Jennifer Zordani: 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: Clarendon HillsWebsite: zordaniforcongress.comTwitter: @jenniferzordaniFacebook: JenniferZordaniForCongressOffice sought: 6th District U.S. Representative Age: 53Family: My sister, Julie, and her two children live with me in Clarendon Hills. My mom lived with us until she passed away this summer (August 2017). My dad lives in California. I have one brother who is deceased.Occupation: Regulatory and Compliance AttorneyEducation: Bachelors of Arts, Economics, University of Chicago Juris Doctor, IIT Chicago Kent School of LawCivic involvement: I served as the President of an education non-profit that connected Chicago public schoolchildren with services. I am a visiting law professor for the Center for International Legal Studies which focuses on the rule of law in Central and Eastern European countries, and for my past assignments I have lectured in Lithuania and Czech Republic. I have engaged in extensive volunteerism in Chicago public school tutoring programs and with women's shelters.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What do you think is the government's responsibility in assuring that citizens have health care? To what extent does the Affordable Care Act address this responsibility? What, if any, changes are needed in the act.The Federal government has a responsibility to make healthcare affordable and accessible. Most Americans, regardless of income level, agree that skyrocketing costs and instability in our healthcare system are unacceptable. Since insurers are currently Ãâ#128;ťmiddlemen' in the delivery of healthcare, Federal government should help individuals obtain health coverage in situations where they cannot afford health insurance directly from insurers. As Congresswoman, I'll fight to make the Affordable Care Act more effective by supporting legislation that lowers premiums and maintains coverage. Though Congress must make tough decisions about cost allocations and structural aspects of the program, the ACA is fixable. Many Americans struggle to fill drug prescriptions amid high costs. I'll support legislation to allow the Federal government to negotiate drug prices through the Medicare system -- reviewing, monitoring, and possibly restricting price increases for products developed with federal funds. I support lowering Medicare's minimum eligibility age to 55. Workers in their mid-50s who lose their employment are less likely to be re-employed at the same benefit levels. These workers are also at greater risk medically, and could incur huge healthcare and insurance costs. Lowering the eligibility age can also help reduce the Affordable Care Act's risk rankings and costs. America must provide veterans and our wounded warriors with timely access to healthcare and mental health services. I'll support legislation to sufficiently fund the Veterans Administration. We cannot continue to have the VA ranked as a high-risk area by the Government Accountability Office.What immigration policies do you support? Where, if at all, do you see room for compromise to produce an effective policy on immigration? What, if any, responsibility does the government have toward immigrants referred to as Dreamers who were brought to the United States illegally as children and are now adults? How will these policies affect your district?As Congresswoman, I will fight for comprehensive immigration, similar to the bipartisan Gang of Eight bill that passed the U.S. Senate in 2013. I support granting registered provisional immigrant status similar to the 2013 bill, which allows undocumented persons to obtain citizenship after meeting high standards and screening protocols. I'll also support efforts to modernize our immigration process so that individuals applying for visas and greencards are served more effectively. DACA matters to thousands of immigrants in the Illinois 6th Congressional District, and tens of thousands in Illinois. It is a disgrace that young people who are American in every way--but for a certificate of citizenship--are living in fear and constant insecurity. As Congresswoman, I support a path to citizenship for Dreamers -- undocumented individuals brought to the U.S. as children. I support a clean Dream Act, extending deferred action from deportation and making it easier to apply for work permits. Fair-minded individuals agree that protecting children and young adults is a priority. Incumbent Peter Roskam was one of the House Republicans who prevented the 2013 bipartisan immigration reform bill from coming to a vote. Roskam's opposition to comprehensive immigration reform is baseless and out of touch. Dreamers are now being held hostage by Roskam and other House Republicans who have refused to act. It is irresponsible and immoral to play political games by trading Dreamers' safety and security for the President Trump's border wall.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?The United States should play a lead diplomatic role in promoting peace and stability in the Mideast and elsewhere. Congress must take a more assertive position on foreign policy issues. As Congresswoman, I will not shirk my responsibility to help influence the U.S. role abroad. Diplomacy and military intervention must not be left to the Executive Branch alone. I vehemently oppose any efforts by the Trump Administration to arbitrarily decertify the 2015 Iranian Nuclear deal. This international deal has been our best chance to achieve a nuclear weapons-free Iran and denuclearized Middle East. There must be a legal, international mandate to justify putting boots on the ground, especially when uninvited, such as in countries like Syria. Nonetheless, I support allocating resources to address the massive refugee and humanitarian crisis in Syria. We also must look at allocating resources for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. In Afghanistan, complete troop removal from the region has proved implausible U.S. military presence, however, has had a positive impact on both U.S. and Afghanistan security. I support Israel and hope that I will live to see a peaceful resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict through a two-state solution. At