congress Nick LaLota Contact information

Nick learned the values of hard work and service to the community from his own family. It is that commitment to service which drives him as a Member of Congress.

Nick’s father served as a Nassau County Police Officer, his grandfathers served in the NYPD, and his stepfather served in the Navy. Nick’s mother, while working at Grumman assigned to the F-14 program, brought home U.S. Navy Tomcat models. Those models, and his family’s longtime service to the community, had an impact on both Nick and his brother.

Nick’s brother Dan is a retired Marine Sniper who earned a Bronze Star with Valor for his service in Fallujah, Iraq. Nick also went on to serve.

While a senior in high school, Nick applied to one of the few coveted spots at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Selected for academic record and leadership, Nick attended and earned his degree from Annapolis. Nick entered the Navy and attained the rank of Lieutenant. Serving our nation in uniform, Nick was sent overseas on three separate occasions, deploying to twenty countries.

As a Surface Warfare Officer, Nick served as Assistant Operations Officer on the USS Curts and as a Tactical Action Officer on USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear powered Aircraft Carrier. For his service he was awarded a Joint Service Commendation Medal in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

After his Naval career protecting our nation, and with it Long Island, Nick returned home. He then went to work continuing his public service. In 2013, Nick was appointed to the Amityville Board of Trustees and successfully ran for election in 2014 and re-election in 2015.

As a Trustee, Nick maintained a focus on reducing the tax burden on Amityville’s families and businesses, while improving Village services and the viability of the Village’s downtown and beach. As the Village’s Budget Officer, he helped craft four consecutive budgets that complied with the 2% property tax cap, without eliminating any Village services. In 2015 and 2016, following budgets providing significant surpluses, the Village received upgrades from Moody’s and S&P credit rating agencies.

As the Chairman of the Committee to the Police Department, Nick increased the number of Officers on patrol. As Chairman of the Committee to the Fire Department, Nick worked with the Chiefs’ Office and Fire Council to start a Village Fire Marshal program, refurbish multiple ambulances, and increase EMT funding by 40% while appropriating additional funding for life saving equipment that kept our volunteer firefighters and community safe.

Since 2008, Nick has served in different leadership roles in local government on Long Island, most recently serving as Chief of Staff to the Suffolk County Legislature. There, Nick worked with the Presiding Officer, County Legislators, staff and the public to deliver superior municipal services at affordable tax rates while protecting the environment– especially surface waters and drinking waters. Nick oversaw Suffolk County’s $3.7 billion budget which services the county’s 1.5 million residents.

Prior to being the County Legislature’s Chief of Staff, Nick served as Commissioner of the Suffolk County Board of Elections where he worked diligently to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat in our democratic process. When appointed, Nick became the youngest person to hold the post in three decades. Nick also served as Chief of Staff to a New York State Senator, where he learned how to ensure citizens’ voices were heard as he directed legislation, government relations, strategy and community outreach.

A husband and father, Nick and his wife Kaylie, his high school sweetheart, are raising three daughters.

Nick is a cum laude graduate from Hofstra University’s Zarb School of Business with a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA). In addition, Nick holds a Juris Doctor from Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law.

Nick continues his commitment to serving Long Island in the halls of Congress by fighting to lower taxes for working class Long Islanders, secure energy independence and defend all of our constitutional freedoms.

ABOUT Nick LaLota

Nick learned the values of hard work and service to the community from his own family. It is that commitment to service which is driving him to serve as our next Member of Congress.

Nick’s father was a Nassau County Police Officer, his grandfathers were NYPD officers, and his stepfather served in the Navy. His mother, while working at Grumman assigned to the F-14 program, brought home U.S. Navy Tomcat models. Those models, and his family’s longtime service to the community, had an impact on both Nick and his brother.

Nick’s brother Dan is a retired Marine Sniper who earned a Bronze Star with Valor for his service in Fallujah, Iraq. Nick also went on to serve.

While a Senior in high school Nick applied to one of the few coveted spots at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Selected for academic record and leadership, Nick attended and earned his degree from Annapolis. Nick entered the Navy and attained the rank of Lieutenant. Serving our nation in uniform, Nick was sent overseas on three separate occasions, deploying to twenty countries.

As a Surface Warfare Officer, Nick served as Assistant Operations Officer on the USS Curts and as a Tactical Action Officer on USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear powered Aircraft Carrier. For his service he was awarded a Joint Service Commendation Medal in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

After his Naval career protecting our nation, and with it Long Island, Nick returned home. He then went to work continuing his public service. In 2013, Nick was appointed to the Amityville Board of Trustees and successfully ran for election in 2014 and re-election in 2015.

