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Jobs & The Economy
An Economy That Works for all North Carolinians
Good Paying Jobs for North Carolina: Kathy understands the importance of job creation and economic development. Kathy has spent her career working to make her community a better place, including helping to spearhead key economic development projects to revitalize downtown Greensboro. She thinks that the last thing our government should do is incentivize American jobs to go overseas. As a new Member of Congress, she’ll ensure our taxpayer dollars go toward supporting jobs here at home, and close tax loopholes that reward corporations that ship jobs overseas.
Strong Small Businesses Make Strong Communities: As a business person, Kathy knows that small businesses are the key to creating jobs and helping communities thrive. North Carolina must be an environment for small businesses to compete, grow, and thrive in a 21st century economy. Kathy will work to support programs that help small businesses attract the funding, skilled workforce, and incentives they need to innovate and thrive in North Carolina.
World Class Vocational Education, STEM, and Skills-Based Education and Training: During the Great Recession, Kathy led key efforts to help people in our community get back on their feet through job retraining programs. She understands the first step to bringing good jobs to North Carolina is having a skilled and prepared workforce. As a Member of Congress, Kathy will work to make sure our schools provide the top-quality education our children need to be ready for the jobs of today and the jobs of the future. Kathy will fight for tax credits for employers who increase their spending on training workers through a wide range of programs including apprenticeships programs, community colleges, and technical schools.
An Equal Playing Field for North Carolina Workers: The trade deals of the past decimated North Carolina manufacturing, costing us hundreds of thousands of jobs in the manufacturing industry across our state and ruining lives. We have a responsibility to make sure trade deals are fair to American workers and that countries that cheat are required to pay the requisite penalties.
Infrastructure: The 13th District includes major interstates I-85, I-40 and I-77, an international airport and several railways. Kathy will fight for investment in our infrastructure to improve our transportation system, increase economic growth in our communities and improve the quality of life. And Kathy opposes the I-77 toll road scheme, which works for foreign interests but not for the people of North Carolina. It’s costly and disruptive.
Affordable Healthcare & Drug Prices
Fixing Our Healthcare System: The high cost of healthcare and prescription drugs is a major problem, mostly because Congress is owned by special interests. Kathy Manning won’t take a dime from insurance companies or big drug companies who rig the system so people pay more and get less care in return. Our healthcare system is inefficient, costly, and inaccessible to many. Congress has failed to focus on how to fix this broken system. Kathy will work find solutions that will allow every American to get affordable healthcare, including people with pre-existing conditions and seniors.
Lower Prescription Drug Prices: When a chronic illness struck one of her daughters, Kathy experienced firsthand the frustration of fighting with big insurance companies to get the medication her daughter needed. She also learned the outrageous prices drug companies charge for prescription drugs – drugs that could be purchased for half the price in other countries. Kathy will fight to bring down the cost of prescription drugs. Kathy supports allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, examining the role of drug benefit managers in high drug prices, and looking for other ways to make prescription medication more affordable. She will look into shortages of much needed medications and she will go after price gougers.
Fixing a Broken System: Kathy believes we must reduce the fragmentation in our healthcare system while emphasizing early detection and preventative care, including encouraging healthier living choices. We must also reduce reliance on expensive emergency room visits by increasing access to doctors and medical professionals.
Reducing Special Interest Influence
No Corporate PAC Pledge: Our current Congressman’s voting record shows what happens when a member of Congress listens to special interests instead of the people who elected him. There is too much special interest influence in Washington and not enough listening to North Carolinians. That’s why Kathy has taken a pledge to not accept a single dime of corporate PAC money during her campaign for Congress. She will not be beholden to large corporations and special interest influence. The people of North Carolina are Kathy’s only constituency.
Putting a Stop to the Revolving Door: There are too many politicians and lobbyists going through the revolving door of the Washington swamp. Kathy supports legislation that would ban Members of Congress for five years from lobbying.
End Citizens United: Corporate special interests are permitted undue influence in our political system through undisclosed and unlimited contributions to super PACs. Washington politicians like our current Congressman put these special interests before the needs of their constituents in order to raise campaign cash. This system must change. That’s why Kathy supports legislation that will end the corrupting impact of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United and that will increase transparency of campaign spending.
No Corporate or Taxpayer Funded Trips. If there is really an important fact-finding trip that’s necessary to pass laws that help North Carolina, Kathy will pay her own way – no vacation junkets paid for by your taxes or corporate special interests.
