ISSUES

In Congress, Matthew Montavon will propose and support legislation to strengthen our democracy and the rights of all Americans.  Matthew will fight to put people first with these policies.

  • In recent years, government actions have put more and more obstacles in the way of legitimate voters, with widely varying state laws about voter ID, mail-in ballots, drop boxes, and election schedules, as well as irrational, gerrymandered voting maps. The Supreme Court began gutting the Voting Rights Act in 2013 and has been eroding it further ever since. Congress must immediately pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to enshrine the basic principle of one person, one vote. Voting should be encouraged, not discouraged. 

  • The U.S. Constitution specifies that redrawing district lines should occur regularly every 10 years after each Decennial Census. So why is additional redistricting mid-decade being allowed? Congress must act to end this extra-constitutional collusion between the Executive Branch and partisan extremists in state legislatures.

  • The Supreme Court ruled in favor of dark, unlimited campaign contributions in the Citizens United decision of 2010. Congress must enact laws to limit campaign donations and make campaign finance completely transparent. Choosing candidates should be the role of the people, not giant corporations and billionaires. Votes, not money, should decide elections.

  • Veterans sacrificed to serve their country, and they should return to civilian life with all the support they need: access to education, help finding a job, affordable housing, and good healthcare. This is no time to be cutting services for veterans or for military families, as current budget proposals do. Florida’s 17th District has a high percentage of residents who are veterans (8%), and they will have Matthew Montavon’s full support in Congress.

  • We have been told that Social Security and Medicare are unsustainable, that they will not be able to pay out benefits much longer. Yet one Congress after another has done nothing to prevent the impending crisis. Congress needs to pass legislation to ensure the solvency of the system to pay benefits to retirees now and into the future. Congress should also fix the Affordable Care Act’s gap in Medicaid coverage, which allows states like Florida to refuse extra federal funds to cover health insurance for low-income families.

  • Congress needs to reassert its Constitutional role in foreign affairs. The Executive does not have the authority to conduct foreign policy alone. Congress has the sole  authority to fund (or not fund) wars, to declare war, and to fund our overseas commitments. Random chaotic actions putting down our allies and praising dictators do not help our standing in the world.

    International trade should be an instrument of peace, not of bullying. International cooperation has been the foundation of peace. We are a world leader and should not willingly cede that position to China. 

    Our government should treat international visitors with respect.  These tourists support a valuable sector of our economy and offer opportunities for mutual dialogue and understanding.

  • No other peacetime country has our level of gun violence. Gun homicides are 26 times higher in the U.S. than other high-income nations. Congress must ban civilian use of assault weapons, require universal and comprehensive background checks, support state licensing, enact gun safety laws, and enforce and expand red flag laws. Hunters and sportsmen should be able to buy guns, but we need to ensure that our communities are safe.

  • Reproductive health decisions should be between a woman and her medical provider, but state legislators and Supreme Court decisions have diminished that basic principle of individual freedom. Government has no place interfering in those personal choices. Reproductive freedom is essential for women's equality. Congress should ensure that birth control, abortion, and comprehensive reproductive health care are accessible and affordable for all.

  • As a nation, we need to respect the rights of all people living here under our Constitution, regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, or who they love.  Congress needs to lead by example and secure legislation to ensure that every individual can share in our economy and contribute to our society according to his or her ability, without fear of threats or mockery, or even physical harm. Our struggles for freedom and equality have been a model for the world. Let’s keep it up!

  • The U.S. today has fallen below many other wealthy nations in educational achievement.  Every child deserves an excellent, well-rounded education in all the basics: Science, Math, Reading, Writing, Civics, and History.  Public school education needs to be supported and strengthened. Community colleges were completely free not so long ago, so that young people didn’t need to take on onerous college loans. Congress needs to enact legislation to make a good education accessible and affordable without burdening young people with endless debt. We did it after World War II with the GI Bill. We can do it again if we have the will.

  • We need to deal with the very real crisis of climate change, which is particularly problematic for Florida’s Gulf Coast. Rising temperatures have led to rising sea levels in Florida by an inch every decade. Heavy rainfall is causing more flooding and storm damage. Warmer ocean temperatures are damaging coral reefs and harming sea life.Development must be environmentally sensitive. The costs in life and property damage of doing nothing is astronomical. We must start taking action now.