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David Reid's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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What is the Political Courage Test?
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.

Virginia Congressional Election 2024 Political Courage Test

Pro-choice Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
No Do you support the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade?
As a father of two adult women, the rapid erosion of women's reproductive rights frightens them, their mother, the women who lead my campaign, and me to no end. It is absolutely critical to ensure both reproductive freedom, but also access to quality, affordable healthcare. It is incredibly important to me that reproductive healthcare is considered an integral part of day-to-day healthcare. Only a woman and her doctor should be making decisions about a woman's health and her body. I fully support a woman's right to make personal decisions about her health and her body. All Virginians and all Americans deserve fair and equal access to make the personal and private reproductive health decisions that are best for themselves and their families.
Yes Do you support expanding federal funding to support social safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicare?
Yes Do you support a decrease in income taxes in order to balance the budget?
No Do you support a wealth tax in order to pay for public programs?
No one should age into insecurity. We need a stable solution to the question of social security that does not balloon our debt, while also ensuring American seniors may live in peace and comfort in their communities. One of my greatest priorities would be to create a team to tackle this issue across the board to ensure our nation and our nation's seniors are solvent well into the future. With my background in business, and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I understand the importance of both a balanced budget and addressing systemic economic issues that cause inflation.
Yes Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations, unions, and individuals?
Yes Do you support protecting government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct?
Yes Do you support increasing defense spending?
The American commitment to protecting our democratic principles does not stop at the shoreline; we must actively work to guarantee and defend our democratic allies, like Ukraine and Israel, in the face of tyranny and terrorism. We are still the beacon for democracy, freedom, justice, and the rule of law to people around the world.
Yes Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth (e.g. grants, tax incentives)?
Yes Do you support the federal government increasing funding for affordable housing programs?
Yes Do you support the federal government taking action, beyond those of the Federal Reserve, to alleviate inflation?
No American should be living paycheck to paycheck. It is critical that families not have to make difficult choices between putting a meal on the table or choosing to fill a much-needed prescription. We need to address the underlying issues of inflation that include the rising costs of healthcare access, prescription drugs, the increasing cost of college, affordable child care, and the shortage of affordable housing. The budget concerns priorities and a vision of what we want America to be. When we invest in these core services, we're not just addressing the major cost drivers in today's society; we're also laying the groundwork for the next great generation.
Yes Do you support the forgiveness of federal student loan debt?
No Do you support requiring a government-issued identification in order to vote at the polls?
I carried a bill that would allow senior citizens to use their senior living facility IDs to vote. This was an issue raised by constituents from one of the many senior living communities in my district. Many do not have driving licenses, and even securing transportation to obtain another form of identification can be too heavy of a burden for many. Unfortunately, Governor Youngkin vetoed the legislation after it passed the House and the Senate. This is one of the many forms of voter suppression taking place in our country. I will not stop my fight to expand voting rights to all Americans and remove arbitrary barriers that limit participation in our democratic system.
Yes Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)?
No Do you support the federal government allowing permits for drilling on public lands?
If elected, preserving our environment and addressing climate change through tangible, sustainable solutions will be a top legislative priority. Some of my priorities include: - Expansion of rooftop, parking lot, landfill, right of way, land for solar power. There is so much non-agricultural and non-forestry real estate that can be accessed that there should NOT be a conflict between the solar industry and our rural legislators. - Increase battery storage, and other non-fossil fuel options, to ensure baseline power generation is aligned with power usage, and negates any justification for new fossil fuel peaker plants. - Restore funding to the energy efficiency programs to reduce demand on the electrical grid.
Yes Do you generally support gun-control legislation (e.g. red flag laws, boyfriend loopholes)?
The Federal government must do more to pass common sense gun safety measures and keep our children and communities safe from gun violence. As Delegate, I have supported common sense gun safety measures including universal background checks, mental health checks, one handgun month purchase limits, extreme risk protection orders (red flag laws), an assault weapons ban, a 5-day waiting period, a gun buyback program, and restrictions on gun ownership by convicted domestic abusers. I have worked hard in the Virginia House to bring these issues to the forefront of discussion, and I will continue to do so if elected to the House of Representatives. No American should have to live in fear that a trip to the grocery store will become a battleground, no mother should worry about the safety protocols of their child's elementary school, and no place of worship should have to pay for security just so their congregation can worship in peace.
No Do you support a government-run (e.g. single-payer) healthcare program, such as Medicare-for-All?
Yes Do you support expanding paid family AND/OR medical leave benefits (e.g. maternity leave)?
Yes Should the government be able to regulate the cost of prescription drugs?
Growing up poor in the Virginia mountains, I did not have access to routine healthcare until I was 10 years old and living at the Methodist Children's Home in Richmond. The issue of having access to quality, affordable healthcare is not an academic exercise for me; I've lived it. We have to look at making healthcare affordable and accessible to everyone. We also need to recognize that healthcare includes medical, dental, and vision care. Affordable prescription drugs are critical to ensuring that individuals can treat their illnesses in a timely manner. During my time in the Virginia Legislature, we set a cap on insulin prices, effectively ensuring that Virginians could better afford this baseline medication. This is a model I feel we can follow at the national level for more than just insulin. Further, we have multiple healthcare programs that are managed by the government (Medicare, Medicaid, VA, Tricare, etc.). There are ways that we can work to streamline and improve upon these services and be open to new enrollees who did not have access to other care, particularly veterans with limited access to VA facilities. Lastly, we need to find a way for Medicaid to be the provider of last resort instead of COBRA, effectively ensuring that everyone has access to quality healthcare no matter where they live or their economic status. One of the most important policy efforts I plan to champion is universal access to preventative care for the following items: vaccines, pap smears, blood pressure, and glucose levels. So many diagnoses come after the illness has set in and the care becomes that much more expensive. One of the easiest ways to prevent this from happening is to ensure everyone regardless of the health coverage can access basic preventatives so they have information to make lifestyle changes before things get dire.
No Do you support increasing security along the southern US border?
No Do you support requiring immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship, regardless of their immigration status?
Yes Do you support economic intervention as a means of resolving international conflicts?
Yes Do you support the US providing increased offensive military aid to Ukraine?
Yes Do you generally support increased regulations on social media companies (e.g. Tik Tok, Facebook, etc.)?
1. There is no America without democracy. That is pure and simple. I served my country for 23 years in the U.S. Navy. I intend to continue to serve my country as an elected representative in Virginia's 10th Congressional District so that I can ensure our Republic is run by the people, for the people. This includes addressing gerrymandering, misinformation that polarizes our country, and taking on those who would misrepresent the facts, merely to ensure their own power. 2. It is absolutely critical to ensure reproductive freedom while also securing access to affordable healthcare. It is incredibly important to me that reproductive healthcare is considered an integral part of day-to-day healthcare. I fully support a woman's right to make personal decisions about her health and her body. 3. It is critical that families not have to make difficult choices between putting a meal on the table or choosing to fill a much-needed prescription. With my background in business, and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I understand the importance of both a balanced budget and addressing systemic economic issues that cause inflation. We need to address the underlying issues of inflation that include the rising costs of healthcare access, prescription drugs, the increasing cost of college, affordable child care, and the shortage of affordable housing. The budget concerns priorities and a vision of what we want America to be.

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