Foreign Policy

We must strive to create and maintain good relationships with those who will respect our culture, our fundamentals and our ideologies. To that end, we must find ways to safeguard our interests while maintaining international relationships for the good of all humanity. Let's work with international governments and agencies to achieve better communication while spreading the democratic message worldwide.

In accordance with the foreign policy of the United States, my goals as a future U.S. Senator are twofold: to properly budget for civilians and the military, and to regulate commerce between foreign nations. Additionally, my foreign policy aligns with that of the State: “to build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community.”

Migration. The United States remains at the forefront of top destinations to live and raise children in the world. With unenumerated rights and freedoms granted to citizens, such as the freedom of speech and of religion, civil rights for all, and various other protections, it’s no wonder why we remain the envy of the world. Even with the past sins of slavery and racism, things like our standard of living and average earnings stand to keep us at the top of the most desired places to be on earth. This is why we continue to have millions attempt to reach our borders even at the expense of their own lives.

I’m now reminded of the statement inscribed on our Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” This saying is indicative of the long held American tradition of having a welcoming spirit towards all immigrants. This same welcoming spirit is what met the founding fathers when they first arrived from Europe. They weren’t attacked or met with stringent criteria for gaining access to America. However, after gaining their own settlements, in order to maintain their status, control, and leadership, and in order to protect their assets and resources, they (themselves) eventually created the stringent list of criteria and immigration system we see today.

With the combination of American tradition and the inscription from our Statue of Liberty, I am confident in my argument that it is both unpatriotic and un-American to not welcome immigrants. I am additionally confident in my argument that we have an obligation to not only welcome immigrants, but to protect them from immediate deportation and provide them with a clear path to citizenship.

Indiana's senators believe in no such thing and have no intentions of ever voting for the likes of it. Then what is their solution? Despite the fact that immigrants seek U.S. citizenship from all over the world for various reasons: marriage, job, business opportunities, family reunification, education, escaping poverty or violence, to access a greater level of healthcare, or to escape religious persecution...our senators go against any pathway to citizenship.

With nearly 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country, what do they propose we do? Just sit here and pretend like they don't already exist? Negative. These undocumented immigrants could add to our workforce, our tax base, and to our ability to provide social services.

As a future member of the U.S. Senate, I intend to work on the following regarding immigration:

Creating and supporting legislation that provides stronger partnerships with our neighboring countries to encourage and enforce legal immigration
Taking a close look and examination into how illegal immigrants are dealt with at our borders via U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and creating legislation that ensures families and children are treated humanely
Taking a closer look at country-by-country caps for immigration and creating and/or supporting legislation which ensures equity and equality
Introducing legislation that makes it illegal to immediately deport individuals who voluntarily and honestly come out of hiding and rewards them by placing them on a pathway to citizenship (See more in Immigration).

Middle East Conflict

The Middle East conflict which began with Saudi Arabia and Iran, has turned into a violent never-ending incalculable group of proxy wars in the region, which now include Israel (Gaza Strip), Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and several other states and territories in the area. Reviewing the conflict in the Middle East is reviewing years of insurgence, militant group uprisings, and generation after generation of leaders who shake hands in public but defy agreements behind closed doors. What makes matters worse is that under a former administration, the United States of America upped the ante in assuming sides when it removed the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (June 2019).

As a U.S. Senator, I promise to work on the following with regard to the conflict in the Middle East:

Reassessing America’s Need in the Region and Surrounding Countries. Since the 1970s the United States has been in the Middle East. The original purpose was to prevent hostile powers from taking over the region’s petroleum oil as a weapon. However, times have changed. In my opinion, there’s very little chance a hostile power will control the region and use oil as a weapon because of the U.S. having so many allies in the region. Besides, as America moves on from using fossil fuels to more cleaner sources of energy or we begin to manufacture more and more of our own oil, our reasons for protecting the percentage we have in offshore reserves should diminish. As a country, let’s stop clinging on to these longstanding, military-centric strategies and move on to ones that phase us out of the Middle East entirely except for peace operations.
Propose new ideas for peace such as dual leadership especially for countries that continue to be war torn. Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I support a two-state solution with a capital in Jerusalem for both states. I support robust humanitarian aid and other forms of economic assistance to the Palestinian Authority and to the UN agencies that serve Palestinian refugees. I support the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and an effort to build on it through diplomacy. Finally, I am opposed to any unilateral Israeli annexation of West Bank territory and to settlement expansions that further entrenches the occupation.
Create legislation that prevents invasion without a plan for reconstruction. The bottom line is this: in 2003, we invaded Iraq for so-called “weapons of mass destruction” with little to no strategic plan as to what would come next. This form of legislation would require that prior to only necessary invasions, the United States has a clear path from beginning to end that includes power restoration and a timeline for a healthy exit.
Vote against any legislation or action that provides more ammunition and guns to haphazardly fuel the Middle East conflict and other conflicts if deemed unnecessary. The Trump administration “unsigned” an international arms sales agreement moving to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)(2019). The purpose of the treaty was to set standards for regulating transfers of rifles to tanks and airplanes. It sought to regulate the nature of global arms trade deals and ensure that member states would monitor arms exports and weapons didn’t cross existing embargoes or end up being used for human-rights abuses, including terrorism. The treaty reduced human suffering caused by irresponsible and illegal arms transfers and thereby, promoted regional peace.

