Mark Kirk: Candidate Profile

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: ChicagoWebsite: www.kirkforsenate.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: U.S. Senate Age: 57Family: Candidate did not respond.Occupation: United States SenatorEducation: High School: New Trier High SchoolBachelors Degree: Cornell University, HistoryMasters Degree: London School of EconomicsJuris Doctor: Georgetown UniversityCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: U.S. Representative for 10th Congressional District (five terms, 2000-2010)Questions Answers How will you work to make Congress more productive and effective? What actions are needed to produce a healthy federal budget? Specifically, what changes do you advocate regarding how revenue is produced or what our spending priorities are? In particular, what effect does current policy have on your district and what changes, if any, are needed?I have always put Illinois ahead of party loyalty because I look for solutions and common ground. Voters deserve to have a centrist thinker who can build coalitions, not a partisan talking head. Independence is a rare commodity in Washington. It is very valuable to the people of Illinois and the nation and one that will make Congress more productive and effective. I support a grand bargain, like Simpson-Bowles, to reform the tax code and our entitlement programs in a balanced way, protecting both seniors and a pro-growth economy in order to confront our national debt. I authored S. 3061, the bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility Act (FiRE Act) with Senators Manchin and Perdue. The FiRE Act would create a bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility every four years to identify policies to shrink the deficit of the federal government and achieve long term fiscal sustainability. We don't need more politicians in Washington who ignore tough decisions and legislate with higher taxes so government can spend more. I have consistently voted to cut federal spending and believe Congress should enact a Balanced Budget Amendment to the US Constitution in order to stop the cycle of deficit spending and tax hikes. Illinois has learned this lesson of tax and spend governance. Controlled spending is the way to attract business and investment to Illinois.What immigration policies do you support? Where, if at all, do you see room for compromise to produce an effective policy on immigration? How will these policies affect your district?I voted in favor of comprehensive immigration reform so that the 525,000 people living in Illinois can come out of the shadows, put down permanent roots and invest in our state. Their rights and privileges should be locked down in an actual statute that respects them as future Americans and allows them to keep families together permanently. In 2013, I was one of 14 Republicans in the Senate to support the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform legislation that would secure the border and then create a tough but fair path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. I fully support legislation to prevent DREAMer deportations and put them on a path toward citizenship and authored a provision in that bill to allow recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), or DREAMers, to serve in the military. Those who serve in combat would have their naturalization process expedited because if you risk your life for America, you are an American.What should be the top priorities in Congress related to the Affordable Care Act? If you want changes, what specifically do you recommend? If you want the act entirely eliminated, please address these questions: Is that politically feasible? If it proves infeasible, where do you see the potential for compromise? If it is eliminated, what would you replace it with, if anything?In August, the Illinois Department of Insurance submitted rate increases to the federal government that for some types of plans average 43 percent to 55 percent. Government funded health care is not cheaper, or better, than private competition. Government can encourage competition across state lines to lower prices, permanently repeal the Cadillac tax and the medical device tax - a tax that could cost more than 11,000 jobs in Illinois if implemented. With interstate competition in insurance, Illinois would no longer be dominated by one insurer. Instead, residents could buy competitive health insurance from any state in the nation. The best way to lower overall healthcare costs is to increase competition and bipartisan reforms, not one-party solutions.A replacement should include utilization of telemedicine technology, which would increase access to specialists and improve health outcomes. The only FDA-approved treatment for an ischemic stroke, for example, is tPA therapy -- but only about 5% of stroke victims receive this treatment because of a rural limitation in Medicare. That's why I introduced S. 1465, the Furthering Access to Stroke Telemedicine (FAST) Act, which would allow Medicare to reimburse for telestroke technology, regardless of where the services are rendered. I've also introduced bills to incentivize nurse-midwives, OB-GYNs, and optometrists to practice in areas where there are shortages. Illinois residents shouldn't have to travel hours to get maternity care or vision care. These changes will help us reduce the physician shortage, improve care, and reduce costs in ways that Obamacare hasn't.What military or diplomatic roles should the United States play to promote peace and stability in the Mideast? Under what circumstances should we have military forces actively operating?American leadership is critical to promoting peace and security in the Middle East. Iran's nuclear and missile program and its support for terrorist groups pose grave threats to the United States and our allies. It is important that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our regional allies, including the democratic state of Israel. The Nuclear Deal with Iran weakens our position in the Middle East and elevates the leaders of a national responsible for more American deaths than ISIS. ISIS terrorists grow more emboldened in their attacks against our allies, and the crisis in Syria that is creating destabilizing refugee flows that terrorists continue to infiltrate. Protecting Americans at home through effective screening and coordinated law enforcement is the best way to keep Americans safe at home. To confront and destroy the Islamic State requires a joint strategy developed by military and area experts and allies, not hiding behind failed political strategies. Federal funding and coordination between our law enforcement and intelligence communities are the best way to find homegrown terrorists before they strike. As ISIS terrorists seek to infiltrate refugee flows, we should also pause the Syrian refugee program until we can guarantee the strength of our screening processes.Will you uphold the international climate change treaty? If not, what alternative steps would you advocate? If so, what steps will you take to meet U.S. obligations under the accord?Yes. Climate change is real and it is taking a serious toll on public health and economies across the world. This issue demands attention from the United States government. To continue my bipartisan leadership on climate change, I successfully worked across the aisle with Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in the fiscal year 2016 and 2017 State Department and Foreign Operations Appropriations bills to uphold the U.S. pledge to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The GCF is a critical component of the international climate agreement reached in Paris last Fall and signed by 180 nations. The Green Climate Fund leverages private sector financing to reduce air pollutants across the globe by promoting clean energy in the developing world. For example, the GCF is enabling an energy efficiency bond program in Latin America and the Caribbean that will mobilize an expected $780 million in private sector financing through the capital markets for energy efficiency projects. In East Africa, the GCF is enabling a projected $80 million private sector investment to catalyze a thriving off-grid solar ecosystem. The Green Climate Fund is necessary because our efforts to address climate change here at home will be useless and damaging to our economy if the rest of the world does not share in our commitment. I will continue to support the Green Climate Fund because it coordinates global action on climate change and America should remain a leader to protect our environment and future generations.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Chicago is losing a generation of kids to gang and gun violence plaguing our city. Sixty percent of guns used in crimes come from states with weaker gun laws, which is why Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and I wrote a bill making gun trafficking a federal crime. I have also secured funds to fight gangs of national significance including money to establish and maintain seven U.S. Marshals Counter Gang Units - including one in Chicago - to investigate and arrest fugitive gang members. We must also continue to protect the Great Lakes, which provide drinking water to more than 30 million Americans. The VA has become a corrupt, political and bureaucratic mess on many levels. As Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, I'm confronting the VA at every level. I stand with those who shine light on the corruption, like at Hines VA Hospital. I've enacted new laws to protect whistleblowers from retaliation. I'm committed to keeping America safe from the threat of terrorism. There are continued reports of failures of the refugee screening process and the capabilities of ISIS to infiltrate the programs. As long as our screening process is weak, I'm calling for a pause to ensure that those seeking to take advantage of our nation are stopped. Washington needs independence from political party and a willingness to compromise, not more partisan rubberstamps who take direction from party bosses to maintain power, corruption and status quo.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?The mid-western values of hard work and tenacity.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I live my life knowing that there are no do-overs.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Physics was my favorite subject in school and something I utilized in my career as a Naval Intelligence Officer.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Don't give up.