Porter: Tax reform without spending reform speeds ‘impending financial crisis’

Stevan M. Porter (L) could have it rough come November 6. The Libertarian congressional candidate is up against both a Democrat and a Republican in one of the few three-way races in the area.

Locally, there are at least three congressional races in Prince William, Stafford, and Manassas:

• 1st District: Republican Robert J. “Rob” Wittman vs. Democrat Vangie A. Williams
• 10th District: Republican Barbara J. Comstock vs. Democrat Jennifer T. Wexton
• 11th District: Republican Jeff A. Dove Jr. vs. Democrat Gerald Edward Connolly vs. Libertarian Stevan M. Porter

We sent survey questions to Porter and all local candidates running in the upcoming election. Below are Porter’s responses.

PL: What role can you play in helping to improve traffic conditions in Northern Virginia? What can Congress do when it comes to improving traffic or public transportation in the region?

Porter: Ultimately, I believe transportation issues are best handled at the state, local, or regional levels. The needs of various areas of the country and how to best handle those needs varies greatly. One area the federal government may be able to help impact the situation is by continuing to promote remote working arrangements and flexible work schedules for federal employees where practical. Actually growing capacity of the systems will be very difficult and expensive so finding ways to cut down on system demand is probably the best course of action to improve the overall traffic congestion.

PL: How would you characterize President Trump’s first  year and a half in office, in terms of his administration’s impact locally, nationally and internationally?

Porter: I believe that President Trump’s presidency is a mixed bag at this point.  I appreciate some of his efforts in areas such as reducing government regulations and improving the Korea situation.  I disagree with his tariffs, the overly confrontational tone with many of our allies, his approach to the press, immigration policy, and other policies/decisions. I think the biggest overall issue that applies at all levels is that his administration is extremely chaotic. While there is a need to “shake things up” at times, effective diplomacy and governing does require some level of stability and predictability.

PL: What’s your view on the recently enacted tax reform bill — and on the potential for a second round of tax cuts?

Porter: I generally welcome steps to reform and reduce taxes but am concerned that those reforms were done in isolation from much needed decisions on spending and reform in those areas. To appropriately determine a tax plan and structure you need to understand what you should be funding first. By reforming taxes without doing spending reform, we simply are driving up the deficit and speeding up the impending financial crisis.

PL: Where do you stand on immigration reform? What should happen with DACA and TPS recipients, particularly those in the Northern Virginia area? Do you support using taxpayer funding for a border wall?

Porter: Immigration policy needs an overhaul. My basic position is that if a person can contribute to the country and its economy and is not a threat, they should be welcome. I support DACA. TPS is a bit trickier in that it really was intended to be a temporary measure and moving forward we should be more careful about who it is granted to and for how long. That being said when you have allowed people to live in this country for an extended period and build full, productive lives here (in some cases for decades), it makes no sense to send them home now. I do NOT support a border wall.  While border security is important, there are more efficient, effective, and cost effective means of improving border security.

PL: What’s your view on salaries and retirement benefits for federal workers, particularly those in this area?

Porter: I am not a federal employee and am not an expert on their salaries or benefit systems. I believe salaries and benefits should be comparable and competitive with similar positions in the private sector. Specifically in terms of retirement benefits, existing contracts and programs should be honored. Moving forward though we should consider more portable retirement plans such as 401k plans. This will be more consistent with millenials’ work patterns and mobility patterns.

PL: What’s your position on how to improve the nation’s health care system and the status of the Affordable Care Act?

Porter: I believe we need to be more focused on how to improve the cost of health care itself. So much of the current discussion is about coverage and cost of coverage. If we can reduce the costs of health care itself, then that benefits everyone regardless of what insurance or other plans they may have.