Name as it appears on the ballot: Shannon Wilson Bray

Age: 47

Party Affiliation: Libertarian

Campaign website: shannonbray.us

Occupation & employer: Cyber security analyst – Department of Defense

Years lived in North Carolina: 8

1) What are the three biggest issues facing the country right now? If elected, what would be your three top legislative priorities? Please explain why.

My biggest issue facing the country right now is the lack of medical care for our returning veterans. We are losing 22 veterans a day to suicide alone. I would like to see an expansion of Medicare to fill in the gaps where the VA system is failing our veterans. In addition to suffering both mentally and physically, we have a veteran homeless problem. If we send them to war, we need to stand by them.

2) Given how polarized—and paralyzed—Congress seems to be, why do you believe you would be effective at advancing those priorities? What in your background as a public official or private citizen should give us faith that you can help break through the gridlock? 

I am, by nature, outside both the Republican and Democratic parties. As a Libertarian, I believe in having a fiscally conservative government that provides both economic and social freedoms. Many of the policies I believe will benefit our state come from both parties. In order to be effective, I have to reach into both aisles.

3) As we write this, the Senate is holding a trial over the impeachment of Donald Trump. Based on the evidence you have heard thus far, would you vote to convict Trump on charges of abuse of office and obstruction of Congress and remove him from the presidency? Why or why not? Please explain.

I was disappointed in the US Senate for not allowing further testimony. I would have liked to have heard from the firsthand witnesses though I did feel that the House presented a solid case. Based off everything I read and listened to, I would have convicted him on both counts. The reason why is that the WH Administration blocked key testimony from the House; Trump stated he wanted Bolten (and others) to testify in the Senate where he would get a fair trial. Once they got there, the game plan seemed to have changed. This to me, shows deceit. As far as the abuse of power, I found the administrations actions unacceptable. In addition to the money being withheld, there were additional demands on a foreign government to accept responsibility for the 2016 election hacking when the Administration knew they didn’t do it. There is plenty of unclassified proof that has surfaced on this topic that is extremely credible.  My decision isn’t based off a party stance; it is based on the information that was presented.

4) Days ago, news reports surfaced that former national security adviser John Bolton says Trump told him that aid to Ukraine was directly linked to an investigation into his political adversaries. Democrats want to subpoena him to testify. Trump and some Republicans, including Thom Tillis, have countered that the House should have called witnesses during its inquiry and doing so now is not the Senate’s job. Do you believe the Senate should seek out more documents and testimony before reaching a verdict?

I hinted to this a bit in number 3 but yes. The Senate should have listened to all the testimony. I felt they pushed issues under the rug.

5) The president recently claimed that Republicans will protect pre-existing conditions, yet his Department of Justice is right now pursuing a case to wipe out the Affordable Care Act, including the pre-existing-conditions protections. Some Democratic presidential hopefuls, meanwhile, are campaigning on a pledge to end private insurance and enact a single-payer, Medicare-for-all-type system, while others want to keep the ACA and add to it a public option. Given political realities, what do you believe is the best path forward on health care?

I have examined several of the proposed policies and feel the best plan forward would be similar to Pete’s Medicare for All Who Want It plan; it is projected that it will cost about $1.5 trillion over 10 years. It will be paid for by rolling back the Trump corporate tax cuts, which will generate $1.4 trillion in revenue, and the rest from cost savings that result from empowering the federal government to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. It is important not to modify health care plans that are working for people.

6) The administration has rolled back a number of regulations aimed at mitigating climate pollution and pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Several leading Democrats have embraced (as a framework) a Green New Deal that would reorient the economy around sustainable energy. Given that climate scientists believe the world has a short window to avert global catastrophe, what steps do you believe the next Congress should take to address the climate crisis?

There are some policies that I have agreed with and there are others that I felt was going in the wrong direction. While I do support removing regulations in areas that need it, when it comes to the air I breath and the water I drink, we need to make sure those regulations stay in place. I am against having oil rigs off our coast and any other pollutants that may hurt our estuaries. As a native of South Louisiana, I saw the firsthand damage to the Louisiana economy because BP pumped oil into the waters.  I do not support the exit of the Paris Climate Agreement. I believe in clean and green energy. 

7) As of 2019, nearly 45 million Americans owe more than $1.5 trillion in student-loan debt, which experts say is preventing young people from buying homes, starting businesses, or starting families. Some Democrats have proposed forgiving all or some student loan debt and/or making some or all college free. What steps do you believe Congress should take, if any, to address student-loan debt and the cost of college education?

As a PhD student myself, I understand the burden of paying for an education. It is expensive and is required for entry into many professions. I, personally, could benefit greatly from someone wiping out my student loan debt but at the same time, I would have a hard time with your tax dollars paying for it. I believe education and the pricing of it can be reformed.  According to some of the research I have read,  the most cost-effective way to increase the number of Americans who get a four-year degree, they found, is to increase tax-payer spending at all public colleges and eliminate tuition for students from families with incomes under $60,000 a year. Free community college, an increasingly popular idea, is much less effective, actually reducing four-year college education rates while low-income Americans reap the smallest benefits, the researchers found. General tuition cuts for all aren’t as bad but lowering the price of college turns out to be not as effective as increasing instructional spending at colleges.

