Issues
My agenda is shaped by what I hear every day across the Lowcountry. Families and individuals are struggling with rising costs, a healthcare system they cannot afford, and a government that too often protects insiders instead of enforcing the rules. People want safe communities, a fair economy, and leadership that follows the law and puts the public interest first.
A Cost of Living Crisis Washington is Making Worse
Families and individuals across the Lowcountry are being crushed by the rising cost of living. Rent and home prices have surged. Health care and insurance consume more of each paycheck. Groceries, fuel, and everyday necessities cost more than they did just a few years ago, while wages struggle to keep up.
Washington has made this crisis worse through reckless economic decisions. In this second Trump administration, sweeping tariffs have been imposed on imported goods, driving up prices across the economy. These tariffs are often described as penalties on foreign countries, but that is not how they work. American businesses pay them, and those costs are passed directly on to families and individuals.
The result is higher prices at the grocery store, higher costs to build and repair homes, more expensive cars and appliances, and rising prices for everyday household goods. Tariffs on steel, aluminum, lumber, and consumer products act as a hidden tax, quietly increasing the cost of living without improving wages or strengthening local economies.
This approach hurts the very people it claims to protect. Small businesses pay more. Construction costs rise. Housing becomes less affordable. Inflation accelerates. Families are left working harder just to stay in place.
I have worked inside local government, where budgets are real, and consequences are immediate. Lowering costs requires practical solutions, not political theater. In Congress, I will fight to roll back tariffs that raise prices on American families, push for trade policies that lower costs while supporting American workers, and focus on real cost-of-living relief.
That includes expanding housing supply and promoting affordable housing, lowering health care and prescription drug costs, and supporting working families and individuals with affordable childcare. No family should be forced to choose between basic necessities because Washington chose chaos over competence.
Government should help people get ahead, not quietly tax them into hardship.
Washington has made this crisis worse through reckless economic decisions. In this second Trump administration, sweeping tariffs have been imposed on imported goods, driving up prices across the economy. These tariffs are often described as penalties on foreign countries, but that is not how they work. American businesses pay them, and those costs are passed directly on to families and individuals.
The result is higher prices at the grocery store, higher costs to build and repair homes, more expensive cars and appliances, and rising prices for everyday household goods. Tariffs on steel, aluminum, lumber, and consumer products act as a hidden tax, quietly increasing the cost of living without improving wages or strengthening local economies.
This approach hurts the very people it claims to protect. Small businesses pay more. Construction costs rise. Housing becomes less affordable. Inflation accelerates. Families are left working harder just to stay in place.
I have worked inside local government, where budgets are real, and consequences are immediate. Lowering costs requires practical solutions, not political theater. In Congress, I will fight to roll back tariffs that raise prices on American families, push for trade policies that lower costs while supporting American workers, and focus on real cost-of-living relief.
That includes expanding housing supply and promoting affordable housing, lowering health care and prescription drug costs, and supporting working families and individuals with affordable childcare. No family should be forced to choose between basic necessities because Washington chose chaos over competence.
Government should help people get ahead, not quietly tax them into hardship.
A Rule of Law Crisis in Washington
A free nation depends upon the rule of law. When power is exercised without restraint, the American people pay the price.
We are facing a rule of law crisis in Washington. Under theTrump administration, long-standing legal boundaries are being tested or ignored. Due process is treated as an inconvenience. Sweeping tariffs are imposed without Constitutional authority, acting as an unlegislated tax on American families. Military force is increasingly invoked in domestic contexts where civilian law enforcement and constitutional safeguards must prevail. Unlawful boat strikes in the Caribbean disregard international law and undermine the lawful maritime enforcement practices that actually keep drugs out of the United States.
These actions do not make America safer or stronger. They weaken oversight, destabilize markets, erode public trust, and invite retaliation abroad. A government that disregards the law at the top cannot credibly enforce it at the bottom.
