Dan Newhouse faces challengers in 4th Congressional District

Jul. 17--NCW -- Six candidates for Washington's 4th Congressional District will be on the Aug. 4 primary ballot.

Voting starts July 17, and the top two vote-getters in the primary will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.

The Wenatchee World asked each candidate to submit written answers to the following questions. Tracy Wright did not respond to the questionnaire despite multiple emails and calls sent to her.

Wenatchee World: In light of recent protests, how would you address the calls for police reform?

Ryan Cooper: End qualified immunity. End no-knock raids on homes and businesses. Stop giving military equipment to police departments. End civil asset forfeiture. End the War on Drugs. Reduce the size of huge metro consolidated police departments. Limit the power of the Fraternal Order of Police so that bad cops are removed from service. Require police to have liability insurance to pay for civil damages claims so that taxpayers aren't paying for police misdeeds.

Evan "Ev" Jones: If we cannot thrive together as neighbors, we cannot move forward -- any of us. Recent events require each of us to tune out shrieking pundits and think about our true expectations for community protection and service that can be delivered justly and equitably to every neighborhood living under the American flag. We must give specific attention to the experience of our black neighbors and fellow citizens; and none of us can escape history while doing it. It is not about being forced to swallow guilt or shame about the past: It is about owning up to it now and repairing our national community so we can move forward as one. Let's start this national dialogue by addressing a basic question about community care that recent events have brought to the forefront: Should armed police (using law enforcement techniques) be the initial community response to human concerns that arise occasionally in every neighborhood such as mental illness, drug use and addiction, pet control, neighbor disputes and mediation, family dysfunction, routine vehicle operation concerns, etc.? Or should we empower and fund other intervention specialists using non-confrontational accountability to respond first?

Doug McKinley: My observation as an attorney working in the criminal justice system is that the system produces poor outcomes for many communities. Incarceration, particularly for long terms, extracts a cost not just on the incarcerated person, but on the community as well. The overall quality of life for all Americans, not just those in the system, could be improved if resources currently utilized for the punitive apprehension and incarceration of low-level and non-violent offenders, persons with mental health problems, and persons with substance abuse issues were re-deployed toward treatment, counseling, and less disruptive punishments than long-term incarceration.

Dan Newhouse: I vehemently reject calls to defund the police. We cannot let the tragic and wrongful death of George Floyd distract from the fact that the overwhelming majority of police protect our communities with professionalism and integrity every day. However, as is true in every profession, there is always room for improvement, and we need to make sure our law enforcement officers have the tools and training they need to respond appropriately to every situation. I have listened to leaders in our minority communities about their experiences, and I recently established the Central Washington Law Enforcement Working Group, composed of police chiefs and sheriffs, to hear their ideas and concerns with police reform legislation before Congress. We had an open and respectful dialogue about how law enforcement can foster better relationships with their communities, and I am impressed with how our law enforcement agencies are already taking steps to do that. Washington has passed legislation to improve police training, and many departments and agencies in our state and district have already adopted community policing and outreach programs. I am grateful for the men and women in uniform who protect Central Washington communities, and I believe they should be a model for the rest of the country to follow.

Sarena Sloot: Fund body cameras to protect both public and police interests and review footage to look for opportunity for education or early intervention if warning signs are seen, while also providing commendation and recognition for examples of positive leadership and judgement. Create a protocol for community and police debrief after any public traumatic events, similar to those held in health care settings where death occurs. Create protocols to support and diagnose PTSD or mental health concerns in our police force early on so we can proactively address behavior or judgement concerns and support both police and community health. Contract mental health professionals with police departments for streamlined access for officers to access mental health services.

WW: What steps would you take to prepare for a safe reopening of the post-COVID economy, and how would you help community members who have paid a financial toll due to statewide shutdowns?

Cooper: Open the economy. People need to work and pay bills. Those unable to work or are susceptible to the virus can stay home. I don't support government bailouts, handouts, and carve outs to big businesses and corporate interests. Giving money directly to the people is better than propping up Wall Street. The federal government is $26 trillion in debt. We need to stop inflating the currency through rampant quantitative easing and massive stimulus payouts. I support local charity to help those in need who are hurt by the government shutdowns. Open the economy and stop hurting small businesses.

