20th Congressional District

Kirsten E. Gillibrand: Congress should continue to try to pass legislation that provides greater accountability and offers a more effective strategy to combat terrorism in Iraq. As a Member of the Armed Services Committee and the Terrorism Subcommittee, I have been a strong supporter of legislation that calls for the redeployment of 80% of our troops out of Iraq, while leaving a smaller force focused on antiterrorism missions. I have also supported legislation to require oversight of spending in Iraq, accountability for progress of training Iraqi Security Forces, and requiring the Administration to abide by proper rotation schedules for our soldiers’ time at home and time in combat. With violence continuing to subside in Iraq, it is time for the Iraqis to take over policing their streets and reconstructing their country - such efforts will create the sense of urgency required to push the Iraqis to expel al Qaeda and other foreign terrorist groups out of Iraq.

Kirsten E. Gillibrand: I support increasing competition in providers by creating a not-for-profit public program (similar to Medicare) that will allow any American business, family or individual to buy into at a rate that they can afford (such as 5% of one's income). This provides a stable, competitive alternative to private insurance that will drive down costs through increased competition, and begin to shift healthcare to a preventive care model instead of emergency room health care, which will treat chronic diseases earlier and lower costs. We must invest in health IT initiatives that will lower cost, improve quality of care, eliminate unnecessary paperwork, and reduce errors. Finally, through more accountability and reduction of fraud, we need to ensure that Medicare remains solvent for future generations. By allowing Medicare to buy in bulk, we can ensure that seniors can always afford their prescription drugs.

Kirsten E. Gillibrand: Congress needs to pass a comprehensive plan that uses America's entrepreneurial spirit to solve our energy crisis. This plan should include tax incentives and grants to drive innovation in wind, solar, non-food based biofuels, geothermal, hydropower, new nuclear technologies, and fuel cells. It should also include increased domestic drilling, research for clean coal with carbon sequestration and increased use of natural gas. They key to energy independence is to not only develop new technologies, but to also drive innovation for new energy efficient products, such as electric cars and energy efficient building materials. Such an approach will make us more secure, grow our economy through investments in agriculture and manufacturing, and begin to combat global climate change.

Kirsten E. Gillibrand: As a community with a strong agricultural and manufacturing base, with proper investment by Congress in the form of tax credits and other incentives, Upstate New York can be a market leader in producing and developing the alternative energies and conservation technologies of the future, adding jobs and strengthening our economy. Targeted tax cuts for small businesses and the middle class, along with federal investments in infrastructure such as rail, roads, water, sewer, rural broadband and healthcare IT, will also promote economic growth. This year, I have helped pass small business and middle class tax cuts, including a $1000 property tax deduction. This district has also received over $40 million in federal investments for local projects, which creates jobs and helps lower property taxes. In the Farm Bill, I passed amendments to provide a "buy local" preference for federal funding and funds for transitioning to organic farming, which will help our upstate farms and agribusinesses.

Kirsten E. Gillibrand: I support a federal shield law for journalists, and I voted last year for such a law that would protect journalists from having to reveal their sources in court. I will continue to support a federal shield law, and I am disappointed that the Senate has not passed this sensible bill that will increase transparency and accountability of public officials and bolster American journalism.

Sandy Treadwell : I am proud of the performance of our troops and like all Americans I want them safely home from Iraq as soon as possible. I am encouraged by the recent successes we have had in drawing down our military presence and the progress between our nation and Iraq on further withdrawals.

The problems we have had in executing this war have been due to mismanagement and meddling by politicians in Washington. I do not support arbitrary politically motivated withdrawal deadlines like those supported by my opponent. Instead, we should listen to the advice of experienced military commanders who can move us toward the goal of bringing our troops home safely and in a manner that does not jeopardize the progress we have made and paid for with the lives of our brave servicemen and women.

Iraq still has hard work to do on political reconciliation including an agreement on provincial elections and continuing to strengthen the Iraqi armed forces. I support shifting reconstruction costs from the U.S. to the Iraqi government and converting outright aid to loans.

Sandy Treadwell : Every American should have access to high quality, affordable health care. We need to lower costs by promoting competition among insurance providers and giving consumers more power to choose their own coverage. Members of Congress get to pick from a variety of plans based on what they need and can afford. Congress should give that freedom to all Americans.

I support offering individuals comparable tax incentives to those given to employers for the purchase of healthcare, which will let people choose a plan that fits their needs and can be taken from job to job and state to state. Individuals should be allowed to pool risk to lower costs, and information on competing policies should be transparent so people can make informed decisions.

We must maintain public healthcare programs for low-income families and the elderly, but expanding these into a “single-payer” system for all Americans would strip away competition, impact quality, and raise taxes.

We must end the frivolous lawsuits that increase healthcare costs, bust hospital budgets, and contribute to a shortage of doctors.

I support the safe reimportation of cheap prescription drugs to help struggling seniors.

Sandy Treadwell : Our government’s failure to address energy issues has led to our current high fuel prices and high food prices. It’s time to finally enact a comprehensive energy policy to end our dangerous reliance on foreign oil and provide relief to families, farmers and small businesses.

I have proposed a two-tiered program to promote alternative energy in the long run while doing more in the short term to utilize domestic energy sources. My plan includes: expanding domestic energy capacity, including offshore drilling, developing new sources of American natural gas, new refineries, and next-generation nuclear plants; long-term production and investment tax credits to develop renewable energy like solar, wind, and biomass; renewing the R&D tax credit that expired last year; greater conservation; and redirecting investment into biofuels like cellulosic ethanol that do not raise the price of food.

This balanced plan would bring down prices and make us less dependent on imported oil from OPEC, while also transitioning us away from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources that are cleaner, homegrown, renewable, and affordable.

Sandy Treadwell : The most important thing Congress can do to help our economy is to lower taxes. New Yorkers pay one of the highest tax burdens in America. Yet Congress has scheduled an automatic tax increase totaling hundreds of billions of dollars over the next five years and trillions over the next 10 years.

I’ve signed a pledge to never vote to raise taxes on individuals or businesses. I will oppose budgetary gimmicks and fight to make the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent. I strongly support Governor Paterson and the State Senate’s efforts to cap real property taxes. I want to permanently repeal the Death Tax, which penalizes small business owners and family farms, and permanently fix the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), which puts millions of middle class taxpayers at risk of a massive tax increase every year.

I will work with local businesses and governments as I did as Secretary of State to ensure that federal economic development funds are directed to beneficial local projects. My priorities include upgrading infrastructure like roads, bridges, and sewer systems, and funding technology like high speed internet access to equip upstate New York for the jobs of the future.

Sandy Treadwell : A free press is one of the most important cornerstones of our country. I believe a clearly defined federal-level shield law is preferable to the current patchwork of state laws.

I would support a federal shield law as long as it is crafted intelligently so as not to endanger national security – particularly by protecting those who leak critical classified information – or block disclosure of criminal activity if a journalist commits or witnesses a crime.