Rep. Lauren Underwood Answers Patch Candidate Survey

ILLINOIS — Rep. Lauren Underwood (D) is defending her seat in Illinois's 14th District in the U.S. House of Representatives against local entrepreneur Jim Oberweis. Below, you'll find Underwood's answers to Patch's 2020 candidate survey.

U.S. House

Lauren Underwood

Age (as of Election Day)

34

Town/City of Residence

Naperville, IL

Office Sought

U.S. House

Party Affiliation

Democratic

Family

parents and sister

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

no

Education

University of Michigan (Bachelor's of Science in Nursing)
Johns Hopkins University (Master of Science in Nursing; Master of Public Health)

Occupation

Registered nurse, public health expert

Campaign website

https://underwoodforcongress.com/

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

U.S. Representative, IL-14 (incumbent)

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

My immediate priority is keeping our community safe during the coronavirus pandemic. We must immediately implement a national COVID-19 strategy to provide testing and treatment, limit community spread, prevent health disparities, and support a robust economic recovery.
My responsibility in Congress is to send federal resources to northern Illinois to support our families, frontline workers, small businesses, teachers and students as we navigate this crisis. I'm proud that we were able to secure free COVID-19 testing for our community, relief for our families, small businesses and local governments, and I know there is so much more work to do on that front, as we continue to battle this pandemic.
I will continue to listen to my community and fight for the federal resources we need to get through this crisis.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

Black lives matter is a simple statement of values that I have been proud to see our community embrace. I literally witnessed change happen across the 14th District. I am truly inspired by the alliances that have formed across our community as we called for justice for Mr. Floyd.
I was devastated to see the violence that occurred in Kenosha in the wake of Mr. Blake's shooting. Racism, hate and weapons of war have no place in our communities. We should never seek to solve our problems through violence.

What are your thoughts on the campaign to "defund" the police?

Over the summer, I saw people across the 14th District embrace the cause of equality and justice, advocate for change and declare that Black lives matter. I listened to my community and I helped lead the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to bipartisan passage through the House of Representatives.
This historic, bipartisan legislation mandates policing reforms to ensure all Americans feel safe and protected. It gives our communities the tools we need to foster a culture of accountability, transparency and justice in law enforcement. This legislation makes the common sense reforms our community called for: it requires police departments to collect data regarding the use of force, bans the use of chokeholds and carotid holds, and it requires that deadly force be used only as a last resort.

What are your thoughts on the state and national response to the coronavirus pandemic? Do you favor such measures as limiting operation of non-essential businesses or restricting indoor/outdoor dining? And do you favor a nationwide mask mandate?

As a registered nurse who worked on the public health response to Ebola and Zika, I know that we can absolutely get back to normal if we all do our part. Each of us needs to wear a mask, practice good hand hygiene, maintain social distancing, and get our flu shots.
Over the past six months, the Trump Administration has failed to implement a national COVID-19 strategy to provide the testing, tracing, and treatment needed to limit community spread and support a robust economic recovery. Meanwhile, our families, essential workers, students and small business owners are suffering without the support they need.
I've been pleased to vote for several large scale COVID relief packages over the last several months. The House approved our most recent relief package during the beginning of October. I'm deeply disappointed that the Senate has failed to come to the negotiating table to get this sorely needed relief out to our families, small businesses and schools.
Now is the time to center the voices of our nation's best scientists and health care experts to save lives and livelihoods -- beating COVID-19 should not be a political issue.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I'm a registered nurse and public health expert. I've found that my experience in health care has been vital to my work to lower health care costs and lead our community through the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe public policy should be driven by science and data, not political ideology.
Due to my approach, I've been able to make real progress for our community in Congress amidst the partisanship in Washington. President Trump has signed three pieces of my legislation into law, including the Lower Insulin Costs Now Act, to make lower-cost, generic insulin available more quickly for families who have suffered from recent price spikes.
My opponent, however, is stuck on the politics of the past. We don't need another out of touch, self-serving politician in Congress. We certainly don't need another representative who will seek to take away our hard-fought health care protections and restrict womens' reproductive health care.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

