Spanberger, Vega Answer Chamber Questionnaire In Lieu Of Debate

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Incumbent Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican challenger Yesli Vega are running to represent Virginia's 7th district in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, they will not meet for a debate before the Nov. 8 election.

Instead, Spanberger and Vega both answered a questionnaire from the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber's questionnaire focused on business-oriented topics that will affect local voters and business owners throughout the district, which includes Woodbridge, Stafford, and Fredericksburg.

"The chamber works closely with policymakers at the local, state, and federal level to ensure we have a healthy business environment," chamber officials said in a news release. "The Chamber commends Representative Abigail Spanberger and Supervisor Yesli Vega for their commitment to public service [and] looks forward to working with the winner."

The complete list of responses from both candidates is available online on the chamber's website.

The questionnaire tackled inflation, supply chain issues, and the labor shortage. Each candidate also shared what their plans for the biggest issues affecting small local businesses.

"Virginia’s small businesses know they have someone in Congress who will fight for their livelihoods and their employees," Spanberger said in the questionnaire. "Going forward, I’m focused on moving solutions forward that businesses know will help all Virginians get ahead — like strengthening support for workforce training programs, cutting burdensome and unnecessary red tape, and expanding high-speed broadband internet access."

Vega noted that she would focus on supply chain and labor issues, if she is elected.

"Labor shortages have been caused by bad government policies. We need to be incentivizing people to get back to work and not giving handouts to people that choose not to work," Vega said in her response. "Shortages in staffing are causing many of the supply chain issues we see around the country. Fixing these shortages will help curb the problems we’re seeing now in the supply chain."

Both candidates also outlined their plans to tackle rising rates of inflation. From September 2021 to September 2022, the inflation rate was 8.2 percent, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

"Our economy is hurting, and people are struggling to make ends meet with soaring gas and food prices," Vega said. "We need to return to a limited government that doesn’t over-print currency, which is the root cause of inflation. In congress, I will work diligently to get government printing and spending under control so U.S. citizens can keep more of their hard-earned money."

Spanberger said she would continue to address inflation through other policy initiatives surrounding microchips and infrastructure.

"After hearing directly from local Chambers of Commerce here in Virginia about this issue, I voted in support of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act. This law will help grow Virginia’s economy, support Virginia’s semiconductor industry and workforce, keep America competitive with the Chinese Communist Party, and prevent the shortages of microchips that we’ve seen drive up costs for consumers ," Spanberger said. "The bipartisan infrastructure law – which I helped negotiate with Members of Congress and Governors from both parties – will help reduce congestion on I-95, support thousands of jobs here in Virginia, and provide necessary fixes to Virginia’s roads, bridges, ports, and water infrastructure."

Both candidates also outlined ways they would help workers in a changing labor market.

"One step to boost our Commonwealth’s workforce is ensuring that civilians – and Veterans who are transitioning to the civilian workforce – have access to the technology they need to apply to jobs," Spanberger said. She also said she would focus on alternatives to the traditional four-year university for students.

"To prepare for the future of work, we need to keep making sure Virginia’s students who choose not to go to college for a four-year degree have access to affordable workforce training and apprenticeship programs," Spanberger said. "We need to make sure Virginia students and workers receive the training required to remain competitive and successful."

Similarly, Vega noted that she would begin addressing the shifting labor market through educational initiatives.

"We need to ensure that our educational institutions are focused on the skills that our students will need for the future. Our economy is changing. The types of jobs we need people to fill are evolving. We must adapt our education programs to fit the needs of a changing country," Vega wrote. "We need to make investments in science and technology education programs, so we develop a workforce that can work in those fields now and in the future."

Voters will choose between Spanberger and Vega in the Nov. 8 general election. Their complete responses to the chamber's questionnaire are available online.

See also: General Election 2022: Dates, Races To Know In Fredericksburg