health care

U.S. House 2020

kathleen williams .png

KATHLEEN WILLIAMS (D)

Represented MT-House District 61 (2011-2017)
Unsuccessful Bid for Congress in 2018
Four-decade career in resources and public service

Why did you decide to run for Congress?

I am running for Congress to get Washington past its dysfunction and working for Montana again. To be a true, independent voice in Congress, rooted in Montanans’ hopes, struggles and dreams, who can cut through the hyperpartisanship and bring back results for Montana, all of Montana, not just special interests.

And, what inspires me are the stories. From the farmer sacrificing food and utilities to pay for insulin, the Native entrepreneur who wants to start a bank to help build native businesses, the veteran in his dress blues sharing his concern the world is hurtling toward tyranny, the young farmer working so hard to carry on her family’s legacy on the land, and the students struggling to finance their education.

I had the honor of representing the MSU campus in my service in the state Legislature. As I worked to do in the legislature, we must restore civility, integrity, and states(wo)manship to a broken Congress. From traveling around the state, these are the three biggest issues I hear from Montanans, which guide me in my path to Congress - fixing the patchwork of a healthcare system we have, fostering opportunity for all, and protecting our outdoor heritage.

I will fight to ensure all Americans can access quality, affordable healthcare. In the near term, I will work to allow people 55+ to buy into Medicare, fight the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs, and protect the right of women and families to make their own healthcare decisions without government interference.

I will ensure that America’s economy works for all, and work to foster the opportunity for all to craft and achieve their American Dream. This means focusing investment efforts on the issues that are important to small businesses, particularly in rural areas of America like Montana. This includes investing in infrastructure projects, quality education, and healthcare. We must advance regional economic development and value-added opportunities. Businesses need a qualified and able workforce. I agree with efforts to reduce red tape that unreasonably hampers business. Immediately, we need to stem the pandemic and ensure consumers can get to spending again.

I will work to protect America’s natural resources and outdoor heritage from the threat of global climate change and activities that threaten our clean air and water. My background is in natural resources, and I strongly believe we must bring science back to the policymaking table. It is prudent fiscal policy to protect what is still clean, rather than having to restore it. We will have new Farm Bill proposals soon and I look forward to creating broad input opportunities on that as I ensure it works for Montanans.

Why should MSU students vote for you?

I’m running to be a true independent voice to represent all of Montana, not just special interests. During my service in the Legislature, it was my honor to represent MSU, where we:

Passed a budget that allowed for a tuition freeze
Ensured the Legislature stayed out of decisions best made by the University system (as required in the Constitution)
Supported teachers, staff, and administrators at all levels
Ensured medical marijuana was available for those who need it
Expanded access to quality, affordable health care
Supported scholarships for veterans and housing support for Gold Star families and veterans who have nowhere to live
Worked to address issues of criminal justice and missing and murdered indigenous women and people
Supported anti-discrimination and equality, and strengthening Montana’s anti-human trafficking laws
Worked hard to grow and diversify our economy, so that young people that want to stay in Montana can have rewarding and well-paying jobs - just one of my bills created 200 new businesses and over 3,000 new Montana products
Advocated strongly for use of local food in University catering and dining services, helping our local farmers, reducing greenhouse gases, and promoting health.

In contrast, my opponent and I differ on what matters to Montanans. If you have a pre-existing condition or are under 26 years old, my opponent supports “wiping the slate clean” by repealing the Affordable Care Act. I love our public lands, it’s where we hone our skills, learn the ways of wildlife, and where we all get to have a lot of fun. He advocated repeatedly to transfer our public lands, which would likely lead to their sale. My opponent also supports a tax code that is tailored to major corporations not small businesses or new entrepreneurs. I’m running rooted in Montanans’ hopes, struggles, and dreams and I think there’s a clear choice here.

Young Montanans need vision, opportunity, and an environment where they can craft and achieve their American Dream. Rather than looking backward and tearing down our budgets and institutions, we need a leader in Congress that is forward-thinking, independent-thinking, and rooted in the aspirations of young Montanans, and all Montanans. I will be that leader.

What would your top priority as a member of Congress be concerning higher education?

