Name: Deborah K Ross
Age: 63
Party affiliation: Democrat
Campaign website: https://deborahross.com/
Occupation & employer: Member of Congress, U.S. House of Representatives
Years lived in the area: 38
1. What are your primary concerns for the State of North Carolina?
The bottom line is that prices remain too high for my constituents. I am committed to lowering grocery, gas, childcare, and utility costs by standing up to corporations and holding corrupt bad actors accountable. We have seen rising housing costs and lagging investment in modern infrastructure that do not match the growth our region has experienced recently. I’m committed to securing greater federal resources for affordable housing and transportation for the people of Wake County.
I also remain committed to standing up to Trump’s illegal war, his reckless actions and pushing back against ongoing attempts to slash resources and services that my constituents depend on. When Democrats retake the majority in the House of Representatives we will be fully prepared to use our oversight powers to subpoena Trump officials and hold hearings to end the corruption in this Administration. We will look into Trump’s stock trading, crypto schemes, using the Department of Justice as a weapon against his enemies, and selling pardons to the highest bidder. We will also push for the full release of the Epstein files so those connected to the abuse can be held accountable.
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 grew up in a small town and from a young age my parents instilled in me a belief that with opportunity comes responsibility and that through public service I could help others and make a difference.
I came to North Carolina for law school at UNC-Chapel Hill and became an active member of the local community. I ran the ACLU of North Carolina. My public service started in 2002 when I ran for and won a seat in the N.C. House of Representatives, where I served for more than ten years. As a Representative, I worked to protect voting rights, fund transit and transportation projects, increase access to affordable housing, and raise the minimum wage for state employees. I served as both Majority and Minority Whip and chaired the Judiciary, Ethics and Election Laws Committees. In 2020, I became the first democrat in over a decade to be elected to represent North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional district.
Since then, I’ve listened to folks from across Wake County and acted on the issues you’ve shared with me in Congress. I’ve successfully worked across party lines to have more than a dozen bills signed into law, get 22 amendments passed in the House, and co-sponsored over 580 bills and resolutions. I’ve met with over 1,000 constituents, recovered almost $20 million for constituents, secured more than $13 million in assistance for local businesses, and brought home over $30 million in federal funding for Wake County community projects for affordable housing, transportation, and so much more.
3. If elected, what three policies would you prioritize and how would you work across the aisle to enact those initiatives?
-Lowering costs by attacking inflation to bring down prices in the grocery store and at the gas pump. I also would reinstate the ACA tax credits and make the child tax credit refundable for our low income families.
-Prioritizing health care by protecting coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, supporting Medicaid in North Carolina, taking steps to reduce the high cost of prescription drugs, and defending reproductive freedom and access to contraceptives.
-Investing in our shared future by expanding affordable housing and education, guarding Social Security and Medicare, investing in research and technology, and combating the climate crisis.
I will work with everyone and anyone to get things done that will benefit my constituents. I have had success in building relationships with colleagues from across the aisle, finding common ground, and creating bipartisan solutions.
4. Federal cuts to Medicaid are expected to cost the state $50 billion over the next decade, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. How would you address Medicaid funding to maintain coverage for the millions of North Carolinians enrolled?
1 in 4 North Carolinians relies on Medicaid for their healthcare coverage. It’s imperative that we work together across party lines to bring down skyrocketing healthcare costs and ensure every North Carolinian has access to the quality care they need. The Republican “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passed last summer slashed federal funding for Medicaid and added a work requirement for Medicaid that will go into effect on Dec 31, 2026. This work requirement puts a greater strain on the state to implement a new system to check individuals employment status.
Since my time in the General Assembly, I fought to expand Medicaid in North Carolina and finally after a decade of political gridlock, we were able to extend coverage to 600,000 North Carolinians. Now more than 100,000 people, including families and children, are at risk of losing coverage and rural hospitals across the state are on the brink of closure. I am fighting to immediately reverse these harmful cuts and restore coverage to North Carolinians. When Democrats regain the majority, that is one of our first orders of business.
