Where do the candidates for New York's 16th District stand on abortion, guns and more?
Correction: An earlier version of this story excluded Congressman Bowman's responses and inaccurately said he did not respond.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman will face Republican newcomer and doctor Miriam Levitt Flisser in the Nov. 8 election for New York's 16th Congressional District.
The USA TODAY Network New York sent both candidates questions on key topics this election year, such as abortion and inflation. Here are the answers and more detail about the candidates.
Miriam Levitt Flisser
Party: Republican
Residence: Scarsdale
Age: 76
Q: Would you seek the adoption of any new gun control measures following the Bruen decision at the Supreme Court? If yes, what? If no, why not?
Yes. We should control guns by funding and supporting New York's police departments to enable them to take illegal guns off the street. And with crime spiking all across New York, my opponent, who has repeatedly called to “defund the police,” just last month voted against Federal funding for community police departments – one of only nine Democrats in America to have done that.
We should also reverse the alarming and visible spike in crime all across New York by making sure criminals remain in jail when they are caught – that’s a much bigger threat to people’s lives than law abiding citizens who want to protect themselves. About one-third of recent gun buyers are women, and minority gun ownership has also risen since the beginning of the pandemic. I don’t think we should make it harder for law abiding citizens to be safe.
Also, let’s enforce the gun control laws we already have. People who lie about drug abuse on their firearms applications should be prosecuted, to deter others from committing felonies.
What, if any, restrictions should be put on abortion? Should abortion laws be left to states or federal government?
We should respect the rule of law and the balance of powers. That means from 1973 until 2022, we respected results of Roe v. Wade, and now we should respect the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs. And that means that at this time abortion laws are a matter for state governments.How specifically would you address inflation?
Reverse the astonishingly unsuccessful economic policies of the current administration that have wrecked the longest economic expansion in American history. Lower gasoline prices and move America back to energy independence – complete the Keystone Pipeline that was killed. Stop the Federal government from printing and spending trillions of dollars that working families will need to pay back. Reward job creators and incentivize them to invest in local communities.
Should members of Congress and their family members be banned from stock trading? If yes, why? If no, why not?
Yes. Politicians shouldn’t be above the law. I think it is shocking that they may make millions of dollars trading on privileged knowledge, when every American knows insider trading is a crime. In New York alone there are hundreds of thousands of financial industry professionals, lawyers, and accountants, who are held to much stricter financial disclosure rules in order to prevent both actual wrongdoing and the appearance of impropriety.
Will you accept the election results in November?
Yes.
Who won the 2020 presidential election?
I can tell you who didn’t win – the American people. We have an Administration that has bumbled from disaster to disaster, from the border crisis to Afghanistan, to failed energy policies, inflation, unemployment and surging crime. The only thing The Administration has succeeded at, is expanding the size of the IRS – that’s not a win for America.
What is your top policy priority, how do you intend to achieve it and why do you think you deserve to be elected in November?
It’s not about what I deserve – it’s what people in the 16th District deserve - safe and secure communities, good schools, an opportunity to make a decent living, and a representative who has common sense centrist values.
My top priorities include reducing inflation, lowering energy costs, and reducing crime. We should use of America’s vast energy resources to lower the price of home heating oil and gasoline, and we should make American energy independent so we don’t have to rely on foreign oil. Unlike the current policies, this will help families who are struggling to pay their bills, and is also a matter of national security.
We should make sure the police have the tools they need to fight crime, and that prosecutors put criminals in jail, not release them into our communities.
As an immigrant, a mother, a doctor, a Mayor, and a life-long New Yorker who was raised in the Bronx, I want to see this country and the State of New York succeed. God Bless America.
Jamaal Bowman
Party: Democratic
Residence: Yonkers
Age: 46
Q: Would you seek the adoption of any new gun control measures following the Bruen decision at the Supreme Court? If yes, what? If no, why not?
Gun violence is an epidemic in our communities and we must work to end it now. President Biden announced that his administration regulating untraceable ‘ghost guns’ more by requiring sellers and resellers to place serial numbers on the home-assembled weapons. The President’s executive action fulfills one of the steps I outlined in a recent letter to his administration to address gun violence, is absolutely essential given the prevalence of ghost guns used in instances of gun violence. In New York we’ve seen the purchase and sale of ghost guns skyrocket and oftentimes these guns reach our communities from across state lines. We must bring gun trafficking to an end to protect our streets and save our youth who are far too often the victims of gun violence. President Biden is leading our nation in the right direction by reducing the number of guns on our streets and nominating Steve Dettelbach to be Director of ATF. I have also pushed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to join Senate Democrats to pass common sense gun law reform. These bills have passed the House with bipartisan support, but have been blocked by Senate Republicans. My heart pains every time I join neighbors in NY-16 to grieve another person lost to gun violence. As a nation, we are grieving those we’ve lost to gun violence and we need proactive steps in place now to prevent anymore friends, children, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles and loved ones from being taken away before their time by another bullet. Today, we are one step closer to comprehensive gun violence prevention which is necessary for healing.
What, if any, restrictions should be put on abortion? Should abortion laws be left to states or federal government?
No restrictions. It is a decision between a woman and her doctor. Every Senate Democrat, and every Senator who claims to be pro-choice, must be united and act now to restore and protect abortion rights and pass the Women’s Health Protection Act.
How specifically would you address inflation?
Inflation doesn’t just mean more expensive food and gas, it means paying more in rent too. Every aspect of American life is getting more expensive, congress must take action. That's why I voted to help pass the Inflation Reduction Act in Congress and why I introduced a bill in the House to combat greedy price gouging by corporations that are driving up the cost of goods and services.
Should members of Congress and their family members be banned from stock trading? If yes, why? If no, why not?
Yes, Members of Congress should not be allowed to trade stocks. We have access to sensitive information not available to the public and we literally write the laws that regulate corporations. It's a conflict of interest.
Will you accept the election results in November?
Yes.
Who won the 2020 presidential election?
President Joe Biden.
What is your top policy priority, how do you intend to achieve it and why do you think you deserve to be elected in November?
Education and workforce development. Fixing our economy and public education system is how we reduce inflation, support working families, increase affordability, and support an increase in public safety because the more opportunities we give folks the less the need to resort to crime.
Since I began My first term in Congress, I’ve brought hundreds of millions of dollars back to the district to invest in our towns and communities, including over $5 million in community project funding and in federal relief funds in FY22.
In the face of these countless challenges and an out of control Republican Party, we are showing up, putting in the work, and fighting back.
I also know the struggle parents and children have been facing these last few years of the pandemic. I saw this first-hand when I was an educator. That’s why I introduced the Green New Deal for Public Schools Act, which aims to invest $1.43 trillion over 10 years in public schools and infrastructure to combat climate change.
I know what our families need to thrive, and I have dedicated the last two years to making sure hardworking families in NY-16 have the resources they need to do just that.
I have a vision for NY-16. One where massive flooding doesn’t occur after every rain storm, one where not a single person dies senselessly to gun violence, one where we invest in our children, one where everyone has access to truly affordable housing.
I am confident the voters will make the right choice for this district and for themselves.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY-16 House race: Miriam Flisser, Jamaal Bowman on key issues
