Dino Rossi

Defense / Veterans

It is our duty to our veterans to help them add to the skills they acquired in the military and achieve meaningful jobs in the civilian sector. Job training programs would teach these veterans valuable skills and enhance the skills they gained from their service. Learn more

Keeping military families together and supported should be a priority for our nation. Reintegration of soldiers who are away from home for months at a time is a difficult transition for many families because there are not many dedicated, family-specific resources. Learn more

I will prioritize caring for our veterans and fixing the unconscionable bureaucratic failures that have plagued the VA and other veterans service agencies for far too long. Learn more

Congress must work to provide adequate funding for our nation’s military. I will work with both parties to ensure that our military is properly outfitted and supported in order to continue its missions both at home and abroad. Learn more

Cybersecurity is more important than ever. I will bring the private sector and federal government agencies together to collaborate on solutions that will protect our nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure while ensuring the privacy of our citizens. Learn more

We have to do a better job of ensuring veterans' health care needs are met, including allowing them to see doctors outside the VA system when necessary. All options need to be made available and properly funded to ensure that our nation’s veterans can utilize the health care they earned as a member of our Armed Forces. Learn more

Economy

I will focus on policies that put people back to work at good-paying jobs. Specifically, I support increasing small business tax credits, fully repealing the estate tax, focusing on economic competitiveness, and fostering an atmosphere that allows businesses of all sizes in the 8thDistrict and throughout the country to compete and thrive. Learn more

Environment / Energy

Our forests must be managed more effectively to reduce forest fires, which destroy property, take lives, ravage communities, and release massive amounts of greenhouse gases and particulate pollutants into the atmosphere. Learn more

I have campaigned on environmental issues, including calling for converting the state motor pool to hybrid and plug-in vehicles, providing a sales tax exemption on hybrid vehicles, replacing fish-killing road culverts and implementing congestion relief projects that would eliminate millions of tons of carbon emissions produced by cars stuck in traffic. Learn more

I favor an all-of-the-above approach to energy policy, including preserving our state’s dams and supporting nuclear power, which has been and will continue to be important to our nation’s energy infrastructure. Learn more

Guns

We also must strictly enforce current firearms laws. After dipping for several years, prosecution of gun crimes is now trending up again, and that's a good thing. Learn more

As your Congressman, I'm willing to listen and talk with anyone who wants to work in good faith to advance solutions to violence that are effective and Constitutional. We must look at every option that meets both of those criteria. Learn more

It is essential for Congress to re-evaluate whether there are modifications in the market that turn legal weapons into illegal ones. It has been illegal to own automatic weapons (machine guns) for a very long time, and if there are technologies that can functionally turn hunting rifles into automatic weapons, we need to make sure they're not falling through loopholes in the law. Learn more

Healthcare

Congress' decision last year to reduce health care mandates was a good start, but more must be done to drive down the cost of health care and increase individual choices for health insurance in the 8th District and across the country. Learn more

It is more important than ever for Congress to implement policies that improve access to affordable, quality health care and give our citizens the freedom to choose the policy that fits their needs. Two ways to achieve this include providing tax incentives for small businesses that provide health insurance for their employees and reducing health care mandates. Learn more

Immigration

I support improving the guest worker program for those who want to enter our country legally. Learn more

A legislative immigration “fix” must also include a humane and compassionate approach to those here under the DACA program. Learn more

I am committed to increasing the security of our borders. Any efforts to increase border security must include efforts to enforcing existing immigration laws and protecting our citizens from crimes committed by those here illegally. Learn more

Social Services

It's important to have resources available to help people who may be struggling with mental disorders before they become dangerous, and I would support efforts to do more for the mentally ill, just as I did in the state legislature. Learn more

I will keep our word to our senior citizens by protecting and preserving Medicare and Social Security for everyone who has paid into it. It’s their money. I will work to ensure that everyone gets 100% of the Social Security they are entitled to while reducing fraud and abuse. Learn more

I will work to enact effective, fiscally-responsible programs designed to get results and eliminate the bureaucracy that prevents kids, the disabled, and other vulnerable groups from getting the help they need. Learn more

I defended funding for seniors, the mentally ill, and those with developmental disabilities by bringing people from both parties together onto fiscally responsible and socially conscientious common ground. Learn more

Taxes / Budget

I will end the inattention to key business climate issues and return to responsible and sustainable federal budgeting. Learn more

The recent tax cuts for the middle class should be made permanent. The median family of four in the 8th Congressional District will save $3,357 a year thanks to these tax cuts, and the median individual tax filer will save $2,191 each year. These cuts should be preserved because they are already leading to economic growth and job opportunities, with companies from Boeing to Walmart to Starbucks along with dozens of others already offering raises and bonuses. Learn more

I will focus on fiscally responsible policies and work to produce a budget that reduces the deficit for the next generation of taxpayers while reducing the red tape and burdens that bureaucracy places on people. Learn more