Michael Thompson

Jobs are my number one priority, and that’s why I am fighting for a jobs plan in Congress that invests infrastructure, energy and education. My plan puts people to work now, puts our economy on solid ground for years to come.

One of the best ways to grow our economy is to put Americans to work fixing our roads, overpasses, ports and bridges. That’s why part of the jobs plan I am fighting for in Congress puts people back to work rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure.

My plan would invest more than $300 billion in our roads and bridges by passing a long-term transportation bill. This is one of the best investments you can make to create good-paying jobs. You don’t have to look any further than the widening of the 101 corridor in Sonoma County to see that this is true.

The 101 project is putting thousands of people to work and pumping billions into our local economy. I am proud to have worked to secure more than $5 million in federal funds to help get our project off the ground. But more can and should be done.

For every $1 billion we invest in infrastructure improvements, more than 30,000 jobs are created. We shouldn’t leave jobs on the table by failing to make these investments.

My plan would also fund dredging projects, creating jobs for the people who do the dredging and helping our local economy by making our marinas, ports and harbors more accessible for business.

In addition to creating jobs by rebuilding our infrastructure, we have to plan for the future. That’s why growing our new energy economy is a cornerstone of my jobs plan. New sources of clean and renewable energy can be to the 21st century what coal, oil and gas was to the 20th century.

Our district is already an energy leader. We need to build on that. By making the smart investments that my plan calls for, we can help make sure renewable energy and all the jobs that come with it – jobs in construction, design, development, engineering, maintenance, and manufacturing – are a foundation of our economy for generations to come.

Finally, my plan calls for investment in education. Education is the one essential element to our nation’s long-term economic success. To compete in a global market, we must continue producing the world’s best entrepreneurs and innovators. To continue producing the world’s best entrepreneurs and innovators, everyone must have the opportunity to get a quality education.

We can do this all without adding a dime to the deficit. My plan is entirely paid for and decreases the national debt by asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share.

Infrastructure, a new economy rooted in new energy, and education – these are foundations of job creation, economic growth, and a strong and secure middle class for years to come.

In the wake of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, I was named to chair the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. My task force was charged with developing a comprehensive set of policy principles to help reduce and prevent gun violence.

In developing these principles – which ranged from improving mental health services, cracking down on straw purchasers and expanding criminal background checks – I met with virtually everyone: victims of gun violence and gun safety advocates; gun owners, hunters, and outdoor sportsmen and women; federal, state, and local law enforcement; educators and community workers; mental health experts and physicians; representatives of the motion picture, television, music, and video game industries; leaders in our faith communities; representatives of gun manufacturers and gun retailers; cabinet secretaries, my constituents, the Vice President of the United States and the President of the United States.

Of all of my task force’s recommendations, the single most important thing we can do is expand comprehensive criminal background checks. Some states, like ours, already require criminal background checks at gun shows and for internet sales. However, many other states only require checks for purchases made through a licensed gun dealer. It’s far too easy for a criminal in California to drive across the state line, load up with guns from a gun show, and then drive back into our state.

That’s why I have written and introduced bipartisan legislation that would require comprehensive and enforceable criminal background checks for all commercial gun sales. If my bill passed, criminals and other prohibited purchasers wouldn’t be able to bypass a background check by simply going online or to a gun show.

Closing this loophole will reduce the number of places criminals, terrorists, wife beaters and the dangerously mentally ill can buy guns. And, it will save lives.

People on both sides of the aisle and all sides of the issue have said they want to keep guns away from dangerous people. But you can’t do that without background checks. Background checks are how you know if a person buying a gun is a criminal, terrorist or wife beater. They are the first line of defense.

As your representative in Congress, I will always defend your Second Amendment rights, but I will also do everything I can to keep our communities safe from gun violence.

That means passing my background checks bill so criminals, terrorists and domestic abusers can no longer walk into gun shows or go online to buy a firearm without any questions asked.

As the husband of a family nurse practitioner, and a senior member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, I know firsthand the challenges that exist in our current health care system. For more than two decades I have worked to make healthcare affordable and accessible for all Americans.

