Key Issues

Agriculture

Agriculture is North Carolina’s largest industry, and it plays a fundamental role in our national economy. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, it is my goal to pursue policies that remove excessive regulatory burdens and roadblocks that interfere with farming operations’ ability to put food on the tables of hardworking Americans.

Education

Federal education policies should provide flexibility for parents as well as state and local governments to set school curricula and prioritize school budgets. Children are best served by policies that are tailored to meet their educational needs, and I believe parents and state and local governments have a better understanding of educational challenges than legislators and bureaucrats in Washington.

Energy

We must pursue an all-of-the-above energy approach that is economically sound and helps put America on a path to energy independence.

Entitlements

The federal government made a promise to seniors, and it must do everything we can to keep that promise and help save Social Security and Medicare for future generations. Restoring sustainability to the Social Security Trust Fund is nonnegotiable, and we must protect this program for our many seniors who rely on these critical benefits.

Government Spending

Federal spending is out of control and continues to grow at an unsustainable rate.  One of the greatest threats to the U.S. economy and national security is our national debt.  During President Obama’s tenure, the national debt has ballooned to more than $18 trillion.  It is imperative we rein in federal spending and balance the budget in order to ensure a stable economy.

Health Care

Too many Americans have lost their health insurance or watched their health costs skyrocket under the President’s healthcare law. At the same time, the law’s costly burdens on businesses have stifled job creation. I support comprehensive market-based healthcare reform that is patient-driven, spurs competition among insurers and providers for patients' hard-earned dollars, controls costs, eliminates obstacles to care, and rewards quality, over quantity, of care.

Immigration

The national crisis at our borders continues to worsen and we must first and foremost work to secure our borders. I am opposed to executive amnesty and firmly believe that U.S. workers should have the first opportunity to work high paying, high skilled jobs.

Infrastructure

Improved transportation and related infrastructure throughout North Carolina and across the country sustains our quality of life, supports jobs and enhances safety, and allows us to invest in our country’s economic growth and global competitiveness. With the nation’s growing population, we must make smart, fiscally responsible decisions in supporting transportation-based projects that best benefit Americans in rural and urban communities.

Jobs & the Economy

In North Carolina, I worked hard to enact job-creating policies and I intend to do the same in Washington. Congress must pass pro-growth policies that reduce the burden on businesses in order to free them to create jobs and grow the economy.

National Security

As member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I support a strong national defense, and will always be an unwavering advocate for our military forces and personnel.

Second Amendment

I am a strong supporter of protecting and promoting our Second Amendment rights. In North Carolina, I worked to pass laws that protected and expanded the rights of law-abiding gun owners. In Washington, I will continue to support legislation that protects our Second Amendment rights and oppose legislation that threatens to take them away.

Taxes and Regulation

The United States is in desperate need of tax reform, and all good ideas should be on the table. Updates to our tax code are long overdue as nearly 30 years have passed since Congress has addressed the issue. Reforming our nation’s tax code should reduce complexity, create jobs, stimulate economic growth, and generate more competition in the global economy.

Veterans

Taking care of veterans, especially those wounded in service to our country, should be among our nation’s top priorities. Too many of our veterans have not received the timely and quality healthcare they deserve, and as a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee I am committed to taking corrective actions to provide for those who have guaranteed the freedoms we all enjoy as Americans.