About this response & our editorial approach
About this candidate response
DutyStation contacts candidates to ask whether and how they support service members, military families and veterans, and invites them to share their thoughts and priorities. We share their replies here in the candidate’s or campaign’s own words, with minor formatting for readability and correction of obvious spelling mistakes.
No endorsement in either direction. Publishing a reply does not mean DutyStation endorses the candidate. Replying does not mean the candidate or campaign endorses DutyStation.
DutyStation’s website summaries and policy assessments are labeled separately.
Organized by topic. Email greetings and sign-offs are omitted; campaign contact details appear alongside.
Government shutdown and cooperation
- I oppose a government shutdown in 2027. A shutdown is a failure of Congress, not a strategy. Service members do not get to shut down the mission when Washington cannot pass a budget, and neither should we.
- If Democrats win one or both chambers, I will still work with the administration to keep the government open. That means negotiating early, publishing the disagreements in plain language, and refusing to use troop pay or VA care as leverage. I will support clean continuing resolutions when a full-year bill is not ready, and I will not vote for a shutdown that interrupts military pay, TRICARE, or veterans’ benefits.
- If a shutdown still happens, protecting those who serve comes first. I would support immediate standalone legislation to guarantee on-time pay for active duty, Guard, and Reserve; uninterrupted TRICARE and pharmacy access for families; and full, on-time VA disability, pension, and healthcare payments. Essential defense and VA personnel should be designated paid, not “excepted and unpaid.” Back pay after the fact is not good enough when a mortgage or childcare bill is due on the first.
Quality of life
- My priorities are simple: pay that keeps pace with the mission, healthcare that works, childcare that is actually available, spouse employment that survives a PCS, and fewer moves that tear up schools and careers for no operational reason.
- Active-duty pay should track inflation and housing costs in high-cost assignments, with targeted increases for junior enlisted families who are food-insecure or living off base because on-base housing is full. Healthcare means shorter specialty wait times under TRICARE, real mental-health access without a months-long referral maze, and parity so a spouse is not choosing between a job and coverage.
- Childcare is a readiness issue. I support expanding on-base capacity, raising the fee-assistance ceiling where off-base care is the only option, and holding installations accountable when wait lists run past a year. Spouse employment means portable licensing compacts, federal hiring preference that actually results in offers, and remote-work options inside DoD so a career is not reset every two to three years.
- Frequent moves should be driven by mission need, not bureaucracy. I support longer tour stability where the mission allows, better notice before PCS, and reimbursement that covers real moving costs instead of leaving families in the hole.
Veterans’ care
- Timely care starts with capacity and accountability. I support expanding community care when the VA cannot see a veteran inside a set window, publishing clinic-level wait times, and funding the clinicians and claims processors the system actually needs instead of another layer of management.
- Mental health has to be available before a crisis. That means same-week access for urgent needs, more Vet Centers, and suicide-prevention staffing that is measured by appointments kept, not press releases. Disability claims should be decided on the evidence within statutory deadlines, with penalties for chronic backlog and a simpler path to correct clear errors.
- Transition should begin before the last day in uniform: a real handoff of medical records, credential recognition for medics and other skilled MOSs, and apprenticeship or hiring pipelines with employers in San Antonio and across Texas. The Jimmy Friesenhahn Act, which I have advanced to protect veterans from illegal aliens who commit crimes against them, is part of the same promise: service earns protection, not neglect.
Family housing
- Unsafe housing is a leadership failure. Availability means building and leasing enough units where the force actually lives, not waiting years on a privatization contract. Affordability means BAH that matches local rents, with audits so the allowance is not quietly outrun by the market.
- Maintenance needs enforceable timelines, independent inspections, and a simple way for a family to escalate a mold, lead, pest, or safety problem without retaliation. Accountability means landlords and privatized housing companies lose contracts, pay claims, and face public reporting when they leave families in hazardous homes. Commanders should be graded on housing safety the same way they are graded on readiness. A family should not have to call a congressman to get a working HVAC unit or a mold test.
ELECTION REFLECTIONS · IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Looking ahead to Election Day
Brief answers to DutyStation’s questions about hope, America’s future, unity, the next generation and a closing message. The earlier policy answers and their received date remain above.
Hope heading into the election
- The American people value hard working individuals. Our campaign has focused on the principles that have made our nation great by those hard working individuals.
Vision for America
- Prosperity; Preservation; Protection
Bringing Americans together
- A sense of belonging to the greatest nation in the world.
The next generation
- The same inalienable rights that we all have: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Closing message to voters
- Regardless where you land on your political landscape, we need leaders in Washington that will put people first. I am one of those leaders that will do just that. May God bless these United States of America!
