U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, and Republican challenger Randy Niemeyer in large part fall alongside birthday celebration strains in relation to problems with economic system, border safety and abortion.
Mrvan, 55, is looking for reelection to grant a 3rd time period in Congress. He used to be born and raised in Hammond, and he married his highschool sweetheart, Jane. They have got been married 28 years, and they’ve two daughters.
Mrvan stated he’s in quest of reelection to be able in order for Northwest Indiana. As a member of Congress, Mrvan stated he’s had the chance to deliver initiatives, just like the South Shore double monitoring, which after creates jobs, to the area. Mrvan stated he’d additionally love to proceed to deliver in federal greenbacks to assistance and reinforce folk protection and battle for reproductive condition lend a hand get entry to.
In his flow time period in Congress, Mrvan stated he’s happy with with the ability to retain investment for the Midwest Regional MachH2 hydrogen hub mega-project on the BP Whiting Refinery, which can assemble about 10,000 development jobs and 1,500 everlasting jobs. As soon as it’s constructed, Mrvan stated the hydrogen hub will reinforce wind and aqua detail during Northwest Indiana and make allowance the metal turbines to significance the hydrogen within the furnace to assemble a greener product.
“Those are things that are worth fighting for, and have inspired me to be able to make a difference in our community,” Mrvan stated.
Niemeyer, who became 47 on Oct. 20, and his brother personal their public trade Niemeyer Milk Switch Inc. in Cedar Pool, which is a fourth-generation public trade that grew from his great-grandfather handing over milk by way of horseback in tin cans during Crown Level to tanker vans distributing milk during the Midwest and Southeast areas of the rustic, he stated.
Randy Niemeyer
Picture courtesy of Randy Niemeyer/HANDOUT Pool County Councilman Randy Niemeyer, R-Cedar Pool, is the Republican candidate for U.S. Consultant of Indiana’s First District. (Picture courtesy of Randy Niemeyer)
Niemeyer, who could also be a truck motive force, stated he’s been married to his spouse, Madeline, for 22 years, and they’ve a daughter and a son. Niemeyer stated he determined to run for the U.S. Area seat as a result of he desires to have an effect on trade on inflation and securing the southern border.
Niemeyer is these days the Pool County Republican Celebration Chairman and a Pool County councilman, and he prior to now served at the Cedar Pool The city Council. He stated he’d significance his blue-collar assistant background and political revel in as a Congressman to assemble a unique solution to addressing monetary problems that experience “crushed the middle class.”
Financial system
To handle inflation, Mrvan stated he’d assistance a invoice related to the Inflation Aid Occupation of 2022. Throughout the operate, Medicare used to be ready to renegotiate drug costs, which diminished the price of numerous fixes.
The operate additionally diminished power prices via funding in solar energy and air possible choices, Mrvan stated. The advantages there, Mrvan stated, are task settingup and decrease power prices.
“We will continue to look for ways to make sure that we bring our energy costs down and to make sure that we are doing everything we can to lower costs for all individuals going forward,” Mrvan stated.
To handle inflation, Niemeyer stated he’d paintings to assure Congress passes the cheap with all 12 appropriations expenses, which allocate investment to federal govt businesses and areas, on age.
Within the terminating just about 50 years since Congress has established its budgetary procedure with 12 appropriations expenses, it has best handed all its required appropriations measures on time limit 4 instances: 1977, which used to be the primary complete fiscal presen below the flow gadget, 1989, 1995 and 1997, in step with Pew Analysis.
“You’ve got to stabilize our economy by Congress first telling the money of the American taxpayers how to behave,” Niemeyer stated. “I think too many times government views that it’s government money and there’s no such thing as that. There’s only the people’s money, so we have to treat it like that.”
Border safety
When having a look at securing the border, Niemeyer pointed to Stock the Border Occupation of 2023 that didn’t construct it to the Senate and the Border Occupation of 2024 which failed to go both chamber of Congress. The expenses display that Congress is at an deadlock at the factor, Niemeyer stated.
Mrvan stated he would assistance the Border Occupation of 2024 if he had the chance to vote on it. The invoice would have larger the choice of border patrol brokers and asylum judges and larger safety within the ports, Mrvan stated.
Speaker of the Area Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, referred to as for a bipartisan piece of regulation to handle the border, Mrvan stated, including that his laborer Senator James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, labored dried to barter the invoice.
However, the invoice didn’t travel ahead later former President Donald Trump referred to as his allies in Congress to ban the invoice as a result of if it handed the Biden Management would obtain credit score addressing the infection, Mrvan stated.
“It is a national security issue that we must know who is coming in and out of our country. It’s extremely disappointing to me that the reason that bill wasn’t called to the floor is because it would pass,” Mrvan stated.
Niemeyer stated he helps portions of the 2024 invoice that building up border patrol and security features, however he does now not assistance categories that he stated codify catch-and-release.
“I think there’s got to be a balance to the process here, and some common sense,” Niemeyer stated. “It is a very nuanced issue because there’s so many different sets of circumstances from people around the world that want to emigrate here. But, we have had in the past a system that worked, and I believe we can have a system that works once again.”
