Stefanik speaks out on DACA, missile defense and more

Feb. 03--PLATTSBURGH -- As she begins her fourth year in office -- and an election year -- Congresswoman Elise Stefanik says she is determined to continue her efforts to be a bipartisan legislator who aims to reach commonsense deals that will help the 21st District.

"I will run on my record and on being the best member of Congress I can be ... delivering real results," Stefanik (R-Willsboro) said in an interview the Editorial Board of the Press-Republican, where she discussed a myriad of issues.

DREAMER DEBATE

On the recent debate over the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals issues as it tied into the brief government shutdown, Stefanik said she is opposed to any government stoppage, no matter who is behind it.

"I've challenged my own party over them in the past," she said, adding that she felt it was wrong for Democrats to force a shutdown over the DACA issue.

About 100 of the roughly 700,000 "Dreamers," as they are referred to, live in the 12-county 21st District.

Stefanik said she supports some kind of legislation to allow them to stay in the United States.

"I'm open to ideas that will get across the finish line," she said, adding that she became friends with someone in college who is a Dreamer.

"I think there needs to be some kind of legal status ... I think having Congress legislate this is important, as opposed to having an executive order."

'THE WALL'

At the same time, she said, the United States needs to make sure the southern border is secure enough to prevent the rise in illegals entering the country.

Stefanik said she supports a three-pronged approach to border security: use of technology, increase in personnel and physical barriers where possible.

"A wall just doesn't work with the topography of the area, but where it is relevant I do support an increase in physical security," she said.

Stefanik said it is likely that any improvements for border security will come from Department of Homeland Security funding and not Mexico, as President Donald Trump has often called for.

TRADE WITH CANADA

She stressed that any legislation affecting security at the southern border must not negatively affect life at the northern border with Canada.

The 21st District shares a border with Canada along Clinton, Franklin, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties.

"I'm very active on northern border issues, so much of my focus is that many of these improvements are focused on southern border issues so they don't impact northern border issues," she said.

She is opposed to tariffs on Canadian paper products imposed by the Department of Commerce, which affect the newspaper industry and retailers who use advertising inserts.

"That's one where I disagreed with the administration," she said.

"It has an impact on the ability to do business for local papers."

NAFTA

Stefanik said that any changes to the North America Free Trade Agreement should not harm trade relations between the United States and Canada.

"I've been on the record for keeping what works with NAFTA and modernizing some parts and updating it, but we don't want to throw out the baby with the bathwater," she said.

Stefanik will lead a contingent to Ottawa this spring for further discussions on trade.

"It will be incredibly important to tell our stories and have businesses tell their stories about why that partnership (with Canada) has been so important for our economic growth," she said.

FARM BILL

Crafting a new Farm Bill this year will also be a top priority for Stefanik, whose district is laden with dairy farms, orchards and other agri-businesses.

She said a fix is needed for the MPP insurance program for dairy farmers, which is supposed to help farmers who lose money on their product, largely due to low milk prices.

"The program is broken. It just doesn't work," she said.

"That will be one of the top priorities in the Farm Bill. It needs to be structured more like crop-insurance programs."

Stefanik believes changes can be made because the Farm Bill is historically bipartisan.

ADDICTION ISSUES

Stefanik has served on the bipartisan Heroin Task Force in Congress since arriving in 2015.

She continues to support additional funding to combat the deadly opioid-addiction crisis.

"We need to provide grants for awareness so parents, teachers and coaches know the potential signs of addiction," she said.

More bed space for people with addiction and money for programs serving veterans with addictions is also needed.

"We know that two- or three-day inpatient programs don't work," she said. "It is a longer-term health challenge."

Stefanik said she also supports more funding for mental-health treatment when dealing with opioids.

"That is an important piece of the opioid-addiction issue," she said.

HEALTH CARE

Health care and the Affordable Care Act, enacted under former President Barack Obama, have been major issues for Stefanik and her colleagues in Washington, and this year will be no different.

Stefanik, who has supported repealing "Obamacare" and replacing it, but not all at once, said she would like to see progress made on reducing high costs for premiums and deductibles.

"I don't support single-payer health insurance," she said. "It would be a trillion-dollar tax on the public ... but there will be fixes I anticipate will get done this year."

Stefanik said part of the problem is that the ACA was written by all Democrats, and the replacement plans are written by all Republicans.

"When you are dealing with one-sixth of the economy (health-care economic impact), in an ideal world, should be a bipartisan agreement so it is lasting."

TRUMP TWEETS

The daily tweets of President Trump have created a firestorm of controversy on many occasions the past year.

Stefanik said she supports many of the president's platforms but doesn't always agree with his methods of communication.

It can be a distraction," she said. "I chose to use Twitter in a different manner."

She also does not approve of the president's reported reference to third-world countries as "sh--holes."

"I wasn't there," she said of the infamous meeting where participants say the comment was made.

"I know there was strong language used by different people, and it went back and forth about what was said... I think it was a distraction. I try not to use that kind of language.

"If that is true (the president's expletive), I think that is unacceptable to describe countries that way."

NORTH KOREA

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Stefanik is continuously briefed on the situation involving North Korea.

She said it is the most significant national-security challenge the nation now faces.

"I think the administration's decision to pressure China to get engaged in this issue so it doesn't destabilize the region is the right focus," she said.

"Kim Jong-un is an unstable leader, and we were somewhat caught offguard at how they improved their missile capabilities."

Stefanik is pushing to have Fort Drum in Watertown, in the western portion of her district, become the site of an East Coast missile-defense system. Such a site would be vital in protecting the continental United States, she said.

"An East Coast site would do that," she said.

Fort Drum is in the running with sites in Ohio and Michigan. The decision is likely to be made later this year.

"I believe Fort Drum is the best place for this," she said.

"We have the support, the personnel and the infrastructure."

CHALLENGERS

So far, 10 Democrats have lined up to fight for the chance to take on Stefanik in the November election. Two Republicans want to challenge her in a primary, and one independent candidate has entered the race.

"I think that field is struggling to break out," she said of the Democrats. "I think they have a lot of work to do."

Democrats have their eyes on many Republican districts in this mid-term election, but Stefanik believes her party will continue to hold the majority.

"I think Republicans will keep both Houses," she said.

More younger women are running for higher office now, and Stefanik sees that as a good thing.

"We are the most bipartisan; we forge more compromises," she said.

"I am proud of my generation of women and what they have done."

In 2014, at age 30, Stefanik became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

She got married last year to her longtime boyfriend, Matthew Manda, and says it has been great.

"He has been very supportive, and we are enjoying being newlyweds," she said.

Email Joe LoTemplio:

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