Editor’s Note: The Morning Call solicited Your Views from candidates in contested primaries in the Lehigh Valley region. The three Republican candidates running for the nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Susan Wild in November were asked to discuss what they see as they biggest issue(s) facing the 7th Congressional District and how they would approach solving the issue(s). Their responses are running this week, in alphabetical order by last name. Your Views from state House races will run next week.
In my lifetime, I have never been more concerned about the direction of our great country. Inflation is driving up costs for families and small businesses from the Lehigh Valley to the Panther Valley and the doubling of home mortgage rates over the last few years has put home ownership out of reach for many.
Rising violent crime rates and the flow of fentanyl across our borders has left individuals fearing for their family’s safety. Meanwhile, the toxic partisan divide — fueled by social media, partisan commentators and complicit politicians — has left Congress and many state legislatures in gridlock. It is not hard to see why polls show a record level of unhappiness and the majority of Americans no longer believe that their children will be better off.
As the daughter of a Peruvian immigrant who settled in Allentown and the great-granddaughter of Carbon County Irish coal miners, I was raised in a family that believed in the American dream. They provided a better life for me and passed on those values of tenacity and independence.
Rising through poverty, I attended Marian Catholic and my family instilled in me the importance of a strong education, fortitude and faith. I had my only child, a son, while attending St. Joseph’s University. It was challenging, but with the support of family and friends, I earned my bachelor’s degree and then my law degree from Widener School of Law.
Giving people the tools, confidence and support systems needed to succeed has been a focus of my career. It is what I worked toward when co-founding the Lehigh Valley’s Power of Women Networking Initiative, when serving as executive director of both the Pennsylvania Commission for Women and Pennsylvania’s Latino Commission, and now as an attorney in Allentown.
A lifelong Republican, I am running for Congress because I want to restore faith in the American dream and renew hope for the future. To do that, we must strengthen our economy, secure our borders and restore trust in our electoral process.
Strengthening our economy requires us to address inflationary pressures and remove obstacles to small-business growth. We need to get excessive government spending under control through measures such as the proposed Limit, Save and Grow Act, which would limit federal spending, save taxpayer dollars and grow the economy with $4.5 trillion in savings to taxpayers. This act would also require the executive branch to receive approval from Congress before implementing major regulations.
It is imperative that we remove government barriers — such as the moratorium on the Keystone Pipeline — that artificially restrict our domestic energy production in Pennsylvania and jeopardize the livelihoods of the 123,000 Pennsylvanians employed in the natural gas industry.
I support the proposed Restoring American Energy Dominance Act because when we limit our energy production, we drive up the cost of utilities for residents, manufacturing and transportation of goods — which makes everything more expensive in our communities.
We must reduce burdensome and unfair regulatory guidance by government bureaucrats on businesses and individuals, especially in health care. The cost of compliance limits small-business growth, increases costs and restricts access to affordable health care by forcing many providers to expend resources on nonmedical staff to comply with government reporting.
It is also imperative we secure our borders. The unimpeded flow of migrants across our borders has created a humanitarian crisis and diverts government resources from priorities like caring for our veterans. An open border provides cover for the free flow of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, which are killing thousands of Americans. Countless women and children are being trafficked; it must stop. And it is insulting to the many immigrants who legally came to our country to create a better life for their family. We need to provide Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol and law enforcement with the support and financial resources they need to their jobs because that is the role of federal government.
And most importantly, to bridge the partisan divide, we must restore faith in the electoral process. This lack of trust undermines the fiber of our democratic republic. Requiring a Voter ID is a commonsense solution. If individuals must show identification to buy allergy medications, to enter government buildings or to cash a check, they should show identification when voting. Similarly, we can restore confidence by regularly updating voter rolls and providing for increased transparency during the vote tabulation process.
As a lifelong member of this community, I understand the challenges facing local families and the values we hold dear. With your support, I will be a tireless advocate for us in Washington, fighting every day to expand access to quality health care, protect the integrity of our elections, improve education, secure our borders, restore fiscal responsibility and strengthen our economy. Together, we can build a bright future for the next generation and restore the American dream.
Maria Montero is an attorney and Republican candidate for the 7th Congressional District.
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