Jones: Science and strategy, not partisan machinations, must guide our public health and economic recovery responses to the COVID emergency. Period. We have seen first hand the toxic effect partisan grandstanding has had on our region's COVID response. After the toxic and pointless back-and-forth we have watched unfold over at first "Stay Home, Stay Safe," and now over mask use in public spaces, we now demand increased capability and shrewdness out of the political establishment as we repair our economy. Just give us the facts that we can use to thrive. Ditch the senseless bickering among the political tribes you have created. It has rendered the nation seemingly rudderless, and increasingly at each other's throats. We are tired of the constant back-and-forth on cable news, the internet and seemingly everywhere else in public life. It leads nowhere. Let's face it: if we don't act shrewdly, quickly, and with open minds on key matters in the post-COVID economy, we may not emerge intact as a nation from this crisis. Only non-partisan, independent thinking is going to yield the entrepreneurial progress-making we will require to get beyond COVID in 2020 and then move ahead over the next decade.

McKinley: The ongoing Wall Street rally in the face of the collapse of Main Street confirms that the measures approved by my opponent, the Republican Senate, and the president have been heavily skewed towards large businesses. These are the businesses that have received taxpayer money from these programs and the already wealthy individuals who own them. These businesses may or may not be viable in a post-COVID economy. At the same time, it is clear that the economy will require higher levels of consumer spending to avoid a recessionary spiral of falling demand and falling wages. My approach would be to provide funding directly to individuals whose purchasing decisions in the free market would ensure that businesses that adapted to the changing environment would survive, and not be put under by the recessionary cycle.

Newhouse: I believe if we trust small businesses to reopen safely and responsibly, our economy will come roaring back even stronger than before. It is unfair to keep small businesses shut down while their major retailer counterparts have been allowed to remain open from the beginning of this pandemic. If we trust large retailers to exercise caution and social distancing in public spaces, why not local businesses? I was initially supportive of Gov. Inslee's early efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, but now over three months have passed and little has changed. People are losing their livelihoods as a result of the governor's slow walk response. I was proud that Congress came together to pass the CARES Act, which created the Paycheck Protection Program, helped workers who suddenly lost their jobs, assisted small-business owners in keeping their operations viable, and created the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program to keep farmers afloat and mitigate disruptions in the food supply chain. My office and I will continue to do everything we can to assist employers and families in obtaining the help they deserve. However, the federal government cannot afford to keep pumping trillions of dollars into the economy as workers remain idle. It's time to get back to work in a safe and responsible manner.

Sloot: Health-care-driven reopening protocols for small business. We have equipment that can make hand sanitizer and cleaning solutions continually to prevent lack of supply. I would reopen all small businesses, as they are safer and better at regulation of social distance than large corporations. I see no reason for them to continue to be closed. Common sense precautions: hand hygiene, nightly cleaning of business and social distancing as regulated by business owners, as I believe they are very capable of judging what works for their business to keep consumers safe. One-on-one appointments, staying home when sick, and supporting at-risk populations by providing alternatives to in-person services are additional reasonable actions. I believe there should be a portion of our federally allotted funds that should be assigned to state small-business support, in particular counties that remain in Phase 1. The PPP and EIDL are long gone, as they were only intended to last eight weeks, and yet we still have closed businesses. I'd prefer we just allow them to open with reasonable precautions, but if we insist on continuation, we have to address access to additional funding to ensure their survival.

WW: In what ways would you improve the current health care system?

Cooper: Cut government regulations limiting the amount of health care. Allow more trade to reduce the price of medicine and medical devices. Create a competitive free market for insurance to lower costs. Stop having the government subsidize the industry. Like subsidized college education, subsidized medicine creates increased demand and higher prices. We would be better off helping the poor through medical charity than destroying the entire medical industry through government mismanagement.

Jones: 1. Remove archaic regulatory barriers to broadening insurance pools beyond state lines. 2. Establish short-term "portability support" beyond COBRA to help workers keep their insurance plans and premium rates even after unexpected changes in employment. 3. Create a government health insurance product (a "new Medicare" option for all working Americans). Compete on price, business efficiency and service quality in the open market with for-profit plans. 4. Enable innovators in community groups, nonprofits and faith-based institutions to offer health insurance plans to members. 5. Facilitate universal citizen access to basic wellness care (check-ups, immunizations, diet and exercise counseling, first-step mental health counseling, addiction recovery, etc.) and online healthy-living education tools. 6. Bolster federal support to community health clinics serving the under-insured, especially in rural and small-city communities such as ours. 7. Work with industry and unions to support the future professional safety, career development and quality of workplace life for both front-line health care providers and non-medical essential staff.

McKinley: The combination of "health care tied to a job" and the pandemic have demonstrated beyond a shadow of any doubt that not just individual's access to care, but also rural hospitals and care providers, are at extreme risk under our current for-profit model. I support the "public option" and believe that other advanced nations have demonstrated that single-payer health care systems produce better outcomes with lower costs.

