Congressional Questionnaire Indivisible Tacoma

Candidate Name: Marilyn Strickland Position Sought: U.S. Representative, CD-10 Campaign Manager: Andrew Orlebeke Campaign Email: [email protected] Campaign Phone: 616-560-3848 Website: stricklandforwashington.com

I. Credentials and Qualifications: Please provide biographical information related to preparation for the office you are seeking (you may add brief comments about these experiences): Relevant Education: Bachelors in Sociology, University of , Master of Business Administration, Clark-Atlanta University Relevant Professional Experience: Mayor of Tacoma 2010-1017, Tacoma City Councilmember 2008-2009, CEO Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce 2018-2020

Political Experience: list political offices (including appointments), party involvement, candidacies, etc. In addition to my time as Mayor of Tacoma and City Councilmember of Tacoma, I was honored to serve as a delegate for President Obama in 2008. I also attend Pierce County Democrat meetings as a mayor and mayoral candidate.

Non-Legislative Committees: list caucuses, advisory councils, commissions, task forces, etc

Organizational Memberships: list civic or professional organizations.

Current: Board Member, National Development Council Member, International Women’s Forum Trustee, Urban Land Institute Trustee, Annie Wright Schools Member, Tacoma Pierce-County Black Collective

Past: Board Vice-chair, Sound Transit Board Chair, Pierce Transit Board Chair, Tacoma Employees Retirement System Executive Committee, Workforce Central Board Member, Forterra Board Member, The Grand Cinema Board Member, KBTC Public Television Foundation Trustee, U.S. Conference of Mayors Chairperson, United Way of Pierce County 2018 Community Campaign

II. Campaign Financing: Are you receiving funding from PACs? If so, which ones? No, though I am targeting support from leadership PACs and labor PACs.

III. Election Strategy and Endorsements: Explain your pathway to election in this position, including what votes you expect to draw, and what endorsements you already have. I have attached a list of my endorsements. Because of my public service, community service experience, and profile, my base is a diverse cross-section of voters. I was raised in a working-class neighborhood in South Tacoma, have spent most of my life in Pierce County, and was mayor of its largest city for eight years. I understand the diverse needs and concerns of voters and have shown that I can connect with people of all ages and from all walks of life. I am Korean-American, and my candidacy has already resonated with the sizable Asian and Pacific Islander population in the district. I am also African- American, and have strong, established relationships and a track record of service with the Black community in the district. My father was in the military - he fought in WWII and in Korea - so I have the lived experience of the challenges facing military families and veterans. From my time as Mayor, I have built strong relationships with local government leaders, the building trades and the regional business community. Finally, my story resonates with the immigrant population - my mother is a first generation immigrant. I was born in Korea and I will share the story of this journey and experience. For all of these populations, I have a track record of accomplishment and improving lives - including job creation, gun safety, LGBTQ rights, supporting small business, improving housing, and investing in education. My base knows I am an effective leader who gets things done.

IV. Policy Experience and Goals: Healthcare: 1. What actions have you taken to address health care inequities? I always fought to protect the benefits of city workers and passed paid sick leave citywide. Aside from providing healthcare for our employees, health care policy was not a policy issue at the municipal level but is a central part of my platform for Congress. As Mayor of Tacoma, I routinely participate in press calls and efforts to help people enroll in the Affordable Care Act.

2. Do you support what is known variably as Medicare for All or single-payer universal healthcare – a system that transitions away from the private health insurance industry? Why or why not?

Health care is a right, not a privilege, and I support policies which work towards high- quality healthcare which is affordable, accessible, and equitable for all. I will support adding a public health care option, which will increase coverage, lower prices, and lead to better plans from private insurers. I will also support lowering the eligibility age for Medicare and will fight to strengthen protections for people with preexisting conditions, and end surprise billings.

I support the goal of Medicare for All and will work with its advocates towards universal healthcare (including a public option, as many of its supporters have indicated they would support). We must be cognizant of the reality that the Democratic Party is a big tent, and that passing a single-payer universal package in one fell swoop is prohibitively unlikely. I look forward to working towards universal health care with allies from all corners of the Democratic Party to ensure that every person who lives in the U.S. has access to affordable, transparent, equitable healthcare.

Immigration: 3. What actions have you taken to mitigate the immigration policies of the Trump administration? When I was Mayor, Tacoma Police did not ask about immigration status when interacting with the public, and city services are available to all, regardless of immigration status. We created an Immigrant and Refugee Task Force to promote inclusion of this important population in our city, and how city policies and practices affect them.

