Democrat Candidate for CD3 John Blair
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com
Editor’s note: This is the ninth in a series in which the Los Alamos Daily Post presents the same set of questions to each of the candidates running for Congressional District 3, which serves the northern half of New Mexico.
Democratic candidate John Blair provided the following answers:
POST: Why do you believe you are qualified to represent New Mexico in Congress?
BLAIR: I’m a native New Mexican, who grew up in our Congressional District, and I’ve spent the last 25 years fighting for New Mexicans and progressive ideas both in Washington D.C. and here at home.
Right now we have Republicans in Congress who care more about NRA lobbyists than kids getting shot in schools, and big pharma making millions while everyday Americans can barely afford their prescription drugs. Worse, we have a president and Republicans in Congress who continue to irrationally pretend climate change doesn’t exist.
I had the privilege of serving in the Obama Administration at the Interior Department. President Obama and the whole administration took on fossil fuel companies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. We invested billions in clean energy technology and President Obama enacted 26 new national monuments, including the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.
I worked for good New Mexico Democrats like Senator Jeff Bingaman who opposed the war in Iraq, and who fought to protect our public lands like the Valles Caldera. And I worked for then-Congressman Martin Heinrich who helped pass Obamacare, voted to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and who passed a law making it easier for Native Americans to buy a home on tribal land.
And when my husband and I returned to Santa Fe, I served as Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s Deputy Secretary of State because I wanted to do my part to make our elections more open, accessible and transparent.
POST: What is your overall governing philosophy?
BLAIR: Government can be a force for good in the world when the people in charge are honest, hardworking, persistent and who truly represent the needs of their constituents. As Congressman, I would focus my efforts on legislation with a direct impact on our district and on ensuring that everyone in our district – regardless of where they live – feels represented, included and that their communities are growing stronger and safer as a result.
Government should be inclusive. A key component of my job would be to fight for those who don’t have a seat at the table, who have been left behind or who have been made to feel like they don’t belong.
Government should be collaborative. The problems we face today require real leadership at, and coordination between, the federal, State and local levels. We need both an all-of-the-above and an all-hands-on-deck approach to truly fight climate change, reduce gun violence, and improve our health care systems.
I’m not taking a cent of corporate pac money because my job is to represent my constituents, not corporate interests.
POST: What would you do to promote the interest of Los Alamos National Laboratory in Washington?
BLAIR: The Los Alamos National Laboratory and its thousands of employees play a key role in our community, our state’s economy, and our nation’s national security. In fact, LANL supports more than 24,000 direct and indirect jobs and infuses more than $3 billion a year into New Mexico’s economy. In Congress, I will always support funding for LANL to ensure it can carry out its missions.
POST: How would you balance arms proliferation with national defense?
BLAIR: It’s important that a functioning nuclear arsenal is a necessary component of our national defense strategy. However, we have more than enough nuclear weapons to defend our country – our task is to ensure that rogue nation states and terrorists do not acquire nuclear technology. The Trump administration has taken the wrong approach by weakening the standing nuclear treaties that make us all safer. We are now facing the real possibility of another nuclear arms race, except this time, we must take into account the growing nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea.
POST: In general terms, what would your foreign policy goals be?
BLAIR: First and foremost, we need to end the forever war in Afghanistan and bring American troops home. We must also require that any plan to send American troops overseas has a clear and realistic vision that includes actionable goals and a timeline to bring troops home.
Second, we must ensure we protect American allies and interests overseas, and that starts with stopping the spread of nuclear weapons especially to countries like Iran that seek to do harm. While the Iran Deal wasn’t perfect, it was a step in the right direction to keep nuclear weapons from spreading to terrorist groups like Hezbollah. In Congress, I would support working towards a similar agreement that holds Iran accountable and ensures there are diplomatic repercussions for violating the agreement.
Protecting our allies also includes stopping terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS and making sure our counter terrorism programs have the funding and support needed to keep Americans at home and abroad safe.
Finally, it is in our best interest and Israel’s to find a peaceful solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict centered on a two-state solution. In Congress, I will also support maintaining funding for Israeli security programs like Jacob’s Sling and the Iron Dome that are essential to protecting Israeli’s from outside adversaries.
Overall, I’ll be guided by what keeps American citizens safe both in the United States and abroad.
POST: What do you think should be done about the growing income inequality in the United States?
BLAIR: As I’ve traveled across our district, I’ve seen firsthand the income inequality within our own communities.
Much of the current inequality facing New Mexicans is caused by government policy. In fact, just two years ago, Republicans passed Trump’s tax bill that gave 83 percent of benefits to the top 1 percent of Americans. That’s just wrong.