Quality Education
Quality Education for North Carolina Kids
Creating Opportunity: Quality public education is the key to opportunity. Kathy will fight to ensure every child goes to a great public school regardless of their zip code. She will also fight to increase the availability of vocational and technical education for those who want to learn skills, and providing them job readiness that will lead them to a good career and a productive future.
Technical and Vocational Training to Land A Good Job: Roughly six million jobs are unfilled in this country due to a mismatch between the skills workers possess and those needed by employers. This skills gap is impacting key industries in our community such as manufacturing and transportation. Kathy will work to increase access to apprenticeship opportunities as well as vocational and technical education and training programs to shrink the skills gap and prepare our workforce for the 21st century economy. She will also support legislation to allow parents to use 529 college savings plans on skills and apprenticeship programs.
Affordable Higher Education: Kathy believes a quality education provides the foundation for success in the 21st century economy. Every student should have access to an affordable education in our community colleges, four year universities, and technical and vocational institutions. Kathy supports expanding access to Pell Grants and allowing student borrowers to refinance their federal student loans to make college more affordable for all families.
HBCUs Make America Strong: North Carolina has more Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) than all but one other state in the country. HBCUs educate a disproportionate number of first generation and low-income students, providing pathways to opportunity for communities in need. In Congress, Kathy is committed to fighting for greater financial support for these institutions and expanding opportunities for the students they serve.
Veterans & Military Families
Supporting Our Veterans & Military Families
Protecting Veterans Healthcare: North Carolina’s brave veterans deserve our gratitude and care when they return home. The 13th District is home to many veterans, as well as to the W.G. Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which provides services to the thousands of veterans located in the Triad region. Kathy believes our heroes deserve access to affordable and excellent continuing education top-quality and timely health care and economic opportunities when they come home.
Economic Opportunities for Veterans: Veterans and their families serve our nation and deserve our respect and support once their service is completed. Kathy will fight for policies that support our veterans throughout their transition to civilian life. She’s committed to championing policies that will increase economic opportunity such as the extension and expansion tax credits for employers who prioritize hiring veterans.
Protecting Military Families from Payday Lenders: Payday lending was outlawed in North Carolina years ago because it preyed on service members and their families. Now, after thousands of dollars in lobbying efforts and campaign donations, politicians like Congressman Budd are leading the effort to roll back consumer protections that protect working people from these predatory lenders. Kathy will never sell our heroes and their families out for campaign contributions. Instead, she’ll fight to protect military families from predatory payday lenders looking to make a quick buck at their expense.
Protecting Our Seniors
Standing Strong for North Carolina Seniors
Protecting Medicare and Social Security: Medicare and Social Security are this nation’s top commitment to our seniors. Kathy is committed to ensuring Medicare and Social Security are protected for this generation and generations to come. North Carolina seniors deserve the healthcare and retirement they have earned by working hard and playing by the rules. Kathy strongly opposes any attempts to cut benefits for our seniors by privatizing Social Security. Because it’s your money, not the Washington politicians’ money, and she won’t let them take away the money you paid in with every paycheck.
Fighting the Age Tax: Last year, Congressman Budd supported legislation that would allow insurance companies to charge older adults five times more than younger adults. The AARP called this an “Age Tax.” Kathy will fight against legislation that discriminates against older policyholders.
Country Over Party
Bringing Commonsense Back to Washington
Country Over Party: Washington is dysfunctional. Partisan bickering has gotten in the way of getting things done, Congress is lurching from crisis to crisis, and the unlimited money being spent by special interests is having a corrosive effect on legislation and diminishing the American people’s trust in government. We need new leadership on both sides of the aisle. We need leaders and members who will put party aside, put the interests of the country and the American people first, and work hard and together to address the tough problems that are impacting our communities and the future of our country.
Responsible Leadership: Kathy supports legislation like “No Budget, No Pay,” which would prohibit Members of Congress from receiving a paycheck if they don’t get their jobs done. Kathy supports term limits to encourage new leaders and fresh ideas. Kathy also supports saving taxpayer dollars by cutting duplicative and ineffective government programs. Just last year, the Government Accountability Office pointed out over $16 billion dollars in government programs that could be eliminated or changed because they are duplicative of other programs.