4. Should ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP be significantly reduced or eliminated? Should human rights abuses by immigration officers be investigated and prosecuted? What is your position on the Northwest Detention Center at the Port of Tacoma? ICE and CBP were created to help manage the flow of people who immigrate into the U.S. The Northwest Detention Center if it is going to exist, must adhere to rules and regulations that ensure the safety, wellbeing and human rights of detainees. For profit prisons, however, should not be standard practice. While the location in Tacoma is less than desirable, the question is about how detainees would be treated at a facility in another state - one that lacks the strong and deep network of legal and social services to assist undocumented immigrants.

Climate Change/Disruption: 5. What actions have you taken to address climate change? As Mayor, I committed Tacoma to the Paris Climate Accord and supported the creation of an Environmental Action Plan. As chair of Pierce Transit and Vice Chair of Sound Transit, she worked tirelessly to expand bus and rail service and connect housing policies with transportation.

During my tenure as Mayor, Tacoma developed a framework of actionable and attainable steps to meet its carbon reduction goals. In addition to raising solar use, thousands of new electric vehicles were registered, the tree canopy increased, and water use was reduced by 10% in city-owned buildings. I also advocated to restart the fish passage project at Howard Hanson Dam, increasing the water supply and opening up the Green River to double the spawning habitat for salmon in the Central Puget Sound.

What actions have you taken or what is your position regarding fossil fuel projects such as the Port of Tacoma LNG or methanol plants?

I supported the State Department of Commerce’s request to build a Liquified Natural Gas storage facility at the Port of Tacoma to help a local shipping company comply with a federal mandate to reduce carbon emissions. Building this facility not only created hundreds of living wage jobs in the maritime and construction industries - it enabled TOTE maritime to switch from the heavily polluting bunker fuel to natural gas, reducing its air pollution by 90%. My approach to this project typifies how I approach environmental policy - I listen to the council of environmental experts and take actionable steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create and protect living wage jobs.

A recently-passed bill at the state level offered significant incentives to companies investing in green energy, including a 100% tax cut if the project is part of a community workforce agreement or project labor agreement. I will strongly support such a policy at the federal level and will advocate for strong enforcement mechanisms for this and similar incentive programs. Protecting living-wage jobs and people’s livelihoods must be a central part of our transition to a greener economy.

6. Do you support limiting fossil fuel production and investing? Do you support the Green New Deal? Why or why not?

I do support limiting fossil fuel production and investing. I also acknowledge that the demand for fossil fuels is often driven by choices available to consumers in how we use energy and transportation, which must be made through the lens of equity. The Green New Deal is a vision. We need impactful plans to address climate change that are attainable and effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensure they will create and maintain family-wage jobs for a just and equitable transition to clean energy sources. I look forward to working with Green New Deal supporters and skeptics to develop plans that will protect our environment and the livelihoods of workers.

Environment: 7. What have you done to protect our drinking water, lands, air, fresh waters and oceans? There is substantial PFAS contamination at JBLM - how do you propose addressing it?

As mayor of Tacoma, I supported the investment in a new water treatment plant at Tacoma Water, to ensure safer drinking water at risk of cryptosporidium, a parasite. While the investment was not the cheapest, it was worth the cost of keeping our drinking water more safe. We supported increasing Tacoma’s tree canopy, invested in upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant, and banned plastic grocery bags.

I would support a law which sets a drinking water standard specifically for PFAS, which would require testing in local public water resources and give the EPA the authority and resources to effectively regulate this in partnership with Joint Base Lewis McChord.

8. Many pollution-causing facilities are sited near low-income communities. How would you address that?

Addressing the disparate impact of climate change and environmental degradation on communities of color is a priority of mine in Congress. Seattle-based advocacy group Front and Centered has produced an excellent interactive map highlighting the overlap between communities of color and the areas most impacted by high pollution concentration, lead exposure, proximity to Superfund sites, and other factors. I will work with them, and with other environmental groups and stakeholders to ensure racial equity is a factor in siting decisions going forward and increase public health resources to the affected communities.

Mass Extinction of Species: 9. What actions have you taken to prevent or ameliorate species extinctions? When saving endangered species will result in economic impacts, what should be given precedence?

As Mayor of Tacoma, I traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to restart the fish passage project at Howard Hanson Dam, increasing the water supply and opening up the Green River to double the spawning habitat for salmon in the Central Puget Sound.