As a Trustee, Nick maintained a focus on reducing the tax burden on Amityville’s families and businesses, while improving village services and the viability of the Village’s downtown and beach. As the Village’s Budget Officer, he helped craft four consecutive budgets that comply with the 2% property tax cap, without eliminating any village services. In 2015 and 2016, following budgets which provided significant surpluses, the Village received upgrades from Moody’s and S&P credit rating agencies.

As the Chairman of the Committee to the Police Department, Nick increased the number of Officers on patrol. As Chairman of the Committee to the Fire Department, Nick worked with the Chiefs’ Office and Fire Council to start a Village Fire Marshal program, refurbish multiple ambulances, increase EMT funding by 40% and appropriated additional funding for life saving equipment that keeps our volunteer firefighters and community safe.

Since 2008, Nick has served in different leadership roles in local government here on Long Island and currently serves as the Chief of Staff to the Suffolk County Legislature. There, Nick works with the Presiding Officer, County Legislators, staff and the public to deliver superior municipal services at affordable tax rates while protecting our environment– especially the surface waters and drinking waters. Nick helps to oversee Suffolk County’s $3.7 billion budget which services the county’s 1.5 million residents.

Prior to being the County Legislature’s Chief of Staff, Nick served as Commissioner of the Suffolk County Board of Elections where he worked diligently to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat in our democratic process. When appointed, Nick became the youngest person to hold the post in three decades. Nick also served as Chief of Staff to a New York State Senator, where he learned about how to ensure citizen voices were heard as he directed legislation, government relations, strategy and community outreach.

A husband and father to three daughters, Nick and his wife Kaylie, his high school sweetheart, are raising their children in Amityville. Kaylie is the daughter of Tom and Pam Howard and granddaughter of the late Lou and Margaret Howard. Many Long Islanders remember Lou for being a Hall of Fame football coach and former Village Mayor, County Legislator and State Assemblyman. Kaylie is a physical education teacher at Northport High School and a graduate of Hofstra University.

Nick is a cum laude graduate from Hofstra University’s Zarb School of Business with a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA). In addition, Nick holds a Juris Doctor from Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Dean School of Law.

As our next Member of Congress, Nick will fight once again for our families on Long Island. Nick will never forget that he is there to serve.

Election Integrity

The lack of Voter ID, proliferation of absentee ballots, and big tech companies’ political bias have caused too many Americans to lose confidence in our elections. As a former Elections Commissioner, I am uniquely qualified to tackle these issues in Congress.

I was twice nominated by the Republican Party and confirmed by the Suffolk County Legislature as Suffolk County’s Republican Elections Commissioner and served in that capacity from 2015 through 2021. There, my 60-member staff and I were on the front lines of administering town, county, state and federal elections in a county with more voters than 10 individual states. In 2016, years before most people had any focus on this topic, Newsday wrote about my concern over voter fraud.

• Voter ID Committing fraud by impersonation at a polling place is relatively easy in New York because, unlike 34 other states, our state doesn’t have a voter ID law. To pull off this crime in New York, all a fraudster needs to do is appear at a polling place and present a signature on an iPad that looks somewhat like the real voter’s signature. Given this vulnerability to our democracy, I testified before the New York Senate Elections Committee and advocated for a New York State photo voter ID law. Unfortunately, my advocacy fell on the deaf ears of Senate Democrats who controlled the committee.

In Congress, I will support legislation that requires a voter to have ID to participate in any Federal Election. If a qualified voter doesn’t have ID, one should be made easily available and at no cost because voting in our elections shouldn’t be contingent on paying a de facto poll tax. Moreover, a voter who comes to a polling place without an ID should be offered the interim solution of voting by affidavit ballot.

• Absentee Ballots The proliferation of absentee ballots has also opened the door to fraud by impersonation and fraud by coercion. While absentee balloting is perfectly appropriate for voters who can’t make it to the polls such as those who are in the military, in a hospital, disabled, or traveling outside the county, the risks of expanding absentee balloting beyond these voters who can’t reasonably get to the polls outweigh the risks.

That is because absentee balloting lends itself to a fraudster easily casting a ballot for another by forging the voter’s signature on an absentee ballot application or absentee ballot oath envelope. When my staff and I caught a person breaking the law by forging his deceased mother’s signature to vote in her name, we worked with the authorities to have that person arrested and brought to justice.