Newhouse: Obamacare hasn't worked for many in Central Washington. Insurance premiums and deductibles have skyrocketed, and in many rural areas the choice of plans has dwindled in some cases to just one or two providers. We should take the opportunity to reform the system so that everyone has access to affordable, quality health care. First, we need to make sure everyone can be covered, and that everyone with a pre-existing condition can still get affordable care. We can expand the use of high-risk pools so that no matter your health situation, you'll still have affordable coverage. I would like to increase access to Health Savings Accounts and give individuals access to the same tax breaks for health care that corporations get. We should expand pools for small businesses so they can band together to buy lower-cost insurance the same way big corporations and labor unions do. People should have the ability to buy insurance across state lines so they'll have more companies competing for their business. We should also enact tort reform to stop frivolous lawsuits from driving up insurance costs.

Sloot: Retain right to health care choice. No mandated health care. Uphold personal liberty of 14th Amendment. Tiered private sector plans with focus on health promotion and incentives for cost reduction for promotion activities to consumers. Hospital billing transparency. Prescription drug cost transparency and spending transparency. No individual incentives for any diagnosis. Increase HSA and FSA contribution limits and allow for a broader range of spending options to include any and all health-promoting activities, services, or wellness supplementation.

WW: How would you help to alleviate the border crisis as well as avoid overcrowding at short-term holding facilities and the detainment of children?

Cooper: The U.S. government created the border problem through terrible restrictionist immigration policies rooted in fear and xenophobia rather than economics. Let people work here on work visas, but have the businesses who hire these workers pay a bond to ensure these workers go home after the season. Easier solution than wasting billions on a useless wall. Ending the War on Drugs would reduce violence and cartel power in Central America, resulting in fewer people traveling thousands of miles through dangerous conditions to get to America. End the detention centers at the border. Either place these people with sponsors in America or send them home. No more legal limbo for immigrants.

Jones: Current levels of immigration are not sustainable in terms of available jobs, quality of life expectations, equitable patterns of prosperity, and the realities of ecological sustainability we now face. First, we all have to come to terms with that. We also have to work smarter on border security in the 2020s: We must assess whether the 9/11-era immigration enforcement mission of DHS is still effective today, and upgrade border infrastructure and strategy accordingly. We must deploy innovative approaches to unauthorized crossings as they occur at our borders: preventing unauthorized entries when possible at the source; deploying cutting-edge technologies and realistic physical barriers that can both decrease pressure on border zones and prevent needless suffering of unauthorized residence or asylum seekers. Let's be more strategic about enforcement of immigration law: Rather than punishing unauthorized aspirants to U.S. residence or asylum as criminals using harsh law-enforcement techniques, we should instead develop more productive, empathetic responses, including skills counseling and resilience training that improves chances of returnees thriving once back at home.

McKinley: By separating parents from their children, with no plan to allow re-unification, the Trump administration has demonstrated a callous disregard for desperate people that is both shocking and an affront to our values as Americans. Families have been seeking refuge in our country for decades, and they were processed in a much more humane manner by all previous administrations, Republican and Democratic alike. The description of this ongoing process as a "crisis" is a lie meant to excuse the Trump administration's horrible and racist conduct, conduct which no other Republican or Democratic president has ever engaged.

Newhouse: President Trump has made real progress to improve the situation at the border, but Congress needs to work with him to fund the construction of physical barriers, enhanced monitoring technology and more Border Patrol agents. We need to know who is coming into our country so we can keep Americans safe. Next, we need to ensure our border patrol agencies have the resources they need to humanely respond to the large influx of children and families that we've seen recently. Last year, we saw the largest number of border apprehensions in over a decade. As a member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I offered an amendment to provide emergency funding that President Trump requested to fund the construction of housing facilities, medical care and food for the children and families detained at the border. Unfortunately, too many in Congress benefit politically from keeping the immigration crisis alive. My amendment was blocked and House Democrats eventually passed their own partisan bill that would make the situation at the border worse. We cannot lose sight of the long-term solution to this crisis: passing a complete overhaul to our broken immigration system that secures our border, discourages illegal immigration, and provides a stable agricultural workforce and a workable means for entering this country legally.

Sloot: We must secure our border to protect the health and well-being of our citizens, particularly in light of current and future potential of infectious agents and/or bioterrorism. When families are detained they must remain together. There must be a reasonable timeframe for their case to be heard to determine if asylum or deportation is appropriate. Indefinite detainment serves no one. This detainment costs taxpayers millions of dollars and results in overcrowded conditions that as a provider I cannot advocate for to protect physical health of those being held as well as U.S. citizen health in light of viral infection control. I would challenge leadership to uphold commitment for judicial decision of a case and enact either asylum or deportation in a common-sense timeframe such as 90-120 days. Giving 20 days was never realistic to achieve, yet the far opposite costs many both money as well as health.

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