US Congressional District 6

A: It may be time to reexamine use of zero-based budgeting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-based_budgeting), “that requires all expenses to be justified and approved in each new budget period.” We may also wish to investigate means to keep the minority party from preventing bills to come to the floor for a vote.

A: We need a general “Bracero Program” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracero_Program) to determine what type of worker shortages we have and how to alleviate any such temporary shortage with foreign workers. Also, we should revisit our sanctuary laws which allow non-criminal citizens from other counties who are oppressed to ask for sanctuary here without being harassed.

A: Not only should members of Congress not be allowed to trade individual stocks, but they should not be permitted to take advantage of other federal laws, such as farm subsidies. Their staff members, friends and relatives should be restricted as well.

A: As a federal employee, I refused to allow a useless contract for “end of year excess funds,” just so the funds would be available the following year as well (see zero-based budgeting above).

A: I would not make a career of being a congressman (I’m too old), and so could spend the time others use to obtain donations for their next campaign on the people’s business instead! Also, there is a need to have a STEM person available to ask questions and understand their answers in committees that affect our scientific agencies.

A: When members of Congress fail to pass a budget and the government shuts down, the consequences fall on everyone except the people responsible. This needs to change. Full stop.

One of the most straightforward fixes: no budget, no pay. If members of Congress cannot fulfill one of their most basic responsibilities, they should not collect a paycheck, especially while federal workers go without pay. We watched the TSA agents work for weeks without getting paid during the continuing partial shutdown. Many of these folks live paycheck to paycheck, keeping our airports safe, while the speaker decided to allow Congress to go on recess. Some even vacationed. This is unacceptable. Finally, Congress should be barred from taking recess during a shutdown. No breaks, no vacation. You stay in Washington and finish the job until the job is done. As a businessman, I’m appalled that Congress can’t do what every big and small business is expected to do — create a good budget, deliver it on time, and make sure people are getting paid to do their work. Putting elected leaders’ paychecks on the line will ensure there’s some skin in the game for everyone.

A: Yes. Right now, our immigration system is unjust and broken: backlogged in the courts, tearing families apart, and defined by the horrors of ICE crackdowns that sow fear in entire communities. We need to hire more immigration judges to help clear the backlog and help speed up asylum decisions. The Trump administration stripped away asylum protections, and Congress must restore and expand them. Additionally, we need to create a clear path to citizenship for long-term residents — particularly DACA recipients with deep ties to their communities. Finally, we must get Trump’s ICE off the streets. Their ballooning budget is unprecedented and unacceptable. Period.

We can’t have any Democrats compromising our values. Not in this moment. I voted against the Laken Riley Act and many other bills that would have ripped away the rights of our neighbors when I was in Congress. I’ll proudly take that fight on again.

A: No. The American people should have the utmost trust in the integrity of their elected officials. No one should be running for office with the self-serving interest of getting rich. This is not a partisan issue, and something we absolutely need to address and reform.

I was proud to partner with Congressman Ro Khanna on legislation to bring more financial and moral accountability back to Congress. When I return, I will again co-sponsor legislation to ban congressional stock trading for both elected officials and their spouses/families. We also have to recognize that a lot of the problems we have today are because of the special interests bankrolling members of Congress’ campaigns. PACs representing big pharma, oil and gas, and the defense industries spend billions to ensure members vote with them, not with you. I’ve never taken a dime from these lobbyists — I work for you.

A: I was in the House gallery on January 6th. I’ve experienced the direct consequences of a president who thinks he can’t be stopped. As an American and as your congressman, I was proud to cast my vote to impeach President Donald Trump twice — because no one in this country is above the law.

Standing up to authority always has its risks, but the alternative — staying silent and looking the other way — was never an option. Democracy is worth fighting for, you are worth fighting for, and I don’t regret my votes. Washington needs more fighters willing to stand up to authority when people in power cross the line and go against our values. I’ll bring the fight back to Washington — you have my word.

A: We all knew Project 2025 would come to fruition with Donald Trump in the White House again. Our district needs a fighter who is willing to protect our families and protect democracy — every vote, every time. I’ve delivered for this district before, and I’m ready to fight Trump’s agenda head-on once again. Trump is making life harder for Maryland families, and too many Democrats in Congress are enabling him. I have and will continue to stand up to Trump’s chaos: his attacks on immigrants, reckless tariffs, and rising costs.