So many other frauds go unchecked because of loopholes in our State Election Law, such as the requirement that elections clerks from both parties agree a signature doesn’t match to invalidate a ballot or even investigate its validity. In Congress, I will fight to give local boards of elections more tools to uncover these frauds.

Fraud by coercion is likely more prevalent in the absentee balloting process because there is no chain of ballot custody. Among other examples, fraud by coercion happens when a parent twists the arm of an adult child or relative, often elderly, to vote a certain way. It is also done by a boss or supervisor offering to “help” educate employees on how to vote but in reality that boss will apply pressure on an employee-voter to effectively “multiply” the boss’ vote.

The more balloting is done outside the presence of controlled environments with elections inspectors present, the more fraud will ensue and the less confidence we will all have in elections. In Congress, I will fight to limit absentee ballots in Federal Elections to those who can’t reasonably get to the polls.

• Big Tech in Our Elections As we see big tech companies grow to become almost omnipresent in our lives, Congress has a responsibility to regulate the tech industry to ensure its coding, which has tended to censor and suppress conservative news, is politically neutral or properly disclaims what they are censoring.

In 2020, a week or two before Election Day, we saw prominent tech companies suppress or censor legitimate news of Hunter Biden’s kickback scheme while doing no such thing with uncertain reporting about President Trump’s taxes. That affected Americans’ views on the candidates and, in turn, how they voted.

Big tech and social media companies are private entities. Within reason, they should be allowed control over what they will and won’t allow on their platforms. However, a user shouldn’t be led to falsely believe what or how much of what they see is politically neutral. This highly-advanced trickery undermines the very core of our democracy.

In Congress, I will support legislation that requires tech companies to provide a disclaimer when they are throttling news that tends to marginalize a political ideology or party.

• Conclusion Our democracy is best served when candidates for public office campaign on a fair and transparent playing field. Voter ID, limiting absentee ballots and providing transparency to big tech’s algorithms will even the playing field, build the public’s confidence in our elections and ensure the candidate with the most valid votes wins. As a former elections commissioner, I will fight for just that in Congress!

Health Care

I have traveled the world and have visited so-called “rich” countries and so-called “poor” countries and have come to know the United States has among the best doctors, the best medical technology and the best hospitals in the world. Yet, too many Long Islanders don’t have health care. We can do better.

For many of us who do have health care, the costs are exceedingly expensive. In fact, excessive health care expenses forced eight million Americans into poverty in 2018. And, a recent poll found 25% of Americans said they or a family member put off treatment for a serious medical condition due to cost. Something that everyone needs in order to live a long, happy life should not be costing Americans everything they have.

In Congress, I will work with Republicans and Democrats to lower prescription drug prices, continue to require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions and protect people from surprise medical bills. I will also support a system that allows for Medicare to negotiate prices for its members 65 years and up. These price negotiations will not only protect seniors from predatory pricing, it will cause prices to come down for those who need it most.

Further, I believe that requiring medical care providers to be transparent with their pricing information will enable patients to have more power in choosing the provider and care that is best for them in addition to spurring previously non-existent competition between providers. By giving consumers more power to make more informed healthcare decisions and negotiating for lower prices, Americans will be able to access much-needed healthcare without the burdensome financial repercussions.

Inflation, Our Economy and Taxes

For most of the last several years, our national and local economies were booming. Such was especially the case under President Trump and the Republican Congress. We saw people moving from poverty to prosperity and families getting ahead. Americans’ jobs and investments were making all-time highs. Stock markets rose and workers’ pensions, tied to it, rose as well. Wages were rising commensurate with prices. Here on Long Island, home values climbed to near all time highs and unemployment was generally down.

Now, unfortunately the price of just about everything is rising far faster than Long Islanders’ wages, and certainly retirees’ fixed income. In Congress, I will work to bring the prosperity of the prior few years back. I will fight for policies which help lower inflation and bring down the rising prices of gasoline, groceries and even the costs to heat and cool our homes.

First and foremost, the President and Congress must incentivize the safe extraction of America’s 43,800,000,000 barrels of proven oil reserves. That means approving and expediting permits to drill on federal land. Here in New York, the Governor should allow for the safe extraction of the Empire State’s immense natural gas reserves. If government allows for an increase in the supply of energy, prices will fall.

Second, Washington politicians (of both parties) must reign in federal spending and finally pass a balanced budget. For too long, the Congress has spent more than it has taken in. That must stop. While I was a trustee of Amityville, after 16 years of tax increases which averaged eight percent, I managed to keep taxes within the property tax cap, easing the burden on the village’s families and businesses. My colleagues and I were able to do so by consolidating administrative positions while at the same time improving village services. There, we earned multiple credit ratings. In Congress, I will help to shrink the size of the government.