Everyone should have the opportunity to pursue the level of education they choose that’s going to allow them to have a rewarding career and economic security in the long run. It’s difficult to choose one top priority, so here are a few:

Reducing suffocating student debt and restoring protections against predatory student loans
Ensure continuity through the pandemic and creative visioning for higher ed in a post-covid world
Returning science to policy
Maintaining the strength of federal higher ed assistance programs for those in need - Pell Grants, TRIO (first-time college attendees in the family), and more.
Working with Montana’s university and college system to assess workforce needs, provide full offerings on diverse subjects while minimizing overlap, and ensuring we fulfill the Land Grant Institution mission of educating Montanans.

Montana State University received roughly $10.4 million under the CARES Act. As a member of congress would you advocate for more relief funding for America’s universities during the coronavirus pandemic?

We need to make sure relief is targeted to who needs it the most and who can do the most for our recovery with it. Higher ed is both an opportunity to better one’s individual life, as well as a strong economic engine. Just like in the Great Recession, keeping higher ed strong allows people to seek new careers, keep some of our economic sectors going (e.g., construction), and continue to spin off research discoveries and tech transfer to create employment in our communities. All these will help Montanans and our economy recover. We need to ensure our education system stays strong through these dual crises (public health and economic), and that we all come out stronger on the other side. Good leaders can help make that happen. I have enjoyed my many years working with President Cruzado, and I look forward to continuing that partnership as Montana’s next Congresswoman.

As a member of Congress, how would you tackle the current recession we face?

70% of our economy is based on consumer spending. We need to safely get Montanans, and Americans, safely shopping, dining, socializing, and traveling again. We need to stem the pandemic and get our economy back on track. Since late February, I’ve been calling for an effective state/local/federal/private partnership on testing. We can’t manage what we can’t see. We need to continue to advance the science, availability, speed, and accuracy of testing. We need to repair supply chain issues, and focus on the most vulnerable people so they feel safe as they move out into the world again. We need relief to be targeted to workers and businesses who need it the most and will most benefit the recovery. And we must ensure continuity in employment - the last thing we need on top of a pandemic is a spate of homelessness.

Are you in favor of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act?

I do not support repealing the Affordable Care Act. We need to retain the protections people rely on in the ACA, that:

Let people to stay on their parents’ coverage until they’re 26
Protect people with pre-existing conditions
Protect choice in healthcare plans

In addition, we need to fix the patchwork of a healthcare system we have. Everyone deserves access to quality, affordable health care. As part of my plan, I think we should allow 55 and older to buy into Medicare. That will immediately lower costs in both the Medicare and individual markets and more. I’ll protect coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and make sure Congress fulfills its commitment to helping people cover insurance costs. And I’ll fight to allow Medicare to bargain for drug prices, like the VA and Medicaid can - something that could save $11 billion that can be used to improve health care for others.

Does the federal government have a responsibility to help combat and prevent further climate change? Why?

We all do, including the federal government. Whether a farmer, rancher, recreationist, or a water specialist like me, we know we are experiencing hotter, drier, summers; longer, more intense fire seasons; earlier runoff; and more effects of climate change. One of our top priorities needs to be handing down a healthy planet for our kids and grandkids. We also need to be ready for the energy consumers of the future here in Montana.

Farmers and ranchers know that weather is getting more extreme, especially in Eastern Montana. I believe that we need a diversified energy strategy that prepares us for what current and future energy consumers want. That future includes renewables, and we want to ensure that we don’t continue missing out on key projects like wind farms to states like Wyoming. We can work to get ahead of the trend towards electrifying our transportation sector, and work with our agricultural communities to advance soil health (estimated by some to be able to capture more carbon than the transportation sector emits). We need to break through the technological challenges in battery storage and recommit, all of us, to working toward a healthy planet. Please see more on this topic at www.kathleenformontana.com/issues

With the polarizing political climate that we currently are experiencing, how do you plan to work across the aisle to get bills passed?

I’m in this race because Montanans deserve a true, independent voice in Congress, rooted in their hopes, struggles, and dreams, who will work with people of all political stripes on solutions for Montana, not just special interests.

For my entire career, I have worked to bring people together to find win-win-win solutions to very thorny issues. It’s an art and a skill, and that’s why I’m running to cut through the hyper-partisanship and get results for Montana.

As a legislator, I worked with people of all political stripes to pass bills and improve the lives of Montanans. I’ll bring that skill, art, and mindset, and my tireless work ethic, to Congress. They sure need it and Montanans deserve it.

MATT ROSENDALE (R)