In Congress, I will reverse the Republicans tax plan and support legislation that puts middle class Americans first, instead of giant corporations and Wall Street. I will also support legislation to make college more affordable, so no one has to choose between getting a quality education and going into debt.
I’ll also push for legislation that protects the rights for unions to organize and believe strongly that the minimum wage must be increased to $15 an hour.
POST: Do you have a plan for increasing access to healthcare in the U.S.?
BLAIR: I fundamentally believe that healthcare is a right and every American should have access to quality and affordable health care. New Mexico did the right thing in 2013 and expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) which covered hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans who otherwise wouldn’t have had access to insurance.
I was proud to have worked in the U.S. House of Representatives during the debate and passage of Obamacare. But now, Republicans in Washington and their special interest cronies are actively trying to repeal Obamacare, which would threaten coverage for those with preexisting conditions and throw our insurance markets into chaos. It’s irresponsible and reckless.
I believe we need to build upon the foundation of Obamacare and restore all of the cuts to the system made by Trump and Republicans in Congress. We should make sure if people like their private plan they can keep it and provide a public option for anyone who can’t afford a private plan.
We also have to keep working to lower the cost of prescription drugs and ensure our seniors have access to the care and support they need. New Mexicans shouldn’t have to choose between life-saving medicines and putting food on their table.
POST: Where do you stand on increased regulation of firearms?
BLAIR: In America today, mass shooting at supermarkets, festivals, or high schools are disturbingly common. Yet Republicans in Washington care more about NRA lobbyists than our kids getting shot. It’s outrageous, and unconscionable. In Congress, I will stand up to the NRA and its lobbyists. I support additional restrictions on assault weapons and large capacity magazines because there is no reason that weapons meant for the battlefield should be present in our neighborhoods. We have to get the weapons of war off of our streets.
Right now, the vast majority of Americans support background checks for gun purchases and other gun control measures that keep our communities and our families safe. But thanks to the NRA and gun lobbyists, there are countless loopholes that allow for gun sales and transfers through unlicensed dealers, putting more guns on our streets in the hands of those who shouldn’t have access to a weapon in the first place. I support common sense regulations like background checks, closing loopholes that allow domestic abusers to possess firearms, and full funding for gun violence research so we can better understand the causes and impacts of gun violence.
POST: What programs do you support on immigration to deal with the situation at the border?
BLAIR: We’re facing an immigration crisis that stems from Republicans refusing to pass comprehensive immigration reform in Congress. Instead, Republicans have looked the other way while Donald Trump has separated families at the border and put kids in cages, subjecting them to years of psychological trauma and in a few devastating cases, death. It’s inhumane, and goes against the values we stand for as a nation.
In Congress, I will support real comprehensive immigration reform that protects our communities while also allowing asylum for families and children who need it. We also must protect DREAMers and the DAPA program and ensure immigration reform also includes a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers and any child brought to the U.S. who claims this country as their home going forward.
Building a wall on our border using funds diverted from essential military programs is not the answer. Washington must come together to address the ongoing crisis at our border, and in Congress, I’ll work hard to make sure that we do.
POST: What would you do to combat climate change?
BLAIR: Climate change is the most pressing threat facing our planet, and for the sake of future generations to come, we need to take action now and that starts with passing the Green New Deal. Here in New Mexico and across the country communities are grappling with more powerful storms, longer droughts, devastating forest fires, water scarcity and rising sea-levels, all of which put our health and safety at risk.
Unfortunately, special interests and partisan gridlock have made it impossible to pass legislation to address climate change and prepare us for the long-term effects. Worse, the current administration is undoing years of progress by gutting commonsense limits on toxic pollution and pulling out of the landmark Paris Climate Accord which brought together nations from across the world with the aim of reducing carbon emissions and addressing climate change.
The reality is that addressing climate change isn’t a simple one step process. To truly make an impact, Congress must pass encompassing legislation that transforms our energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and industrial system, while also promoting smart investments that create jobs across the country and benefit society. We should be incentivizing clean energy the same way the federal government has for years incentivized the fossil fuel industry.
That’s why I support transitioning to 100% clean energy in the next 30 years to keep our communities pollution free. In Congress I would also support legislation to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in the future and oppose efforts to undermine the Clean Air Act and the EPA’s authority to cut carbon and other pollution.
Here in New Mexico we have pristine public lands that attract tourists from around the world and must be protected. That’s why in Congress, I would oppose new efforts to lease fossil fuels on public lands and end taxpayer subsidies for large oil companies.
That fact is we are at a tipping point, and if we get just a few degrees warmer, we will see catastrophic and irreparable harm and we have to start acting now.
