Candidate Q&A: Edward Markey

1. Both you and your opponent voted with your party more than 90 percent of the time. What separates you from your opponent in the primary? How can Mass voters be assured that either of you won't simply vote lockstep with Majority Leader Reid?

In Congress, I’ve taken on tough issues and gotten results for Massachusetts. I have a record of standing up to the special interests like the gun lobby, “big oil” and Wall Street.

I took on the NRA and led the fight in 1994 to ban cheap Chinese assault weapons, which were flowing into our country and selling for less than $100 a piece.

I voted for President Barack Obama’s historic health care law to give important patient protections to Americans, like banning insurance denials based on pre-existing conditions and cracking down on companies that charge women more than men for the same health plan. That law includes my Independence at Home program that will allow seniors to get health care in the comfort of their own home, with the added benefit of saving $80 billion over 10 years from the cost of Medicare.

I’ve authored climate-change legislation to cut carbon pollution, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create jobs in clean energy, wind and solar technologies.

I voted against sequestration in the Budget Control Act because I didn’t think it was responsible for working families or our economy here in Massachusetts.

These are the votes and legislation that define my work as a member of Congress, not party-line votes. In the Senate, I will continue to take on the tough issues and deliver results for Massachusetts. 

2. Our region benefits a lot from defense spending, including bases and the development of new weapons. Yet more progressive lawmakers want to cut defense spending more than social programs when federal spending cuts need to happen. How would you do that without hurting defense contractors and companies (and all their high-paying jobs) in your home state?

The biggest threat to the defense sector in Massachusetts is the across-the-board cuts, known as sequestration, which I voted against. Sequestration is a wrong approach to cutting the deficit. The sequester puts 60,000 jobs this year in Massachusetts at risk. That total includes an estimated 40,000 defense jobs alone.

Instead of these mindless cuts, I’ve put forward a proposal that achieves more than $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction without hurting our recovering economy. We should close corporate tax loopholes and crack down on offshore tax evasion, which would save $1 trillion over 10 years.

My plan would cut subsidies we give oil companies for drilling on public land and other tax giveaways to “big oil.” That will save $40 billion.

I also believe we should make smart, targeted cuts that fund unnecessary and outdated nuclear weapons programs, which would save us more than $100 billion during the next decade. Instead of spending our resources on Cold War radioactive relics of the past, we should instead focus on the real threats we face in the 21st century, including cyber-security. In Massachusetts, we have a concentration of colleges, universities and some of the best defense minds in the country. The commonwealth will lead the nation when it comes to addressing these emerging threats.

3. MetroWest suffered a blow with the loss of New England Compounding Center and the associated fallout: Will you be working to draw other medical companies to the MetroWest area and how will you do that?

Massachusetts is an international leader in health care and in biomedical research. Those fields also are vital parts of our economy. I’ve been a leading advocate in keeping our competitive advantage in bio-tech jobs and economic growth.

In Congress, I’ve worked to preserve National Institutes of Health funding for our state, which plays a critical role in supporting 34,000 jobs in Massachusetts. Those investments help grow the economy, in addition to providing hope to millions of Americans suffering from diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Patients expect the drugs they buy to be safe. That’s why I wrote and introduced the Valid Act, to give the Food and Drug Administration the authority it needs to ensure the safety of the compounding pharmacy sector nationwide. Reforming the existing fragmented regulations will help make sure we preserve Massachusetts’ world-class reputation for excellent health care.

We also must stop sequestration, which will undercut the foundation of the commonwealth’s economy, including biotechnology and research sectors and health care institutions. I have put forth a plan to avoid these devastating cuts.

In the Senate, I will continue my work for more investment in Massachusetts’ health care and bio-tech sectors to enhance economic growth.

4. There has been a call for more federal oversight of pharmaceutical compounding companies in the wake of the New England Compounding Center scandal. Is there a similar federal role in the state's drug lab scandal? Or do you believe the prosecution of Annie Dookhan and court reviews of the 34,000 affected cases is a sufficient response?

The trial involving Annie Dookhan is ongoing, but from the details of the case that have emerged from media reports, it seems that one person’s misconduct has caused chaos for the state’s criminal justice department, according to district attorneys in the state.

By contrast, the problems with the compounding pharmaceutical industry are a systemic issue. Lax oversight and gaps in legal authority led to the calamitous failure in protecting the public’s health. The tragedy of the New England Compounding Center was just the tip of the industry iceberg that has long needed reform and federal oversight. Even before the NECC outbreak, problems at compounding pharmacies led to at least 23 deaths and 86 illnesses in 34 states.

That’s why federal oversight and stronger regulations for compounding pharmacies is so critical. I’ve introduced the Verifying Authority and Legality in Drug (VALID) Compounding Act to give the Food and Drug Administration clear, new authority to oversee compounding pharmacy practices throughout the country.