Third, inflation is exacerbated by our nation’s $600 billion trade imbalance and supply chain disruptions caused by an overreliance on overseas products. Congress must react by promoting trade deals and regulations which promote American manufacturing while simultaneously ensuring we are not incentivizing American workers to stay home.

Finally, we must recognize monetary policy has been too loose for too long. While many of us enjoy low interest rates, we should have learned from the Alan Greenspan era that when interest rates are kept so low for a long period of time, bubbles tend to be created, then burst. Such was the case with the 2008 housing bubble and subsequent collapse of financial markets and record-high unemployment. The Federal Open Market Committee (aka the Fed) must be more mindful of its mandate “to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment and stable prices" To that end, the Senate (who is responsible for confirming members of the Fed) must be more diligent in confirming those who will be loyal to the dual-mandate.

Government helped create this mess. Accordingly, government leaders can help us get out of it. By growing our economy and letting Americans keep more of their own hard-earned money, we will see everyone’s quality of life increase and bring us all up as a nation. In Congress, I’ll help do just that.

Law Enforcement

My father was a Police Officer. Both of my grandfathers served in the NYPD. With that close family background, I understand how Law Enforcement Officers all over the country are on the front lines in our communities day in and day out, working around the clock to keep us safe.

As an Amityville Trustee, I stood by our law enforcement. Despite financial woes we inherited from a previous administration, I made sure we put more cops on the street than at any other time in our village’s history.

Our brave men and women in Law Enforcement deserve to have elected officials who will stand up for them when– in the course of protecting our communities– they find themselves in harm’s way.

Kathy Hochul’s New York is a disaster; and our neighborhoods and our police are left to feel less safe each day. With an unprecedented rise of violence committed towards those in Blue, Congress must step up to make sure that our law enforcement is treated with the respect it deserves. That is why I would support the “Protect and Serve Act” which would make police officers across all 50 states a protected class. Specifically, the Act would make it a crime to knowingly cause or attempt to cause “serious bodily injury to a law enforcement officer.” The crime is punishable by 10 years in prison. If the crime results in the death of a law enforcement officer, or the crime involves kidnapping or the attempt to kidnap or kill a law enforcement officer, then the sentence can be up to life in prison.

In this era of hatred and animosity directed at our police, Congress must take action to send a clear message of support for our great law enforcement officers.

Mandates

Government is run best when there is a sufficient separation of powers and actual checks and balances.

It is dangerous when one part of our government seeks to seize control over the other branches and impose its will over the people. Unfortunately we have seen that happen during the pandemic.

The Founding Fathers reasoned that having three co-equal branches of government– each with the ability to temper the others’ ability to become too big– was the best way to guarantee Americans’ freedoms as remained free of an oppressive government.

In fact, the Framers of the Constitution envisioned the Congress would address most of America’s domestic affairs while the President focused on international matters which were limited at the time. Recognizing that the Congress would be most in touch with the People, the Framers addressed the limited powers and responsibilities of the Congress in Article I of the Constitution, while the President’s powers and responsibilities are listed in Article II and the Courts are in Article III.

In New York, our State Constitution follows a similar system where Article I is the people’s “Bill of Rights,” Article II relates to Suffrage, Article III relates to the Legislature; Article IV relates to the Governor; Article V relates to Officers and Civil Departments; and Article VI relates to the Judiciary.

This sequential listing and the powers and responsibilities listed therein, are clear indicators that the Framers of our Federal and State Constitutions envisioned the Legislative Branch to be first among the equal branches of government.

Despite this, throughout time, Presidents and Governors of both parties have usurped the powers meant for the Legislative branches.

In July of 2021, without a public hearing, sworn testimony or debate by Elected Officials from both political parties, President Biden signed an Executive Order to require all federal executive branch workers to be vaccinated. Likewise, despite almost every other nearby state canceling their school mask mandate, New York Governor Hochul waited until March 2022 to end New York’s statewide school mask mandate – and in the summer of 2022, Hochul stated she “reserved the right” to reinstate the mandate in spite of the evidence which shows children are far less likely to acquire and spread covid.