Nuclear Power

As a future U.S. Senator, I intend to work on the following regarding nuclear power:

Reviewing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Today, it may seem as though the concern of nuclear weapons and their potential destruction has declined, however the threat remains sure as long as we have countries not adhering to their promise of reduction and treaties are unrenewed. We need international cooperation and nuclear treaties that keep us all safe from the dangers of nuclear war. (ex. Although the Iran Nuclear Deal was far from perfect, it was better than nothing at all). (See more in Nuclear Weapons policy).
Creating and supporting legislation that advances missile detection systems (ex. hyper sonics) and encourages nuclear disarmament systems as deterrents against international nuclear attack
Introducing and supporting legislation that repurposes the use of nuclear weapons and power for the protection of humans worldwide instead of for our individual state destruction. Nuclear weapons should only be built and used to protect the U.S. and generally speaking, the world from meteors and/or other extraterrestrial threats which may arise at any moment. It may sound like something out of a science fiction movie or book, but the threat of meteors destroying entire states is real. NASA is now able to detect large objects that approach the earth from space. Let’s work with international partners and create agreements to work together towards the detection and damage of large celestial bodies. (See more in NASA policy).

Trade, Americans Imprisoned Abroad, and the Spread of Communism & Authoritarian Governments

International trade predates history and will continue. As a member of Congress, it will be a great part of my duty to regulate commerce with foreign nations. I believe the United States’ goals and interests should be clearly and respectfully communicated with our foreign friends. With a combination of bilateral and multilateral negotiations between nations I am confident, as a country we will continue to perfect our trade position in the world.

President Kennedy once stated regarding trade, that it was “no longer a matter of local economic interest but of high national policy.” The United States must remain a top advocate for new markets for our farmers, workers, and businesses. To that end, as a future U.S. Senator, I promise to oppose any legislation that extols the virtues of trade wars and uses tariffs solely to punish our trading partners. There are no winners in trade wars, only losers. They are inherently unhealthy and must be used very delicately for the preservation of world peace as it relates to trade.

As a future U.S. Senator, I promise to support and/or work on the following immediately upon my election to Congress:

Free American People Imprisoned Abroad. As a future U.S. Senator, one of my top priorities will be to work hard in an effort to reevaluate the cases and bring as many innocent Americans home as I can. We need a closer look at the many U.S. citizens detained abroad and how we can negotiate their prompt release.
Any legislation which encourages fair trade and tariffs and does not outsource jobs to foreign countries. Now, let’s briefly discuss the situation with China. Ever since the 1980’s the U.S. has imported more goods from China. There was a great trade deficit that needed to be addressed. The question remains: Could this have been addressed via the World Trade Organization? Years ago, we offered an alternative to China through participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), an attempt which would have reduced or eliminated tariffs and opened up trade in goods and services. China was invited to the table and declined because they thought it would mean more international control over them. While the United States acknowledges China’s rise from poverty, to whom much is given, much is required, and China must pay their fair share if they want to be a major player in a developing global economy. We must hold China and other countries continually accountable for lack of international cooperation.
Legislation in favor of global trade integration. Global trade reduces international conflict and war. It creates long-term mutually beneficial relationships which the United States must continue to build throughout the world.
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). I am in strong support of this agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, as originally negotiated by President George H.W. Bush, and renegotiated into NAFTA 2.0 by Donald J. Trump, except for the portion which extends the length of time new biologic drugs are protected from generic drug competition impacting rising drug costs.
Peace and continued negotiations with Russia, North Korea, and other Communist Nations. Here's the bottom line. With regard to North Korea, Russia, and other communist nations, I believe we must approach each situation from a state of high vigilance. The problem is that these countries believe their systems are better than democracy. Meanwhile, our current senators have no real foreign policy backgrounds and are therefore highly incapable of addressing the current situation or bringing their own solutions to the table. For example, Senator Todd Young once voted against national legislation that would prevent Russia and North Korea from interfering in our elections. Huh? We should never be cowards when it comes to defending democracy both here at home and abroad. We must remain cautious of these countries and their at times, strange agendas, as we continue to invite them to the table for negotiations and world peace.