We can’t afford a Democrat who gives an inch when it comes to harming those who call Maryland home. In Congress, I’ll keep fighting to lower costs, protect our neighbors, stand up for our fundamental rights, and put Maryland families first every single day.

A: I’ve worked inside federal agencies long enough to know what a shutdown — or even the threat of one — actually does. Programs freeze. Contracts stall. Talented people leave because they can’t plan their lives around a Congress that can’t do its basic job.

The fix starts with accountability: no budget, no pay. Members of Congress shouldn’t collect a paycheck during a shutdown they created. Beyond that, I support automatic continuing resolutions at current funding levels so agencies aren’t held hostage while leadership negotiates, and I’d push to reform the appropriations process to require biennial budgeting — two-year cycles that give agencies the planning horizon they need to actually manage. The deeper problem is that shutdowns have become a negotiating tactic. We need structural guardrails that remove the incentive to use the government as a bargaining chip.

A: The current system fails everyone: It’s cruel to people fleeing genuine danger, unworkable for employers who need labor, and impossible to enforce consistently at scale. That’s not an immigration policy, it’s a mess we’ve been too cowardly to fix for 30 years.

What I’d pursue: a clear, functional pathway to legal status for undocumented people who have been here for years, are embedded in our communities, and have no serious criminal history. DACA made permanent, not perpetually threatened. A significant expansion of legal immigration channels — particularly for agricultural and care workers — so people aren’t forced into illegality just to fill jobs Americans depend on. And immigration enforcement that prioritizes genuine public safety threats, not worksite raids and courthouse arrests that terrorize communities and destroy families. On bipartisan support: the business community — including in deeply red districts — wants legal labor pathways. Farm bureaus, the hospitality industry, and construction have been banging this drum for decades. That’s the real coalition. Any serious reform has to speak to economic reality, not just humanitarian values. Republicans who represent agricultural communities know this. You work from shared economic interest and build from there. What I won’t do is treat cruelty as a compromise.

A: The fact that this is still a debate in 2026 tells you everything you need to know about who Congress is actually working for.

Members of Congress write legislation, oversee regulators, and receive classified briefings. The idea that they can simultaneously trade individual stocks without that information advantage corrupting their judgment — or at minimum creating the appearance of corruption — is laughable. The STOCK Act was supposed to fix this. It didn’t. Penalties are weak, disclosure is delayed, and enforcement is essentially nonexistent. What I’d support: a complete ban on individual stock trading for members of Congress and their immediate family members while in office. Holdings would move into diversified mutual funds or blind trusts — full stop. I’d also push for real-time financial disclosure, not the current 45-day reporting window that’s wide enough to drive a truck through, and meaningful penalties with actual enforcement teeth. I’ll also say this: I’ve made my own political donation history public and called on my opponents to do the same. Transparency isn’t something I’m willing to treat as optional for myself while demanding it from others.

A: After 12 years at one of the largest defense and intelligence contractors in the country, I had earned a seat at the table and a voice I tried to use for good. When the company entered a partnership I believed was harmful to the public interest, I raised concerns — internally, repeatedly, through the right channels. I was told to stop rocking the boat. At one point, my mental health was questioned for speaking up.

When I decided to run for Congress, I followed every rule they had. They changed the rules and fired me anyway. I don’t regret it. Standing up for what’s right when it costs you something isn’t a liability — it’s the whole point. It’s also exactly why I’m running.

A: Fifteen years of actually working inside the federal government — not as an elected official, not as a political appointee, but as someone who sat in the rooms where agencies make decisions, where contracts get signed, where technology projects succeed or collapse, and where policy meets reality. I’ve worked at CMS, FDA, the Health Insurance Marketplace, and the VA. I know what works, what doesn’t, and — critically — why.

