There are many potential funding streams for infrastructure projects, but the most important funding stream is the one that can be enacted so that we can begin to make long-needed improvements to our infrastructure. 

In addition to utilizing existing project-specific funding options like the Passenger Facility Charge for airports and the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for ports, Congress should evaluate whether current fees associated with power generation are at appropriate levels.

Notably, it is important not only to infrastructure projects, but also to stave off the worst effects of climate change that Congress establish some form of carbon fee. Setting a price on carbon will help increase revenue from power generation that puts carbon into the atmosphere. It could be refundable for families and small businesses, and it could potentially replace the gas tax. 

These types of fees are not a panacea. Congress should debate concepts like establishing fees for vehicle miles traveled, fees on the movement of goods or freight, and even increasing the corporate tax rate.

While the Affordable Care Act is not perfect, I have long supported its goals to deliver affordable, accessible medical care to those who need it. In 2017, I was proud to stand up against Republican efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, including the elimination of protections for people with pre-existing conditions, in first a 27-hour markup in the Energy and Commerce Committee and then again on the floor. Instead of sabotaging healthcare for those who need it most, I believe that Congress should take steps to strengthen the Affordable Care Act to keep premiums down for families in San Diego and around the country. To that end, I introduced legislation to establish dedicated federal funding for reinsurance programs that help states keep premiums down. I have also supported efforts to support advertising around open enrollment periods to get as many healthy people into risk pools as possible and support creating a public option, one in which, for example, people could buy into Medicare. Finally, one of the keys to ensuring that healthcare is affordable is addressing out of pocket costs for the drugs we all need to lead healthy lives. While I am concerned that elements of H.R.3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act would have a chilling effect on innovation, I ultimately supported the bill to help deliver lower drug costs for families. However, recognizing that H.R.3 is unlikely to become law in the current Congressional make up, I am focused on identifying bipartisan solutions to bring down drug prices for families now, because those who are struggling to afford their life-saving medicines can’t afford to wait for Congress. To that end, I have supported measures to speed up bureaucratic approvals of generic drugs, have introduced legislation to create an incentive for doctors to prescribe lower-cost biosimilar drugs under Medicare Part B, and helped pass legislation that would remove roadblocks to the research and development of generic alternatives to some of our costliest medicines.

During my first term in Congress, a bipartisan group of Senators passed S.744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act out of the Senate and sent it to the House for consideration. Sadly, then-Speaker Boehner refused to allow the House to vote on that measure. That bill would have substantively addressed many of the immigration issues we continue to confront today: lack of status for young people and families who know no other country as their home, concerns over drug smuggling and human trafficking across our southern border, establishing a rigorous pathway to citizenship for those who are currently present in the United States illegally, among many others. I was a cosponsor of the House’s version of that legislation, and wish that we had the opportunity to pass that bill out of the House to send on to President Obama for signature. Today, we continue to need solutions to questions of status for Dreamers and those who are currently present illegally. We need to invest in smart, targeted border security instead of a medieval wall that will do nothing to stem the flow of migrants toward our borders. We need to reform the process for recruiting and retaining highly skilled immigrants, in addition to evaluating the labor needs of all our economic sectors. And, sadly, we now need to address the horrors present in our immigration system established by this Administration—prohibiting the separation of children and families, ending the practice of holding migrants in camps in Mexico, among others. As with any major legislation, if it is to be lasting, it must have bipartisan support, and I would work to ensure that fixing our broken immigration system is a bipartisan process.

There is a role for the federal government to supplement financing for projects, but project prioritization should be done at the local level. Funding of infrastructure from the federal government should be free of coercion that infringes upon the rights of citizens to organize their communities in the manner they prefer. Any future funding of infrastructure projects should:

1.  Mobilize resources to eliminate sewage spills from the Tijuana River.  This includes utilizing the public private partnership framework in Mexico that will incentive Mexico to pay for the necessary infrastructure improvements.  An availability-based project that only pays the operator of the sewage infrastructure if no sewage comes into the US is appropriate. Mexico has utilized this method of funding under its recenlty implemented public private partnership framework for numerous road rehabilitation projects throughout the country.  The key is to align incentives and appropriately transfer the risk away from the U.S.

2. Increase cap of bank qualified debt which provides municipalities with lower borrowing costs from the current $10M annually to $30M.

2. Federal funding for infrastructure projects will not be tied to development, especially increasing housing density.

3. Continue support for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act and Transportation Infrastructure and Innovation Act loan programs.

4. Protect tax-exempt status of municipal bonds and reinstate tax-exempt advance refundings that were eliminated with the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

5. Expand federal monies available to state development and infrastructure banks that will allow for greater project prioritization at the state and local level.

Our health care system must return to the free market principles of individual choice and increased competition that are proven to lower costs and provide better service.  This will empower individuals to make the health care choices that are best for them, not government bureaucrats or giant health monopolies that are engaged in crony capitalism.  I support portability of insurance when leaving a job, purchasing across state lines, transparent pricing for services and medication, and the ability of consumers to know in advance what the total cost of services will be, thus allowing them to make informed decisions when making health care decisions.  I will also push to increase the annual contribution limits to Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts, as no American should be exposed to financial ruin due to medical costs. Minimum policy requirements should be eliminated as individuals should determine their own coverage, not federal bureaucrats.  

The sovereignty of any nation requires secure borders. The most essential purpose of government is to protect its citizens from foreign invasion and to provide for the common good of the people here legally. The United States does not currently have an immigration “system” in any true sense of the term, but rather a jumbled mess of arcane rules and regulations made via backroom deals that serve only the wealthy crony class, career politicians, and unelected special interests. These groups created the current “framework” that undercuts the interests of ordinary middle and working class Americans made up of every race, creed, and religion. This existing “framework” cannot be easily repaired and must be discarded, and any new immigration system must subsequently adhere to the following principles:

1. Eliminate illegal immigration entirely.

2. Reduce legal immigration to a level that does not depress wages for American workers.

3. End chain migration and replace it with a merit based system that does not greatly expand the
total U.S. population.

4. Prioritize US citizens in educational institutions and the workplace.

5. There will be no consideration of any amnesty for ANY illegal immigrants until complete border
security has been achieved (backed up by reliable data).

Ultimately, any reforms that are passed must be enforced, meaning that there must be “teeth” in legislation in order to prevent rogue judges and federal, state, and local governments from ignoring federal laws. This also means that interior enforcement of immigration laws must be greatly expanded, thereby eliminating the current farcical policy of allowing anyone who escapes border patrol detection and gets past the current 50 mile “buffer” zone of the Mexico/Canadian borders to remain without penalty.

In an age of global terror, drug cartels, and criminal gangs, the ultimate goal must be to have ZERO illegal immigrants residing in the United States. Similarly, the level and type of legal immigrants welcomed into the country must be based on what is actually needed for the benefit of the average American citizen, factoring in the cause and effect of immigrants on wages, access to education and other social services, affordability and access to housing and health care, impact on the environment, and the overall influence on American traditions and culture.

An effective and efficient immigration system that prioritizes the interests of its own citizens requires the following policy prescriptions:

1. Pass the Social Security Card Modernization Act.

2. Mandate that all illegal entry, overstaying visas, or falsifying U.S. citizenship or legal residency is a criminal offense.

3. Enforce ALL existing immigration laws.

4. Pass new immigration and asylum Laws.

5. Expedite asylum cases.

6. Tax remittances to fund border security and interior enforcement.

7. Fund the border wall, detention facilities, and hiring of immigration officials.

8. End birthright citizenship.