5. How would you address the rising costs of housing, childcare, and basic necessities facing North Carolina families?
We are facing an affordability crisis. While Americans struggle to keep up with the rising costs of everyday goods and services, the Trump Administration continues to fund a reckless unapproved war in Iran and place higher tariffs even on our closest trading partners.
To address rising costs, Congress needs to tackle the underlying factors including the shortage of affordable housing, rising health care costs, and stagnant wages. Congress has taken steps to address the affordable housing shortage by passing the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which aims to remove barriers within existing housing programs and expedite affordable housing production but there is still so much to be done.
Congress also needs to raise the federal minimum wage, crack down on corporate price-gouging, roll back tariffs that increase costs for consumers, extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits to lower monthly insurance premiums, cap prescription drug prices, and reinstate the Child Tax Credit and other fully refundable tax credits that put money back into the pockets of working parents.
6. Thousands of North Carolina workers lost their jobs in 2025 due to federal budget cuts—RTI and FHI 360 alone have laid off hundreds of employees, while Duke and UNC face massive funding cuts and hiring freezes. How would you address both the human toll and the long-term economic impact of these federal funding changes on our state?
I am committed to fighting Trump’s unconstitutional policies that slash federal funding levels and the federal workforce in our state. I will always fight to protect our federal workers and research institutions. Trump’s attempts to purge the workforce have crippled government operations, hurt vulnerable North Carolina seniors and children, and undermined key industries in our state.
When Democrats regain the majority we will rebuild and properly fund USAID, EPA, Department of Education, and other key government agencies that bring jobs to North Carolina.
Federal investment in research, technology, clean energy and advanced manufacturing have long strengthened our economy and these cuts make us weaker. I’ve led efforts with local stakeholders to oppose the Trump administration’s NIH cuts to protect our universities and Research Triangle Park’s research pipelines. I’ve led my colleagues in opposing the administration’s efforts to dissolve the EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) and their move to prioritize women’s health research at NIH. I also voted against the Republican budget proposal to claw back more than $9.4 billion in funding for USAID funding.
7. Climate disasters are intensifying: Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in 2024, Tropical Storm Chantal flooded the Triangle in 2025, and coastal erosion threatens the Outer Banks. With much affordable housing located in flood-prone areas and FEMA resources stretched thin, what is your plan for climate resilience and disaster relief?
First and foremost Republicans need to stop playing political games with FEMA. When disaster strikes, North Carolinians need to trust FEMA for life saving information and financial assistance. The spread of misinformation breaks this trust and slows down the recovery process.
Congress took a major step forward this summer in disaster relief funding reform by passing the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act that included the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act which creates a disaster recovering fund to allow the Department of Housing and Urban Development to immediately assist communities after major disasters by allowing individuals to access federal housing assistance quickly and predictably during uncertain times.
There is still so much more work to be done. Congress must increase pre-diseaster funding to programs like the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which helps provide states with resources to mitigate environmental hazard risks.
8. Last year, federal agents arrested more than 250 people in immigration enforcement operations across North Carolina, creating fear in immigrant communities and disrupting businesses and schools. How do you view the enforcement actions, and how would you address their impact on North Carolina’s economy and communities?
In North Carolina and across the country, federal immigration agents have terrorized our communities, abducted people off the street, separated families and children, deported legal residents, violated due process rights, and even killed U.S. citizens. We all want safe communities but Trump’s ICE and CBP are operating without regard for the law or the Constitution. I have conducted oversight at detention facilities in Texas and Georgia. In the next Congress, I want to work on passing comprehensive reform that creates a humane and functional immigration system for the benefit of our economy and communities.
9. Federal contractors are no longer required to maintain non-discrimination policies, and many DEI-related programs have been eliminated across sectors in our state. What is your view on recent changes to DEI and anti-discrimination policies?
