On The Issues: Houlahan Vs. McCauley, U.S. Congress 6th District

With Election Day just weeks away, we're breaking down candidates and their policy positions in several key races, including the battle for Pennsylvania's 6th District in U.S. Congress. Following the retirement of incumbent U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello, Democrat Chrissy Houlahan will face off against Republican Greg McCauley.

THE DISTRICT

The 6th District is a different animal in 2018 than it was last time there was an election here. After the state's severely gerrymandered map was ruled unconstitutional in 2017, the 6th became much more Democrat friendly. It is now a more compact region that covers Chester County and part of Berks County, including the blue stronghold of Reading.

AGE AND HOMETOWN

Houlahan: 50, Devon

McCauley: 61, Chadds Ford

EDUCATION

Houlahan: BS in engineering from Stanford, MS in Technology and Policy from MIT

McCauley: BS in business administration management and marketing from St. Joseph's University, JD from Widener University School of Law

EXPERIENCE

Houlahan: Houlahan holds the rank of Captain in the US Air Force Reserves. She served three years active and 13 years inactive reserve. She worked as a chemistry teacher in North Philadelphia with Teach for America, before serving as the chief operating officer of AND1 Basketball. She helped found B-Lab, a non-profit promoting good business practices.

McCauley: McCauley opened his own tax law practice in 1987, and is a member of the United States Tax Court, US District Court, the US Courts of Appeal for the both the Second and Third Circuit, the PA Bar Association, and various sub-committees. He has extensive experience as a businessman, owning operating a chain of Wendy's restaurants and working with Quigley to establish Cold-Eeze as a national brand.

ON ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Houlahan: "Informed scientists agree: climate change is real. So also is its threat to our home on this planet if we don’t manage to arrest and eventually reverse the processes that are heating our world, changing its weather, raising sea levels, accelerating desertification, and threatening traditional agriculture. Tragically, the Trump Administration has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax.” It has also appointed deniers and skeptics to key oversight positions, moved to slash research budgets and reduce program funding, and otherwise attacked key domestic environmental programs. Trump has pulled out of the Paris Agreement, not only giving up our leadership of this vital global effort, but also denying it the benefit of American science and expertise. All this in the service of special interests."

McCauley: "Pennsylvania is becoming an energy superpower. We need to build infrastructure to make natural gas extraction safer and gas available to consumers. As an Energy Superpower, Pennsylvania will sell gas and propane domestically and export benzene to Europe and Korea, creating thousands of jobs." (source: VoteSmart)

ON HEALTHCARE

Houlahan: "Access to healthcare is a fundamental human right, not something reserved for the wealthy or for those who don’t need it. Such access can only come from an insurance system in which we all participate, sharing coverage, risks, and costs...Rather than responsibly repairing the Affordable Care Act’s deficiencies, the Republicans in the House of Representatives have assaulted the Act itself, throwing an estimated 24 million people off their insurance, making deep cuts to Medicaid, and allowing states to encourage insurers to deny people with pre-existing conditions. Their callous maneuver guarantees a catastrophe in care, threatening Pennsylvanians’ health, and pushing them away from family physicians and back on emergency room lines."

McCauley: "America is still reeling from the failures of Obamacare. We need to bring down premiums and make healthcare affordable again in PA District 6. Congress should be discussing mutually owned health insurance, where the patients actually own part of the insurance company. Any profits are reinvested back into the company and don’t get funneled away to shareholders on Wall Street. Some of these companies could also be set up as non-profits. Additionally, the portion you pay for your monthly premium should be made tax deductible. But there’s more work to be done. Our existing Medicare and Medicaid programs should be vetted, and we need to eliminate instances of fraud wherever we find them. We can also streamline the prescription drug market by cutting out the middleman and lowering prices for consumers. I’d also like to keep Wall Street from profiting from your cancer diagnosis."

ON THE OPIOID CRISIS

Houlahan: " We need real accountability for drug companies and high-volume opioid prescribers without depriving suffering pain patients that have nowhere else to turn. We need to make sure our first responders have the tools and resources they need to save victims from overdosing. And we need to keep cheap fentanyl and other deadly opioids from flooding into our streets from overseas. We must also ensure that treatment is available for individuals suffering from addiction. If we expand access to proven medical treatments and protect Medicaid - our nation’s number one source of addiction treatment - we will save lives and help more Pennsylvania families and communities find their path of recovery from the devastating effects of this epidemic."

