Michelle Steel, Jay Chen on abortion, immigration, inflation

Democrat Jay Chen, left, and Republican Rep. Michelle Steel

Staff Writer

Oct. 20, 2022 8:26 AM PT

Republican Rep. Michelle Steel and Democratic Navy Reserve intelligence officer Jay Chen are competing to represent the 45th Congressional District straddling Orange and Los Angeles counties.

The race is one of 11 key California contests in the Nov. 8 midterm election that could determine the balance of power in the House. It has been a contentious contest, with Steel sending out mailers using heavily doctored images to attack Chen.

The candidates’ answers are drawn from a questionnaire The Times sent to candidates in competitive California congressional races; the responses have been edited for clarity and length.

Experience and priorities

UPDATED Oct. 19, 2022 | 2:16 PM

Why should voters choose you?

Steel
“I am a bipartisan member of Congress working across the aisle to get things done for working class families across Southern California. I work FOR the people, not for a political party or a special interest group. I am proud of my work standing up to the Washington establishment and I will always put the interests of my constituents above all else.”

Chen
“Voters in CA-45 deserve a member of Congress who is going to put their interests and well-being first and shares their values. I am the child of immigrants from Taiwan, and worked hard alongside my parents to achieve the American Dream, and want to make that dream possible for others as well. I know what service means — as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy, I brought justice to the terror group ISIS and expanded access to affordable quality education as a Trustee for Mt. San Antonio Community College.”

What about your experiences make you most qualified?

Steel
“My story is the story of so many in this district. My parents fled communism and came to America in hope of a better future. What they found was a broken government that didn’t work for the people it was meant to serve. Now, I am a member of Congress working to fix those same bureaucratic problems holding working class families back. I know what it means to be an immigrant to this great nation, and I am proud to be running to represent a district where so many understand that immigrant story.”

Chen
“I currently serve our community as an elected community college trustee and our country as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves. In both roles, it doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican, you work together in a non-partisan manner to complete the mission for those you serve. Right now our mission is clear: we have to bring prices back down to earth, protect civil and reproductive rights that are now under attack, and invest in educational and professional resources that will allow this generation and the next to thrive right here in Los Angeles and Orange County.”

What would be your top legislative priorities?

Steel
“I will continue to fight to lower taxes on American families. I have long been a taxpayer advocate, and Americans deserve to keep more of their hard-earned dollars. Americans are facing high crime, high prices, and a broken supply chain. I will continue to work on policies that will keep our communities safe, encourage job growth, and increase opportunities for all Americans.”

Chen
“The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe will lead to women dying and women going to jail. This is unacceptable. Women deserve the right to govern their own bodies. If elected, one of my first priorities would be to codify Roe. We need to get the cost of prescription drugs and insulin under control. All Americans deserve access to quality affordable health care. I would continue to support the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which caps insulin at $35 per dosage.”

Chen said he grew up helping at his family’s small business and understands how such businesses struggle amid inflation. “In Congress I will prioritize passing the Bipartisan Innovation Act to lower costs for American consumers by strengthening our supply chains and investing in advanced domestic manufacturing.”

Policy

UPDATED Oct. 19, 2022 | 2:24 PM

How would you work with the other party and on what issues?

Steel
“I’m proud of my bipartisan work to address the supply chain crisis and backlog at our ports. I’ve also championed bipartisan solutions to hold China accountable for their unfair trade practices, human rights violations, and environmental abuse. Next year I’ll continue working on solutions that help keep more of your hard-earned money in your pocket, like repealing the SALT Cap and ensuring tax dollars don’t go towards the failed high-speed rail project in California.”

Chen
“Orange County does not have a VA Medical Center,” Chen said, so veterans must “travel out of county to receive critical health services. Both parties can agree our veterans should not have to jump through hoops to get access to quality care.”

On abortion

Steel
Of the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe vs. Wade, which had guaranteed a federal right to abortion, Steel said, “I will always respect the decisions of the Court. I do agree with their most recent decision that abortions should be left to the states. Personally, I am pro-life and do not believe in abortions except in cases of rape, incest, and to protect the life of the mother.”

Steel is a co-sponsor of the Life at Conception Act, which, as introduced in the House, would ban abortions nationwide.

