Congressional Interview Questions
112th Congress
Questions
1. Do you support efforts to increase transparency and provide more information to the public through such steps as requiring disclosure and quick reporting of all election-related spending?
2. What can you do to help improve civic discourse and reduce the level of rancor and partisan bickering in national politics?
3. What are your major priorities for the 112th Congress?
Possible Additional Questions
1. Do you believe that Congress should delay or curtail enforcement of the Clean Air Act?
2. Do you support repealing or limiting the newly enacted national health care legislation, the Affordable Care Act?
Background for Primary Questions
1. Do you support efforts to increase transparency and provide more information to the public through such steps as requiring disclosure and quick reporting of all election-related spending?
BACKGROUND
Informed citizens are the cornerstone of democratic government. That’s why the League of Women Voters has worked for 90 years to educate citizens, inform voters, and encourage participation in government. For there to be informed voters, there must be transparency and full disclosure in government and in political campaigns.
In 2010, the Supreme Court changed the rules of campaign finance. In Citizens United v. FEC, the Court held that corporations and unions have the same right to spend unlimited sums in elections that individuals have. So long as they are independent expenditures rather than direct contributions to candidates, unlimited spending is the rule. As a byproduct of the Court’s actions, there are now no disclosure requirements for these unlimited independent expenditures, though the Court did say that Congress could enact disclosure requirements.
The 2010 elections reflected the changes in campaign finance law. Not only was there unlimited spending, primarily by corporations and individuals, but huge amounts were spent secretly. The sponsors of the ads were not required to disclose the donors, so the American voter was not able to make judgments based on where the money came from.
Secret independent spending in 2010 doubled compared to overall spending by independent groups in the 2006 elections. (See report by Public Citizen. This document is a pdf.)
Fair and clean elections, determined by the votes of American citizens, should be at the center of our democracy. Enhanced disclosure is the most basic step toward protecting the role of voters and ensuring that they can make informed decisions. Voters deserve to know the sources of funding for election advertising. As Supreme Court Justice Kennedy said, "disclosure permits citizens and shareholders to react to the speech of corporate entities in a proper way. This transparency enables the electorate to make informed decisions and give proper weight to different speakers and messages."
The League of Women Voters supports the DISCLOSE Act, which would require disclosure of election spending by corporations, unions, trade associations and nonprofit advocacy groups. Congress failed to pass the DISCLOSE Act in 2010, but the League of Women Voters strongly supports its passage in the new 112th Congress.
Learn more about the League’s work on money in elections and transparency.
2. What can you do to help improve civic discourse and reduce the level of rancor and partisan bickering in national politics?
BACKGROUND
The current tone of political discourse in the United States is disturbing, with its name-calling, antagonistic partisanship and extreme positions. Members of the House and Senate were elected to govern, and the current hostile climate is making it difficult for Congress to pass meaningful legislation and resolve national issues.
The League of Women Voters has a long history of working in our communities to discuss issues of importance to citizens at the local, state and national level. At all levels, we believe that civic discourse is essential and that it must be civil, with an underlying respect for different viewpoints, a willingness to listen to each other and a joint commitment to doing what is best for our country. That’s why we are active in our communities, sponsoring candidate debates, educating voters and encouraging citizen participation in government.
We believe that both the U.S. House and Senate should be setting an example for the rest of the country, but in fact, the divisiveness and lack of cooperation in Congress, as played out in the media, is creating a political atmosphere that is certainly unproductive and potentially dangerous.
How does each member of Congress think we can get back on the right track and work to find common areas of agreement to move the country forward into the 21st century?
The League of Women Voters believes that Congress and the federal government need to be productive on issues of immediate importance to Americans, such as economic policy, taxes and the deficit, jobs, health care, immigration, education, and climate change. It is time for both parties to take responsibility, bridge their differences and work together to improve the lives of every American. And it is important for elected officials to improve our civic dialogue.
Learn more about the League’s policy work.
3. What are your major priorities for the 112th Congress?
BACKGROUND
The League is interested in learning what each member of Congress regards as his or her mandate. What are the issues on which she or he plans to focus? The 112th Congress faces many daunting issues, including economic policy, taxes and the deficit, jobs, health care, immigration, education, and the environment. What are the key issues for the member of Congress? This is intended as an open-ended question, not one confined to any particular issues.
Background for Optional Questions
1. Do you believe that Congress should delay or curtail enforcement of the Clean Air Act?
BACKGROUND
The Clean Air Act saves lives, particularly the lives of children and the elderly. Since it was first enacted in 1970, the Clean Air Act has succeeded in cutting unhealthy levels of air pollution throughout the country, and this was accomplished at reasonable cost.
Now the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is preparing to continue implementation of the Clean Air Act by controlling toxic air pollutants, curbing emissions from big power plants, and limiting the pollutants that are causing global climate change. Unfortunately, there will be attempts in Congress by special interests to curtail EPA’s authority and sidetrack these new rules.
This is a critical public health and environmental issue. But it is also a good government issue. In passing the Clean Air Act, Congress recognized that it’s poorly equipped to make specific technical and scientific determinations. So Congress set overall goals, including protecting public health, and EPA was delegated responsibility to work with the best scientists and engineers in reviewing scientific data, monitoring industrial processes, and developing appropriate controls. Bypassing this process and letting Congress second guess specific regulations at the behest of special interest lobbyists is simply bad government. It substitutes raw politics for scientific expertise.
The League of Women Voters believes that new clean air regulations are needed to protect our health and our environment. Toxic air pollution and global climate change must be addressed. And the League believes that Congress should not yield to special interests in undermining the basic structure of government that provides for scientific and technological decisions to be based on scientific and engineering expertise rather than raw politics.
Learn more about the League’s work on global climate change and clean air policy.
2. Do you support repealing or limiting the newly enacted national health care legislation, the Affordable Care Act?
BACKGROUND
In 2010, historic health care legislation was passed by the 111th Congress and signed into law by President Obama. The League of Women Voters supported the Affordable Care Act because we believe that quality, affordable health care should be available to all U.S. residents. The new law extends health care coverage to 31 million currently uninsured Americans through a combination of cost controls, subsidies and mandates. It is estimated to cost $848 billion over a 10-year period, but would be fully offset by new taxes and revenues.
Key provisions of the Affordable Care Act include:
• a prohibition on denying coverage to children based on a preexisting condition,
• the elimination of lifetime dollar limits on health care benefits,
• the extension of coverage on a parents policy for individuals up to age 26,
• a requirement that all obtain health care coverage rather than freeloading on the system, and assistance for those who cannot afford coverage, and
• significant new ways of controlling overall health care costs.
Even as states are beginning to implement reform measures, some members of Congress continue to oppose the new law or want to rescind specific provisions. Many of the law’s provisions are popular but expensive, such as increased reimbursements to seniors for drug coverage. Imposing new responsibilities, which can be individually unpopular, is the balancing factor with the more popular measures.
As members of Congress seek to cut back on the Affordable Care Act, it is important to ask what such proposals will cost. Will a new burden be imposed if the provisions of the law are changed? Does a member of Congress support repealing the individual mandate or cost containment provisions? Either would add significantly to overall costs and likely reduce the overall quality of care. Alternatively, does a member support expanding health care reform by moving toward a Medicare for All approach?
The League of Women Voters supports the Affordable Care Act because it achieves broad health care coverage while balancing the costs and benefits. The League does not support substantial changes to the legislation, at least until it has been implemented and allowed to work.
Learn more about the League’s work on health care reform.