McCauley: "Philadelphia has the most pure heroin in the entire country — we're ground zero...We need to secure our borders and keep heroin out and stop human trafficking going both ways." (source: ThreatCore).

"The other side of this issue is rehabilitation. Right now, the average rehab facility in our region sees a success rate of only 18-20%. We need to adopt programs and strategies used by rehabilitation facilities in neighboring states that see success rates of 88-90%. Congress should make it a priority to identify successful rehab programs and apply those models to the rest of the country."

ON IMMIGRATION

Houlahan: "Congress needs to come together and provide protections and a path to citizenship for the roughly 1.8 million undocumented immigrants who were brought to this country as children, many of whom contribute to our economy, play by the rules and in some cases they serve us proudly in the military. These young people need a place in our country. We have promised them this, and we keep our promises. There is no question that our immigration system is broken, and we must strengthen our borders. Immigration reform is possible and necessary, and if done properly, can result in growing our economy, reducing our national debt, and strengthening our communities."

McCauley: "I have a compassionate solution to our nation’s immigration crisis. My plan is to fast track a sustainable worker visa program that will bring the undocumented workers in our country out of the shadows. After obtaining a work visa, they will be able to remain in the country but will have to pay their fair share of taxes just like you and me. It is important to note that this is NOT a path to citizenship or amnesty. The ultimate goal is to secure our borders and ensure that we know who is coming into our country. This program will help everyone in the long run because the increase in tax revenue will bring about $100 billion dollars to our economy every year."

ON THE ECONOMY

McCauley: "It’s time to stop the clock on the national debt, which has ballooned to over 21 trillion dollars. Waste and fraud run rampant in Washington, and I want to put a stop to it. Otherwise, we risk leaving our children and grandchildren in financial ruin. In Congress, the career politicians only look at one issue at a time, and more often then not choose to kick the can down the road. But here in PA6, we have an opportunity to send someone with real world experience to help fix the dysfunction in Washington. I will always advocate for fiscal responsibility and the repeal of regulations that hamstring our small businesses."

Houlahan: "In Congress, my first priority will be to construct and advance programs that improve economic security for Pennsylvania families. We need to build a 21st century economy, one where people can work hard and share in prosperity, not envy it. Having been the chief operating officer of two Southeastern Pennsylvania businesses, I helped bring hundreds of jobs to our region. I know that a good relationship between government and business can spur and support job creation and job security...Furthermore, we must also ensure that businesses pay a living wage, that equal work gets equal pay, and that the workplace respects the dignity of its employees."

ON VETERANS AND THE MILITARY

McCauley: "We must always honor the service and commitment of our members of the military, law enforcement and all first-responders to disaster. We must also remember that they have families, friends and other loved ones who also make sacrifices so that they can serve some of our highest priorities including safety and upholding law and order. We must always ensure that Congress understands and considers their needs in legislation. Making sure that they and their families have access to the healthcare and education resources they need is paramount. Greg McCauley will support any legislation that benefits both these dedicated service members as well as their families."

Houlahan: "The militarization of American foreign policy and Congress’ shameful abdication of its war-making powers have, in the age of the professional all-volunteer force, put an even greater burden on our men and women in uniform. These patriots deserve more than gestures and lip service; they merit the best possible training and equipment, commitment to deployment and combat as the last not the first resort, superb and honorable leadership in the field, and high quality services and medical care for themselves, and their families at home. These services must necessarily include retraining into civilian employment for those hanging up their uniforms, and counseling for those coping with the special stresses of combat."

EDUCATION

Houlahan: "Like healthcare and public safety, education is a human right. Local, state and national government needs to support affordable, high quality education that prepares everyone, child and adult alike, for the world and economy of tomorrow. Progress toward this goal can only be achieved through a fully funded, revitalized public school system in which teachers are respected and students are valued, and by providing access to higher education for all who seek it."

McCauley: "Investing in new technologies will help our nation to continue to lead the world in productivity and economic growth. We must ensure that our children will be able to compete with the best and brightest globally. I support Stem; Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math." (source: VoteSmart)

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