14th Congressional District candidates cite debt, dysfunction as top woes

Lawmakers are tasked with solving problems, but the two candidates vying for Illinois' 14th Congressional District seat disagree on what the biggest problem facing the nation is.

Democratic challenger Dennis Anderson said a "dysfunctional Congress" is the biggest problem in America.

"We have an absolute inability, particularly in the House, to get anything done," Anderson, of Gurnee, said during an editorial board interview. "No one is being served. And it's interesting that, on so many issues where all the polling indicates there's general agreement among the public, the sharpest divides tend to be in the House."

Congress introduced fewer bills, cast fewer votes and created fewer laws in 2013 than in comparable legislative sessions during the past 10 years.

But incumbent Republican Randy Hultgren, of Winfield, said the idea that Congress can't agree on anything is a "misperception."

"We can agree on about 80 percent of the issues," Hultgren said. "The remaining 20 percent we have disagreement about the fundamental role of government."

Though he was unable to cite any specific good ideas by House Republicans, Anderson said he is willing to have a dialogue with GOP counterparts if elected. The main barrier to constructive compromise, he said, is the persistent need to campaign and fundraise. Anderson said that creates an environment where less attention is paid to the actual work of Congress and more attention is paid to "the sharp divides on the extremes where the voices are louder and more persistent than the voices from the middle."

Anderson favors campaign reform, but he stopped short of advocating term limits.

"We already have term limits," he said. "It's called the ballot box."

One of the most divisive issues in the most recent Congress was the debt ceiling. Hultgren said the $17.9 trillion national debt is the nation's biggest problem.

"Debt and needing to get our debt under control is still the single-greatest threat to our nation and the biggest fear that I have," Hultgren said.

Hultgren said Congress can't cut or tax its way out of the national debt.

"What it's got to be is slowly starting to live within our means, getting gross domestic product growing again, getting our economy growing and vibrant," he said. It's going to take us a lot of years to figure our way out."

Congress can't rely on continuing resolutions to fund the government or one-year budgets, Hultgren said. Backroom budget deals and last-second votes are what led to the partial government shutdown.

Hultgren was the only holdout in Illinois' 20-member congressional delegation to vote against ending the government shutdown after it was in place. At the time, Hultgren said he couldn't vote to reopen the government without solutions to address the debt, which the bill ending the shutdown didn't provide. Hultgren told the Daily Herald editorial board a government shutdown is "not beneficial," but he wouldn't rule out a repeat performance.

"It depends on the issue," Hultgren said. "I hope we don't get there. I will do everything I can possibly do to make sure we don't get in that position again. I honestly think it's laziness on one part and a tool that has been overused by those in leadership."

Hultgren said having a true appropriations and open amendment process will guard against another shutdown standoff.

"We have to have more work on the floor by rank-and-file members," Hultgren said. "I support that. I'm demanding that of our leadership. That's what makes the House work."

The 14th Congressional District includes parts of DuPage, Kane, McHenry and Lake counties.