In addition to keeping our community safe and ensuring a robust economic recovery from COVID-19, I'm dedicated to ensuring high-quality, affordable health care for our families. I'm proud that I was able to pass the bipartisan Lower Insulin Costs Now Act into law to provide relief for families who depend on that medication. Still, insurance premiums and health care costs remain too high for many of our families. I passed the Health Care Affordability Act and the Lower Drug Costs Now Act through the House to lower the cost of health care premiums and prescription drugs.
My second priority is cleaning up Washington. The overt corruption of the Trump Administration has degraded public trust in our government. One of the first pieces of legislation I supported as a member of Congress reduces the role of money in politics, strengthens ethics rules to make sure that politicians actually serve the public interest, and makes it easier, not harder to vote. I am committed to restoring voting rights and pursuing a strong anti-corruption agenda to ensure every federal official serves the public, not themselves.
Third, we clearly have work to do to combat racism and division in our society. I have been so inspired to watch people across the 14th District embrace the cause of equality and justice, to advocate for change and to say that Black lives matter. I listened to my community and I helped lead the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to passage through the House of Representatives. This bipartisan legislation makes common sense reforms like requiring police departments to collect data regarding the use of force, banning the use of chokeholds and carotid holds, and requiring that deadly force be used only as a last resort.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

When I was elected to Congress in 2018, I promised my community that I would be the most accessible, transparent, and accountable Congresswoman Illinois' 14th District has ever seen. I held 15 town halls with my constituents in 2019, and another dozen this year.
I see my job in Congress as bringing the voices and values of northern Illinois to Washington. My office set up nine constituent advisory councils, on issues from education to small business to veterans' services, to ensure that I'm doing just that.
Due to my collaborative approach, I have been able to make bipartisan progress on tough issues like health care, immigration and our response to COVID-19. President Trump has signed three pieces of my legislation into law. The first was the Lower Insulin Costs Now Act, which makes generic insulin available on the marketplace sooner. Next, I passed bipartisan legislation to fund an electronic health record system to prevent children from dying of preventable illnesses while in federal custody on the U.S. - Mexico border. In March, President Trump signed a piece of legislation I wrote to examine our reliance on a foreign-based medical supply chain, which really threatens our national security -- particularly during a pandemic. Finally, at the end of September, the Senate passed my legislation, the Veteran's Care Quality Transparency Act to ensure our veterans receive high-quality mental health and suicide prevention services. I'm hopeful that the bill will be passed into law soon.
I'm really proud of the way my team has been able to deliver for our community, and I plan to continue identifying opportunities for bipartisan progress during my second term.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success?

During my second term, I hope to continue making progress for the families in our community by taking my legislation to decrease health care costs and to lower taxes for middle class families across the finish line and written into law. Further, I'm committed to making progress on a range of non-partisan women's economic issues, including paid family leave, affordable child care and equal pay. Each of these policy fixes is vital to support a robust economic recovery.

Why should voters trust you?

This is the community that raised me. I grew up in Naperville and I'm a proud graduate of Neuqua Valley High School.
I view my job in Congress as bringing northern Illinois voices and values to Washington, so I've made it a point to be accessible to my constituents. During my first term in Congress, my team and I hosted more than 135 community events across the 14th District. I take the concerns I hear from my constituents to Washington with me, and draft legislation accordingly.
Based on my record of delivering for our community, my constituents can see I'm someone who listens, works hard for them, keeps my promises, and gets real results for our community. This is a difficult time for all of us, and I'm committed to standing up for our community in Washington.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the use of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

Our economy is now in a recession; we need to take aggressive action to stabilize our economy and protect Americans' livelihoods. The recovery from the ongoing pandemic and recession will likely take a long time, and require sacrifice.
Congress has made some poor spending choices, particularly with the 2017 Republican tax law. That law provided a tax break to corporations and the ultra-wealthy at the expense of our middle class families by capping the state and local tax deduction (SALT deduction) many in our community rely on. Not only did this tax law create a financial windfall for the wealthiest in our nation, it will increase the federal deficit by nearly $2 trillion over ten years.
Tax reform should put the middle class and small businesses first, not the wealthiest among us. One of my top priorities in Congress is helping our middle class families avoid double taxation by allowing them to once again deduct the full value of their state and local taxes from their federal tax bill. I have championed an effort that resulted in the House twice passing legislation to eliminate that unfair SALT cap; I won't stop until our families are no longer unfairly burdened.
Further, we need to increase oversight over the spending of our tax dollars. I am deeply disturbed by the Trump Administration's blockage of transparency and oversight measures in our large-scale COVID relief package, the CARES Act. The American people need to have confidence that their tax dollars aren't being misspent.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

No.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Whenever I faced a tough situation growing up, my mother would say, "be a woman, Lauren." It was her way of saying be brave and be strong -- just like the women who came before you. Today, as a member of the most diverse Congress our country has ever elected -- where women's voices are leading the way -- I often reflect on those words. Women are bold, and we are leaders.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I would like everyone in our community to know that I see you, I hear you, and I am here to serve you. I encourage folks to reach out to my office when they need assistance with a federal agency.