KUSA - Incumbent Doug Lamborn (R) is being challenged by Irv Halter in this central Colorado race.
The following questions and their respective topics were sent to each candidate:
GOVERNMENT
Is a government shutdown ever warranted as a means of achieving policy goals?
- Lamborn (R) - Yes. However, the goal must be targeted and attainable and the strategy must be in place in order to effectively communicate a shutdown's necessity to the American people.
- Halter (D) – The government shutdown hit our district hard. Nearly 20% of area workers were furloughed, and it cost our country $24 billion. Unlike my opponent, I will never shutdown the government and play politics with people's lives. For 16 days, people in our region did not know when they would get their next paycheck. Some didn't know how they were going to put food on the table. And as a business leader, I knew firsthand how the shutdown was costing companies and their employees. When you represent a district that is extremely reliant on federal funding you do not shutdown the government when you don't get your way. I will never support a federal government shutdown.
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
On balance, has the Affordable Care Act been helpful or harmful? What changes are needed?
- Lamborn (R) - Extremely harmful. Millions have had their plans cancelled and their personal medical lives thrown into disarray. Congress needs to repeal Obamacare, and start over with conservative, free-market solutions.
- Halter (D) – The ACA fight in Congress is a great example of why so many Coloradans hate career politicians. The process by which it passed a Democratic Congress was ugly. The implementation by Health and Human Services -- especially the website blunders -- has been poorly executed. If someone who served under me in the Air Force had failed this badly, I would have removed them for cause. Unfortunately, the Republicans in Washington haven't behaved any better. Instead, politicians like Congressman Lamborn have voted more than 50 times to repeal the ACA without offering a viable alternative plan that addresses America's health care challenges. I would support an alternative to the ACA that prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions and maintains affordable coverage for the millions of Americans who now have health insurance. But it's unfair to play political games with people's healthcare.
ENERGY
Should the government use financial incentives to encourage the growth of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar?
- Lamborn (R) - The government should not pick winners and losers in the energy industry. The free market should be allowed to work and the American people will make their own energy choices.
- Halter (D) – We're facing an energy crisis that has been decades in the making. For too long we have been reliant on foreign oil from unfriendly countries. We need a comprehensive "all of the above" approach that will make it cheaper for families to power their homes and reduce the price at the pump. This is why I support fracking here at home and believe that the President is wrong in his opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline. But, it is also time we seriously make investing in alternative forms of energy a top priority. For example at the Air Force Academy, they installed a solar field and saved over $800,000 in the first year. This is the type of clean energy we should be investing in along with continued domestic energy development.
IMMIGRATION
What is the most important policy change needed in immigration reform?
- Lamborn (R) - We must enforce the immigration laws already on the books. No credible advances can be made if the Congress cannot trust the President to faithfully execute current law.
- Halter (D) – It is time we pass comprehensive immigration reform. First, we must improve border security and crack down on employers who hire undocumented workers. Second, any path to citizenship must be rigorous and require undocumented immigrants to pass background checks, learn English, and pay taxes. And, they must commit to going to school or getting a job. This is not amnesty—it is a well-defined plan to bring undocumented immigrants into the American mainstream. It means they pay taxes instead of getting free schools and health care. Finally, we must reform the legal immigration system. Immigration reform is a social justice issue and a business issue. I have met with business leaders who cannot grow their businesses because they do not have access to an adequate workforce. And, I have met with faith leaders who know that it is time for people to stop living in the shadows.
MARIJUANA
Do you support the nationwide legalization of marijuana?
- Lamborn (R) – No.
- Halter (D) – I believe it is too soon to expand the legalization of marijuana. Here is Colorado, we are still setting up the marketplace and determining the appropriate level of regulation. While early signs indicate that the new laws have been successful at bringing marijuana into the mainstream, creating jobs, and generating revenue for the state, there are still many questions about the negative impacts of legalized marijuana. Instead of rushing to vastly expand the legalization of marijuana, I believe that we must continue to monitor the impacts here in Colorado and other states before further legalization should be considered.
MARRIAGE EQUALITY
Should same-sex marriage be legal?
- Lamborn (R) – No.
- Halter (D) – I believe the government should grant equal legal status to all marriages.
INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE
Are more restrictions needed on the ability of intelligence agencies to monitor the communications of US citizens?
- Lamborn (R) - We live in a dangerous world, but we must do a better job of balancing the private data of innocent Americans with the tools that protect attacks. I recently voted for the USA Freedom Act to end the bulk collection of the communications metadata of Americans. This legislation is a step in the right direction, but we need to do even more to make sure that the privacy of innocent American's is protected.
- Halter (D) – As a former member of the Intelligence Community, I am deeply concerned about reports of intelligence agencies monitoring the communications of US citizens. I believe that we need to learn about the full extent of the program, but from what has been reported I support additional limitations. We must ensure that Americans have the freedom to live their lives without having to worry about government intrusion.
2ND AMENDMENT
Do you support new restrictions on the sale or possession of firearms?
- Lamborn (R) – No.
- Halter (D) – The Constitution, which I defended with my life, guarantees Americans certain freedoms including the right to keep and bear arms. I have been a gun owner my entire life, and I oppose new restrictions on gun purchases and will work to ensure that the rights of law-abiding Coloradans are never infringed. That being said, with all rights come responsibilities. There are some common-sense actions we should all take to reduce the chances of firearms being purchased by people we all agree should not be allowed to have them, such as those who are mentally unstable or who have been convicted of felonies. This is why I support universal background checks for all gun purchases.
ABORTION
On abortion, do you consider yourself generally "pro-life" or "pro-choice?"
- Lamborn (R) – Strongly pro-life.
- Halter (D) – I think these labels are too simplistic; however, I do not believe that we can trust government to interfere in complex decisions made between a women and her doctor. I do support a continued ban on Federal funding for abortion.
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