Abortion, inflation, voting, energy, Dan Pastore answers voters' questions

Editor's note: The Erie Times-News asked voters to submit their questions to the candidates running for Pennsylvania governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, Pennsylvania 16th Congressional District. Here Dan Pastore, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, 16th District, answers your questions.

Question: What will you do in Congress to combat the division between the two parties which makes it so much harder to actually get anything done? How will you find common ground with your fellow representatives in the House and reach across the aisle to help accomplish something meaningful for our country?  Will you pledge to support the needs and demographics of the people of our district rather than just be a follower of party leaders?

Answer: I am running for Congress because there is too much partisanship and division in Washington. We have too many politicians in Washington who are more concerned with scoring political points than they are in solving problems. Unfortunately, our Congressman is one of those who is always quick to attack his political opponents but rarely gets anything done for our region.

It takes a willingness to reach across party lines to pass meaningful legislation. If elected, I will work across party lines to solve our region’s problems. In the end, we are in this together and we must see less partisanship and more cooperation if we are going to move our nation forward.

In my legal and business careers, I have been successful in working with diverse groups to solve difficult problems. I can bring that experience to Washington. As your congressman, I will always do what is best for our region regardless of what party leaders or special interests in Washington want.

Why should voters seek a change and support you?

Our nation is facing major challenges, and Mike Kelly would rather engage in political fights rather than work across the political aisle to solve them. I'm not interested in playing political games. I am running to solve problems and I will work with anyone in either party to deliver results for the people of western Pennsylvania.

My priorities are much different than my opponent's. He wants to outlaw abortion nationwide at about six weeks with no exceptions for victims of incest and rape. I believe the decision should be between a woman and her doctor. Our own Congressman tried to throw out all mail-in votes in Pennsylvania and overturn the results of the last presidential election, and he continues to spread misinformation about who won that election. I will ensure that everyone's vote counts and will speak the truth to the people of the 16th District.

Mike Kelly voted 33 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act with no plan to replace it. He wants to turn Medicare into a voucher system and opposed efforts to cap the cost of insulin. He even opposed allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies to lower the cost of prescription drugs. I want to build on the Affordable Care Act to make health care more affordable and more accessible for everyone. I'll take on the pharmaceutical industry to reduce drug costs for everyone. I am committed to protecting Social Security and Medicare.

Mike Kelly has a track record of working to enrich himself. He supported a tax break for car dealers like himself which came to be known as the "Kelly Kickback." He's under a congressional ethics investigation for insider trading. At issue, as the Associated Press reported, is whether his wife used nonpublic, confidential information obtained through Kelly's position in Congress "to earn thousands of dollars from a well-timed stock purchase." I want to reform the way Congress works which is why I support term limits, I want to get money out of politics, and I want to ban lawmakers from owning and trading individual stocks.

The difference is clear. Mike Kelly's priority is himself, in my opinion. The people of western Pennsylvania will be my priority if I am fortunate enough to serve in Congress.

What would you do curb inflation and bring relief to your constituents?

Addressing inflation is critical but there are no easy solutions. A major factor that is contributing to inflation is the disruption of the supply chain. Because so many manufacturing jobs have been shipped overseas to places like China, companies here have faced shortages of materials and goods.

As China continues to lock down cities, we see a disruption in the supply of goods. That is why I will work across party lines to bring manufacturing back to the United States. As we have seen over the past few years, we have become overly dependent on overseas manufacturing, and we need to bring those jobs back to strengthen and protect our supply chains.

We must also address the price of gas by boosting production domestically. This will lead to reduced costs for consumers while creating jobs here because of the abundance of oil and natural gas in our region.

What is your position on abortion? What should the law be in terms of outright bans, limits and/or exceptions and why?

Unlike Mike Kelly, who wants to outlaw abortion nationwide at about six weeks with no exceptions for rape and incest, I believe that any medical decisions involving reproductive health should be between a woman and her doctor. Politicians have no business telling women what procedures they can and cannot have.

