that fight in the Senate. I'm proud to have successfully passed an amendment to the latest defense authorization package that will require the Secretaries of Defense and Energy to report back to the House Armed Services Committee on any impacts the Yucca Mountain project would have on defense activities and facilities in Nevada.
This reckless and ill-conceived plan could put communities across the country in danger, threaten the health and safety of Nevadans, jeopardize our military testing and training, and harm our state’s tourism industry.
Question: Do you want to turn back the Affordable Care Act, or expand it? Why?
I will put Nevada’s families ahead of the politicians and special interests in Washington that want to cut access to affordable health care. I believe the best path forward right now is working together to build on and improve the Affordable Care Act, and that’s why I’ve focused on standing up to the reckless, partisan repeal plans in the current Congress. We need to mend it, not end it.
Our health care system does have real problems that we need to work together to fix. I’m working to develop real solutions to improve health care access by lowering premiums, stabilizing health care markets, reducing prescription drug costs, addressing Nevada’s doctor shortages, protecting coverage for pre-existing conditions, and expanding health insurance options for Nevadans. I’ve signed on to legislation that would create a public health insurance option, and I helped introduce a bill that would empower people to have the option of buying into the Medicaid program.
Question: Are you able to, or do you want to, work across the partisan divide in Congress. From your background, what have you done that demonstrates you are someone willing to compromise with others you might oppose ideologically?
I am always going to focus on smart solutions and putting Nevada families first. A majority of the bills I’ve introduced in Congress have a Republican co-sponsor, because I believe the way to get things done in Washington is through working across the aisle. I am a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, where I recently helped develop a bipartisan framework for addressing infrastructure reform. I was recently rated the fifth-most bipartisan freshman Democrat in the House. Because of my pro-growth voting record in 2017, I was one of just 13 Democrats awarded with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit of Enterprise Award this year. I’m proud of my record as a bipartisan problem solver working to cut through the gridlock and find common ground on issues that will help Nevada’s hardworking families.
Question: Nevada has Nellis, Fallon and Creech Air Force bases. Do you support an increase in military spending?
As the only member of Nevada’s congressional delegation serving on an Armed Services Committee, I am proud of my work to support our servicemembers and military bases. I have supported pay raises for our troops and smart increases in defense spending that promote America’s national security and support our allies, and I have worked in a bipartisan way to help pass the defense authorization packages that support our military operations.