Feldman, Steven

Meet the Candidate

Party Legend

  • DDemocrat
  • GGreen
  • LLibertarian
  • RRepublican
  • UUnaffiliated

Running For:
US House
District:
10
Political Affiliation:
L
Candidate Website:
https://www.stevefeldmanforcongress.com/

Survey

Response Legend

  • YYes
  • NNo
  • UUndecided
  • WView Candidate Comments
  • −No response given by candidate
  • *Comment provided, see Candidate page

Question Response Comments/Notes
1. Should Congress pass legislation that expressly prohibits the distribution of abortion inducing drugs across state lines? N* I favor minimizing the intrusion of the Federal government into the choices people make. Here's my position on abortion: Abortion and Reproductive Rights: Work together to create a balanced policy Abortion or reproductive rights is an issue for which there is no reasonable compromise. The government should—absolutely—not try to control women’s bodies. The government—absolutely—should not condone murder. These two “no compromise is possible” principles are at odds, and some balance must be found. I encourage people on both the pro-Choice and pro-Life sides of this issue to advocate for their positions respectfully and to understand each other’s point of view. I respect the beliefs of people who think that a fetus is a baby, and I recognize that people of good will disagree as to whether a fetus is a baby. People who want to protect unborn babies do not want to control women’s bodies; they just want to prevent the murder of unborn babies. People who don’t want the government to force every woman to carry every pregnancy to term don’t want to kill babies; they just want women to have control over their bodies. I agree with the pro-Choice position that the government should not be in the business of forcing women to give birth, at all times, in all situations. I agree with the pro-Life position that the rights of the fetus must also be considered; a woman does not have the right to indiscriminately end a pregnancy (kill her baby) at any time, for any reason. Clearly, we should minimize the number of unwanted pregnancies. Once a pregnancy has occurred, I don’t think there’s any one correct answer. I do think we could craft a reasonable, balanced policy that includes • Keeping government out of funding abortions • Making abortion illegal after a certain period of gestation, with proper consideration for the health of the mother • Allowing different states to adopt different regulations, based on the views of the people in those different states
2. Should Congress pass legislation to ban sports gambling across the United States? N* I favor minimizing the intrusion of the Federal government into the choices people make. I don't gamble, but I have enough humility that I don't think I should tell others how to live their lives. Our Federal government needs to focus, like a laser, on getting its fiscal house in order.
3. Should North Carolina voters be required to show a photo ID in order to vote in North Carolina? −
4. Should Congress pass legislation that would protect citizens from being charged with discrimination because of their sincerely held religious beliefs about marriage? N* Nobody should be forced to act against their conscience. That protects two people who want to marry from a government that would stop them. It also protects a printer or baker who doesn't want to produce a message he finds abhorrent. Do we need more legislation on this? Religious organizations already can't be required to participate in a marriage they object to — that's written into the Respect for Marriage Act itself. Individuals in expressive work already can't be compelled to create a message they disagree with; the Supreme Court settled that in 303 Creative. Much of what people are asking Congress to protect is already protected. I'd want to know precisely what a new law adds. A couple says “don't force us to live as though our marriage isn't real.” A vendor says “don't force me to take part in it.” We need to be very careful how we balance these when the rights of one come in conflict with the rights of another. Religious sincerity was the stated reason for opposing interracial marriage well within my lifetime. I’m not sure what additional law is needed. I trust neighbors to work it out better than I trust Congress to draft it. And I'd rather Congress spend time fixing the budget. One thing we clearly need: we, as a Nation, need to be more friendly with fellow citizens and not try to force others to act in ways that contradict their religious or moral beliefs.
5. Should Congress legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes? Y* People in the government are just people and should have the humility to leave the citizenry to live their lives as they see fit as long as they’re not hurting others. The Federal government needs to be smaller, much smaller. People who want to influence others should do so by being good role models, not by weaponizing the Federal government. State law can address marijuana restrictions (or leave it to more local levels).
6. Should Congress pass legislation that prohibits biological males who identify as female from participating on female sports teams? N* The Federal government should NOT be involved in deciding who gets to play on your kids' sports teams. Those teams and leagues should be free to work it out for themselves without Federal intrusion into your lives.