Now that the Supreme Court has returned decision making to the states, I fully support Pennsylvania's current law which protects reproductive rights while also having reasonable restrictions.

Would you have supported the PACT Act, which PACT Act that expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances?

I would have voted for the PACT Act because those who serve in the military need to know that our nation has their backs when they return home. It is shameful that anyone — including Mike Kelly — voted against this legislation to take care of veterans who have illnesses because of exposure to burn pits on bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We must always honor our veterans' service and that means taking care of them when they come home.

Do you support the Afghan Adjustment Act? 

I support the Afghan Adjustment Act because America owes it to Afghanis who risked their lives to support our military efforts in Afghanistan. By supporting those who supported us, we make it much more likely that people will support us when we are in another foreign conflict.

What is your position on the 2020 election and the events of Jan. 6, 2021? 

Joe Biden won the 2020 election and what occurred following the election was one of the most shameful events in our nation's history. I decided to run for Congress when Mike Kelly sued to throw out more than 2.5 million votes across Pennsylvania –— including more than 500,000 in western Pennsylvania — in an effort to overturn the results of the election.

The attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th will be remembered as an attack on American democracy and every single person who entered the building or was involved should be fully prosecuted. We must send a message to the world that our democracy is strong and we, as a nation, will not tolerate attacks on our system of government.

Even worse, Mike Kelly voted against certifying the election just hours after the attack. That demonstrated that he simply does not believe in democracy which is why we need a new congressman. On the campaign trail, he still repeats the lie that the 2020 election was stolen.

I believe the current administration's policies against fossil fuels are having a detrimental effect on energy costs as well as the economy. Will you support legislation to eliminate those policies until sustainable and reliable sources of energy are developed? 

To address climate change, we need to transition to clean energy as quickly as possible, but I also realize that this transition will take time. That is why I believe that we must continue to develop oil and gas to ensure we have an adequate energy supply and that energy costs are affordable for consumers.

Pennsylvania has plentiful deposits of oil and gas. We should continue to develop this natural resource because it will help our nation's energy supply while creating jobs throughout the region. At the same time, we have an ability to develop good paying jobs in the clean energy economy here in western Pennsylvania, and we need to seize those opportunities so we can be leaders in the emerging energy sector.

Where do you stand on federal policy around police accountability? 

Law enforcement has a very difficult job and we must support them. I do not support defunding the police but I do support reform. While the overwhelming majority of police do an amazing job, we can do more at the federal level to ensure that officers who are abusive or corrupt are weeded out and cannot move to a different jurisdiction or state and be hired.

What will you do as representative to protect human rights such as reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, BIPOC rights, and women's rights?

I am fully in support of equal rights for all, and I realize that more action is needed despite the progress we've made as a nation. It is heartbreaking that many states, including Pennsylvania, do not have laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and identity. That is why I support passing legislation that would prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations.

I will work to ensure that we invest in communities of color to ensure that all have equal access to clean air, clean water, and educational and employment opportunities. I will support legislation to finally close the gender wage gap so that men and women are paid equally.

If elected, I will fight to make sure that all are treated equally under the law and I will support legislation that makes the United States a more perfect union.

Do you have a position on the former president? 

During the Trump presidency, there were some issues on which I agreed with President Trump, such as reforming NAFTA, reforming the criminal justice system, and the creation of the Space Force. There were also issues where I disagreed, like the passage of tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, his attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, his casting of doubt on our NATO allies, and his anti-union policies. I also strongly disagreed with sometimes subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle rhetoric that was disrespectful and played to people's fears and prejudices.

In the aftermath of the 2020 election, Donald Trump's refusal to accept defeat and allow a peaceful transition of power, his efforts to overturn the election results, and his ongoing lies about the outcome of the election are unacceptable and continue to divide and threaten our nation.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Democratic congressional candidate Dan Pastore answers voter questions