Chen
“We must pass a law that affirms a woman’s right to an abortion without undue interference. Reproductive rights must be protected and health care decisions should only be made between a woman and her doctor, not by politicians. We must codify Roe at the federal level and prevent Republicans from passing the nationwide abortion ban that they clamor for in the wake of Roe’s overturn.”

On the Jan. 6 insurrection and falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election

Steel
Steel did not vote on the certification of the 2020 presidential election because she had COVID-19. She voted against impeaching President Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and against forming a committee to investigate the insurrection. “President Biden won the 2020 election,” she wrote in response to a question about Trump’s election fraud falsehoods, the insurrection and the congressional committee investigating it.

Chen
“Those who perpetuate conspiracy and cast doubt on [the election’s] legitimacy undermine our democratic institutions and status as a free country in the eyes of the world.... The select committee’s hearings are devastating and reveal how close we were to a violent overthrow of our government, and how culpable Trump was in inciting this insurrection.”

On mass shootings and gun control

Steel
“I believe we need to enforce the background check laws in place and do our due diligence to ensure that any one who should not have a gun is not able to access one. From there, we need to expand our mental health resources and support school security to ensure they have what they need to protect our students.”

Steel voted against the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and the Enhanced Background Checks Act; she voted for the Active Shooter Alert Act to create a network for warning communities of danger.

Chen
“As a Navy veteran with a sharpshooter certification, I know the danger of letting powerful weapons fall into the wrong hands. While the bipartisan legislation signed into law this summer to address gun violence is historic and should be celebrated, there is still work to be done to keep tragic mass shootings from occurring. ... The good news is gun violence reform is overwhelmingly popular, even among gun owners. Los Angeles and Orange County residents want greater mental health funding and universal background checks. In Congress, I’ll fight to do just that.”

On the Affordable Care Act and prescription drug costs

Steel
“Making prescription drugs more affordable is a top priority, but we need to do it in a way that will actually address the root problem and not just shift costs to consumers. That’s why I cosponsored H.R. 19, which would lower all prescription drug costs, including insulin, and cap all seniors’ out-of-pocket spending on drugs while ensuring America continues to lead the world in innovation and access to cures and treatments.”

Chen
“Congress must prioritize protecting and strengthening the Affordable Care Act to lower deductibles and expand prescription coverage. It is imperative that we reduce hospital and pharmaceutical costs through managed competition and create a public option to lower costs and compete with private insurance. We must empower public healthcare systems to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to reduce the cost of prescription drugs. Additionally, we must close loopholes that allow pharmaceutical companies to make superficial “improvements” to drugs in order to extend their patents and keep drug costs exorbitantly high. We must prosecute Illegal “pay-to-delay” schemes that prevent low-cost and generic drugs from reaching consumers.”

On immigration, the border, citizenship

Steel
“I believe we need to start by fixing our legal immigration system and ensuring our border is secure. I do not believe illegal immigrants deserve the reward of citizenship when millions of immigrants have waited their turn and become citizens through the established process.”

Chen
“I am the child of immigrants and know that immigrants are part of the foundation of America, and for too long have been villainized and marginalized,” Chen said. The nation “must do better to create a comprehensive path towards citizenship for the workers, caregivers, students and children who are essential to the economy and the American way of life. In Congress I will strengthen our border security, toughen laws against human trafficking, while expanding and simplifying protections for DREAMERs and ensuring families are kept together.”

He added: “America should welcome those who want to come here, work hard and create a better life for their family and strengthen our country — which is what my own parents did.”

What is the federal government’s role in dealing with the homeless crisis?

Steel
“On the Orange County Board of Supervisors I helped lead efforts to create thousands of new supportive housing units that provide medical care, mental health treatment, job counseling, and social services. I’ll continue to support these types of sensible approaches, and work to get important legislation passed like my Growth and Opportunities Act, which extends Opportunity Zones to drive investment in underserved communities, including affordable housing.”

Chen
“A renewed Federal Housing and Community Development Program is necessary to address the nation’s crisis of affordable housing. Program elements would include: tax credits for building new units of affordable housing and an incentive program to dissuade exclusionary zoning policies. We must also reinvest in the mental health services that had been dismantled decades ago, and strongly prosecute those who have contributed to the opioid epidemic.”

On the issues: Rep. Michelle Steel and Jay Chen on abortion, immigration and healthcare

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