Issues
COVID-19 and China
Greg Raths has strongly supported the mobilization of all of the federal government’s resources in response to the worst pandemic that the world has seen in over 100 years. In March, he urged passage of the $2 trillion relief package, the CARES Act. This historic package brought billions in aid to Californians to help local hospitals, schools, and more. Hundreds of billions of additional dollars were provided to small businesses, employees, and those unemployed through no fault of their own.
While the CARES Act was a critical first step, more is needed to combat COVID-19 and get our economy moving again.
First, Greg Raths will continue to work closely with the administration to ensure the speedy discovery of therapeutics to lessen the severity of this virus and a vaccine to prevent further spread.
Next, Greg Raths supports additional stimulus payments to low and moderate income families, and he supports providing funding to help schools reopen safely.
He also supports reforming unemployment benefits so people make up to 100% of their income but aren’t disincentivized from going back to work. As soon as he takes office, he will immediately author legislation to do just that. Congress must also pass liability protections to ensure that businesses aren’t sued for reopening when they follow the rules. Without this, businesses will be overwhelmed with lawsuits.
Greg Raths will also work to ensure we hold China accountable for the role they played in allowing the virus to spread. He will introduce a sanctions bill aimed at forcing China to cooperate with all investigations into the virus.
It’s estimated that 90 percent of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used in the United States today is made in China. Greg will lead the effort to bring the medical supply chain home and manufacture PPE in the United States. He will support the US MADE Act, which will ensure PPE is made here in America and treated as a resource on par with military equipment.
Combatting this virus is a team effort, and Greg believes all Americans should closely follow CDC guidelines to keep themselves safe, which can be found here.
Jobs and the Economy
Greg Raths understands that the way to create jobs and build a strong economy is to let Americans keep more of what they earn and get the government out of the way. After his retirement from the Marine Corps, Greg started and grew a successful small business, just like so many others in Orange County have done. Greg understands first hand why the key to jump-starting our economic recovery lies with our small businesses.
Until Congress changed the law in 2018, Californians could deduct on their federal tax return 100% of state and local taxes (SALT) paid. Although this bill was supported by the President, Greg opposed it, and if elected, will fight to restore the full SALT deduction!
Our national debt has doubled since 2009 and is projected to exceed annual GDP by 2026. It is unacceptable to borrow from future generations. If our debt continues to increase, we face higher interest rates that will reduce investment and damper economic growth permanently. Our credit will also significantly suffer as foreign investors will be less likely to purchase our debt, causing the value of the U.S. dollar to collapse. It’s time to start making some common-sense decisions about our nation’s financial obligations before it is too late. And we can start this by making effective choices in Orange County.
Supporting small businesses. Lower taxes. Less regulation. A smaller, smarter, more efficient government. Those are the values and priorities Greg Raths will fight for in Washington as your Congressman.
Healthcare
Health care is one of the most important issues for Americans.
First, Greg Raths believes no American should be denied medical coverage or insurance due to a preexisting condition.
Second, Greg Raths favors health care solutions which put patients – not government bureaucrats – in charge of medical decisions.
Third, Greg Raths believes that health insurance coverage should be portable when policyholders move.
Fourth, Greg Raths opposes “Medicare for All,” which puts the government in complete control of the health care system.
So what’s the best way to bring down health care costs, cover more people, and make health insurance more affordable? Redirect money and power over health care decisions away from Washington and return it to patients, local communities, and states.
Just like no two patients are the same, no two states have the same health care populations and health care needs. Simply put, what works in Massachusetts will not work in California. And what works in South Carolina may not work in California.
That one-size-fits-all thinking is one of the many failures of Obamacare which centralizes money and decision-making in Washington. Instead of continuing to empower Washington, Greg Raths supports returning money to the states and empowering local communities to explore and utilize health care solutions that work for them.
Second Amendment
I am your pro Second Amendment candidate and I believe how our Constitution is written, "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
In the 2008 case District of Columbia v Heller, the Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.