James Marter’s closing arguments for U.S. House, IL-14

As voters continue heading to election booths and casting their ballots, here is a refresher on where candidates for US. House of Representatives, IL-14, stand on the important issues facing our nation.

The congressional district includes towns such as Yorkville, Oswego, Plano, Plainfield, Aurora, Joliet, and Naperville. The incumbent, Rep. Lauren Underwood, D – Naperville, is being challenged by James Marter, the Republican nominee.

What does comprehensive immigration reform look like to you? Does this include changing the asylum process or the temporary protected status program?

We must stop the invasion and follow the law. We currently have an open door welcome mat, without vetting anyone, without knowing who they are. Asylum has a very specific definition, we need to stick to that. It’s for someone who’s in fear for their life and their government. It’s not for economic conditions, which is probably 99% of the people that want to come here. We have a literal invasion going on our border.

What’s going on now is we’ve got these holes in the border wall that was built and secure. They’re literally letting people walk through by the thousands and tens of thousands. When these people come across, they’re putting them on white busses, and they’re sending them off somewhere, giving them a date. Most of them never show up again. There is not much that needs to be changed, other than in the sense of making sure we’re doing what our legal immigration process is doing.

Regarding, the Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, anytime you have a mass influx of people in any area, that’s going to have a huge impact on the locals. I find it ironic people say Americans won’t work when we have plenty of unemployed teenagers.

Following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, what steps, if any, would you like to see Congress take? Do you believe any actions should be taken regarding IVF?

The Supreme Court sent it back to the states and President Trump supported that to make it happen. There’s no move in Washington to pass any sort of abortion bans. I’m pro-life. I believe we should protect the life of all children. When you’re pro-life and also pro-life for the woman, if there’s a procedure needed to protect her life, we do that. But medical professionals tell me that it’s never necessary to have an abortion.

We should offer an ultrasound at all abortion clinics to a woman who is coming in to have an abortion. There should also be a three-day waiting period. Every time I want to buy a new gun, I have to wait three days to pick it up. We also need consultations with someone who might help them through a pregnancy and both carrying a child to term and having their baby and getting help after the baby is born.

Regarding, IVF, when we talk about things that are truly optional procedures, they should not be paid for by other people just because someone’s in a situation where they think they need it. I’ve heard from some medical professionals who say that in most cases, it’s actually not necessary, but the couples are maybe not taking all the right procedures or getting the right help to have a child without it. We should not be adding it to insurance and putting that burden of cost on other people. This includes things that are truly optional, like sex change operations, the rest of us should not be paying for someone that wants them.

What should Congress’ priorities be regarding the economy? Do you recommend any actions regarding housing prices? Do you believe the Trump-era tax cuts contributed to inflation and would you support his tariffs if he is re-elected?

If I would have told my professor at Purdue University for economics that $2 trillion in government spending would reduce inflation, he would have flunked me. They called $2 trillion in spending the Inflation Reduction Act, which had nothing to do with reducing inflation. They did do a lot of green New Energy deals, which probably are a bad deal for the American taxpayer, but that doesn’t reduce inflation, and we have $35 trillion in debt.

We need to put American energy back on the table and make America energy independent. That brings down the cost of everything. In Illinois, JB Pritzker is closing down power plants, and that is not good news for the American consumer because our costs are going to go through the roof.

Tax cuts are never contributing factors to inflation. They have the opposite effects, because when you reduce taxes, you reduce the cost of goods sold in manufacturing. Spending is what causes inflation. If you cut taxes and cut spending, and do those both together, you don’t have a problem. But, if you cut taxes but don’t cut spending, that causes inflation. Corporation don’t pay taxes. Consumers pay every tax that a corporation is charged since they put it into the cost of goods sold.

The price of tariffs is absolutely paid for by the consumers. The question is, should we do them or not? We should always strive for free trade. But, in the case of the tariffs on China, it’s because we didn’t have fair trade with China. I’ve worked as a software consultant in the steel industry, and when they’re dumping steel on our markets, and then we can’t produce here, that will drive the cost of steel up. We need tariffs, and we have to use it as a tool, and it should be precisely aimed at someone who is literally trying to cheat and steal.

What actions should Congress take to improve the quality and affordability of healthcare? Do you support any changes to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security?

Obamacare cost me over $150,000 additional for my health care insurance, as it did for a lot of people. My opponent claims the average working family is saving $2,400 on healthcare costs, I don’t know anyone that’s seeing that. I’m standing with President Trump and both parties for making sure pre-existing conditions are protected.

I am not for slashing Social Security as my opponent has told people I am. I’ve called it a Ponzi scheme. If an investment banking firm sold a product like Social Security, where you paid since you were 16, you have no idea how it’s invested or where it’s kept, and you don’t get it until you’re 65, and you don’t know what your return on investment is going to be, so yes it’s a Ponzi scheme. I think that should end.

What does peace in Gaza look like to you and do you support continued military shipments to Israel? Should Congress continue providing support to Ukraine and do you support Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO?

I absolutely support Israel 100% and Hamas is a terrorist organization. I see two possible endings, one is Hamas unconditionally surrenders and stops being a terrorist organization, or they get terminated.

In Ukraine, Congress has given way too much. There’s bad actors on both sides. We shouldn’t be funding endless wars. Their admission to NATO should be postponed until this thing is resolved, and I believe President Trump will resolve it if he’s re-elected.

Do you think the 2020 Presidential Election was free and fair? Was Jan. 6 an insurrection? What will you do if Trump loses and claims the election was stolen?

There was absolutely ballot harvesting going on in states where at the time, ballot harvesting was illegal. We saw ballots pulled out from under a covered cart after Republicans in the news media were kicked out, and then ran through the machines two or three times.

I would do exactly what Congress was doing on Jan. 6 until they got interrupted, which would be looking state by state, what were the irregularities in their election, and deciding whether or not we should have an investigation to send it back to those states where the claims were made, so that they could be properly adjudicated.