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The single greatest challenge we face is the lack of accountability in government. This is an overarching issue that shows up in many ways: congressional support for policies, like tariffs, that hurt their own constituents; incompetent federal officials chosen for their loyalty to their party; and even corrupt leaders enriching themselves in public service.

We fight back by demanding accountability at all levels, from street-level ICE agents to the president. This includes specific policies I've proposed, such as amending 42 USC 1983 to hold federal agents responsible for excessive force and other constitutional violations. But we must also pursue public investigations of misuse of power, such as the weaponization of the DOJ.

In the short term, restoring the Affordable Care Act subsidies to stabilize health insurance markets.

My long-term objective is to create a realistic option for national healthcare, such as Medicare for All. This must be done in a bipartisan fashion; the lesson of the ACA was that one party cannot force through its own solution, even if it is an effective one, because the other party can always undermine it.

A stable and lasting solution must be secured with a bipartisan commitment to its success. The details of such a solution will take years to craft and require experienced negotiators like myself.

The first and most important step would be a return to the 2024 immigration compromise legislation. This bipartisan act would have paired enhanced border security with more, stronger, and more practical pathways to legal residency and citizenship. Donald Trump instructed congressional Republicans to torpedo the compromise in order to have a crisis to run on, but it was a productive step forwards. Since Trump's immigration experiments have lost public support, the compromise is likely to be a realistic next step.

I also support a "civil rights audit" of immigration enforcement during the Trump crackdown, to create a record of violations (including excessive use of force and warrantless searches and seizures).

Ending the tariffs. Every tariff is a tax on importer, making the Trump tariffs one of the greatest tax increases in American history. And our current tariff levels are punitively high, encouraging other countries to impose tariffs on our exports. American businesses and consumers are pinched in the middle of rising costs and lower profits on what they make. Even worse, our tariff levels change chaotically, making it hard for our businesses and our trade partners to plan ahead.

Congress must remove the tariff power from the White House. The founders understood this should be a power reserved to Congress, and returning to that system will dramatically improve affordability for farmers and other workers in the First District.

A public commission demonstrating that our elections are secure and fair. The GOP has diligently spread conspiracy theories about election fraud, when such crimes are incredibly rare and have never been shown to have affected the outcome of a national race.

I have studied and written extensively about conspiracy theories. It is important to document the truth in order to combat them. A bipartisan commission publicly assessing the purported evidence of election fraud would help fight these conspiracy theories.

Citizens United cannot be overturned simply by an act of Congress, but Congress must work to limit the influence of money on politics. For that reason I agreed to join the "Balance and Accountability" caucus when they recruited me--BAC is an alliance of reform candidates who pledge to work to clean up national politics through a moratorium on lobbying, enforceable codes of conduct, and legislating to improve campaign finance standards.

I support reduced maximum donation limits, greater expenditure disclosures, a public financing option for candidates willing to forego fundraising, and a ban on the use of generative AI in campaign communications.

Similar to healthcare, a solution without bipartisan support is likely to be counterproductive in the long run. Past deals have shown that proposals such as secure storage laws, "extreme risk" laws, and closing domestic abuser loopholes can gather such support.

Much of the needed and most effective legislation would have to be done by states. The United States Congress can support state action on gun violence by taking a more active role in drafting model legislation and reserving some discretionary spending for states that meet a minimum quality standard for firearms laws.

The most important challenge is the instability of our federal government. Congress needs to take control and lay out a clear plan of action and stick to it. You need to stand up and be counted sometimes rather than roll over to the detriment of the country. Communicating with your constituents is critical in both selling ideas and gathering ideas. Identify our goals and stick to them. Chaos is not a reasonable goal. Stop allowing outsiders to roll in make cuts to the government and then turn around to add more spending. Stop cutting programs that work and identify those that don't. That is Congress's job when they do it.

Healthcare needs drastic change. I propose having preventive medicine paid for which give rural and urban medical facilities a stabile financial base. This also sets a trend of better health for future generations by preventing disease and stabilizing existing health conditions. Rapidly implement telemedicine and tracking of vitals and use of medicine for patients. Medicare is not a focused spend that improves long term health. Change the definition of no-profit which causes more spending with limited health improvements. It's like the government departments spending its budget at the end of the year so they can justify more. Restrict healthcare companies on the stock exchange so their focus is on improving healthcare not stockholders.

Immigrants are a key to our economy regarding labor, business, and creativity. We obviously can handle more immigrants than we currently allow based on how many are in the country so change the limits. I would not spend the money to round up immigrants that are contributing to our society. I would make ICE follow their founding directions which was to find the real bad guys. I would take their money and spend it on the border to limit illegal entry. I would close the loop holes that allows the government to spy on us, but I would improve the use of technology to protect us from "bad" actors trying to get into America.

Get the budget under control. The interest on our debt is currently the second line amount in the federal budget. This affects what the government can do and the interest rates on all of your loans. You spend more money on the interest and its effects than anything else. Fix immigration because Kansas depends upon the labor and the economy immigrants generate. Regain the markets that have been lost because our ag industry and airplane industry depend upon foreign countries. Use other countries money to drive our economy. Overhaul the healthcare system because it impacts federal and state budgets through Medicare and Medicaid spending. Kansas has a significant interest in healthcare.

Voters are disenfranchised because the 2 party system and the methods we use to vote cause people to not care. They feel they cannot make a difference so they throw their right away. The solid base of each party will continue to hold the real power particularly when you cause more to stop caring by telling them the elections are rigged. Creating crazy voting districts that don't consider the community is a hindrance. Stopping the handful of illegal votes is not worth the resources. Everyone should work a voting site once in their life and see what actually happens and they would walk away proud of our system.

I would support action being taken by Hawaii and Montana to take money out of the system. Too much money is spent and the money could be used for other worthwhile causes. Imagine if equal amount of money had to go to charities. See previous answer. You need to get people involved in the political system and feeling like they matter. You need to give them hope. Money doesn't always have the desired affect, but a certain amount is required to be in the game. $20,000 a month is needed just for basic marketing. The more money you have the more you can dig into the lives of the voters and trigger them to vote for you.

I would look at states that have a reasonable amount of gun laws with limited gun violence per capita. Texas is an example where the rights of citizens are protected and the desired safety occurs. I do believe urban areas need to regulate differently. Gun violence in urban areas is out of control. With the lack of an economy, it's about survival. So improving the economy is important to limit violent crime. People will find a way to survive. Maybe we need to understand how the gunfights at the OK corral stopped and civility took over. Solving conflicts can be done without a weapon. When people see leaders take what they want through violence and other means, they start to think is the way society works. Our leaders must set the example.

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