Ann Kirkpatrick - for Arizona

Issues

Getting Our Economy Moving Again

Getting Our Economy Moving Again

We must take immediate action to jumpstart our economy by lowering the price of basic necessities like gas and groceries, making health care more affordable, and investing in our critical infrastructure and renewable energy sources to create good-paying jobs for Arizona.

Relieving the Burden on the Middle Class

Relieving the Burden on the Middle Class

Arizona's middle class families are getting squeezed by a tax system tilted against them.  I support permanent tax cuts for 86 million American families.

Easing the Pain at the Pump

Easing the Pain at the Pump

I support taking immediate action to give Arizona's families relief from skyrocketing gas prices. We need a new, comprehensive energy strategy that includes drilling for American oil.

Right now, oil companies have more than 68 million acres of public land already available to be drilled. That's an area the size of the state of Colorado, and contains 81% of the public oil and gas reserves in the United States.  If oil companies began drilling on these 68 million acres today, they would nearly double U.S. oil production and cut oil imports from overseas by one-third.

I support drilling in new offshore regions as long as we guarantee that every drop of oil stays in the United States and is not shipped off to China.
                                                        
In the long run, we must encourage renewable energy sources like wind and solar, which will improve our national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil, lower energy costs, and create thousands of new, good-paying jobs right here in Arizona.

A Great Education for All Our Kids

A Great Education for All Our Kids

We all want our children to attend good schools with inspiring teachers who prepare them to compete in a global economy. In the state legislature, I worked to raise teacher pay and established voluntary all day kindergarten.   In Congress, I will continue to improve our schools by expanding early education, giving school districts the resources they need, and repairing the damage caused by No Child Left Behind. 

Extending Health Care to All Americans

Extending Health Care to All Americans

We need to work to make sure every American has access to quality, affordable health care. While we move towards that goal, we need to take three steps immediately: prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage or charging higher premiums to people with pre-existing conditions, make sure every child in this country can see a doctor by expanding S-CHIP, and allow the government to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices for Medicare just as the V.A. does.

Ending the War in Iraq

Ending the War in Iraq

I believe we must honor the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform by bringing them home as soon as responsibly possible, in consultation with the commanders on the ground.

For far too long, the American people have been sending their hard earned tax dollars to rebuild Iraq while our own nation's infrastructure is crumbling.  It is time for the Iraqi government to start taking responsibility for their own country and use the considerable oil profits that could easily finance much of the rebuilding process, so that we can start using the $280 million we spend every day in Iraq here at home to provide better veterans' benefits and affordable health care and to repair our schools and roads.

Withdrawing from Iraq will also allow us to better concentrate our resources where they can do the most good against Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other terrorist organizations, such as in Afghanistan.

Comprehensive Reform for Our Immigration System

Comprehensive Reform for Our Immigration System

Our immigration system is broken and requires comprehensive reform. We need to greatly strengthen the security along our border. I support providing the Border Patrol with the resources and technology it requires to secure our borders, both north and south.  I support a high tech "Smart Fence" where it makes sense, which combines new technology and Border personnel to keep our country secure.

At the State House, I supported a crackdown on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, and I will work to expand this policy at the federal level.

Illegal immigrants seeking to earn legal status should be required to have employment, learn English, pay a fine, and go to the back of the line.  However, those who have committed crimes in America should be deported.

Defending Our Second Amendment Rights

Defending Our Second Amendment Rights

I strongly support the Second Amendment.  As a member of the state legislature, I defied the leadership of my own party to stand up for the rights of Arizona's families to keep and bear arms.  I strongly supported legislation bringing back responsible gun education to our public schools and voted to reduce the penalty for law-abiding citizens carrying a concealed weapon without a state permit.  In Congress, I will continue to fight to protect the integrity of this fundamental Constitutional right.