Wars out of the country
The U.S. has a duty to its allies world wide to assistance safety of their international locations, Niemeyer stated.
Ukraine used to be “wrongfully invaded” by way of Russia, Niemeyer stated, who added that he does now not imagine Russian President Vladimir Putin is a pal of america.
“We need to have policies in place that support our allies without it being an endless checkbook. The right kind of support to get to the point where we can end the conflict and see our allies prevail, that’s what we want. We don’t want an endless flow of money or weapons going anywhere,” Niemeyer stated.
But if requested in regards to the Israel-Hamas warfare in Gaza, Niemeyer stated Israel is america’ “strongest ally in the world” and that the U.S. will have to assistance Israel “in any way we can” so it wins. The Palestinians dwelling in Gaza were old as pawns by way of Hamas, Niemeyer stated.
“It’s an extremely heartbreaking situation to watch so many innocent people put in harm’s way by people that are supposed to be there to help them and protect them. Eradicating Hamas will help the Palestinian people be able to choose their own destiny,” Niemeyer stated.
Amid Russia’s warfare in Ukraine, Mrvan stated Congress will have to give Ukraine assistance and weaponry to assistance it give protection to its Self-government. Amid this warfare, Putin is checking out the arena on what field he may just to enter, Mrvan stated.
“(American support) ultimately allows Ukrainian people to be able to protect democracy so that we don’t have to have our men and women who are in the armed services in Ukraine to be able to stop that. Or, if it escalates such as in Poland, what we’re doing is a preventative measure to make sure that our national security and democracy, throughout the world, is absolutely protected by supporting Ukraine in this effort,” Mrvan stated.
Amid the Israel-Hamas warfare in Gaza, Mravn stated he supported regulation to assistance Israel, together with investment for the Iron Dome missile protection gadget. However, Mrvan stated he desires to peer a plan for sleep.
“We will continue to be able to support a pivotal ally,” Mrvan stated. “I want to make sure that there is a limit to the civilian casualties on any side going forward. Ultimately, it is important for us to have support for Israel, but we must have a pathway to peace within the Middle East.”
Abortion
The U.S. Ideally suited Courtroom ended federal abortion protections by way of overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Since after, states have handed rules to both give protection to get entry to to or oppose abortions. Indiana become the primary situation to cross a near-total abortion oppose following the verdict.
Since Roe v. Wade used to be overturned, Mrvan stated he has supported codifying Roe v. Wade, which for almost 50 years fix the precise to have an abortion, into regulation. In Indiana, womens’ reproductive rights have been stripped away, Mrvan stated.
“I believe that the most productive thing we can do for women’s health and for their reproductive rights is to allow them to make their decision,” Mrvan stated.
Niemeyer stated the Dobbs v. Jackson Girls’s Condition Group case, which overturned Roe v. Wade, “was not ruling on abortion as much as it was the constitutionality,” although the ruling discovered that the U.S. Charter does now not give protection to the precise to an abortion.
The Indiana GOP’s 2022 platform advocated the overturning of Roe v. Wade, “where Indiana will be in a position to fully implement our longstanding values on life.”
Niemeyer stated he would now not assistance a federal oppose or coverage on abortion as a result of he believes each situations would have a hard “constitutional test.” When requested a couple of abortion questions, Niemeyer persistently pointed to the Charter as the solution.
“In both cases, you have to refer to the constitution, and the case law that’s currently prevailing in the land says it’s the state’s right to legislate,” Niemeyer stated.
Niemeyer stated he does now not assistance Indiana’s near-total oppose on abortion “as it is written due to the multitude of unique circumstances which can arise during pregnancy.”
Taking a look forward
Each Niemeyer and Mrvan stated they’d settle for the result of the election.
Niemeyer stated Northwest Indiana is made up of heart magnificence, blue collar employees. Within the terminating 90 years, the section has discoverable the industrialization and deindustrialization of business, Niemeyer stated, including that it used to be the results of sinful business offer.
“We put ourselves at a consistent disadvantage. In order to protect and expand the blue collar working base here, the middle class here in this district, we have got to get focused on putting ourselves in a position to win in global trade,” Niemeyer stated.
If reelected, Mrvan stated he would proceed to assistance and give protection to the Northwest Indiana metal business. In March, Mrvan offered the Area invoice titled Prohibit Mexico’s Metal Surge Occupation, which can impose tasks on metal imported to the U.S. from Mexico for a length of age to assure extra metal is melted and poured within the U.S.
Mrvan, vp of the Congressional Metal Caucus, stated he offered the invoice as a result of international nations, like China, were going via Mexico to avoid business insurance policies.
The metal business is cyclical in nature, Mrvan stated, however he’s labored on regulation, testimonies earlier than america Global Business Fee and letters to the management to assure metal is made within the U.S.
“To protect the steel industry and to be able to protect our steel workers is extremely important to me,” Mrvan stated. “Our steel workers, and the steel industry, is the backbone of Northwest Indiana.”
akukulka@chicagotribune.com
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