BRAD PFAFF

• Small business employees are only able to work limited hours due to the cost of childcare, a crisis that has only worsened during the pandemic. Do you support capping and subsidizing childcare costs to make it more affordable and accessible, in particular for women of color?

  YES.

  Without a doubt something that the residents of the 3rd CD would benefit from is if their Washington DC Representatives tackled child care. It's particularly hurtful to rural residents who have to drive longer and further to work, with sometimes available childcare being in the opposite direction. So yes, we need to do more to address the rising cost of childcare.

• The pandemic exposed and exacerbated the lack of access to guaranteed, universal paid family and medical leave for so many small businesses. The vast majority of small businesses lack the capital and the scale to offer paid leave, even when owners want to provide this benefit to their employees. Moreover, private insurers generally do not offer affordable, adequate paid medical leave policies to small businesses and do not offer paid family leave nationally at all. State programs have shown universal paid leave helps level the playing field between them and large businesses. Do you support a universal paid leave policy for small business owners and their employees?

  YES.

  We need a uniform leave policy. But we need to make sure that we don't shift the lion's share of the cost onto small business owners. Local, state, and the federal government should be able to provide needed assistance. This will not only help the employer with hiring and retention of staff, but is obviously beneficial to the employee and their family as well.

• Are you in favor of breaking up Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Google, Unilever, Proctor & Gamble and other large corporations that are choking out competition from small businesses and, in the case of Big Tech, exploiting them? Would you support legislation to break up monopolies?

  YES.

  Without a doubt some organizations have gotten too big to fail. The monopoly they exercise over this industry though is deeply troubling to small businesses and Main Streets all over the 3rd CD and small towns across Wisconsin and the country. While I do support efforts to limit the scope of their power (like what the Senate is considering regarding Big Tech), I would like to see specific legislation before committing to vote for it.

• As more and more small businesses go bankrupt, large businesses are coming in and buying them out ‚ usually leaving them permanently shuttered and creating supply chain issues (recent examples are Abbott with baby formula and Kellogg's with cereal and crackers and slaughterhouses). This increases prices for the consumer and also health and safety problems. Will you support policies and funding that would ensure that we robustly enforce the antitrust laws that exist?

  YES.

  I'm supportive of those policies to enforce the existing antitrust laws and will gladly do so. Crises like the COVID-19 pandemic shouldn't be viewed as an opportunity to large corporations that force small businesses to close their doors forever.

• Do you think it's fair that Amazon and other large corporations pay a much lower tax rate than small businesses?

  No

  Absolutely not. There's no question that it is unfair that a teacher or small business owner in western and central Wisconsin pay a higher rate than Amazon or Elon Musk. It's unacceptable and we must do more to get a fairer tax code that works for all Americans, not just the wealthy.

• Will you support closing loopholes to ensure that the very wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share in taxes to make critical public investments that will help small businesses and their communities?

  YES.

  This has started to be leveled out thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act that just passed, but we certainly need to ensure that large corporations pay their fair share. There's no excuse that they have paid a smaller tax rate than most middle class working families.

• There are many historically marginalized business owners being turned away from banks for loans to start or support their businesses, both before and during the pandemic. Will you lead or support efforts to greatly reduce and hopefully eliminate this discriminatory access to capital for Black and brown entrepreneurs so that they too can gain equitable access to low-interest capital?

  YES.

  Equal access to capital is critical and shouldn't be dependent on the color of your skin. We certainly need to do more to lower the barrier here so that more people of color can get access to the capital they need to start their small business.

• Will you support increased funding for cooperatives and other employee-ownership structures, as we see many businesses passing from the older generation to cash-strapped younger people?

  YES.

  There are successful cooperatives that we can point to right here in La Crosse that can be a model for this. But without a doubt this model will help many small businesses keep their doors open and their businesses afloat as they are passed down from generation to generation.

• Access to affordable healthcare is an ongoing struggle faced by rural and urban Wisconsinites alike. This issue is especially burdensome to small business owners on Main Street and on the family farm. Will you work to ensure all Wisconsinites have access to quality, affordable health care?

  YES.

  Healthcare is a human right, not a political football. As a State Senator, I fought to expand Badger Care so that 90,000 additional Wisconsinites could get access to affordable, quality healthcare, but politics continue to get in the way. As Congressman, I'll fight to lower the cost of prescription drugs, the cost of healthcare, and expand access to rural and urban areas alike!

• When the ACA premium tax credits expire at the end of this year, many people will be faced with their health premiums skyrocketing in cost for those on the marketplace. Will you work to extend the enhanced subsidies in the ACA marketplace or ideally make them permanent?

  YES.

  Without a doubt this should be a priority, especially as we're still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and as inflation continues to be an issue for hardworking families. With both of these struggles to contend with, we need to keep premiums affordable.