Where Kay Stands

Read Kay’s New Energy Plan

Following is some information on where Kay stands on some of the issues affecting North Carolina families. Please check back frequently as we will continue to add issues, as well as expand on the following. If there is an issue or policy that you would like Kay to address, or would like to give feedback on Kay’s stand on an issue, please send an email to: MyVoice@KayHagan.com.

Washington is broken, and the special interests have too much power in Congress. We need to send a proven, North Carolina problem solver like Kay Hagan to Washington to be a voice for working North Carolina families and get our country back on track.

Budget and Economy
The budget in Washington is broken. Every family in North Carolina pays $1,500 in taxes each year just to pay the interest on our national debt. As a budget expert in the state Senate, Kay has balanced the North Carolina budget and pushed reform measures to open the budgeting process to the public. In the U.S. Senate, she will work towards a balanced budget and fiscal constraints, and she will demand we follow pay-as-you-go rules. She will be a diligent steward of taxpayers’ money by fighting against wasteful federal contracts and finding ways to reduce our national debt.

Kay supports tax cuts for middle class families instead of borrowing billions from China to pay for reckless tax cuts for the extremely wealthy who never asked for them. She favors closing loopholes for big, multinational corporations so we can make sure small businesses and entrepreneurs can thrive. Kay will also continue the work she has started in the state Senate by supporting economic programs to create and keep good jobs right here in North Carolina.

Education and College Opportunity
Education is a cornerstone of North Carolina’s economy and way of life, and our future depends on how we educate our children. Our public schools should give every student the tools they need to learn and succeed in the 21st century. Kay wants to make sure the government is doing more at all levels of education, from providing a strong foundation by strengthening early education, to increasing access to higher education with student loan assistance and keeping tuition costs under control. Kay will push for incentives to encourage more people to become teachers and more competitive salaries so good teachers will stay in the field. She also believes additional federal support is necessary for our community colleges.

Kay knows we need to fix the problems with No Child Left Behind by providing more flexibility and full funding, while continuing to push for high standards for all students. The law is being implemented in rigid ways, and Kay wants to allow local schools to accommodate individual students’ needs and learning styles without lowering standards or shortchanging accountability. In the state Senate, Kay learned the negative impacts of underfunded federal mandates, so she will also fight for increased federal funding, rather than force the financial burden on the states and threaten to pull funding from the failing schools that need the most help.

Energy and the Environment
Kay knows our country is at a crisis point and we need an energy policy that reduces our dependence on foreign oil, creates new jobs, and dramatically reduces the effects of global climate change. When it comes to our economy, our environment, and our national security, energy is one of the most important issues we face as a nation and as a community.

Kay was part of the effort to make North Carolina a leader in requiring power companies to use renewable energy sources. In the U.S. Senate, she will fight to reduce home heating fuel prices, push for higher fuel economy standards and replace tax breaks for Big Oil companies with new incentives for clean energy entrepreneurs. She will increase funding for research and development of energy sources such as wind, hydro, solar and biofuels. In order to help North Carolina and nearby states alleviate their water shortage and minimize the impact of future droughts, Kay will push for increased water conservation efforts, and she will encourage states and communities to work with each other.

Health Care
Making health care affordable and accessible to everyone is crucial to our economic competitiveness and to North Carolina families’ well-being. When Washington failed to adequately fund the children’s health insurance program, Kay stepped up and pushed for state funds to make sure children got coverage. In the Senate, she will keep fighting to extend health coverage to children and will oppose unfunded mandates by supporting increased funding for Medicaid. She will fight to lower costs by implementing electronic medical records, eliminating the extraordinary waste in the system, giving small businesses new options for buying insurance together and allowing the government to negotiate for lower drug costs for Medicare recipients.

North Carolina, as well as the nation, must reduce our nursing shortage. Kay supports improving education to boost the number of qualified applicants, and she will push to improve the quality and availability of nursing programs.

Immigration
Illegal immigration is a threat to national security and our economy. During the last seven years, the current administration in Washington has failed. The rule of law has been eroded as the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. nearly doubled and enforcement activity fell. In the Senate, Kay will work towards a practical solution that is fair to taxpayers and addresses the problem at its roots: by strengthening the borders, enforcing and upgrading laws that crack down on employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, and eliminating the shadow economy that drives down wages and working conditions. If North Carolina’s farmers and seasonal businesses are having trouble finding the help they need, Kay would support the reform of guest-worker programs to ensure farmers and businesses are able to meet their needs legally and stay competitive while protecting American workers’ jobs.

Military and Veterans
The government needs to protect the American people with a strong, well-funded military. Kay has consistently been a strong supporter of the military and has been a leader in making sure that North Carolina remains the most military-friendly state in the country. When Washington came up short, Kay helped members of the National Guard get the living and travel expenses they were owed, and she has supported efforts to make sure that the National Guard was getting all the training and equipment they needed to do their jobs and to come home safely. She will support better pay for our brave service members and she will oppose extended deployments that prohibit necessary rest and training. Kay also opposes the proposed Navy outlying landing field and will push for a solution that works for the military and for North Carolinians.

As the wife of a Vietnam veteran and the aunt of two young men currently serving in the military, it’s personal to Kay when it comes to taking care of our veterans and rewarding their service and sacrifice. With over a million service members having served in Afghanistan and Iraq, the country needs to improve its commitment to our veterans. Kay will continue to support increased funding for veterans’ health care and providing benefits for our veterans so we are not leaving them homeless and out in the cold. She will insist on passing a new GI Bill so returning veterans can go to college, and she favors a major investment in mental health resources for the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to make sure this generation of veterans gets appropriate treatment for the invisible casualties of combat.

National Security and Iraq
Kay believes that the first job of government is keeping the American people safe, and ensuring that we have strong intelligence and homeland security agencies. Kay believes the decision to invade Iraq without a plan, without the proper number of troops, and without proper equipment to keep our troops safe was mismanagement of the highest order. She supports a responsible withdrawal so that we can re-focus our national security efforts on defeating al Qaeda, improving our country’s reputation around the world and rebuilding our military strength.

Since the beginning of the Iraq war, our intelligence agencies have reported, the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 have regained their strength and safe haven, the Taliban has rebounded, and our military is stretched dangerously thin and unable to adequately respond to needs in Afghanistan and other threats. We need to insist on accountability from the Iraqi people and push for more diplomacy with other countries in the region and around the world. America needs cooperation to defeat terrorism, keep nuclear weapons out of our enemies’ hands, and combat other security threats.

Kay also knows we need to make sure North Carolina is prepared to respond to emergencies and natural disasters. We need more funding so first responders will have the equipment and training they need to do their jobs. She will also fight to bring the National Guard home from Iraq so they are ready to meet North Carolina’s needs.

North Carolina Families
Kay understands that Washington is broken and North Carolina families are frustrated at the lack of representation for them on the federal level. She will protect Social Security benefits and she will oppose any trade deals that are bad for North Carolina workers. She will fight for increases in the minimum wage, expanded access to family and medical leave and a stronger unemployment insurance system.