Name as it appears on the ballot: Valerie P. Foushee 

Credit: Courtesy of the subject

Age: 66

Party affiliation: Democrat

Campaign website: www.ValerieFoushee.com

Occupation & employer: State Senator, Retired administrator – Chapel Hill Police Department

Years lived in North Carolina: 66

1. What are your primary concerns for the State of North Carolina?

North Carolinians are facing many immediate and long-term problems that we can, collectively, solve. In Congress, I’d like to work to strengthen the ACA and move toward a Medicare for All system which, I would happily vote for. Rising healthcare costs and closing hospitals in rural areas are a big concern for the voters that I speak with. I’m also hearing from voters that they’re concerned about affordable housing, climate change, transportation, voting rights, and access to quality education. In Congress, I’ll fight for a more equitable North Carolina where everyone can thrive.

2. What in your background qualifies you to represent the people of this state effectively? What would you cite as your biggest career accomplishments?   

I have served much of this district, at some point or another, for 25 years in elected office. From the school board to the Orange County Commission, to the State House and Senate, I have proven my progressive track record and my ability to deliver for the people of my district. I’ve been in the rooms where bills are negotiated and I know how to build coalitions to break gridlock and get things done. There are many things I’m proud of having been a part of in my time in office. Two that stick out – brokering the deal to end child marriage in North Carolina in the State Senate and helping to change the hearts and mind of my colleagues on the Orange County Board of Commissioners to close a landfill in a low-income, minority community, replacing it with a community center.

3. If elected, what three policies would you prioritize and how would you work across the aisle to enact those initiatives?

  • Voting Rights and Gerrymandering – Unfettered access to the ballot box and fair districts are the foundation of our democracy and therefore a central tenant of my campaign. When I get to Congress, I will fight to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act to expand voting rights and make elections more fair.
  • Access to affordable, quality healthcare – Healthy communities begin with healthy individuals. I believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Every American should have access to affordable, quality healthcare, regardless of their station in life or income. I have long fought for Medicaid expansion in North Carolina and, In Congress, I will fight to strengthen the ACA and work to move toward a Medicare for All system.
  • Economy – A strong economy is rooted in opportunity and access for all members of the community, not just the chosen few. Creating a thriving economy starts with funding schools and eliminating barriers to higher education. It also means ensuring that all members of the community can contribute the economy. That is why I support eliminating student debt and debt-free college. It also means fighting for high-quality healthcare and universal access to pre-k. I also support increasing the minimum wage to a livable wage of at least $15/hr. In Congress, I will support the Pro Act, which would make it easier for workers to unionize. I also support the Boost Act, which would combat poverty and income inequality by providing a $3,000 tax credit for low-income individuals. These are critical policies that, not only, benefit individuals but, are smart policy solutions to stimulate the economy and keep it healthy.

Having been in elected office for 25 years, I know how to build coalitions and work with members of my party, as well as my colleagues across the aisle, to get things done. At the end of the day, tribalism aside, our duty, as elected officials, is to deliver for the people who have trusted us to serve them. I have a demonstrated track record of being able to accomplish that.

4. More than 1 million Americans have died due to COVID-19 and millions more are struggling with astronomical medical bills. Do you believe the American health system is working? What is your plan for making sure health care is affordable and accessible to all American citizens? Are you in favor of a single-payer option?

I strongly support the Affordable Care Act and believe that the deal to get it, brokered by President Obama, was the best deal that we could get at the time. In Congress I will work to strengthen the ACA, if that is the best that we can do. That said, I believe that a Medicare for All solution, in the long run, will be the best way to ensure affordable, quality healthcare for all Americans and I hope that we will get there. Healthcare is a human right, not a privilege. Healthy individuals are critical for healthy communities and economies, where all have the opportunity to prosper and achieve the American dream.

5. What factors are fueling the country’s growing political polarization and how will you work to mend it?

This is a very big and complicated question. There are a variety of different factors that contribute to our political polarization. While I will never back down to Republicans’ attempts to undermine our healthcare system, turn a blind eye to the climate crisis, and unroll back reproductive rights, I have found ways to work across the aisle to get things done. In tumultuous times like these, we must seek to find common ground, particularly on the everyday kitchen table issues that people are facing. Rather than tear each other apart, we have to look for opportunities to come together and deliver results for our constituents. Americans are struggling with outrageous medical bills, student loan debt, and a difficult housing market. Finding policy solutions to these burdens shouldn’t be political. As elected officials it is our duty to put people over politics.