I am proud to have voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which is helping make sure the people of our district can get health insurance. This landmark legislation is holding insurance companies more accountable, increasing competition and guaranteeing more health insurance options.

Many people have already experienced the Affordable Care Act’s benefits. Insurance companies can no longer drop your coverage when you get sick or deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. Adults with pre-existing conditions now have access to coverage. Being a woman can no longer be treated as a pre-existing condition and your coverage can’t be dropped because you become pregnant. New insurance plans are required to cover preventive services and immunizations with no co-payments. Seniors are saving millions on prescription drugs. Small businesses that provide coverage to their employees now get a tax credit on insurance premiums. And, the hidden taxes all insured individuals currently pay toward the cost of emergency room visits by people without insurance have ended.

On October 1st, 2013 a major component of the law went into effect: the new, online health insurance marketplaces. In California, people can go online at www.coveredca.com, see what discounts they qualify for, compare plans, and pick one that’s right for them, their budget, and their health care needs.

I have said from the beginning that the Affordable Care Act isn’t perfect, and you have to look no further than the federal health exchange website that has been plagued by delays to see that is true.  However, we should be spending our time working to build on and strengthen the reforms made in the law, not trying to undermine them at every turn.

To help solve the cancellation notices people have received, I supported legislation that would allow people who like their insurance to keep their insurance. This was a promise that was made when health care reform was passed and it is a promise that should be kept. The legislation I supported would also stop insurance companies from continuing to sell junk plans to new enrollees, ensuring insurance companies only sell plans that meet minimum standards.

Reforming health care has and always will be an ongoing process that will not be completed with the passage of any one bill. But by passing the Affordable Care Act into law, millions of Americans will now be able to get health insurance. And that’s what matters.

While home prices are going up and foreclosures are going down, our slow-moving housing recovery is still hurting hard-working middle-class families across our district.

In California, during the worst part of the recession, more than 34 percent of homeowners with mortgages were considered “underwater” because they owed more on their homes than they were worth. Many communities in our district were especially hard hit when the housing market burst.

The largest asset most middle class families have is their home, and our economy will continue to suffer and consumer confidence will never return if we do not help hard working families navigate through their mortgage hardships.

That is why I am fighting for significant steps to be taken that will help keep people in their homes, and get back above water.

All homeowners should have the opportunity to refinance their mortgages while rates remain low. On average, this would put $3,000 back into the pockets of middle-class families. This would equal a $50 billion a year economic stimulus – something our economy could certainly use.

In addition, we must have a significant principal reduction plan in place for underwater homeowners. This would allow homeowners to get their mortgages reappraised so they more accurately reflect the market value of the house. This keeps people in their home longer and keeps neighborhood values up.

We will not be able to grow our economy and strengthen our middle class without fixing our housing situation. That is why I will continue working on policies that reduce foreclosures, strengthen our housing market and improve home values. This is good for homeowners, good for communities and good for our economy.

I am a third generation Italian-American on my mother’s side, whose great grand-parents immigrated from Italy to America. Today, as they have been since our nation was founded, immigrants are an essential part of our society and culture. Leaders in both business and government are helping make our nation better every day. I have no doubt our nation would be weaker without the diversity of our immigrant population.

Unfortunately, our current immigration system is broken and we need comprehensive immigration reform. I believe we need immigration policies that are fair and practical, rewarding individuals who play by the rules and punishing those who break the law.

During my time in Congress, I have supported many immigration reform proposals that would increase immigration enforcement policies, while also supporting policies that would help immigrants who are suffering due to our broken system. Most recently I introduced a bill that would help military and veteran families more easily gain citizenship. I also support bills that would give immigrant children access to education benefits, create workable guest worker programs for our agricultural workers and eliminate discrimination of same-sex couples from gaining immigration status for their partners.

Immigration reform is a priority of mine and I can assure you I will work with my colleagues in the House of Representative to bring effective and meaningful change to this issue.