As a Coast Guard veteran and government lawyer, I believe the law is not a suggestion. In Congress, I will take concrete steps to restore it. I will push to reassert Congress’s Constitutional authority over tariffs and trade, ending the abuse of executive power that raises costs on families without accountability. I will strengthen oversight and due-process protections so that no administration can bypass the courts or punish political opponents through executive action. I will oppose the misuse of military forces on U.S. soil and work to reinforce clear legal limits between civilian law enforcement and the armed forces.
I will also demand that counter-drug efforts comply with domestic and international law, focusing on intelligence-led maritime interdiction, lawful boarding, and cooperation with partners, not reckless actions that weaken our credibility and fail to stop drugs from reaching American communities.
We are facing a rule of law crisis in Washington. Under theTrump administration, long-standing legal boundaries are being tested or ignored. Due process is treated as an inconvenience. Sweeping tariffs are imposed without Constitutional authority, acting as an unlegislated tax on American families. Military force is increasingly invoked in domestic contexts where civilian law enforcement and constitutional safeguards must prevail. Unlawful boat strikes in the Caribbean disregard international law and undermine the lawful maritime enforcement practices that actually keep drugs out of the United States.
These actions do not make America safer or stronger. They weaken oversight, destabilize markets, erode public trust, and invite retaliation abroad. A government that disregards the law at the top cannot credibly enforce it at the bottom.
As a Coast Guard veteran and government lawyer, I believe the law is not a suggestion. In Congress, I will take concrete steps to restore it. I will push to reassert Congress’s Constitutional authority over tariffs and trade, ending the abuse of executive power that raises costs on families without accountability. I will strengthen oversight and due-process protections so that no administration can bypass the courts or punish political opponents through executive action. I will oppose the misuse of military forces on U.S. soil and work to reinforce clear legal limits between civilian law enforcement and the armed forces.
I will also demand that counter-drug efforts comply with domestic and international law, focusing on intelligence-led maritime interdiction, lawful boarding, and cooperation with partners, not reckless actions that weaken our credibility and fail to stop drugs from reaching American communities.
A Corruption Crisis That Is Undermining Our Democracy
Corruption in Washington is no longer hidden behind backroom deals. It is happening in plain sight, and Americans are right to be angry about it.
In this second Trump administration, public office is increasingly treated as a personal asset rather than a public trust. Foreign governments are offering lavish gifts to the President and his circle, including reports of a four-hundred-million-dollar luxury jet, raising serious questions about foreign influence and loyalty. At the same time, the President has used the pardon power to free convicted felons, including a drug trafficker, while claiming to be tough on crime.
That hypocrisy matters. While this administration talks about cracking down on drugs, it has authorized reckless and unlawful boat strikes off the coast of Venezuela that do little to stop fentanyl from reaching American communities. Meanwhile, people with the right political connections receive forgiveness at home, even as families across the country bury loved ones lost to overdose.
Corruption is not limited to the White House. Members of Congress are legally allowed to buy and sell individual stocks while writing laws that directly affect those same companies. Americans see this for what it is: politicians using inside knowledge to enrich themselves, while regular people play by a different set of rules.
This is not leadership. It is self-dealing, favoritism, and abuse of power, and it tells working families that Washington operates under one set of rules for the powerful and another for everyone else.
In Congress, I will fight to ban stock trading by members of Congress and senior officials, prohibit lavish gifts from foreign governments, and strengthen ethics laws so violations carry real penalties. I will support reforms to limit abuse of the pardon power and require transparency whenever clemency is granted, so it cannot be used to reward allies or donors.
A democracy cannot survive if corruption is tolerated at the top. Restoring trust means restoring accountability, enforcing the rules, and making clear that public office exists to serve the American people.
In this second Trump administration, public office is increasingly treated as a personal asset rather than a public trust. Foreign governments are offering lavish gifts to the President and his circle, including reports of a four-hundred-million-dollar luxury jet, raising serious questions about foreign influence and loyalty. At the same time, the President has used the pardon power to free convicted felons, including a drug trafficker, while claiming to be tough on crime.
That hypocrisy matters. While this administration talks about cracking down on drugs, it has authorized reckless and unlawful boat strikes off the coast of Venezuela that do little to stop fentanyl from reaching American communities. Meanwhile, people with the right political connections receive forgiveness at home, even as families across the country bury loved ones lost to overdose.
