Goshen News - Election Preview: U.S. Rep. Walorski -- District 2

News Article

By John Kline

The economy continues to have slow growth coming out of the 2008-2009 recession. Is there anything Congress should do in the coming year to spur a more rapid expansion of the economy?

The American people deserve a responsible, balanced budget and Hoosiers know a balanced budget creates jobs. When I served in the Indiana legislature, our team was able to turn a budget deficit into a surplus. We need more of that Hoosier commonsense in Washington, where you don't spend more than you have. I supported legislation that achieves the goal of a balanced budget that will foster a healthier economy and help create jobs. By tackling the debt, this will help grow our economy today and ensure the next generation inherits a stronger, more prosperous America. We need common-sense solutions to get the country back on track. We need a budget that will foster a healthier economy and help create jobs and target wasteful spending and reform the drivers of the debt.

The issue of immigrants coming into the country illegally has been before Congress for some time. What action, if any, would you prefer Congress take to resolve the issues surrounding illegal immigration?

Our immigration system is broken and needs reform. As the House works to craft our own bill, we must recognize the complexity of this issue and treat reform with fairness and careful consideration. I encourage the House to focus on designing a workable system to address critical issues like border security and a visa entry-exit system, tracking individuals entering and leaving the U.S. on temporary visas for improved national security. Second District Hoosiers have already shared valuable feedback with my office, and I hope they will stay in touch to relay opinions and ideas during this process.

A June Gallup poll found public confidence in Congress had dropped to a new low with half of those polled having "very little," and another 7 percent having no confidence in Congress. What will you, as a member of the U.S. House, have to do to win back that confidence?

When I was elected to Congress, I made a promise to represent your interests in Washington, and fight for Hoosiers. My dad was an Air Force veteran and South Bend firefighter, he taught me about the value of public service. Since then, I have dedicated my career to helping others. My mission to help others continued in Indiana when I had the chance to serve in the state legislature. In an effort to fulfill my promise, I've continued to help others in Congress where I've worked across party lines to get things done. I wrote a bipartisan law to combat military sexual assault, supported the violence against women's act, kept propane costs low and protected our nation's veterans. I've been grateful for the opportunity voters have given me to serve on their behalf and I'll continue to work with Congress, regardless of party or politics, to fight for my constituents.

About 8 million people have signed up to obtain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Attempts to repeal the act have failed. In coming years, should Congress continue to attempt to repeal this law or should members work to improve it?

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the health care law will cost almost $2 trillion and reduce employment by 2.5 million jobs by 2024. I recently visited an orthopedic instrument manufacturing company in Mishawaka, that is now being hit with a new medical device tax. The company's owner told me the tax will make life-saving medical devices more expensive. We need to reform our health care system, but ObamaCare has been poorly implemented and not met its promises, which is why it should be dismantled, repealed and replaced. I support eliminating pre-existing conditions so that no one can be denied health coverage or treatment or charged more based on health status and allowing young adults to stay on their parents plan. Patients need more control, not less, because they, along with their doctors, are the only ones who can really say what works for them.

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