6. Rent, property taxes, and home sale prices have generally been rising over the past several years. What, if anything, should the federal government do to address this growing affordability crisis?

The housing market has been in a bad place for a while now and it’s making it nearly impossible and unaffordable for everyday Americans to participate, particularly in the Triangle area. This has, historically, been the case in Black and Brown neighborhoods and immigrant communities, who have long faced issues of redlining and other forms of discrimination. I applaud the Biden Administration’s Housing Supply Action Plan which, implements budget-neutral administrative actions to increase the supply of housing, incentivizes states and municipalities to change their zoning and land-use regulations, and improves federal financing for affordable housing. While there is still much work to be done to fix the labor shortage and drive down the cost of supplies, this plan is a good first step to finding some relief. Further, the federal government must step in and help level the playing field between people and real estate investors. I support federal housing guarantees, rent control, inclusionary zoning, and down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers. I would also suggest that the federal government could do more to invest in educational and social programs that assist people in learning more about homeownership and how to navigate budgeting and savings to purchase their first home.

7. Do you believe the federal minimum wage should be increased? If, by how much? If not, why? 

I find it absurd that the federal minimum wage has not increased since 2009. The federal minimum wage was introduced in 1938 and the past 13 years is the longest we’ve gone since then without raising it. It is unconscionable that anyone could believe that people can live on a wage as low as $7.25 an hour. There are bills in Congress now that seek to raise it to $15/hr and I would support and vote for those bills but, also recognize that $15/hr is still not in line with annual inflation. I am open to an even higher increase and am a staunch advocate for ensuring that we pass legislation that would renew these increases to be in line with annual growth and inflation.

8. What specific policies or programs do you endorse or would pursue to combat inflation? Do you foresee the U.S. heading into a larger economic recession and if so, what is the best way for Congress to address it?

In Congress I’ll fight to end supply chain disruptions by investing in American manufacturing and closing loopholes that incentivize American companies to outsource jobs and manufacturing overseas. I’ll work to increase wages to keep up with inflation. I will work to eliminate regressive taxation on things like groceries and goods which, disproportionately impact middle and lower-income families. And I’ll fight for a progressive tax structure that benefits working people and has the ultra-wealthy paying their fair share.

9. The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling this summer overturning Roe v. Wade. Do you believe abortion should be a fundamental human right? If elected, would you support a federal ban on abortion? What role, if any, should Congress play in restricting or expanding access to abortion?

Abortion is healthcare and a fundamental human right In Congress I will vote to codify Roe v Wade. Hard Stop.

10. Please state three specific policies you support to address climate change. 

In the NC General Assembly, I have sponsored numerous bills that would –

  • Clean up and monitor PFAS in drinking water
  • Clean up coal ash in NC
  • Incentivize clean, renewable energy
  • Move NC toward a more environmentally friendly future (Omnibus bill)

The most important and impending thing that we must do as a nation, a global community, is end our dependence on fossil fuels and invest in clean, renewable energy. That is the most immediate action we can take to combat global warming and we have to do it yesterday. When I get to Washington, I will fight to ensure that my 6-year-old grandson, your children, grandchildren, and future grandchildren inherit a planet that is sustainable for theirs. In addition, we must invest in clean transit and infrastructure. We have to fund the EPA and give them the resources they need to be able to enforce stronger regulations to make sure we have clean drinking water and air and hold polluters accountable. In Congress, I’ll support the Green New Deal and stand shoulder to shoulder with climate champions.

11. What more, if anything, should Congress do to regulate firearms?

Gun violence in America is a complex issue that will require complex policy solutions. We must invest more heavily in our mental health system. We must ensure our educational systems are equitable. We must increase funding to social and community programs to help keep children off the streets and engage them in programs that will give them opportunity. Community-based violence intervention programs, on the streets, in hospitals, and in schools, are critical to ending gun violence and should be better funded. All of that said, the most simple and direct solution to starting to address gun violence in America is to address guns in America. In Congress I will fight for gun control. I will support a federal ban on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. I will support federal legislation to require background checks for all gun sales across the nation. I will support legislation to close the “Charleston loophole,” the loophole in background checks that allowed for the Emanuel AME shooter in Charleston, SC to purchase a gun. I will support legislation mandating secure storage by gun owners – currently only eight states and the District of Columbia have these laws in place.

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