I have spent my career fighting for equality, justice, and progress. I came to North Carolina to attend law school, later becoming an attorney, civil rights advocate, and state legislator. As a pragmatic leader in Raleigh, I worked to pass the South’s first anti-racial profiling bill, fought to reform juvenile justice programs, passed laws to expand voting rights, and opposed laws that would take our state backward, including Amendment One.
I have strongly opposed all efforts to dismantle DEI programs as I view them as a way to promote fairness, protect civil rights, and prevent discrimination. I will continue to champion DEI programs to ensure underrepresented groups have a seat at the table, are compensated fairly, and feel safe at schools and workplaces.
10. Federal education funding faced significant delays and cuts in 2025, affecting Title I programs, teacher training, and after-school services in North Carolina. How will you work to ensure stable federal education funding for our state’s schools?
Every North Carolinian deserves the chance to get an outstanding education. Schools here in Wake County depend on resources from the Department of Education to assist students with disabilities and low-income students, ensure young children do not go hungry, and so much more. In addition, students at our world-leading colleges and universities in the Triangle depend on the Department to administer the student loan programs that make higher education affordable and their dreams for the future achievable.
Last year, the federal government attempted to withhold congressional approved federal funding for Wake County Public Schools. It was one of the top 100 districts in the country facing the biggest loss if the Department of Education continued to delay. The withheld funding was earmarked to support core programs that help schools hire and retain teachers, assist students learning English, and provide services like mental health support, school safety, and STEM education.
I spoke out publicly by sending a letter to the Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon and doing a press conference with North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson. Shortly after I called them out, they released the funds.
At the end of the day Donald Trump does not have the authority to abolish a department established by Congress. My colleagues and I will continue to fight these illegal actions with everything we can. Our students are the future and they are counting on us.
11. President Trump has dramatically expanded executive power through emergency declarations, the use of federal agents in cities without local coordination, and the initiation of a war in Iran without Congressional approval. What role should Congress play in checking executive power?
Under the Constitution, Congress is designated as a co-equal branch of government and given the power to check executive authority. However, the Republican-led Congress has been submissive to the executive branch. The first step Congress needs to take is to pass the Iran War Powers Resolution to serve as a formal and binding order to remove U.S. troops from Iran. The House of Representatives has passed an Iran war powers resolution several times but it recently failed by one vote in the Senate.
Congress also needs to use its power of the purse to stop executive overreach. This has not been possible in the current Republican-controlled Congress but will be possible when Democrats retake the majority next year. Democrats will be able to prohibit federal agencies from spending on unauthorized activities and restore funding levels.
And with control of the Committees, we’ll have the subpoena power to call administration officials before Congress to demand answers on how taxpayer dollars are being spent and how federal agencies are operating.
12. Both Democrats and Republicans are experiencing severe internal divisions. How would you navigate disagreements within your own party while still effectively representing North Carolina’s interests? Or, if you are running as an Independent, how will you work effectively with both parties?
I believe good governance is about the art of the possible and that compromise often produces better results than confrontation. As Democrats, we should always remain faithful to our values but never be afraid to negotiate. I will always negotiate within my own party and across the aisle to secure greater federal resources for affordable housing and transportation for the people of Wake County.
13. Give an example of an opinion, policy, vote or action you changed based on constituent feedback. If you have not yet held elected office, describe a time when you changed your position on an issue after listening to those affected by it.
I regularly hold town halls both in person and telephone town halls. At one of the town halls a parent told me about how her daughters were killed in a truck accident due to the failure to have protective equipment. After that town hall, I became a champion for the cause of underride protection.
14. Are there any issues this questionnaire has not addressed that you would like to address?
I was devastated that the Supreme Court gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act earlier this year. This decision gives Republican legislatures the green light to dilute the power of voters of color and eviscerate fair representation.
Now more than ever, Congress must act by passing a national ban on gerrymandering and strengthening protections against voter suppression. It is way past time that Congress passes the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It is also important that Democrats stand up against Republicans’ continued attempts to rollback voting rights like the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
