Ro Khanna in State of California Archives

On Budget & Economy: Entrepreneurial Nation: programs to grow businesses

On Civil Rights: Ensure full equality for LGBTQ Americans

Progress toward marriage equality in our country is evident, but there is much more to do in order to ensure full equality for LGBTQ Americans. We must address workplace discrimination, youth homelessness, school bullying, and health disparities affecting LGBTQ communities.

On Corporations: Flexibility on R&D taxes & startup businesses

• Provide an incorporation tax credit. It's misguided to tax people who are taking the risk of starting new ventures--especially when we offer subsidies to profitable, mature industries. The federal government should give businesses a tax credit to cancel out the variable incorporation fees they accrue in their state.
• Extend research and development tax credits to start-ups. Currently, the R&D tax credit can only be taken against a firm's income tax liability- it's rare for early stage businesses to qualify. I support a new R&D tax credit that allows startups to apply their credit to revenue or payroll taxes.
• Ease tax burdens. The complexity of our tax code disproportionately affects small businesses. I will prioritize reducing excessive small business taxes so that small businesses can continue fueling our economy.

On Corporations: Close loopholes that allow companies to avoid paying taxes

A: Yes. Today, many corporations are incentivized to move profits and facilities offshore. That has to change. We should actively encourage companies to locate here in the U.S. and create a tax structure that rewards them for investing and creating jobs here in America. At the same time, we should close corporate tax loopholes that allow massive Fortune 500 companies to avoid paying taxes at all.

On Crime: Support alternatives to prison; oppose capital punishment

A: No

Q: Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment?

A: Yes

On Education: More funding for K-12, pre-K, STEM & STEAM

• Support increased funding for K-12 education; including programs for special education, music, art, upgrading technology, unfunded mandates, and Head Start reimbursement rates.
• Move away from high-stakes testing and support a curriculum that fosters critical thinking, collaborative learning, and creativity through art and music.
• Support quality early learning opportunities by passing legislation on universal preschool for our most vulnerable students to ensure reading at grade level and math fluency by 3rd grade.
• Support a balance of local and state control accountability that encourages collaborations among key stakeholders including parents, teachers, and administrators.
• Promote STEM and STEAM curriculum. Encourage and support girls and under-served groups to enter the field.

On Education: More federal grants & more local students for UC

Ro knows we need to educate the next generation to compete in a global economy. As a member of Congress, he will fight to:
• Make college affordable and debt free by providing federal grants and putting textbooks and introductory courses online.
• Prioritize local, California students for admission at the UCs over out of state students.
• Encourage students to become lifelong learners and develop 21st century skills by engaging in project based learning that is age-appropriate and relevant to the real world.

On Education: Make college affordable; prepare students for 21st century

A: Promoting economic competitiveness and opportunity in the 21st century must be America's top priority. A strong economy produces good paying jobs, grows the middle class, and allows people who worked hard their entire lives to retire with dignity. As a Member of Congress, I will fight to return our focus to making college affordable and preparing students for the jobs of the 21st century. When new technology or outsourcing displace workers' jobs, help ensure that they have access to retraining programs that enable them to quickly re-enter the workforce in industries where secure employment is available.

On Energy & Oil: Environmental threat means opportunities for green energy

Three decades ago, the U.S. led the world in the development of renewable energy. Unfortunately, we're now losing the race to countries like Germany and China. Renewable energy has the potential to create tens of thousands of construction and manufacturing jobs in our country, while simultaneously bringing down energy costs. Wind and solar are particularly promising forms of alternative energy that could boost local and regional economies.

On Energy & Oil: Expand tax credits for solar power & plug-in hybrids

• Reject the Keystone XL pipeline. The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would transport tar sands oil--the most toxic fossil fuel on the planet--over 2,000 miles from Canada to the Gulf Coast of Texas. If it ruptured, it would threaten natural ecosystems, drinking water, and public health. It's time that we invest in cleaner burning fuels like natural gas.
• Expand the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). Extending the tax credit ensured market certainty to investors--annual solar installations have grown by over 3,000% since the ITC began and the industry has created over 114,000 jobs.
• Expand tax credits for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. The federal government offers a $7,500 tax credit for the purchase of most electric vehicles, and a tax credit up to $7,500 for plug-in hybrids. However, we no longer offer incentives to buy hybrids, even though they are still more expensive than other cars on the market.

On Homeland Security: Expand support for service members & their family members

While we expand support for service members and veterans, we cannot forget about their family members. We must prioritize expanding employment and career development opportunities for military families, help employers create military family-friendly workplaces, and encourage schools to become more responsive to students with one or more parent in the military.

On Environment: Promote open space and sustainable agriculture

• Encourage energy efficiency and water conservation. Water and energy are two of the biggest issues of our time, and Ro will bring together stakeholders and experts to find a solution that works for everybody.
• Promote open space and sustainable communities. We need to strike a balance of growing our economy while at the same time preserving the open space and park land that makes the South Bay beautiful.
• Support the EPA in holding local polluters accountable.
• Develop alternative energy to reduce our carbon footprint and tackle climate change.
• Promote open space and sustainable agriculture. Those of who live and work in Silicon Valley know that there is much more than sprawling campuses and freeways. We also have a rich agricultural history--Silicon Valley was [once] famous for having some of the most fertile soil in the nation.

On Free Trade: Trade agreements fair to U.S. workers & environment

We need free trade agreements that are fair to U.S. workers and industries, and that include high environmental standards. As a former senior official in the U.S. Commerce Department focused on trade and manufacturing, I know what it takes to open up markets to American products and understand how to promote American exports abroad. I'll work tirelessly to improve America's manufacturing policies and increase our global competitiveness.