Congress is full of lawyers, career politicians, and wealthy donors who bought their way to a seat. What it’s short on is people who understand how the machine actually operates from the inside. Oversight without operational knowledge isn’t oversight — it’s theater. You can hold hearings, demand answers, and issue press releases, but if you don’t understand what you’re looking at, agencies and contractors will run circles around you. I won’t be fooled. I’ll also bring something rarer: a willingness to say uncomfortable things out loud. I’ve already paid a professional price for speaking up when it mattered. I’m not new to that. Congress needs fewer people optimizing for their next election and more people willing to tell the truth about why government isn’t working — and what it will actually take to fix it.

A: The federal budgeting process is broken. I believe we need a straightforward fix: Congress must pass a real budget on time every single year. If they fail and cause a government shutdown or can’t pay federal workers and contractors, then members of Congress should stop getting paid too. No budget, no pay.

A: Yes, securing our border and strictly enforcing our existing federal immigration laws was and remains the essential first step toward meaningful immigration reform. Without control of our borders and consistent enforcement, we cannot have a fair or effective immigration system.

I support comprehensive reform that reflects America’s values, economic needs, and national security interests. I favor moving to a merit-based immigration system that prioritizes skills, education, English proficiency, and an individual’s ability to successfully integrate into American society. Our immigration policy should attract the best and brightest — those who want to contribute, work hard, and embrace our culture and rule of law — rather than simply admitting people based on family ties or chance. A merit-based approach will strengthen our economy, protect American workers, and ensure new arrivals can fully participate in the American Dream.

A: No, absolutely not. I support a total ban on owning or trading stock while in office.

A: The very essence of military officership is a sacred commitment to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Whether on the battlefield or in the courtroom, an officer’s highest duty is to safeguard the rights, lives, and dignity of the men and women who wear the uniform.

Serving as a defense counsel in the Marine Corps, especially within an organization held to the highest ethical and professional standards, demands moral courage. At times, it requires standing firm — even in opposition to senior members of the chain of command — to ensure that every Marine and sailor receives a fair hearing and due process under the law. True leadership means defending the Constitution and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, not just when it is convenient or popular, but especially when it is difficult. My experience as a defense counsel taught me that real integrity is proven when you are willing to speak truth to power to protect the individual rights of those who have sworn to defend our nation.

A: Our Founding Fathers never envisioned a permanent political class of career politicians who spend decades in Washington, constantly raising millions of dollars from the very constituents they are supposed to serve. They designed a citizen legislature where representatives would serve for a time and then return to their communities.

We need leaders who view public office as a temporary opportunity to serve, not a lifelong career. We need community-minded leaders who lead by example and are driven by selfless commitment rather than personal power or financial gain. As a devoted husband and father of four, a 22-year Marine Corps officer with five deployments, and a lawyer who has advised senior commanders on matters of law and ethics, I will bring real-world experience, integrity, and accountability to Congress. My only allegiance will be to the people of Maryland’s 6th Congressional District. I will work every day to restore trust in our institutions by putting the interests of our families, farmers, small businesses, and communities first — never special interests or my own political future.

A: Trone and Delaney supported a 45-day complete shutdown of the federal government, and a 60-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. No other member of Congress from Western Maryland has ever voted to shut down the federal government. We have 35,000 federal employees, 35,000 independent contractors and thousands more airplane travelers who want the government kept open. I shall NEVER vote to shut down the government.

A: The United States law allows 1 million legal immigrants a year, more than any other country in the world. This is a legal process, as owning property or getting married is. Trone, Delaney, and Biden believe in open borders with the immigrants not following established legal channels. I would insist that the law be followed.

A: They should put their holdings in a blind trust while serving in Congress.

A: When members of the Montgomery County Council voted to increase property tax revenue by 9.7% in one year, I collected the signatures to put on the ballot and pass a charter amendment requiring a unanimous council vote to increase property tax revenue more than the rate of inflation. This proposition passed voter scrutiny over the opposition of every elected Democratic official.

A: A member of Congress who actually lives in the district and is concerned about Western Maryland. Trone and Delaney live by the Beltway, 20 minutes south of MD6. Nucore Steel recently made the largest private investment in West Virginia history to manufacture rebar and sheet metal which is being used to construct thousands of data centers across the U.S. Trone and Delaney missed the ball because they were thinking of their Beltway buddies instead of bringing jobs to Western Maryland.