Dr. Schrier wants to replace Rep. Reichert

As most of us know by now, our Congressman, Republican Dave Reichert, has decided to leave Congress at the end of this year. Republican legislator Dino Rossi and Democrat Dr. Kim Schrier have so far been the leading replacement choices for Reichert’s 8th Congressional seat.

Reichert has joined a dozen or more other Republicans in announcing that they are leaving public office for one reason or another, some say in the fear that an expected “Blue Wave” of Democratic voters will sweep all Republicans out of office due to President Trump’s alleged behavior.

NCW Media Managing Editor Gary Bégin sat down with Schrier recently at the Eagles Club in Wenatchee and asked her to respond to the following questions:

NCW Media: Why have you decided to run:

Dr. Kim Schrier: I have worked as a pediatrician in Issaquah for the past 16 years, taking care of thousands of children and families in this district. I have deep roots here, my son is in public school in Sammamish, and I have been a part of the lives of the families in this district for years. 

As a general philosophy, I firmly believe that our representatives should be members of the community, who live and work in the district, and who send our children to public school in the district. Ultimately, our House of Representatives should be truly representative and diverse. 

I never thought I’d run for office, but times have changed in this country, and now more than ever, we need representatives who will stand up to power and stand up for the people in the 8th district. I was frustrated with Dave Reichert’s representation. In fact, I met with his office when the first Trumpcare bill was introduced and explained, along with three other doctors, all the ways that this bill would be bad for the district and bad for the country. Two days later, he voted for it in committee anyway. That was the last straw for me. We deserve better. We deserve representatives who will fight for us, and I’m stepping up to do that for the families in this district. 

NCW Media: How do you feel about the H2A farm workers program as a necessary labor force for orchardists in North Central Washington: 

Schrier: Under our current immigration system Orchardists in the Wenatchee and Chelan Valleys need more workers during seasonal rushes, and the H2A visa program helps fill that labor force gap. However, the system needs improvement to give workers adequate rights and to help farmers shoulder costs. 

The obvious elephant in the room here, is that we wouldn’t need the H2A program if we passed comprehensive immigration reform that included a path to citizenship for immigrants already in the United States. We have people here in the 8th district who are eager to work. If we offered a pathway to citizenship, these individuals would be able to fill the labor gaps facing farmers. This would come at a much lower cost to farmers, would keep families intact, would allow workers to develop the skills necessary to do their best work, and would avoid abuses of the H2A visa program. 

NCW Media: If elected, are you going to vote the Democratic Party line on all issues or do you part ways on some items?

Schrier: Let me be clear: I plan to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and I will always be willing to come to the table to hear the other side out. We might not always agree, but I will always sit down and talk through the issues. Getting to the table is the first step toward finding places where we can reach bipartisan agreement. I will vote based on my values and based on the interests of the 8th district. When we’re talking about issues like access to affordable healthcare and supporting public schools, I suspect that we have enough in common that we can reach bipartisan solutions. After all, these are American values. 

Career politicians get caught up in partisan politics, but I will bring a fresh perspective, one focused on serving my community. I see a lot of areas where there’s room to work together. One of those areas is infrastructure. Both sides agree we need a federal infrastructure package. Here in the 8th district, federal dollars could help us improve our roads or even expand Blewett Pass to make it easier for farmers to bring crops to the ports in Seattle and Tacoma. Federal dollars could help us modernize our schools or expand high-speed internet access to all parts of the district. Republicans have repeatedly called for an infrastructure plan. This is an important area where we can work together for the good of the district. 

NCW Media: Are you in favor of re-joining the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) if Democrats gain control of the Congress?

Schrier: Trade is absolutely critical to Washington state. Ours is the most trade-dependent state in the nation, and our economy here in the 8th district is particularly reliant on trade. We need to have trade agreements, but not all trade deals are good trade deals. 

I support fair trade, not free trade. We need to be sure that we exporting goods overseas, and not jobs overseas. If a trade deal comes up, I will evaluate it by a set of criteria: First, does it include fair labor standards? I’ll be sure to lean on my relationships with Labor to make sure that any deal will not displace 8th district workers. I have been endorsed by the Aerospace Machinists, the Laborers, and the Painters & Allied Trades because they know I will protect workers. Second, does it have environmental standards so that the U.S. is not disadvantaged when we take the lead on confronting our changing climate? Third, does it have human rights standards to protect against child labor and other inhumane practices? Finally, does the deal have teeth? I will only support a trade deal if it has clear consequences for noncompliance. If a trade deal passes these litmus tests, I will support it, because trade is an important tool that can raise the tide for all ships if implemented properly. 

NCW Media: How does your background in pediatrics help you understand the health issues facing children in your district?

Schrier: I have dedicated my adult life to improving the health and lives of children in my community. Being a pediatrician gives you a unique outlook on the world. You start to think about the long-term more than the present. What world will my patients grow up in? Will they have good-paying jobs when they leave school? Will they be able to cherish this beautiful earth in the same ways that earlier generations have? Will they be saddled with student debt if they choose to go to college? Will they be able to rely on our social safety net if they go through hard times? 

That long-term perspective, including my concerns for what our country’s current path could mean for the health and well being of my patients, is why I’m running for Congress. We see healthcare costs rising, weather patterns becoming more extreme, teachers underpaid, and growing income inequality. I’m worried about the world my patients are going to inherit. So I’m running for Congress to help set our country back in a direction that we can feel optimistic about, and that will give my patients a shot at the American dream. 

NCW Media: What are the most important issues that really get you going in the morning?

Schrier: Healthcare is a top priority. For me, this issue is deeply personal on a couple of levels. The first, of course, is as a pediatrician who takes care of children who depend on the ACA for insurance or who depend on CHIP. Second, I was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes at age 16. I understand what it’s like to worry about access to insurance and the cost of medications. The price of the insulin that I use rose from $40 per bottle 20 years ago to $260 now. It’s the exact same bottle. Nothing has changed, but our healthcare system has allowed the price to increase more than 600 percent. This hits all of us. Thirty prescription drugs have more than doubled in cost over the past five years. We need to confront rising drug costs, including allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, requiring drug price transparency, eliminating discount cards and special rebates which incentivize the use of more expensive medications, re-examining our pharmaceutical patent system, and speeding the timeline for generics to hit the market. 

As a pediatrician, I know firsthand how crucial it is that we fix our healthcare system. In one day last fall, three mothers independently broke down crying in my office because their costs and deductibles were skyrocketing. One family explained that they were simply opting out of health insurance and rolling the dice. No parent should ever be put in that position. It is inexcusable that our country spends far more on healthcare than every other country, but our health outcomes remain poorer. 

As a first step to lower costs and make our healthcare system more efficient, I propose allowing anyone to buy into Medicare at any age. Average insurance company overhead is currently estimated to be 20 percent, while Medicare overhead is estimated to be only 1.8 percent. The competition will encourage private insurance companies to offer plans as efficient and beneficial to consumers as Medicare. As I mentioned, we need to take immediate steps to lower prescription drug costs, and we should bring more transparency into our healthcare system, so that patients are aware that the same operation at one hospital could cost thousands less at a hospital nearby. 

NCW Media: Anything else to add:

Schrier:  In my free time, you can find me playing sports with my nine-year-old son. He loves basketball, baseball, and soccer. Any spare minute we have is spent outside shooting hoops or playing catch. On rainier days, we’re inside playing Qwirkle or Catan and drinking hot chocolate. 

My husband and I met at our 10 year high school reunion, and 12 years later welcomed our son Sam. I am fluent in Spanish, have a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics, and if elected, will be the only woman doctor in Congress. I think we need that perspective right now!