[We should] increase funding to the Manufacturing Extension Project. California's decline in manufacturing jobs is particularly sharp. Without a strong base of manufacturing here in Silicon Valley, we lose the infrastructure to develop better products and innovative technology.

On Government Reform: Push back on Citizens United with online campaign disclosure

The Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, permits corporations, unions, and other organizations to donate unlimited amounts of money as independent expenditures. To give Americans more oversight and to push back against the increasing influence of special interests, Congress should mandate that campaign finance information be made public on a user-friendly online platform. Implementing a government-run platform that standardizes and streamlines campaign finance data will further the public's interest in electoral transparency and accountability. This platform should include data on campaign contributions and independent expenditures from all sources.

On Government Reform: I never accept contributions from lobbyists or PACs

A: Yes. I have made a commitment to the voters of my district to never accept contributions from lobbyists, PACs, or corporations. This independence from special interests will allow me to better represent real people, not wealthy insiders. Transparency must be a pillar of effective governance and civic engagement.

On Health Care: ACA is a good start; improve ObamaCare

On Homeland Security: Right to be free from warrantless metadata collection

• Right to universal web access
• Right to net neutrality
• Right to be free from warrantless metadata collection
• Right to disclose amount, nature, and dates of secret government data requests
• Right to be fully informed of scope of data use
• Right to be informed when there is a change of control over data

On Immigration: Give DREAMers a pathway to citizenship

Immigration reform and economic growth go hand in hand. Immigrants have been essential to Silicon Valley's innovative and meritocratic ethos. They have founded 40% of the companies in the tech sector that were financed by venture capital and then went public in the United States--including Yahoo, eBay, Intel, and Google--creating jobs and making our business culture more dynamic. To continue as the world's incubator for innovation, we need to encourage the most talented and motivated people to locate here in Silicon Valley.

On Jobs: Make it easier to file equal-pay lawsuits

Occupational segregation exists in many sectors. Women are egregiously underrepresented in top positions at our leading companies. Only 4.2% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. We should spotlight the companies that are dedicated to hiring women and helping women ascend the corporate ladder.

We should make it easier for women to report wage discrimination and to file equal-pay lawsuits so that employers are held accountable. The federal government should provide resources to workers and businesses about how to report wage discrimination, and all businesses should be mandated to post the guidelines where they are accessible to all employees.

On Jobs: Raise the minimum wage to $15

We should raise the minimum wage to $15--what it would be if it had kept up with inflation over the past 40 years--and index it to inflation thereafter. In the Bay Area where the cost of living is especially high, it is essential for workers to have a baseline of economic security so they can provide for themselves and their families. I am encouraged to see that raising the minimum wage is gaining bipartisan support and I am committed to working with Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to make sure people working full-time in minimum wage jobs can support their families.

On Social Security: Protect the retirement age; apply COLA increases

• Protect the retirement age.
• Support increasing benefits for seniors to keep up with the high cost of living.
• Hold healthcare providers and insurers accountable for cutting costs.
• Make sure that seniors get every penny of the benefits that they worked for, and oppose efforts to slash Medicare and Social Security.

On Social Security: Scrap the cap: same rate for earnings over $250K

While I commend President Obama's courage in addressing the need to ensure Social Security's solvency in the long-term, I respectfully disagree with his proposal to move the system toward the so-called "chained CPI." That change would reduce benefits for current recipients, which I strongly oppose.

I propose eliminating the current payroll tax cap for incomes above $250,000 a year, asking the wealthiest among us to pay a bit more to ensure the long-term solvency of the program. Those earning between $117,000 and $250,000 would be exempt from any payroll tax increase, so that middle class families in the Bay Area are not subject to a harmful tax increase.

On Tax Reform: Rewrite antiquated tax code that stacks the deck

Just look at our antiquated tax code--it was written for a 1960s economy and is failing us today. It incentivizes companies to locate overseas while giving oil companies tax breaks and subsidies. At the same time, an impossibly complex bureaucracy has piled on burdensome and duplicative regulations that have stacked the deck against small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Our country needs bold leadership to ensure America maintains its position as the most productive and innovative nation on earth. My comprehensive economic agenda will increase our manufacturing and exporting capacity, and reward entrepreneurs who take risks and keep our economy dynamic--all while strengthening our middle class.

On Tax Reform: Our tax policy benefits the top 1% of Americans

As a member of Congress, I will push for comprehensive tax reform to curtail ballooning inequality and make tax credit compliance easier for working families and small businesses. The growth of special deductions, exclusions, and tax breaks for the wealthy increase the time and resources individuals must spend on calculations and documentation requirements to pay their taxes.

Congress also needs to reform the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) to protect middle class taxpayers. What we have right now is an antiquated tax regime that is unfair, hurts our competitiveness, and has been manipulated repeatedly by narrow special interests.

On Technology: $900M to extend BART to Silicon Valley

Expand BART's reach. I strongly support the BART Silicon Valley project, a $900 million grant agreement with the Federal government that will extend BART 16.1 miles from Fremont into Santa Clara County. Once completed, the project will reduce commuters' travel time and generate new jobs as housing is built around new stations in the South Bay. Estimates show that throughout the duration of the project, 2,400 temporary jobs and 7,000 jobs will be created. I will advocate for infrastructure projects and negotiate grant agreements between federal and local governments to pay for them.