5. Whenever federal transportation money is discussed, the talk focuses on highway construction and expanding public transit. Yet the MBTA's core service is in desperate need of repair and funding. What will you do at the federal level to improve the quality of T service for current riders? Or does expansion to Fall River and other economic areas in the state trump the needs of Bostonians trying to get to work in a safe, timely manner?

I believe we need to transform our 20th-century roads, bridges and transit systems to reflect our 21st-century needs. Making these improvements and expanding public transit should be top priorities because they promotes job growth and sparks economic growth.

I support the goals of Gov. Deval Patrick’s recent proposal to repair and improve the MBTA’s aging system, while we also look ahead to meet the demand from those who want to live, work, shop and eat in areas served by sustainable transportation.

6. There's been increased use of drones internationally, as well as domestically, primarily as a law enforcement tool. Are you comfortable with the use of drones internationally and domestically? What sort of rules should be in place for the domestic use of drones?

I believe in transparency, and I believe there should be accountability with the use of this technology both foreign and domestically.

Here in our country, we need to protect people’s privacy from unlawful surveillance and searches without their knowledge or permission. I’ve introduced a bill called the Drone Aircraft Privacy and Transparency Act to ensure privacy and protection from domestic drones. My legislation would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant before conducting surveillance. In addition, under this proposal, the Federal Aviation Administration would not be allowed to issue drone licenses unless the application says what kind of data will be collected, how that data will be used, how the licenses will protect privacy.

When it comes to international use of drones we need to keep soldiers out of harm’s way without harming our moral authority in the world—and I believe we can achieve that. I have long pushed for increased transparency for drone use abroad and believe we need an open debate about their use to kill terror suspects.

7. Do you support the most recent catch limits on commercial fishing? Why or why not?

I have pressed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to fully use the flexibility included in the Magnuson-Stevens Act on catch limits. That effort has led to the successful change in allowing carryover of unused quota from the 2012 season and to pay for at-sea monitoring costs during the 2013 season. It has also led NOAA to recently agree to suspend monkfish possession limits, so that fishermen can harvest more monkfish, alleviating the impact of ground-fish limits that will be put in place.

I strongly believe management of our state’s fisheries should happen from the local level – not from Washington. I supported NOAA’s decision to fund scientists at the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) of UMass Dartmouth to undertake a comprehensive end-to-end review of the stock assessment process.

I’ve also fought for disaster funding relief for our fishermen to help them deal with the economic impact in fishing communities. I am committed to working with fishermen to identify additional flexibility they believe is necessary in Magnuson-Stevens.

8. For many who live along the coast, the only option for home insurance is the FAIR plan. It's expensive, with many paying more for insurance than in real estate taxes, and it does not have a good reputation for paying out claims. Yet, it is the only game in town. If a storm like Sandy were to have hit the Mass. coast, it is unlikely the FAIR plan would be able to cover the loss. What would you do to encourage insurance companies that offer residential insurance to come back to coastal Mass.?

I have seen some media reports, indicating that some insurance companies have, in fact, been coming back to offer residential insurance coverage to coastal areas in Massachusetts. The first thing I would recommend is for people to shop around and see what is out there right now.

I also think we need to consider how to better adapt our coastal communities to the impacts of harsh storms, so that we can mitigate the damage they cause. That’s one way to encourage insurers to offer more and better coverage.

The powerful, extreme weather events and coastal flooding we’ve seen, particularly with Hurricane Sandy, is a consequence of climate change. We need to take strong steps to curb heat-trapping pollution, which ultimately causes the sea levels to rise and wreaks havoc on our coastlines. I’m committed to leading in the Senate to ensure we put in place the laws and regulations needed to address that threat.

9. Increasingly our police departments are dealing with the problems of drugs in our towns? What do you think the federal government can do to get more funding to fight drugs? How can the police get the funding and equipment they need to deal with the problem?

When I meet with sheriffs and law enforcement officials, they describe a growing problem with prescription drug abuse in our communities. Today, Americans abuse prescription drugs two-and-a-half times more than cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin and inhalants combined.

I’ve worked to address this problem in Congress with bipartisan legislation. Along with Vern Buchanan, a Republican from Florida, I’ve helped pass a bill to crack down on phony clinics, called “pill mills,” that distribute narcotics. Our legislation doubles the jail time and triples the fine for pill mill dealers that dispense prescription narcotics irresponsibly, inappropriately, or for non-medical reasons. The law also makes sure police get the tools and funding they need to fight the prescription drug epidemic.

10. What Senate committees and leadership posts will you seek if you become a senator and why?

Throughout my career, I've taken on the tough issues for Massachusetts families, and gotten results. 

I want to go to the Senate to help create good jobs for people here in the commonwealth, to support the investments in infrastructure and education that prepare us for the jobs of tomorrow, and to pass meaningful gun control and immigration reform. And I want to continue my work on the pressing issue of global climate change.

Should the people of Massachusetts choose to send me to the Senate, I will use my committee assignments to advance these goals and always stand up for Massachusetts families.