8) President Trump’s signature legislative achievement is the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a regressive, deficit-funded tax overhaul that largely benefited the wealthy while, experts say, producing a positive but small effect on GDP. Given the rising deficit (see no. 9), do you believe the TCJA should be repealed? Do you believe Congress pass more tax cuts? If so, how should they be targeted? Or do you think Congress should raise taxes? What form of tax hikes would you prefer: Capital gains? A wealth tax? Income tax? Something else? Please explain.

I have a problem with just raising taxes when we do not know where the money is going and how long I have to pay for it. In the past, I have voted for tax increases for various causes but we never seem to recoup that money if the program goes away.  There are plenty of programs within the government who eat of funds. I would prefer to lean out unnecessary spending and not put the burden on the people of NC.

9) The Congressional Budget Office says that the deficit will exceed $1 trillion in 2020, though the economy has been growing for a decade. To what degree does the deficit concern you? What steps do you believe Congress should take to reduce the deficit, if any? Would you be willing to cut Medicare or Social Security? If you believe Congress should spend more on climate change or health care, do you worry about expanding the deficit further? If you believe Congress should cut taxes, how would you pay for it? 

The budget is blown, and it needs to be reeled in but I do not believe this should come at the expense of the people but these programs may need overhauls. Many experts believe that the SS program has failed to live up to what was promised and is a misleading scheme. One point that I have heard many times is that it was supposed to be similar to an insurance plan but in reality it has become an income redistribution plan that takes money from the less wealthy and gives it to the more wealthy. Experts state Social Security trust fund will be tapped out by 2034, and at that point Social Security beneficiaries would have to start taking 77 cents on the dollar for their promised benefits. In other words, if you’re a wage-earning worker 48 years old or younger, say goodbye forever to a good part of that paycheck withholding money. It’s not like any of this should come as shock to most of the people who will be affected. I am quite happy to find a way to fix it though!

10) In January, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, though its status is in legal limbo. Supporters argue that the five states that have rescinded their previous ratification of the amendment had no right to do so, and that a ratification-deadline provision is unconstitutional. The first question is likely headed to federal courts, but ERA supporters say they’ll ask Congress to rescind the deadline. Do you support the ERA? If elected, would you vote to rescind the deadline Congress set almost 50 years ago?

The ERA was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. It seeks to end the legal distinctions between men and women in matters of divorce, property, employment, and other matters. I stand for the equal legal rights for all American citizens without question. All men were created equal. 

11) In the last year, several states have passed laws challenging Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood, including some that would effectively ban abortion. What do you believe Congress can or should do to protect abortion rights? 

I support pro-choice and believe that a woman has complete decision power over her body. 

12) Last year, after Congress refused to grant President Trump funds to build a border wall, the president declared a national emergency and diverted funding from the military toward that purpose. Do you believe such a declaration was justified and a wall is necessary? More broadly, do you believe the president’s immigration policies have been beneficial?

The US Congress holds the purse strings; I do not agree with the president declaring a national emergency and then taking $40 million from the funds that were earmarked for our bases. I supported Tillis’ original decision but then once Trump pressured him, he folded. Our representatives need to choose what is best for our state and stand up for our people.  North Carolina’s military bases will lose about $80 million in planned military construction, according to a list released by the Pentagon on Wednesday of projects across the United States losing funding to build President Donald Trump’s border wall with Mexico.

The affected projects in North Carolina include $40 million for a new battalion complex and ambulatory care center at Camp Lejeune, a previously canceled $32.9 million elementary school at Fort Bragg, and a $6.4 million storage facility for the new KC-46 tanker at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. 

This was a loss of jobs for our state and a failure to stand with our troops!

13) In January, the president ordered a military strike that killed an Iranian commander inside of Iraq, leading to the Iraqi Parliament calling for the expulsion of American troops from Iraq, ratcheting up tensions with Iran, and straining U.S. alliances with some European allies. Do you believe the president had an obligation to inform Congress before such a strike? Do you believe the decision to launch an attack on the Iranian general was wise?

President Trump did have an obligation to inform Congress before firing missiles on Iran. He also had an obligation to tell the American people the truth on the Iranian; after our attacks, the Iran escalated their cyber attacks on our government. This is activity that is still in process. Going to war or provoking one should not be a decision taken lightly. We need to keep our actions limited and focus on taking care of those who have fought for us.

14) In general, what are your views on American foreign policy under the Trump administration? Do you believe it has been beneficial, or have Trump’s decisions—including exiting the Iran and Paris agreements and enacting tariffs on China and other countries—harmed America’s national interests? 

No, we are failing at foreign policy. 

15) Polls indicate that a narrow majority of Americans approve of President Trump’s handling of the economy, though a broad majority also disapproves of his performance generally. This is often attributed to the president’s crass language, mendaciousness, and erratic behavior, both on Twitter and in rallies. Regardless of whether you support the president’s policies, do you believe he is a good role model or an honorable person?

When I think of honorable men, I think of Sen. John McCain. President Trump does not represent any traits that I have found honorable.