RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Dave Brat and Democrat Jack Trammell are facing off for the Virginia 7th Congressional District in next month’s general election. Here are their positions on key issues:
The Affordable Care Act:
Brat said he wants to repeal the act and “pursue free market reforms to lower costs and improve care, such as allowing people to purchase more affordable insurance in other states and giving individuals who buy their own insurance the same tax breaks that corporations get.”
Trammell said the act is not perfect, but “we cannot go back to a time when insurers denied coverage because of pre-existing health conditions, charged women more than men, or dropped someone’s coverage when they got sick.” He said he would work “proactively to fix problems” with the Affordable Care Act.
Abortion:
Brat said he is anti-abortion and “promote a culture that protects human life.”
Trammell said he supports abortion rights and “will support legislation that affirms every woman’s right to make her own health care decisions without government intervention.”
Immigration:
Brat said he opposes amnesty and is concerned that “terrorists are now talking about crossing our border.” He said he supports “proposals that will secure our border, enforce our current laws, and restore an orderly and fair process to allow law-abiding people who want to come here legally to work toward citizenship.”
Trammell said the “failure of this congress to address immigration is unique” and added that he supports “comprehensive immigration reform that includes border protection and a meaningful amnesty program.”
Taxes:
Brat said he supports lowering the corporate tax rate to “create an environment that creates jobs.”
Trammell said “will work across the aisle to support a comprehensive budget and tax reform plan to reduce our national debt, address government waste and increase transparency.”
Gun rights and restrictions:
Brat said he will defend the entire Constitution, including the second amendment. He said “with more than 20,000 gun laws already on the books, more gun control laws usually just infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens rather than stop criminals.”
Trammell said he is a gun owner who believes “there are places guns should be and should not” and supports “the second amendment and common sense solutions to prevent gun violence.”
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