If the President or a Governor wants a long-term rule - law - that affects the freedom of the people, he or she must go through the Legislative Branch. Having locally elected officials weigh in on these matters will ensure that whatever rule is being offered has sufficient “buy-in” from the communities and is subject to public debate. As a Member of Congress, I will support a law that automatically sunsets any Executive Order or Mandate forty-five (45) days after it is issued and bar it from being extended without passing both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

National Debt

The biggest problem almost no one in Washington is talking about is our national debt. For years, both Republicans and Democrats have lacked any hint of fiscal discipline and have allowed our national debt to balloon past $30 trillion– almost triple what it was 10 years ago. If we continue down this path, we will be the first generation to leave the next generation less opportunity and a lower standard of living.

As Village Trustee and Budget Officer, I helped reduce the debt by over 20% in just four years. There, my colleagues and I earned multiple debt rating upgrades and still made vital investments in the Village’s infrastructure.

As Congressman, I would support measures to make drastic cuts to our bloated agencies, and lower government’s operating costs. Congress has been too caught up in its current “free stuff” spending spree to realize the impact it’s having on future generations. Congress needs to be taking action NOW to start working towards a sustainable budget going forward.

Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice

A recent Marist poll found that an equal number of Americans – 47 Percent – identified themselves as pro-life and as those who are pro-choice. Obviously, this is an issue that divides many Americans.

I join with the 72% of Americans who oppose abortion in the second trimester and the 80% of Americans who oppose abortion in the third trimester. I do not oppose abortion in cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother’s life.

The recent Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade placed abortion policy-making power back in the state legislatures. Here in New York, voters should aim to elect State Assemblymembers, State Senators and a Governor who share their view on this issue. That is why I will be voting for and supporting candidates who oppose second and third trimester abortions.

My opponent, liberal Democrat Bridget Fleming, supports abortion on demand – without any restrictions whatsoever. Fleming is out of touch with 80% of voters who think abortion generally should be illegal during the third trimester of pregnancy and 72% of voters who think abortion generally should be illegal during the second trimester of pregnancy.

I am the father of three wonderful daughters and if called to vote on the issue, would vote on limitations on abortion. Specifically, I would oppose second and third trimester abortions.

I also oppose New York’s State’s extreme lack of parental notification requirements, as do most Americans. Schools can’t even give a child an aspirin without parental consent but clinics in the State of New York don’t have to notify parents before their daughter can get an abortion. As a parent, that makes me sick.

Finally, in Congress, I will make sure the Hyde Amendment stays in place to prevent President Biden and Governor Hochul from using our tax dollars to turn New York into an abortion destination.

Abortion is a personal and divisive topic but I will lead the charge to find common ground – and that is eliminating second and third trimester abortions.

Protecting Our Second Amendment Rights

I am a gun owner and I have deep respect for the Constitutional right to bear arms.

My father was a Nassau County Police Officer and both of my grandfathers proudly wore the badge for the NYPD. I grew up being taught to operate firearms safely. I have done so as a Military Officer and as a civilian.

In Kathy Hochul’s New York, we’ve never been less safe. Crime is rampant, and criminals are now released without bail the same day they commit violent crimes.

In Congress I’ll do everything that I can to protect our rights to safely and responsibly protect ourselves and our families from the violent criminals who are overrunning our communities due to the direct abdication of duty by our Albany elected officials.

Roads and Bridges

While in the Navy, I traveled to 20 countries and through 49 US States. It frustrated me that New York’s infrastructure is in such poor shape compared to the rest of the country and the world. Crumbling roads, dated transit systems, and bridges in dangerously bad condition are posing a threat to our safety and hold back the engine of commerce every single day that the problem isn’t fixed.

Why does it have to be this way? Why do moms and dads struggle with traffic getting their kids to and from school and appointments? Should our senior citizens sit in traffic on their way to the drug store? Should Long Island’s commuters be forced to spend hours every week, in addition to their jobs, just trying to get to and from work instead of spending that time with their families?

Our infrastructure problem is made worse by the fact that for every dollar in federal taxes New Yorkers send to Washington, we only get ninety-three cents back. Only five states (Delaware, New Jersey, Minnesota and Ohio) have ratios which are worse. We need Members of Congress who will stand up, and fight back for our fair share.

As a Village Trustee, I started the first major road repaving project in 20 years, giving motorists a smoother and safer ride home. I worked to ensure the paving contracts were awarded to the most responsible bidder and did so without raising taxes.

In Washington, I will support Congress allocating funds to each state so that they can adequately address their own infrastructure needs, followed by a federal survey of the repairs made to assess the quality of improvements made. By properly addressing Long Island’s - and the nation’s - infrastructure needs, we would greatly improve the means of transportation that we all depend on while avoiding certain disaster in the future.

