Priorities for the Lowcountry & SC-01

The government should serve people—not parties or special interests. Leadership is about listening, acting with integrity, and making decisions that improve everyday life for families and communities. Above all, we need leaders who uphold the Constitution and who deliver results to the people they serve. My entire career has been rooted in service, and I’m running for Congress to actually deliver results for the Lowcountry and bring much needed common sense leadership and integrity back to Washington. 

Hard work should allow people to feel financial stability and to set aside a bit of money for vacation and retirement. Right now, too many people are feeling financial anxiety.  I meet voters across the district who go to work every day, but are still forced to make impossible choices, like deciding whether to use their last $50 to buy groceries or pay for medicine. Send me to Washington and I will work to make sure your bills are affordable and that if you work hard you will be able to support your family and get ahead. 

Lower Housing Costs

Short-term relief:

• End Trump’s tariffs on building materials, which are unnecessarily increasing the cost of building new homes and apartments.

• Ban corporate landlords from using algorithmic pricing software that enables them to collude with each other to increase rents.

• Crack down on landlords hiding surprise fees in leases.

• Reduce closing costs for homebuyers by requiring lenders to pay these costs instead of purchasers.

Long-term relief: 

• Support the HELPER Act to eliminate the upfront home purchase costs and the monthly mortgage insurance premium for those who serve and support our communities, like first responders and teachers.

• Increase multifamily housing needed for our local workforce by tying federal money for infrastructure / transportation / federal housing in the district.

• Support tax credits to offset first-time homebuyers’ down payments.

• Lower home and flood insurance costs by offering federal incentives to bring more insurers to coastal communities and capping spikes in the National Flood Insurance program.

Increase Wages and Invest in Small Business

• Expand access to targeted tax credits for small businesses that are hiring, increasing wages, or investing in their workforce, especially in high-cost areas like the Lowcountry.

• Reduce barriers for small businesses by simplifying access to federal loans and capital, particularly for local entrepreneurs and first-time business owners.

• Invest in workforce training and apprenticeship programs that connect local workers to in-demand industries, including hospitality, trades, and small business operations.

• Address rising costs that hit small businesses directly including healthcare, energy, and insurance so they can grow without passing those costs onto employees or customers.

Lower the Cost of Health Care

Short-term relief: 

• Restore the enhanced premium subsidies for people who buy private insurance through the Affordable Care Act. 

  • Reverse Trump’s Medicaid cuts.

Long-term relief:

• Stop insurance company CEOs and big hospital executives from boosting their profits with unfair practices. 

• Cap annual out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs for people on private health insurance, just like the cap on Medicare.

• Allow Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices and ensure every American benefits from these negotiations. Rapidly expand the number of drugs that Medicare negotiates.

• Offer all Americans a non-profit insurance option like Medicare, an insurance that prioritizes patients over profits.

• Protect the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with preexisting conditions.

• Expand the National Health Service Corp to incentivize more health care providers – especially providers working in primary care and mental health care – to serve in rural communities with provider shortages. Providers who join the National Health Service Corps receive medical school loan forgiveness for their service.

Eliminate Trump’s tariffs that are raising costs for SC families and hitting lower and middle income families disproportionately.

• Support targeted trade enforcement instead of blanket tariffs.

• Require an automatic expiration to any tariffs enacted. 

• Simplify the process for small businesses to request exemptions.

Childcare is one of the biggest drivers of the affordability crisis in SC-01 - often costing families as much as housing and forcing parents (particularly mothers) out of the workforce.

• Cap childcare costs at 7% of a family’s income with quarterly tax credits, so they get money back in hand regularly to help pay bills.

• Provide tax credits for childcare providers.

• Expand employer-provided child care tax credits.

Those who serve our nation and our communities deserve the freedom to live in dignity. Service members, veterans, and those who keep our communities running (such as first responders and teachers) deserve competitive pay so they can afford homes in the communities they serve. Hospitality workers who support our $30BN tourism industry should also have access to affordable housing.

Military support

• Explore federal income tax reductions for active duty military.

• Improve housing allowance calculations and frequency of adjustments.

• Support spouse employment initiatives.

Veteran support

• Explore extending Tricare coverage to 12 months post separation.

• Expand the use of the GI Bill to non-traditional educational opportunities.

• Improve healthcare for our Veterans:

  • Create a maximum wait time for VA appointments.

  • Require a warm hand off for service members retiring with mental health concerns.

  • Support Federal backstops to preclude veteran home foreclosures.

This is no different than defending America’s freedom. It’s about safeguarding the waters and land for future generations; balancing economic development and tourism with keeping our home safe, resilient and beautiful for generations to come.

• Support a permanent ban on east coast offshore drilling.

• Lower costs by expanding clean energy and modernizing the grid.

• Invest in our living shorelines and protect against flooding.

• Protect heirs property.

• Expand tax credits for conservation easements.

• Protect funding for the U.S. Forest Service.

A strong and secure border is critical to national security and public safety. At the same time, we need an immigration system that is effective, accountable, and consistent with our values as a country. 

I am very concerned by what we have seen from ICE. We cannot have federal law enforcement brutalizing citizens and intimidating immigrant communities in the streets. I have a daughter who is a police officer, and I believe ICE needs to be held to the same standards as our local law enforcement. ICE officers must follow due process and should be required to wear body cameras, display badges and leave their faces uncovered. ICE facilities must be humane, sanitary and safe. It is un-American to allow people to be denied access to basic rights while being held in our care.

I have overseen both civilian and military law enforcement operations, and I know firsthand that leadership, transparency and accountability are crucial for mission success. Right now, we’re seeing the consequences of poor leadership and a culture that is undermining effective homeland security practices. That culture started at the top, and was set by the current administration. 

I strongly believe we need major improvements to our immigration system. We need to streamline the process to ensure cases are handled efficiently and fairly. A system that takes years to reach a decision does not serve anyone. We can secure the border, enforce the law, and uphold our values at the same time.

I will work to guarantee women’s reproductive freedom in law.

I was able to successfully navigate a male-dominated career in the military, rise to the rank of three-star Admiral, and raise six children because I was able to choose when I had my kids. This issue goes beyond abortion, it’s about having access to the resources needed for family planning. Our government should not be interfering with the decisions a woman makes behind closed doors with her doctor and her family. 

Additionally, as a mother of five daughters, this is an issue especially important to me. I want my daughters, and all women, to have the same reproductive freedom and rights that I had.

Being in the military for 35 years, my work was always nonpartisan. When I launched a political campaign, I was shocked at how much money is involved in our electoral process. This is a real problem. I fully support overturning Citizens United and reforming our country’s campaign finance system entirely. I also support a ban on trading individual stocks for members of Congress and their spouses, Executive Branch officials, and their senior staff.