A Representative Who Listens to North Carolina: Our current Congressman hasn’t held a single, in-person town hall meeting since he was elected. Instead of listening to the people who elected him, he hired lobbyists as top staffers and has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from corporate special interests in campaign contributions. His voting record shows that he is doing the bidding of those special interests rather than voting for things that will help the people of our district. As a Member of Congress, Kathy pledges to hold regular, in-person, town hall meetings and listen to the concerns of her constituents to ensure the people of North Carolina are always heard by their elected leaders.
Defending America’s Values
Right to Vote and Fair Representation: There is nothing more American than the right to vote. Kathy is fed up with politicians attacking the right to vote and access to democracy for their own partisan, political gain. She’s also tired of politicians rigging the system by drawing unfair and unconstitutional voting districts. Kathy will fight to protect our democracy – from fighting against gerrymandering to standing up for the rights of our citizens to vote.
Equality Under The Law: This country was built on the idea that if you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to build a good future for yourself and your family. Kathy believes that idea should be accessible to everyone, and all our citizens deserve equality under the law no matter their race, gender, or sexual orientation.
Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Kathy understands how complex and outdated our immigration system is, and thinks there should be more people in Washington who know what they’re talking about when it comes to immigration. Kathy believes we need commonsense immigration reform that will secure our borders, create a pathway for Dreamers, and strengthen North Carolina and our country’s economy.
America’s Place in the World: America is the greatest country in the world and has a responsibility to lead on the world’s stage. Kathy will always fight to ensure America leads responsibly and with our values front and center. Kathy also believes that we should be striking trade deals that help North Carolina manufacturers and farmers, not deals that leave North Carolina workers out in the cold. As a Member of Congress, Kathy will always advocate for responsible, values-driven leadership that works for North Carolina and our country.
Keeping North Carolina Safe
Commonsense Gun Safety: Kathy grew up in a house with a gun and has always supported the Second Amendment. Her father taught her that with rights come responsibilities, and we have a responsibility to keep our kids and families safe from harm. Partisan politics and special interest influence is preventing politicians from getting anything done to keep our families safe in their schools, homes, businesses, places of worship, and public spaces. As a mother of three, Kathy never wants parents to wonder if their children will be safe when they leave their homes each day. Kathy knows there are commonsense, bipartisan policies that can take steps in the right direction, but there are too few people in Washington with the political courage to do what’s right. Kathy supports comprehensive background checks, closing loopholes for gun show sales, and keeping weapons out of the hands of terrorists, domestic abusers, criminals, individuals with mental illness, and those who pose a danger to themselves or others.
Access to Mental Health Resources: Nearly two-thirds of all adults experience some type of mental illness in their lives, yet do not receive proper treatment. Kathy will take mental health care seriously and fight to ensure North Carolinians have access to the care they need to keep themselves healthy, both physically and mentally.
Fighting the Opioid Crisis
Holding Big Drug Companies Accountable: In 2016, over 1,500 North Carolinians died from opioid-related overdoses. Opioids have become an increasingly serious public health crisis for our communities, especially in the 13th District. Kathy will stand up against big pharmaceutical companies who have played a significant role in creating and fueling this crisis. For far too long, Washington politicians have failed to hold big drug companies accountable for their actions, all while those politicians line their pockets with special interest campaign contributions. Kathy will be free to go after outrageous drug prices because she won’t be taking campaign contributions from the same companies that are overcharging people for much needed medications.
Keeping Our Communities Healthy: Kathy will also fight to ensure that our communities have the resources they need to address the health crisis happening on the ground. Kathy supports treatment programs that focus on rehabilitation to ensure former users become healthy, stay healthy, and are able to become productive members of society.
Protecting Our Environment
A Strong Economy and a Healthy Environment Go Hand-in-Hand: Kathy will work to ensure North Carolina continues its leadership in renewable energy technology and will help incentivize companies to shift toward more sustainable and cleaner power supplies. North Carolina families must also have clean water to drink and clean air to breathe. We’ve seen firsthand what happens when companies break the rules — children and families get sick. The health, safety, and well-being of North Carolina families are Kathy’s top priorities.
Women & Families
When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: Kathy understands the importance of empowering women and girls, protecting access to health care, and fighting for a fair playing field for women. Kathy will never let the government come between a woman and her doctor and will fight to ensure equal economic opportunities for women and girls, including equal pay for equal work, affordable and quality child care, and access to paid family leave.
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