Bobby Schilling is running for U.S. House in Iowa’s Second Congressional District. You can learn more about his candidacy here.
1. What is the purpose of government:
Our Founding Fathers said it best in the Preamble of the Constitution:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
All functions of government should be justified through these words.
2. What issues do you consider non-negotiable:
I’m pro-God, pro-Life, and pro-Guns. I won’t be wavering on those issues anytime soon. I also think raising taxes on working class families should never be an option — we have enough to worry about, thank you very much.
3. What one thing would you most like to accomplish should you earn a seat in Congress:
I would like to help Congress pass the Heartbeat bill — a bill that bans abortion after a heartbeat can be detected at six weeks gestation. This, to me, is of utmost importance. The fact that almost a million abortions a year take place in this country is a horrific tragedy, and it’s one that I lose a lot of sleep over.
4. What, if anything, would you do to strengthen religious liberty at the federal level:
I believe religious freedom is perhaps the most essential liberty enumerated in our Bill of Rights. I will support any legislative effort to protect that essential liberty, although it shouldn’t have to be necessary — the 1st Amendment should be enough. Sadly, progressives are seeking to curb religious liberty — the so-called “Equality Act” would specifically outlaw it in favor of transgender rights — and that’s something we have to fight against.
5. There are efforts to increase the federal gas tax 25 cents a gallon, is this something you’d support:
Absolutely not. Any effort to raise taxes on gasoline is a regressive tax — a tax that is mostly shouldered by the poor and working class. It’s a terrible idea and I’ll never support it.
6. How do you suggest balancing the budget and working toward elimination of the national debt:
The first step in a post-COVID-19 world is that we have to get the economy moving again. We are looking at a scenario where we may still have double-digit unemployment by Election Day, with tens of thousands of small businesses, including many in Iowa, permanently shutting down. The priority right now should be getting the economy back to where it was before we did the lockdown. Once we have done that, and the federal government’s tax receipts are normalized, then we should seriously explore tackling the long-term structural problems that are creating our spending addiction. Previously in Congress I supported the Balanced Budget Amendment — I would do that again, because it would force Washington to make tough choices and finally get its house in order.
7. Are there any scenarios where you would support a pathway to citizenship and/or amnesty for any illegal immigrants in America:
I do think we need to explore a pathway to legal status for those already here — but not citizenship, and not until we’ve built the wall and fully secured the border. We made a mistake in the 1980s when we did an unconditional amnesty. We can’t do that again, and if Washington tries, I won’t be a part of it.
8. Do you believe sanctuary cities are a danger to the citizens who live in them and what, if anything, would you do in Congress to either encourage or discourage sanctuary city policies:
Cities and states should not have the authority to defy federal immigration law. Congress should be exploring different ways to put pressure on cities and states to abandon these reckless policies — especially by using the power of the purse and making certain funding streams conditional on adhering to federal immigration law.
9. What federal action would you support in terms of climate change, if any:
I’m not interested in putting America on a weak footing compared to China, which seems to be the only thing of consequence that would occur if Congress decided to try to control the weather.
10. Would you support any red flag gun legislation:
Hell no. “Shall not be infringed.”
11. Give a general rundown of your on American foreign policy:
Peace through strength. Diplomacy, but not appeasement. We should avoid foreign entanglements when we can, but we must stand strong against foreign despots and evil regimes. As we head into a post-COVID-19 world, our greatest threat is posed by China, both economically and diplomatically. We must finally reevaluate our posture toward China — and consider severing some of our close ties that have largely only benefited the Chinese Communist Party.
12. Do you support term limits for Congress:
Absolutely! I signed on to the U.S. Term Limits’ amendment pledge. I believe we should amend the Constitution to limit our legislators to three terms in the House and two terms in the Senate. I don’t believe the founders intended to have career politicians hold the same seat for several decades.
13. What are your thoughts on the Electoral College:
I support it and believe it should be preserved and protected. Left-wing California should not be dictating election results for the rest of us. The founders set it up this way for a reason — to protect the electoral power of the individual states. We should respect that. Unfortunately, Democrats believe they’ve found a cheat code — if they abolish the electoral college they believe they can consistently win the popular vote by running up the score legitimately or illegitimately in blue states. I have absolutely no interest in supporting that kind of scheme.
14. What issue can you envision working with Democrat members of Congress on right away:
I’m very interested in supporting pro-family initiatives like expanding the child tax credit and increasing families’ access to other types of tax deductions. One such initiative is actually cosponsored by a Democrat — the Cassidy-Sinema “Advancing Support for Working Families Act”. This bill lets families have access to their child tax credit early — $5,000, which they pay back at zero percent interest over ten years. I would co-sponsor the House version of this bill during my first month in Congress. Common sense legislation like this that adds virtually nothing to the deficit and helps working families seems like a bipartisan slam dunk.
15. What excites you most about possibly representing Iowa in Congress:
The people of this great state are incredible. That’s been my favorite part of this campaign so far — meeting so many of these hard-working heroes. It would be an honor to serve them in Congress and be the People’s Representative.
Iowa’s Second District:
