10th District Candidate Rep. Suhas Subramanyam
Campaign Website: https://www.suhasforvirginia.com/
Candidate Questionnaire from WAMU:
1. Why do you want to run for Congress in Virginia's 10th District?
This community is my home. I was married here. My kids were born here. The issues we are facing on affordability and the firing of federal workers hit home. I especially look forward to continuing my work to create a fair and affordable economy, fight this administration’s corruption and weaponization of government, and put Americans first over endless wars.
2. Twenty thousand Virginians lost their federal jobs last year, including many in the 10th District. How would you support people in your district who are still recovering from those job losses?
I am committed to standing up for our region’s federal workers and contractors. We need to restore the jobs of people who were cut from the public sector who worked to save taxpayer dollars and minimize waste, fraud and abuse.
I have been working tirelessly to prevent these cuts and stop agencies from being relocated out of the region. Additionally, we need to work to grow our private sector, so that if these cuts continue, we will not be overly reliant on the federal government.
When there are cuts, firings and uncertainty for federal workers and contractors, they should be paid and have access to basic necessities like food. We need to make life more affordable here and create a strong safety net.
3. Loudoun County is the data center capital of the world, but now county lawmakers are considering a moratorium on data center development. Would you support a pause? What other guardrails would you suggest?
I support a local moratorium for data centers in my community. I have also put forward a national data center plan to ensure that our data centers are sited thoughtfully and with the community’s best interest in mind, and to ensure that data centers pay their fair share.
4. What are your thoughts on the White House’s current position on immigration enforcement, and how specifically would you use your position in Congress to influence federal immigration policy?
I support comprehensive immigration reform. The system has not been addressed in a comprehensive way in many decades and reform is long overdue. I am pushing for the Dream Act to provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and legislation to reduce visa processing delays that impact so many families in our district.
We also need greater transparency and oversight over ICE. I am championing legislation to address ICE and immigration enforcement overreach, including the targeting of US citizens. I have visited several ICE facilities to conduct oversight.
5. Northern Virginia is facing an affordability crisis. What specific policy idea would you push to help lower costs for your constituents?
In Congress, I am working to make our economy fair for everyone. We need to promote competition over crony capitalism. There are many industries where prices are high because of a lack of competition. Major mergers diminish competition and incentive to lower costs. As a member of the Monopoly Busters Caucus, we pushed a legislative package to support small businesses that innovate, rather than creating policy that only advantages the largest corporations.
Policy making in D.C. by this majority has led to higher costs. We need to stop using unnecessary and burdensome tariffs and stop using them as a foreign policy tool. These tariffs make it harder for small and large businesses to plan, leading them to raise costs for consumers. Additionally, when tariffs are deemed illegal, they should be returned to consumers, not just businesses.
We need to address income inequality and support worker rights. That means making sure wages keep up with inflation and the cost of living. Additionally, we need to ensure the benefits of industries like AI are seen by more Americans.
6. Where do you stand on the proposed Dominion Energy–NextEra merger?
I am opposed to the merger, and I am extremely concerned about the impacts on ratepayers.
7. What is one issue you think the current Congress has failed to address?
Not only have Republicans failed to lower costs, but they have actually increased costs. They have also rubber stamped Trump’s corruption and weaponization of government which has in turn also increased costs.
8. In 20 words or fewer, what is your top campaign priority?
Stop the rubber stamping of Trump and start putting Virginians first by lowering costs and ending corruption and forever wars.