Corruption is not limited to the White House. Members of Congress are legally allowed to buy and sell individual stocks while writing laws that directly affect those same companies. Americans see this for what it is: politicians using inside knowledge to enrich themselves, while regular people play by a different set of rules.
This is not leadership. It is self-dealing, favoritism, and abuse of power, and it tells working families that Washington operates under one set of rules for the powerful and another for everyone else.
In Congress, I will fight to ban stock trading by members of Congress and senior officials, prohibit lavish gifts from foreign governments, and strengthen ethics laws so violations carry real penalties. I will support reforms to limit abuse of the pardon power and require transparency whenever clemency is granted, so it cannot be used to reward allies or donors.
A democracy cannot survive if corruption is tolerated at the top. Restoring trust means restoring accountability, enforcing the rules, and making clear that public office exists to serve the American people.
A Health Care Crisis Families and Individuals Cannot Afford
We face a health care crisis that weighs heavily on families and individuals across our nation. This crisis confronts families and individuals in doctors’ offices, at pharmacy counters, and around kitchen tables where difficult choices are made in silence. Under the Trump administration, safeguards that once restrained excess are being dismantled, while insurers, pharmaceutical companies, and intermediaries profit from a system designed to reward revenue over care.
I believe health care must serve the patient, not the balance sheet. We must allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices directly, as the VA already does; reform the pharmacy benefit manager industry, whose hidden practices drive up costs; strengthen the Affordable Care Act; lower out-of-pocket expenses; expand access to mental health care; and protect comprehensive reproductive health care.
Health care should offer security and peace of mind, not anxiety and ruin. It is the duty of our government to ensure that Americans are not left to face illness or deeply personal medical decisions alone.
I believe health care must serve the patient, not the balance sheet. We must allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices directly, as the VA already does; reform the pharmacy benefit manager industry, whose hidden practices drive up costs; strengthen the Affordable Care Act; lower out-of-pocket expenses; expand access to mental health care; and protect comprehensive reproductive health care.
Health care should offer security and peace of mind, not anxiety and ruin. It is the duty of our government to ensure that Americans are not left to face illness or deeply personal medical decisions alone.
A Community Safety Crisis That Demands Serious Leadership
Safe communities are the foundation of a free society. Families and individuals cannot thrive where violence goes unanswered, where addiction spreads unchecked, or where trust between the public and those sworn to protect them has been allowed to erode.
True community safety requires lawful authority exercised with discipline, accountability, and resolve. As a Coast Guard veteran and former federal law enforcement officer, I understand that protecting the public means confronting threats honestly and competently.
Public safety also requires closing dangerous loopholes that allow individuals who should not have access to firearms to bypass background checks, while respecting the rights of responsible gun owners. At the same time, we must recognize that addiction and untreated mental illness are public health crises as well as public safety challenges. Law enforcement cannot be the only response. Mental health and substance use treatment must be expanded so officers are not left to manage problems better addressed through care and prevention.
In Congress, I will fight for coordinated strategies that combine aggressive action against drug trafficking organizations, common-sense firearm safety measures, and real investment in mental health and addiction services. Safety is not achieved through slogans or chaos. It is achieved through steady leadership, lawful authority, and a commitment to both justice and order.
True community safety requires lawful authority exercised with discipline, accountability, and resolve. As a Coast Guard veteran and former federal law enforcement officer, I understand that protecting the public means confronting threats honestly and competently.
Public safety also requires closing dangerous loopholes that allow individuals who should not have access to firearms to bypass background checks, while respecting the rights of responsible gun owners. At the same time, we must recognize that addiction and untreated mental illness are public health crises as well as public safety challenges. Law enforcement cannot be the only response. Mental health and substance use treatment must be expanded so officers are not left to manage problems better addressed through care and prevention.
In Congress, I will fight for coordinated strategies that combine aggressive action against drug trafficking organizations, common-sense firearm safety measures, and real investment in mental health and addiction services. Safety is not achieved through slogans or chaos. It is achieved through steady leadership, lawful authority, and a commitment to both justice and order.