the same time, I recognize that the two-state solution -- or any solution -- requires willing participants on both sides. Nonetheless, I do not support the Trump administration's decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. This action was only disruptive and serves as another example of the Trump Administration's repeatedly floundering diplomacy.What should the United States be doing to reduce the threat of potential nuclear conflict from North Korea?Without doubt, North Korea is hell-bent on developing nuclear armaments capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. Since Kim Jong Un is a powder keg in the Korean Peninsula, military action would have dire, irreversible consequences. Even preemptive military action will result in massive loss of life. Military action by the U.S. is a plausible, but least desirable, response to the nuclear weapons threat by North Korea. I denounce President Trump's brinkmanship and incendiary Twitter banter to meet North Korea with Ãâ#128;™fire and fury like the world has never seenÃâ#128;œ with a Ãâ#128;ťnuclear button' Ãâ#128;™much bigger more powerful.Ãâ#128;œ The President's inability to resist taunts with Kim Jong Un is astoundingly irresponsible, threatening the safety and security of millions of people, including our troops abroad. In addition to his incendiary approach, President Trump has taken actions that undermine the efforts of our partners in Asia and our own Secretary of State. We must continue to employ all possible non-military options, including diplomacy and increased sanctions against North Korea. Other countries share this sentiment, and want North Korea to reverse its current course. Countries, like China, have a closer and better ability to affect North Korea on many fronts. North Korea's nuclear program is only one piece of the puzzle. History, economics and an ability to Ãâ#128;ťsave face' matter, so we need to recognize this is not an issue that is going away anytime soon. We must strive diligently to avoid escalation, but also be prepared for a worse-case scenario.How would you describe the effectiveness of Congress today? If you think Congress needs to be more effective, what would you do to promote that?__Congress_ _is_ _slow, divisive, and ineffective, and has failed to _get_ _anything_ _done for working families, seniors, and the future of our children and grandchildren. Congress has too many individuals preoccupied with hanging onto their congressional seats. They frame issues to increase the divide among voters, using these false divides as excuses not to find long-term defensible solutions to the issues. Incumbent Peter Roskam -- one of the chief architects of the new federal tax plan -- has made divisive statements about the "economics of envy" in which he characterizes all Democrats as individuals who want everyone else's share of the pie. Yet, voters are furious that Peter Roskam gave working families meager, short-term tax cuts and removed state and local tax (SALT) deductions -- all while giving corporations huge, long-term tax cuts. He essentially gave tax amnesty to corporations that moved their U.S. income offshore. His divisive statements are mere decoys to cover up his failures to represent Illinois 6. __Fortunately, the_ _American people _are beginning to demand that Congress _work_ _through entrenched_ _problems,_ _yielding_ _solid,_ _defensible_ _solutions_ _for_ _America. _It_ _is_ _now_ _time_ _to_ _raise_ _expectations_ _and_ _demand more_ _from_ _Congress. As_ _Congresswoman,_ _I_ _will_ _work towards_ _common,_ _bipartisan_ _goals._ _I_ _will_ _fight_ _for_ _campaign_ _finance_ _reform_ _so_ _that representatives_ _have_ _more_ _time_ _to_ _work_ _for_ _their_ _constituents._ _I_ _will_ _strive_ _to_ _be_ _respectful_ _when_ _I disagree._ _I_ _will_ __listen_ and work diligently to put to the people of Illinois 6 first.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Voters in Illinois 6 expect their leaders to be fiscally responsible while promoting better government. As a regulatory attorney, I have the capabilities to fight for solutions to entrenched problems, and the passion to get the job done. Taxpayers know I will fight for a tax code that helps working families. As Congresswoman, I will fix healthcare in America, making the Affordable Care Act effective, and bringing down the cost of prescription drug prices. I will fight for a responsible federal budget that protects Social Security and Medicare and an improved Veterans Administration. I will work for more affordable higher education, and a bipartisan infrastructure bill that will create better paying jobs. Voters of all political stripes are frustrated with the failures in Washington. Voters see in me someone who is not an establishment politician, an office-chaser, or part of the political elite, but someone who is interested in making Illinois 6 constituents the top priority. I am a new voice ready to fight for working families, our seniors and veterans, and the future of our children and grandchildren. I have the grit, gravitas and policy chops to go toe-to-toe with Peter Roskam, and appeal to moderates, progressives, centrists, and undecideds in our Ãâ#128;™toss-upÃâ#128;œ congressional district. With my people-powered campaign, I'm ready to put the people of Illinois 6 first. I'd be honored to have their vote and represent them in Washington.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Justin Trudeau of Canada. A feminist, his cabinet is 50% women. Compared with the U.S., the differences in leadership could not be more striking.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?It's not possible to change someone, but it's possible to love them despite their faults.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I don't look back, I look forward. I love the life I've lived.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Contract law. The professor taught us how to approach issues. I look at a problem from every angle so I can defend my solution.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?When my niece and nephew hit a bump and are frustrated, I tell them, Ãâ#128;™just take it step by step and you'll get there.Ãâ#128;œ