GoLocalProv Voter's Guide - Candidates for Congress: Jim Langevin
GoLocalProv Politics Team
GoLocalProv Voter's Guide - Candidates for Congress: Jim Langevin
Jim Langevin
Democratic Candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives (2nd Congressional District)
April 22, 1964 in Providence, RI
Education:
Rhode Island College
Harvard University (MA in Public Administration)
Career Highlights:
• In 1986, elected to RI’s constitutional convention and was named its secretary
• From 1988 to 1994, served on the Rhode Island General Assembly
• In 1995, elected to serve as Secretary of the State of Rhode Island
• In 2000, elected to the US House of Representatives, 2nd Congressional District, and has served as a representative since then
• Is a member of the House Armed Service Committee, where he chairs the Strategic Forces Subcommittee; the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; the House Committee on the Budget
• Is Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the House Cybersecurity Caucus
• Is Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus
• Is Co-Chair of the Congressional Olympic and Paralympic Caucus
• Is an active member of PARI Independent Living, Tech Access, the Rhode Island Shelter, the Hope Alzheimer’s Center and Adoption Rhode Island
Personal Information:
At the age of 16, Langevin was injured and left paralyzed, while volunteering at the Warwick Police Department for the Boy Scout Explorer program from a gun accident. He is an active advocate of Stem Cell Research and Universal Health Care. In addition to his committee work, Langevin has also become a national leader on cybersecurity, stem cells, disabilities, respite care and health reform issues.
Views on Key Issues:
Do you think RI is culturally too accepting of public corruption?
The best checks for curbing public corruption are elections. Rhode Islanders have never been shy about making the tough decisions in the voting booth.
Do you think RI effectively spends its education dollars?
We must all look for opportunities to keep our education system strong and efficient. I recently supported $33 million in federal education funding for Rhode Island to prevent hundreds of teacher layoffs, and I will work with state education leaders to ensure dollars are spent wisely and our students succeed.
Do you favor a state law to allow gay marriage?
The government must ensure its citizens are treated equally under the law, and same-sex committed couples should receive the same rights and benefits as married couples. I have supported civil unions to achieve that goal, but the issue should ultimately be left to the states to decide.
Do you think RI should enact restrictive immigration legislation?
I support comprehensive reform that strengthens border security and provides a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants in our country. Piecemeal solutions like the Arizona law will burden local law enforcement, create fear and uncertainty and lead to opportunities for racial profiling and other abuses.
Do you think municipal government has done enough to cut spending?
As a member of the Budget Committee, I am always looking for opportunities to cut wasteful spending at the federal level. I know many of my colleagues at the local level are similarly examining their budgets and making the difficult choices necessary to preserve services while eliminating waste.
What is your strategy to address the federal budget deficit? Please be specific, i.e. what cuts or revenue enhancements you are proposing.
I support PAYGO budgeting, which requires offsets for new spending or tax cuts. I also supported health care reform to finally get health care costs under control, as well as efforts to cut waste at the Pentagon. And I look forward to reviewing the recommendations of the President’s Deficit Commission.
What specifically will you do to improve employment for Rhode Islanders?
We need policies that will create good jobs, provide a safety net, and control our deficit. I have supported legislation like the Recovery Act, which saved or created approximately 11,000 jobs in RI, and the HIRE Act, which provides small business assistance and tax incentives for businesses that hire unemployed workers.
How would you deal with the cost of Social Security programs? Would you raise the eligibility age, decrease benefits, or increase taxes? Please elaborate.
Social Security does not contribute to the deficit, and the Trust Fund can pay full benefits until 2037. We need bipartisan cooperation to strengthen this program, and a variety of options should be considered, but I do not support privatization or any other drastic changes to this critical safety net.
Do you favor a specific time-table for withdrawal from Afghanistan?
I have concerns about our counterinsurgency strategy and will continue to exercise close oversight of our efforts in Afghanistan via the Armed Services Committee. I support an end to this war that is responsible to our national security and that brings home troops as quickly and safely as possible.
Do you favor a second stimulus program?
In order to spur job growth, I support additional spending that is targeted toward investments in critical, long-term priorities such as infrastructure projects. I look forward to supporting this type of funding during the reauthorization of transportation programs expected next year.