When addressing endangered species, all options must be taken into consideration, as well as all external factors. There is not an easy answer to the question of plunging biodiversity and mass extinction; I will work with experts in the field and affected communities to come to the right decision in each case.

National Security and Military: 10. What is the safest and most effective method of securing public safety with other nations (on all issues)? Diplomacy and humanitarian aid should always be the default position when it comes to working with other nations.

When is US military intervention necessary? We need a metric to determine if intervention is necessary and what type, the costs, and if it would be helpful and/or necessary. Cases of human rights abuses and national security are examples of situations where it may be necessary.

Do you support repeal of the Authorization of Use of Military Force (AUMF) allowing forever wars? Yes What is your position on the Patriot Act? I oppose it and will work to repeal it

What is your position on the military budget? Is it: Too large? Too small? About right? The size of the military budget is based on its commitments. If it is to be reduced, this requires reviewing its global commitments and the potential outcomes of the reduction.

What would you do to insure that the contracting system is fair? To prevent price- gouging & fraud? We must increase transparency around military contracting - as COVID-19 has shown us, too much of what our government is doing is in the dark. We need to shine a light on places which have been secret to ensure they are benefiting the taxpayers.

What would you do to secure the safety/support of our currently serving troops and veterans?

As the daughter of a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, I understand the challenges facing military families and veterans in our community. From housing to schools and access to services, our active duty and retired military and their families want the same thing that we all want. Reintegration from long deployments and the transition to civilian life can be the most challenging times of a service member’s life and their family - the skill set and expertise gained in the service may not always easily translate to civilian employers. I will support increased funding for the Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Programs to ensure veterans have access to the necessary resources to make a successful transition, and increase Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funding to assist military spouses who have lost employment because of relocation of their spouse’s duty station. I will also work to improve the Veterans Administration and eliminate inefficiencies so that veterans can get the physical and mental health care they need.

The South Sound is home to Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM), one of the largest and most well-regarded military bases in the world, and with that comes the responsibility to invest in defense community priorities from housing to education and transportation. JBLM has an annual economic impact of $8 billion and is the largest single point employer in Washington State. I strongly support the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP), which will bring $50 million in critical infrastructure investment to the South Sound. I will continue Representative Heck’s excellent work on this measure and aim to bring even more federal investment to our military communities.

Trade Policies: 11. What actions have you taken on free trade policies? In what ways have these policies been mostly beneficial or problematic? I supported the Trade Promotion Authority under President Obama because I trusted his administration to negotiate a good deal for American workers and for the world. A presidential administration must have the authority to negotiate the deal itself. Our trade representatives will not be able to negotiate credibly with other nations if they do not have the full authority of the U.S. government.

I remain supportive of free and fair trade, and our trade representatives must have sufficient authority so our trade partners can rely on their word as the official position of the government. Before entering into negotiations, however, we need to establish strong worker protections and environmental regulations as unconditional parts of any deal, and Congress must retain its constitutionally-granted trade authority.

After the Trump Administration pulled out of the TPP, trade ministers from the remaining 11 signatory countries inked a deal that eliminated trade barriers and streamlined economic policies for countries across a vast stretch of the Pacific Rim.

As the most trade-dependent state in the country, Washington’s economy has strong ties to trade. In fact, 40% of jobs in our state are directly and indirectly tied to trade. On average, these jobs pay above the median wage and are supported by small, local businesses. We must lead the way with trade policy that allows us to expand our exports, supports our supply chain manufacturers, and increases and protects family-wage jobs here at home.

Labor: 12. What actions have you taken to support unions and workers? What actions need to be taken at the federal level now? I proudly stand by my strong labor record as mayor of Tacoma. In my campaign for Mayor, I was honored to earn the endorsement of several local unions as well as the Pierce County Labor Council and Joint Labor of Tacoma. In office, I fought for keeping Tacoma Power’s Click Network a public entity, which preserved dozens of union jobs, despite threats of lawsuits. We passed paid sick leave, and helped raise the minimum wage, approved by 70% of Tacoma voters. We passed a $500 million infrastructure package, the largest in 40 years that created family-wage union jobs. As Chair of the Tacoma Employee Retirement System Board, I consistently advocated for and introduced policies to ensure that we were fully funding our employees’ pensions. As Chair of the Police and Fire Pension Board, I worked with retirees to ensure that their healthcare benefits and pensions were protected and that they received the services they needed.

