KY 6th District Democratic candidate David Kloiber on local economy & more
The Herald-Leader posed seven written questions to the candidates, both Democrat and Republican, seeking to be Central Kentucky’s next member of congress.
For Democrats, those questions addressed issues like immigration, the economy, the U.S. military’s relationship with Israel, the state of the party and more. All the issues discussed would be relevant to how they navigate their position as the U.S. representative for Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District, should they be elected.
Candidates were limited to 150 words in their responses and agreed not to use artificial intelligence in generating their answers.
Below are Democratic contender David Kloiber’s answers. Other candidate questionnaires can be viewed here.
If you had your way, what health care policy would the U.S. pursue and ultimately enact?
If I had a magic wand, everyone would have free comprehensive healthcare at the highest standard of quality. I know it may sound flippant, but with that as the ideal goal we can set out a path for real policy to pursue and enact. The first step is to lower costs and cut the bloated middlemen out of the healthcare ecosystem, two goals that my proposed TRIP Act legislation addresses directly. After we’ve created a sustainable pricing structure we can pursue a public option, providing a standard of care to everyone regardless of their employment, while still allowing for a private insurance market for those that wish to use it. In time this will allow us to pursue comprehensive healthcare coverage for all while still investing in the infrastructure we need to provide quality care. It’s a long path, but healthcare coverage for everyone is a goal we can reach. Affordability is a big buzz word in politics. Aside from rolling back actions of the Trump administration and GOP Congress – where all candidates agree – what would you do to make life more affordable for Kentuckians in the 6th Congressional District? With the rate at which everyday costs continue to rise, we need to put forward solutions that will bring immediate relief to the district. I have proposed three new bills to do just that. The first, the TRIP act, will get us the healthcare we have already paid for by tying pharmaceutical research grants to direct pricing. This will provide meaningful reductions in health insurance costs while lowering the amount you end up paying at the pharmacy counter. The RWWA requires companies to pay their employees a living wage in order to qualify for improved tax breaks. And the BHBC gives communities a tool to attract the housing they actually need. When the community endorses a project, developers get a clearer, more profitable path to building it. Each of these bills is ready for committee on day one, and you can find the text posted on my website for review.
Should the U.S. continue to support Israel’s military? What factors guide your answer?
U.S. aid should support people, not militaries. The US and Israel have a long history of support, but that does not mean we can ignore the ongoing humanitarian crisis in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Our role on the international stage needs to reflect our position as an economic, diplomatic, and ethical role model. When American resources are sent overseas instead of addressing our needs at home, it should only be to promote stability and humanitarian aid, and given everything that has happened to the balance of power in the region, the Palestinian people need our aid right now more than Israel needs another tank.
Democrats are in the wilderness right now. What’s your advice for fellow Democrats when it comes to winning back power in Congress, the White House and other elected offices?
Democrats have forgotten how to sound like the people we’re supposed to represent. If we are going to take back power in Congress and the White House, Democrats need to start talking with people instead of at them. A good example of this is the way we have been discussing the recent Medicaid cuts. While the talk of rural hospitals closing and thousands of people losing coverage is absolutely true, the message fails to engage the average voter who sees both of those as abstractions. To connect with people, we need to focus our message on personal outcomes. That means talking directly about how much harder it will be to get an appointment with their pediatrician, or how their parents’ prescriptions just got more expensive. The closer our messaging aligns with the conversations happening around kitchen tables, the more success we will have persuading people to protect their own interests.
Can you describe your ideal U.S. immigration policy? Please provide specifics.
My ideal immigration system decides cases in months, not years. If we can clear people for the highest levels of national security access in 90 to 180 days, then six months is more than enough time to decide whether a family is fit for citizenship. That means funding USCIS and the immigration courts to actually move cases forward instead of leaving families in limbo for a decade or more. It means expanding Temporary Protected Status for people fleeing armed conflict and extraordinary crises, since America has always been a refuge for those in need. And it means creating more pathways to citizenship through employment-based immigration so that our farms, our hospitals, and small businesses can find the workers they need. The solutions aren’t in the enforcement of our laws; they come from fixing a system that has been neglected for too long.
What can be done in Congress to boost Central Kentucky’s economy? Many of the topics we have discussed, like affordability, worker pay, and tax reform, will help the economic health of the country as a whole, but when it comes specifically to Central Kentucky, we need an advocate that can bring us more federal investment dollars. There are still tens of billions of dollars in the infrastructure bill (IIJA) that have yet to be allocated, but without someone to speak for us it is unlikely to end up in our roads, bridges, and waterways. As an example, Andy Barr brought in a paltry 15 million dollars in Community Project Funding, while our neighbors to the southeast in Hal Rogers’ district received almost 40 million from the same sources. Every decision in Washington is a chance to bring something home, and that’s the lens I’d bring to the job.
What committees would you like to join and why?
There are three committees where my talents can be used to fix things that Congress is currently doing badly. The first is Science, Space, and Technology. Congress is writing the rules for AI with very few members who actually understand the technology, and that has to change. The second is Financial Services. I’ve spent my career in business and investment, which gives me a clear view of how the financial system actually works. From that seat I’d push to close the loopholes and structural advantages that hurt working families. And the third is Rules. This committee has final say on every bill that goes to the House Floor. As a member, I’d push to make sure amendments actually relate to the bill they’re attached to. We do not need bills that are a thousand pages long, and the whole government could do with a little more enforcement of the rules.
