U.S. House District 7 Election: Mike Capuano on the issues

ECONOMY:

Mike supports a balanced approach to addressing our nation’s budget deficit and growing the economy. He voted against the Budget Control Act in the summer of 2011. Mike believes that the best way to address our nation’s fiscal challenges is through a combination of responsible budget cuts and additional revenue. In the summer of 2012, Mike voted against extending all of the Bush tax cuts, which will expire at the end of the year. Mike voted in favor of establishing the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to help stabilize our economy and prevent a deepening financial crisis.

EDUCATION:

Mike believes that the federal government should adequately fund education in our cities and towns, and that it honors its legislative mandates by providing requisite resources to meet them — including proper funding for students with disabilities. Mike was one of 41 members of the House to vote against the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). He feared that the bill would give states and, by default, municipalities the burden of mandates without enough money to fulfill them. He also disagreed with the legislation’s overemphasis on standardized testing as the almost sole measure by which to gauge student achievement.

ENVIRONMENT:

Mike Capuano strongly believes that we must address climate change before it is too late. He supported the Climate Stewardship Act to create a cap and trade system and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He supported the SAFE Climate Act, to freeze 2010 emissions at 2009 levels, gradually lowering the targets to reduce emissions below 1990 levels.

HEALTH CARE REFORM:

Mike strongly supports universal health care coverage and is disappointed that health care reform does not include a public insurance option, something he fought hard to add to the final bill. Additionally, Mike proudly sponsors legislation to create a single payer system and supports other opportunities to create a public option.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS:

Mike has championed women's rights nationally and globally while in Congress. He fought gender-based discrimination and upheld the principle of equal pay for equal work. He was an original co-sponsor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act which passed in 2009, overturning a Supreme Court decision that had unreasonably limited the right to sue based on workplace discrimination.