For the first time in a decade, there’s an open primary on both sides of the ballot in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District.
Leading up to the state primary on Sept. 10, NHPR is speaking with the top candidates in that race to learn more about where they stand on some of the biggest concerns we’ve heard from voters.
Read on for NHPR Morning Edition host Rick Ganley’s interview with Republican Lily Tang Williams. Williams is an entrepreneur and professional speaker.
What questions do you have for the candidates running for Congress and governor in the 2024 election? What issues do you want them to address while seeking your vote? Share your thoughts here.
Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Transcript
First, I want to ask you, what would you focus your attention on as a new member of Congress? What issue would you prioritize?
Well, the number one issue people tell me on the campaign trail is inflation, cost of everything. And they would like to see that coming down so they can maintain their quality of life, especially people who are on fixed incomes or working, middle class families. So there's lots of issues we need to work on that to bring down the inflation.
And that means also bringing down interest rates, mortgage rates, so people can afford to rent and to buy. And the number one job of the U.S. House actually is to control the purse and have 12 appropriation bills, but they have not done that since Bill Clinton's White House administration with Republican control in Congress. So we need to go back to basics, because as a family, we have to balance the budget. Otherwise, we file bankruptcy in our business, too. So I hope that the federal government should focus on that as the fundamental duty of the U.S. House when I go there.
So you'd focus on government spending?
Yes. And of course, you have to bring everybody to the table to not focus on politics, but focus on what is good for the country, for the people, to bring down inflation so people, their life will be better.
Is there a specific policy that you're thinking of?
People always say, where would you like to cut? You know, I think that when you are broke, you like to cross the board cut like a family does. When I got laid off by a corporation in like 2000, we had to cut our family budget by 30%. But now our government cannot even cut like, across the board, like 1%. How about just freeze all the hiring and, you know, freeze the spending? Then focus on what is the priority and what is less priority, because our national debt is $35 trillion now. Then our interest payment for the debt service is more than our defense budget, which is right now at $892 billion to service the debt. I think that's really going to weaken American strength, economically. And even, you know, like militarily in the world to other countries. So we need to really focus on this as a top one issue.
Well, in relation to that, we've heard from a lot of voters that are very concerned about the high cost of living here in New Hampshire, housing specifically. What policies would you propose or support to make the state a more affordable place to live?
We need to incentivize more supply. You know, our supply has not gone up or the demand [has] gone up a lot. It's always the market, you know, supply, demand. I have lots of young volunteers on my team. They are all inspired by my stories of [surviving] communism. They all tell me they cannot afford anything. Their American dream is not achievable. My three young adult children tell me the same thing. It's very sad to hear that because I come here with nothing. I am an embodiment of the American dream, and I'm running to save the American dream.
So what do you do to encourage more building, more inventory?
We need, number one at the federal level, is to bring down inflation so that the cost of lumber, labor and everything will come down — energy costs too. And then also bring down the mortgage rate, the interest rate, that way people, builders who have an incentive [to] build. At the state level, we need to bring down overburdensome local zoning laws that need to be reformed, otherwise you cannot build. And the people love our quality of life. After the pandemic, everybody it seems like moved here, [driving] up the cost and they're draining the community housing resources too. And I don't know how many illegals are here, but they are in Boston. Also housing is really short of supply. So we need to increase supply by doing all those reforms.
Now, immigration and border policy is a top concern among voters. Can you point to a specific immigration policy that you would want to support?
I'm a legal immigrant. I came here the right way. My brother waited in China for 13 years, and there are 5 to 10 million people still waiting after a decade. And they have American sponsors. So I have urged our federal government, especially the White House, to send a message clearly to the world. We welcome you with open arms, but come here legally. That means when they come here as a legal immigrant, for the first five years they are not able to apply for government assistance because that's the sponsor's responsibility. And we do need legal immigrants [to] come here, fill the jobs and also have a chance to live the American dream.
And I'm a very, actually, a big supporter of legal immigration and streamlining the process. Make legals come in quickly, because they follow our laws. Why not let people follow our laws with sponsorship, come here to work and to contribute to our economic growth? But illegally crossing the border — number one it's a dangerous route, and number two, we don't know who comes in, and where do they go and what if they want to do harm. It's like 50,000 Chinese nationals even across the border. So I would like to work with Congress to say, let's shut down the border and then let's focus on [securing] the border, then talk about how we can streamline the legal immigration process.
New Hampshire has seen increasingly dangerous flooding events in recent years, and that's placed a lot of financial strain on towns and cities. How would you support those communities as these extreme weather events become more common?
At the federal level, I think we need to work with FEMA. You know, they need to streamline the process. And, you know, sometimes the red tape is just — you look at Hawaii, people are still suffering, waiting for help. They're still displaced and they don't get help on time. So at the federal level, look at the bureaucratic process, and cut down unnecessary regulations, and streamline the process and respond to people's needs — and quickly. You know, that's what I can do at the federal level.
Of course, at the local level, we have to get the state government to help and the local community will come together and help each other, and it's like a joint partnership. But at the federal level definitely that we can help with, streamlining the process and cut down on some red tape.
Finally, I want to ask you, we continue to hear from voters that they're tired of the political polarization in this country. Trust across party lines in Congress, of course, does continue to dwindle. What about your background specifically would qualify you to work with members across the aisle?
Well, I hate identity politics. I grew up under Mao. That's what he used to divide the people, and the five red classes versus five black, and they all fight each other. And I think that our country can benefit so much for all the people involved, is [to] focus on our common ground, and focus on what is good for Americans and what is good for our country, and focus on problem solving and solution providing, instead of playing politics. That's what I would like to do.
Also, take the professional approach, you know, always have respect for conversations, open debates. And that's what I would like to do. I'm a small businesswoman. I have worked with people across the aisle and have worked with people from all walks of life. And my godmother in Texas actually was a big Democrat in Texas, and we love each other. We disagree on some policy issues, but I'm used to that. And I also got a master's degree in social work. So I work with people from all walks of life. I'm very liked right now by the independent voters.
