Williams: Economy looks good on paper, but ‘benefits are not trickling down to the masses’

In a few short days, we’ll know if Vangie A. Williams (D) will be able to unseat Republican Rob Wittman in what has been a heated race.

Locally, there are 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 Williams and all local candidates running in the upcoming election. Below are Williams’ 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?

Williams: The most common solution we often hear for improving traffic deals with more supply, but an economist will tell you that demand will always balance out with supply. My first solution for transportation woes is to actually reduce demand with my rural broadband proposals. By focusing on greater broadband infrastructure, we provide more people the option to telecommute and give businesses an incentive to offer flexible hours so 2 million people are not flooding into the D.C. area at the same time.

When students can get a quality education from home, seniors can get quality medical checkups with a video chat, and businesses can access crucial resources digitally, we reduce demand on existing infrastructure.

Of course, I support increased access to high-speed rail, buses, commuter lots and express lanes, but these are far more expensive options for the long-term. Meanwhile, the economic benefit of connecting people pays for itself.

Partnering with cities across the Commonwealth and working with my colleagues in Congress, we can reduce the demand for single-person automotive transportation so existing infrastructure works better for us.

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?

Williams: On paper the economy is booming locally and nationally, but those benefits are not trickling down to the masses of Americans who are trapped in their current position. There is no sign that stagnant wages are keeping up with current inflation rates. President Trump has come out against pay increases for federal workers, so the huge percentage of Department of Defense employees and other agency employees in and outside of our district will suffer if that is not reversed.

We have teachers and first responders working two and three jobs to keep a roof over their head, and farmers who have to “wait and see” how they’ll come out in regards to the trade war.

Internationally, our position in the world is a mixed bag. Trump has held the line on chemical weapons in Syria and changed the dialogue in North Korea, but as witnessed during the president’s most recent trip to the United Nations, the world was openly laughing and mocking us. It’s important that the United States maintains its position as a world leader and taken seriously on the world stage because our foreign policy priorities cannot take a back seat. Our economy and national security depend on it.

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

Williams: The corporate tax cuts seem disproportionately tied to Wall Street, not Main Street. If we participate in a second round of tax cuts, I want to include my INVEST (Income Now for Veterans, Enlisted Military Families, Safety Officers and Teachers) Initiative which would eliminate taxes on the first $50,000 in federal income taxes for veterans, enlisted military, first responders and teachers.

But none of this deals with the fact that in the haste to pass the tax cut, we’ve increased the deficit to nearly $1 trillion this coming fiscal year and even more after that. No amount of economic growth is going to make up that balance, and the cowardice of people like Congressman Wittman who voted for it without a single spending cut is an abomination to fiscal responsibility.

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?

Williams: Comprehensive immigration must honor our fundamental values of treating people who come to the U.S. with dignity and respect and being true to the rule of law. While it is easy for some politicians to scapegoat undocumented immigrants to the cheers of crowds and rallies, there is a human and economic toll that is never discussed. It is unrealistic to think that we are going to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants. We must find pathways for citizenship, starting with the resident alien (green card) process.

We need comprehensive and compassionate immigration reform. I believe in protecting DACA and TPS recipients who are without convictions for serious crimes. I believe in putting them on the path to citizenship with a clearly defined process.

The president has waffled back and forth on whether the border wall is a physical wall or merely a metaphor for increased security. A physical wall is ridiculous, because people can go around or under it. Just in August, they discovered a sophisticated border tunnel going from Mexico to a KFC in Arizona. I’m fine with increased border security as long as it’s paid for and not adding more money to the deficit.

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

Williams: Federal workers are dedicated, public servants that provide services we rely on every day. It is not fiscally responsible to cut federal pay raises to pay down the national deficit. It’s also unwise to cut promised retirement annuities and retiree health benefits. The benefits of federal employees and retirees have been earned through years of hard work and should not be taken away.

Virginia has the third-highest number of federal employees in the country with more than 175,000 federal employees. Nearly 75 percent of those workers are federal civilian employees. With three military installations right here in the 1st Congressional District, the U.S. Navy, Army and Department of Defense are the cabinet agencies with the highest number of civilian employees in Virginia.

Our civil service policies should ensure we have a strong and effective federal workforce.

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

Williams: We pay almost twice as much per person than the world’s other industrialized nations on healthcare but have worse medical outcomes. It’s estimated that approximately 30 percent of what is spent on healthcare is on administrative costs. If we spent that money on actual patient care for real patients, we’d reduce unnecessary deaths and medical bankruptcies.

I support a Medicare-for-all system with dental and vision coverage that capitalizes on the efficiency of our current Medicare system and saves us trillions of dollars in the long run. When you look at total expenditures on Medicare, Medicaid, VA healthcare, private health insurance, and even millions of dollars collected through Go Fund Me, we spend far more per person than we would with a Medicare-for-all system. That monetary difference is irrefutable.