Standing Up to China

Having served our Navy in the Pacific, I know firsthand that the Chinese Communist Party and its hostility to freedom, democracy, and capitalism is the greatest threat that we face to our national security to-date.

However, too many in Washington would seemingly rather cozy up to the CCP while turning a blind eye to corrupt trade practices and human rights abuses.

In Congress, I will stand up to China. I will support President Trump’s America First Agenda to oppose the Chinese Government’s unfair trade practices and once again promote American manufacturing.

I will also wholeheartedly support efforts to hold China accountable for the destruction they caused by withholding critical information during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stand With Israel

When I was stationed on a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier deployed off the coasts of North Korea and China, I was one of seven Tactical Action Officers on board. The seven of us were charged with leading watch teams responsible for the ship’s self-defense. We reported directly to the ship’s Captain and, if there was an imminent threat, we had weapons-release authority to defend the $8 billion ship and the 5,000 precious American lives on board.

To do our job effectively, my watch teams and I followed the Navy’s “defense in depth” strategy. The basic concept was that in order to protect the carrier, we would position layers of technologically-advanced and resilient American cruisers, destroyers and frigates on the carrier’s perimeter which our enemies had to confront and defeat before reaching the carrier. Thus, the stronger our perimeter ships were, the safer the aircraft carrier was from our enemies. This strategy is analogous to the approach America must follow with our ally Israel.

Earth is home to almost eight billion people and 195 countries. The unfortunate reality is some fraction of those people and those countries’ leaders want to kill Americans. They are bred to hate who we are and what we stand for. While everyone there is not our enemy, we must acknowledge that the highest density of those belligerent anti-American groups is in the Middle East. These adversaries, who call for “Death to America,” want the same terror brought upon their neighbor Israel.

Even an ocean’s distance between the United States and these terrorists wasn’t enough to prevent those who perpetrated the 1993 and 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center from doing so. For more than 70 years, the state of Israel has also been under attack. Our ally Israel has been faced with threats to her safety and security since her establishment in 1948. Since then, 3,500 Israelis have been killed and 25,000 have been wounded in acts of terror. From suicide bombings to indiscriminate rocket fire on civilian targets, Israel faces threats from the terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad on a near-daily basis.

Israel is the battle-tested cruiser to America’s aircraft carrier. In addition to the moral imperative that comes with protecting an ally who is constantly unjustly attacked, for our own country’s sake, we must continue to invest in Israel’s defense against those who would want to do and have done Americans harm, too. In Congress, I will support the $3.8 billion in annual security assistance to Israel as negotiated in the U.S.-Israel MOU, the continued sharing of intelligence, joint cooperation in cybersecurity and counterterrorism, and continued funding for the lifesaving Iron Dome missile defense system. Likewise, I will oppose proposals that would empower our adversaries such as the Iran Nuclear Deal. Doing so is essential to our own national security.

Use of Military Force

Congress should support budgets and programs which ensure that America maintains the most lethal military on the planet– prepared to defend her national security interests. President Teddy Roosevelt informally referred to this policy as, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

As someone who was deployed to a region that harbors terrorists, I understand and support keeping bases and troops in and near different “hot spots” in the world. President Biden was wrong not to leave a contingent of about 1,000 US troops in Afghanistan to advise and assist the Afghan Government and Military to prevent the Taliban from retaking Afghanistan.

Having also deployed on an aircraft carrier, I understand and support building and maintaining aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and the like. They serve as a deterrent to our nation’s enemies. Knowing that the United States merely could respond to their hostile actions, countries like China are less likely to become overtly belligerent towards America and her allies.

I am the brother of a Marine Sniper who earned a Bronze Star in Iraq. Knowing him and the culture of today’s American warrior class, few would blink if called to war. Still, Congress and the President owe it to our military men and women and their families to place them in harms’ way only when certain conditions are met. Such is the case because the cost of war is infinite and is always borne by the military men and women we send to combat, and their families— not the politicians.

When contemplating whether or not to take military action, the President and Congress must use the Powell Doctrine, named after General Colin Powell. The doctrine states that a list of questions all have to be answered affirmatively before military action is taken by the United States:

• Is a vital national security interest threatened?
• Do we have a clear attainable objective?
• Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed?
• Have all other non-violent policy means been fully exhausted?
• Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement?
• Have the consequences of our actions been fully considered?
• Is the action supported by the American people?
• Do we have genuine broad international support?