Our nation’s debt is more than $17 trillion. This is a serious problem. The interest alone on the debt is more than $200 billion a year. This is more money than the federal government spends on transportation, education and veterans combined.

Having this much debt jeopardizes the future of important programs like Social Security and Medicare and is a hidden tax on our kids and grandkids. Instead of investing in economic growth and our nation’s future, they will be paying down the debt on the money we spent.

It also threatens our national security. Much of our debt is held by foreign countries, some of whom do not share our values.

It is important that we act in a fiscally responsible way while protecting programs like Social Security and Medicare, supporting job creation and also tackling our national debt. That is why I have fought for pay-as-you-go budgeting (PAYGO). PAYGO ensures that the bills that Congress passes do not increase our debt. It requires that any spending increases or tax cuts be offset by cutting spending or increasing revenues. PAYGO was part of the reason we had a budget surplus in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, in 2002 Congress allowed PAYGO to expire. This, along with two wars, tax cuts and a new prescription drug program – all of which were unpaid for, coupled with the worst recession since the Great Depression, is part of the reason why our nation’s debt is so large today.

We have to take a fair and balanced approach to reducing our debt. That means cutting spending, asking everyone to pay their fair share and growing our economy.

We have to take a hard look at everything to make sure taxpayers are getting the most bang for their buck. We have to get rid of programs that aren’t needed, and if a program is needed we must make sure it’s running as efficiently as possible. During this review, everything needs to be on the table, including defense spending. The best and strongest national defense doesn’t have to be the most expensive national defense.

We have to make sure everyone pays their fair share. There is a growing gap between the wealthiest Americans and the rest of us. Since the 2008 financial crisis, the wealthiest one percent of Americans took home one-fifth of the income earned by all Americans. And, from 2009 to 2012, the top percent have seen their incomes grow by more than 31 percent while the rest of us have seen our incomes grow by less than one-half of one percent. This isn’t sustainable. To get our fiscal house in order, we have to reform our tax structure so that everyone plays by the same rules and everyone pays their fair share.

And we have to invest in creating jobs and growing our economy. More jobs and growth will mean higher household incomes and more revenue to help get our nation out of the red.

As your representative in Congress I will continue working to solve our fiscal crisis through a balanced approach that cuts spending, requires fairness and encourages economic growth.

Social Security and Medicare are two of the most important and successful government programs ever created. Each year, they reliably pay billions of dollars in benefits to millions of beneficiaries and deliver on our promise of protecting seniors who worked hard all their lives. As your representative in Congress, I am committed to making sure the promise of Social Security and Medicare is 100 percent certain today and for many years to come.

We must make sure today’s seniors are guaranteed the retirement security they’ve earned through a lifetime of hard work. And for tomorrow’s seniors, we must take whatever steps are needed to make sure that Social Security and Medicare continue delivering on their promise of protecting those who have worked hard all their lives.

I have always stood up for the promise of Social Security and Medicare, and I will continue to fight to make sure these programs are strong. Not only do Social Security and Medicare represent important promises to our seniors, they are also important to our economy.

More than $6.9 billion comes into the counties that make up our district each year from Social Security and Medicare. That money is spent in our communities where it helps to create jobs and grows small businesses. This, in turn, broadens our tax base and helps provide a means to further endow Social Security and Medicare.

I understand how important these programs are because my family, like every American family, has been touched by them. I’m reminded of the importance of Social Security whenever I think about my grandmother. She worked her entire adult life sewing gloves at the Napa glove factory and labeling wine bottles at Inglenook Winery.

When she retired, she had a small private pension of $53 per month. It was Social Security that gave her comfort in her golden years. It also provided her with peace of mind knowing that her children, her grandchildren, and her grandchildren’s children would share the same securities.

Just like my grandmother, many seniors depend on Social Security to pay the bills and put food on the table. And many depend on Medicare for their doctor visits and prescription drugs.

As your representative in Congress, and as a senior member on the House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Social Security, I will fight to make sure Social Security and Medicare will continue to be a guaranteed promise for all.