7. Should Congress continue to provide funding for abstinence-until-marriage sexual education programs? N* The Federal government is drowning, DROWNING, in debt. We must not leave our children a bankrupt country. Abstinence-until-marriage sexual education programs may not cost much, but every little program could claim that. We need Federal fiscal discipline. Abstinence-until-marriage sexual education programs may be a great idea, but supporters should be funding it, not the Federal government.
8. Should organizations that provide abortions be allowed to receive federal taxpayer dollars? U* This is a "sometimes" yes, sometimes "no" question. Abortion or reproductive rights is an issue for which there is no reasonable compromise. The government should—absolutely—not try to control women’s bodies. The government—absolutely—should not condone murder. These two “no compromise is possible” principles are at odds, yet some balance must be found. Federal funds should not be supporting abortions. The Federal government should not be used to try to limit women's control of their own bodies. The Federal government should not fund organizations to provide abortions. If organizations that provide abortions provide other services that the Federal government needs to support, funding may be reasonable for those other activities. If the Federal government were a lot smaller-- which it needs to be-- it wouldn't be funding such organizations as much.
9. Should Congress pass legislation requiring a health care practitioner, who is present at the time a child is born alive after a failed abortion attempt, to exercise the same degree of skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as would be expected for any other child born alive at the same gestational age? N* A baby born alive is already a person under federal law, and killing or neglecting one is already a crime in every state. Murder is primarily state law, and that's where this belongs.
10. Should Congress prohibit "gender transition procedures" on minors, including the administration of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and the performance of "gender reassignment surgery?" N* This is another issue where I have the humility not to claim I know what's right for particular children and their parents. Data from Europe on gender transition in children did not provide definitive proof of benefit or harm. As much as possible, I think the Federal government should not interfere with the decisions parents are making with their children. If law is appropriate, it would be a state matter, and multiple states have already passed restrictive legislation.
11. Should a person’s religious beliefs influence the decisions they make while serving in public office? Y* Another "yes" and "no." If their religious beliefs teach them to treat others as they would want to be treated and not to try to impose their will on their fellow citizen, then unqualified yes, their beliefs should influence their decisions! If their religion teaches them that they should use the Federal government to impose their beliefs on others, then "no, they shouldn't." But whether they "should" or not is a moot point, because our religious beliefs do influence who we are and the policy decisions we would make.
12. Should churches and other qualified religious organizations continue to receive tax-exempt status? Y* If we don't tax non-profit organizations, we shouldn't tax any of them, including religious institutions.
13. Should the number of terms an individual may serve in the U.S. Senate or U.S. House be limited? Y* Yes, the number of terms an individual may serve in the U.S. Senate or U.S. House be limited. It should be limited by the votes of the electorate.
14. Should the U.S. Constitution be amended to require Congress to balance the federal budget every year? N* No. Congress should do it's job and balance the budget. If they don't, the voters should toss them out. The existential threat to our country and our children's future is not China nor Iran and certainly not transgender kids in sports or what pronouns people use. The debt our Nation has accumulated is a large and growing burden on us and our children and our children’s children. Republicans know this. They campaign against it. Then they vote for legislation that makes annual deficits even larger. Incumbent Rep. Harrigan’s candidate voter guide said, “Our national debt has surpassed a record breaking $34 trillion in debt, that we are handing down to the next generation of Americans. Steps must be taken to reduce our national debt and that starts with not adding more debt to each taxpayer” (https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/65072/race/1742/election/1090). He was right. But then he voted for legislation that continues to increase the debt. It’s nearly $40 trillion now. Nearly 40 TRILLION dollars. The fault is not the legislators. Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh once said, “If the lettuce isn’t growing well, don’t blame the lettuce.” It’s wise advice. We’re the gardeners. Our Constitution gives us the right to choose our representatives and with that right comes responsibility. If we keep voting the way we have, we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves for the results.