On the federal level, two critical pieces of legislation which are waiting to be passed are the Protecting the Right to Organize Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act. These bills strengthen protections for organizing and collective bargaining and make it so all employees are able to negotiate for better wages and benefits. I will strongly support both if elected, and I will also strongly support a national law outlawing right-to- work.

13. Should the federal minimum wage be raised? If so, how much and over what period of time? Yes. The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 per hour since 2009 and has not kept up with inflation. It’s time to work with all stakeholders to forge a path to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour nationwide. What exactly that path looks like is still unknown, but I am committed to ensuring that we get there.

Accountability for Corporations and Wealthy Individuals: 14. What actions have you taken to hold corporations accountable? (environmental devastation, moving jobs offshore, fraudulent practices, paying little to no taxes, worker & community deaths, paying unlivable wages) Not applicable to City of Tacoma work.

15. Do you support a tax on all unearned income? If so, what would that be? Do you think extremely wealthy individuals should pay a higher marginal tax rate? Approximately at what level and what tax rate? I support raising the marginal tax rate on the wealthiest individuals, as well as a capital gains tax. What exactly the tax should be is open to debate - what is certain is that we need to raise more revenue to pay for programs (expanded healthcare, a massive housing investment) which meet people’s basic needs.

16. How will you assure that social security is fully funded? Do you support expansion of SS? I support expansion of Social Security and will fight any and all efforts to reduce benefits or raise the retirement age. Social Security is the most important part of most people’s retirement, and it must be secure. The federal government has the ability to issue debt to pay its bills; for that reason, Social Security should never go unfunded.

Public and Gun Safety and Hate Crimes: 17. What is your record of stopping police racism, homophobia, and violence? I walked with our police chief at the head of a march recognizing the violence in Ferguson, MO and endorsed and supported I-940, the initiative that addressed de- escalation training for police officers and set a new standard for the use of force. Working with the Obama Administration, I launched My Brother’s Keeper while Mayor of Tacoma, in support of young men of color.

18. What actions have you taken to support gun safety and stop mass shootings? Do you support banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines? Why or why not?

One of my proudest accomplishments as Mayor of Tacoma was passing mandatory background checks and closing the gun show loophole. The NRA threatened to sue us over this policy, and I was steadfast in my commitment to doing what was right to protect our citizens. I was a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and Cities United - which sought to address gun violence among young men of color.

I support universal background checks, banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines. Gun violence must be treated as a public health crisis. It is preventable and we can dramatically reduce it.

Social justice and Equity: 19. What actions have you taken to support women’s health and reproductive freedom? The ERA? I have attended fundraisers and donated to women’s health organizations. I strongly support a woman’s right to choose - it is a healthcare issue and economic empowerment issue, which is why it is crucial that we take action to protect women’s rights and reproductive freedom. I will stand up to efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and overturn Roe v. Wade in Congress and work to ensure that all women have access to high quality, free birth control. I will also strongly support the Equal Rights Amendment and equal pay for women - it’s past time for women to make the same as men for doing the same job.

20. What actions have you taken to stop violence, homophobia, sexism, and racism? To support equity and diversity? What would you do to address these issues in Congress?

I was proud to help make Tacoma an LGBTQ-friendly city in my years in office and was awarded the Ruby Award by the Rainbow Center for my work as an ally of the LGBTQ community. Tacoma was the first city in the United States to raise the Pride Flag at City Hall, and I stood with the LGBTQ community when their civil rights were under assault.

During my time as mayor, we created the Office of Equity, and developed a diversity, equity and inclusion plan for city hiring.

I created the Minority Business Development Agency as Mayor of Tacoma and openly campaigned for and endorsed I-1000, the Washington State Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Act.

In Congress I will support legislation to reduce sentencing for low-level drug offenders and bills to shift the power in our criminal justice system away from the prison industrial complex. I support legalizing marijuana and banning cash bail for non-violent offenses and will seek to end the school-to-prison pipeline through supporting focused interventions and funding for programs which combat disproportionate discipline.

We also need a justice system that focuses on helping people re-enter society, rather than setting them up to fail. I will fight to reduce restrictions on housing and occupational licensing for returning citizens and decriminalize mental health crises and mental illness. She will also advocate for programs that restore voting rights to people who have completed their sentences.

21. Do you believe that the current use of the Census Bureau gives a fair assessment of poverty in the United States? If so why or why not? What would you use instead to give a better accurate picture? What will you propose to eliminate poverty and food insecurity?

