Luke Messer discusses important issues in US Senate race
SOUTH BEND, In., Indiana congressman hopes to make leap to Senate.
Indiana representative Luke Messer, is officially running for a chance at Senator Joe Donnelly’s seat. First he’ll have to beat our Representatives Todd Rokita and Mike Braun, businessman Terry Henderson, and Andrew Takami.
Representative Messer has been in the House of Representatives, since 2013. Since then he’s worked on many bills, and has served on the House Financial Services and House Education & Workforce committees.
He says it’s that background that would benefit him to springboard to the Senate, if elected.
“i believe that Hoosiers deserve a us senator who votes 100 percent of the time with them. not somebody who talks Hoosier when they’re back home and frankly votes with the liberal leadership often in Washington,” said Messer.
Rep. Messer has had a clear stance on health care, saying it’s time to pull the trigger, literally, and have a trigger vote to repeal Obamacare, without a replacement.
“It’s important that any transition that takes place happens overtime so that no one gets the rug pulled out from underneath them,” said Messer.
He stated that the health care debate is forcing Hoosiers to spend too much money on insurance costs, and hopes the success from HIIP 2.0 can be brought to the national level.
“What we want to do with our healthcare legislation is provide that same kind of flexibility around the country so that other states have that same opportunity,” said Messer.
Another issue plaguing Hoosiers and Americans is the opioid epidemic.
According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 1,000 people are treated in emergency departments for opioid overdoses each day.
“So many Indiana communities have been devastated; so many Hoosier families have been devastated because of victims of the opioid crisis. I appreciate president trumps leadership and calling this a national challenges in many ways a national emergency. This very frankly is where Joe Donnelly and I agree that we need to do more at the federal level to help fund local programs that would deal with this at the community level,” said Messer.
Currently, President Donald Trump is working on paper work that would declare a national emergency that would help combat the opioid epidemic.
Indiana has eight different needle exchange programs in place, that give clean needles to addicts, in hopes of stopping an HIV outbreak. Madison County has been one of the firsts to vote to end its program, after being the second county to request one.
In June, Madison County’s Prosecutor called the program “illegal” and said it gives addicts the tools to help them in the overdose process.
Across the country there’s been an air of fear of both international and civil violence.
America is in the midst of a constant threat of nuclear attack from North Korea.
North Korea’s government has said it is just waiting for the final decision, before launching missiles to main land America.
“i think we need both diplomacy and strength and clarity. Frankly the ambiguities foreign policy of the Obama administration has made America less safe in the long run,” said Messer.
And a threat that came to action, in Charlottesville. Three people were killed, dozens more injured after White Nationalists protestors and counter-protestors collided on in the streets on Saturday.
President Donald Trump made a statement two days later saying, “Racism is evil. And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including KKK, Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, and other hate groups are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans.”
Rep. Messer condemned the violence saying, “there is no place for any of that in America those are un-American philosophies and we need to condemn them in the strongest terms. Frankly when America is at its best, America is coming together. When I talk to Hoosiers about this they feel like the world has somehow gone crazy.”
The primary to see which Republican will go against Sen. Joe Donnelly, will be held in 2018.