Cassandra Tanner Miller: 2022 candidate for 11th Congressional District

Bio

Party: Republican

Office sought: U.S. House, 11th District

City: Elgin

Age: 35

Occupation: Domestic violence advocate

Previous offices held: None

Q&A

What needs to be done to get Congress to work constructively, whether that be senators and representatives of both parties working with each other or Congress itself working with the president?

It takes the ability for an elected official to have communication skills, the drive to make change with determination, perseverance, and the ability to focus on the topic at hand. We need to focus on primary issues and realize we are all living in the same country. We want equality, safety and a productive economy. We need to stop with the constant focus on a political party and focus on how we can serve our country for the needs of our citizens.

What is your position on changing voter access?

I am in favor of free and fair elections. The Democrats took advantage of Americans' COVID-19 fears in 2020 and railroaded through significant changes that suited their agenda with blatant disregard for the integrity of the election.

Do you recognize that the election of Joe Biden as president in 2020 was legitimate and fair? If not, why?

Joe Biden is our current president, he was elected but now we need to focus on this upcoming election and stop looking at it as anything other than the drive to push forward and focus on change for the better of our country. We have witnessed and experienced the President's leadership, or lack thereof, and now it's time to win back our country to a Republican based foundation and morals.

What, if anything, should Congress do to prevent another violent attack such as the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol?

We need to focus on issues at hand instead of trying to turn the parties and our voters against one another. We have a duty to fulfill as members of Congress to work for our country and start working together on the issues that are separating us. We need to get to work addressing why our citizens feel the need to riot instead of peacefully protest. It's time we realize we all have a commonality and that is to achieve a healthy, safe and economically strong country so each person can achieve the American dream.

What do you consider America's role in world affairs? In particular, what should our role be regarding current points of tension involving Russia/Ukraine, the future of Taiwan or other threats of Chinese expansionism and the Middle East?

I believe we need to support the countries with whom we have an alliance and an agreement with NATO and hold to our responsibilities. Providing resources that we can afford to other countries in their time of need is important but we can not neglect the fact that we have issues that need to be addressed here before we can provide extensive aide to non NATO countries.

Do you acknowledge humans' role in causing climate change? What steps should government be taking to address the issue?

I acknowledge that we as a country are facing climate change as a result of many factors. We need to focus on making our country self reliant on fossil fuels. Importation of resources will not fix our global climate change. We as a country need to set a standard for being clean, efficient, and innovative in using the earth's natural resources to provide energy. In setting this standard, we need to find a balance so as to encourage American involvement through innovation and investment. I would also say that extreme regulation in this space only prevents meaningful contributions and would caution in setting standards that are unachievable and onerous.

Please define your position on health care reform, especially as it relates to the Affordable Care Act.

We need to repeal and reform our health care system. We need affordable quality health care for our country. I'm not convinced that the Affordable Care Act has been the best solution for our citizens. It might be time for us to take a break from asking who is going to pay the bill and start asking why the bills are so high. An average 1 night overnight hospital stay costs insurance approx. $11,700. That is almost as much as an average homeowner in Illinois pays for their mortgage in an entire year.

What immigration policies do you support? Where, if at all, do you see room for compromise to produce an effective policy on immigration? Does the government have any responsibility toward Dreamers who were brought to the United States illegally as children and are now adults? How will these policies affect your district?

We need a system that serves our best interest. Our border is in crisis and needs to be secured. In our current system, if an illegal immigrant commits a crime they are put through the American Court system and deportation is not initiated. They are instead adding to our already full jails and often put back on the streets. If people are here illegally and commit a crime they should be deported.

On the other side we need to move to a merit-based system for entry and noncriminal illegals, we should eliminate the Visa Lottery, and end Chain Migration. We should create a system where it is safe for our new citizens to realize the American Dream.