No. The poverty line is far too low and reflects an outdated reality. Housing is much more expensive than it used to be and tens if not hundreds of millions of Americans who are not technically impoverished are making choices between whether to pay rent, put food on the table, and buy the medicine they need. The only appropriate solution is to establish a location-by-location metric for poverty to account for cost of living changes, and index it so it goes up with inflation every year.

I want to invest in housing to address poverty. Housing and healthcare are at the root of an array of societal ills, including food insecurity. I would also support an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit and an expansion of the food stamp program, to ensure everyone has the resources to afford the nutritious food they need.

22. Reparations have been discussed regarding U.S. legacy of enslavement of Africans and Indigenous Indians. What is your knowledge of reparations to these groups and what is your plan to address them?

Reparations for past injustices have been tried in the United States - the Japanese who were interned during WWII, the Indian Claims Commission, and victims of forced sterilization are a few examples. H.R. 40 is a 30-year-old effort to study the issue of reparations for descendants of African slaves and has never been brought forward as a vote. I am open to exploring the question of monetary recompense or other means to make up for a history of structural racism and denial of human and civil rights.

Education: 23. How would you address the burden of student loan debt?

I support refinancing of student loans with possible caps on monthly payments, and expand regulations on predatory for-profit colleges. I will also support free college for students in high demand fields such as nursing, behavioral health, teaching and the building trades.

In addition to supporting refinancing of loans to make it easier for students to pay them back and potentially capping monthly payments, I am open to a program which eliminates a portion of student debt, particularly during this public health and economic crisis.

24. What are your positions on public schools and charter schools? On school vouchers? I am a strong supporter and graduate of public schools - I graduated from Mt Tahoma High School and the . Charter schools can have a place in a school system serving populations which are left behind by a traditional public school model, as long as these schools have the same accountability standards, oversight and abide by the same regulations as other public schools.

I do not support school vouchers.

Housing: 25. What actions have you taken to address homelessness and the housing affordability crisis? What would you do as a member of Congress to address these issues?

As mayor of Tacoma, we passed an Affordable Housing Action Plan, and the multi- family tax exemption to incentivize the building of more affordable housing. In addition, we provided the Tacoma Housing Authority with support for the Hope VI project at Salishan, as well as funding for an emergency youth shelter. In 2017, we declared homelessness a public health crisis, and opened a stability site to transition people living in a dangerous encampment. This innovative approach with sanitation service, wrap around social services, and employment opportunities drew national attention. As CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, I led the effort to launch the Housing Connector program, which pairs landlords with agencies serving people who are homeless and provides support services to help them find homes and stay in them. To date, the vast majority of those served by Housing Connector are people of color.

Based on my time as Mayor of Tacoma, and input I’ve received in every part of this district, housing affordability is the top issue. It drives economic stability and quality of life. All people, regardless of age or income, deserve to live in a safe, stable, affordable home and should not spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Local and state governments are doing what they can, but the one entity with the resources to significantly address the problem is the federal government. It’s why I will advocate for a massive federal investment in affordable and workforce housing for local communities, military families, and the homeless.

This will include increasing funding to state housing finance commissions, to help build more affordable housing; it will include more resources directed to local housing authorities, which can be used for construction and housing vouchers; and it will include a plan to increase flexibility of how housing vouchers can be used, which will provide stability and more choice. The response to the affordable housing crisis must be innovative and match the scale of the problem. I will champion this effort in Congress with urgency.

Leadership:

26. What are some examples where you have taken principled stands?

When the NRA threatened to sue the City of Tacoma for passing universal background checks for gun sales, I knew we had to stand up for the safety of our citizens. Affirmative Action remains a controversial issue in Pierce County, yet I openly endorsed and campaigned for I-1000, the Washington State Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Act. After the election of Donald Trump, I reintroduced the City of Tacoma’s resolution to reaffirm its commitment to equity and inclusion.

Caucus: 27. What caucus(es) will you be joining if you are elected to Congress? What committees are you hoping to serve on? I will join the Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Asian and Pacific American Caucus and the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus. My top committee choices are Appropriations or Ways and Means, because I want to be able to get things done for my community, for Washington, and for our country, and those are the committees which control the money. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is of interest to me because those are big needs in the 10th District and the Puget Sound Region. I am also interested in the House Financial Services because that is the committee with jurisdiction over housing matters, and the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, to help care for the many veterans in this district.