Q: I'm an accountant myself and understand more than the average person about our budget and debt.  If we have 4T as Tax Income and our entitlements and interest are 4T not to mention the other budget items.  Where do you propose we cut?

 

A: My quick answer is that I would privatize social security, and either privatize or send Medicare, Medicaid,  and food stamp programs back to the states. 

 

For Social Security I would give everyone's money back, adjusted for inflation. For those already on social security, a phase out of benefits is needed if they have already been paid back what they put in. It's hard, but it's fair and just. Our country survived without a federal government social security program in place before 1935, and will be better off with the federal government not running it. It cannot be the role of our federal government to promise housing, food, money, healthcare etc.. to all Americans. Every country that tries it finds that the people, ironically, have less of all of those things that are being guaranteed.

 

The return payments for everyone else would start immediately and citizens would be required to invest the money into privately operated brokerage or investment firms (ex. Vanguard, Fidelity, etc.)  The money would still not be available to withdraw until age 62. Taxpayers could choose between total stock market index type mutual funds, bond funds, but there would be diversification requirements for equities and some diversity and bond rating requirements for bonds or CDs. Taxpayers could still choose an annuity type of plan or opt to a retirement savings plan similar to a 401k or a combination of the two. I am in favor of requiring investment into equities and bonds that are domestic/American. I'm confident that this approach would give far greater returns to taxpayers (though not guaranteed), and would really fuel our free market, substantially increasing our country's production. A win win.

 

The Republican platform promotes programs that encourage "self-sufficiency," and I 100% support that ideal when considering Medicaid and Food Stamps. The benefits must not ignore "behavioral" problems. For example, I consider it an issue that Medicaid recipients by and large are using drugs and alcohol far more than the general population. They also visit the emergency room in far greater frequency. These programs are 100% entitlement, and I don't agree with the idea of redistributing wealth to provide health care or food stamps to recipients whose life choices are a very large contributor to high healthcare costs for the rest of the country. Drugs and alcohol use cases account for approximately 20% of our ICU capacity in this country, on a perpetual basis. I don't support the use of tax dollars to purchase recreational drugs or alcohol. I don't support higher taxes for any of our federal spending. The issue is 100% one of living within our means. Taxes will never be enough if we don't control our spending.

 

I advocate returning the federal government to the functions explicitly outlined in the Constitution. Defense, courts, post office and postal roads. Eliminate, privatize or send everything else back to the states. I am very much a "decentralization" candidate and will always push to keep the government as small as possible and as close to the people whenever possible. I also support 35-45% immediate spending cuts to all discretionary federal agencies and programs. I favor a cultural change that shifts federal employment to "at will" and relocating 1 to 1.5 million employees to the private sector. 

 

I understand that these aren't easy changes, but I am convinced that major change is the best approach, and I'm a major change type of candidate. I believe there is a shift taking place in congress with many "moderates" leaving their positions this year. We have a great opportunity to send candidates of faith who know how to persuade, change false narratives and who won't compromise on spending and family values.

 

Q: What is your proposed solution for the border situation?

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A: 1. The Border - Finish the wall, defund sanctuary states and cities, send military to shut down cartels, exponentially increase deportations, reinstate “remain in Mexico”, adopt a national e-verify system, eliminate incentives to cross illegally. Amnesty doesn’t do this. I support 100% the Utah Republican platform on immigration.

 

In addition to enacting these laws and policies, we need senators who can put down false narratives. Republican policy is the compassionate and loving approach. We secure the border because we care about our citizens and immigrants. Republican senators need to articulate and persuade the nation of the merits of all of our positions. Securing the border is not even remotely racist or “anti-immigrant.”

 

Q: What are your thoughts about term limits?

 

A. I believe congressional service is just that, public service, not a career. I would intend to give my all for 12 years as a senator and return to the private sector thereafter. I would advocate for 12 year limits for senators and 8 to 12 years for house members.

 

Q: We have unfathomable national debt and the national deficit. How do you propose to reverse them?

 

A: The national debt requires eliminating federal agencies, privatizing entitlement programs, and sending other programs back to the states. I’m a decentralization candidate who believes firmly in reducing federal government to the core functions spelled out explicitly in our Constitution. I’m also a major change candidate. I’m convinced that early and major change is the best path forward. I would advocate relocating 1 to 1.5 million federal employees to the private sector. I would be glad to dive into more details if you would be up for a phone discussion.

 

Q: What are your plans to promote faith and family values?

 

A: Much of how I’d incorporate faith as a Senator deals with how I would interact with citizens and lawmakers. Building on common ground without compromise. If you have time, maybe watch a few videos on our website to see my approach. I will tirelessly knock on the doors of 99 senators to persuade them to join us in pushing good Republican policy. We have a great platform, and need senators who can persuade people to support it. We’re a country that was founded with faith in God. My aim is to help citizens adherents to our dozens of religions feel empowered to live their religions and not shelf their faith in the ballot box. Faith and strong families are vital, or even the divinely inspired laws of our constitution would be inadequate for an immoral people. 

 

Q: What are your thoughts on military spending?

 

A: The constitution explicitly states the importance of the federal government providing for the defense of our country and its citizens’ lives, liberty, property and pursuit of happiness. Military strength/defending our borders should be top priority for our federal government. I don’t support reducing military spending in general. I do support financial audits of the department of defense. 

Q: What are your thoughts about our military involvement throughout the world?

 

A: I don’t believe our goals for the proxy war with Ukraine and Russia were adequately formulated when we entered the conflict by sending US taxpayer dollars. I support greater scrutiny of how money was spent and would not at this time support sending more aid to Ukraine. We don’t have an adequate exit strategy, and we don’t have the money. I don’t believe the benefits have justified the cost, both in dollars or in lives lost.

Q: How do you plan to support Israel?

 

A:. Similar principles apply to Israel, though I consider Israel to be an ally more aligned with our values and would consider them separately from the Ukraine/Russia conflict. We stand with Israel 100% in eliminating Hamas, ideologically speaking. Monetary aid requires cost/benefit analysis and assessing our national priorities, including securing our own border.

Q: How do you feel about the US producing its own oil and gas?

 

A. We need to stop disincentivizing oil and gas production and demonizing oil and gas companies. A cultural shift is needed. Our domestic oil and gas companies are not the enemy. And they don’t want to take on developing greater refining and gas processing capacity when they know the government is focused on eliminating them in upcoming decades. That needs to stop. 

Q: How do you feel about our involvement in the United Nations?

A: United Nations and other multinational coalitions can have value. Any participation or funding of international coalitions should be overwhelmingly supported by Congress and American citizens in general. Taxpayer funds are sacred and they must only be used overseas if the spending is clearly in the best interest of our national security and aligned with the ideology of our laws and Constitution. We can’t support causes or nations that oppose our ideals.

 

Q: What sets you apart from the other candidates?

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A: I am a "major change" type of candidate. I am certain that DC needs major changes. I would quickly move to legislate the relocation of 1 to 1.5 million federal employees to the private sector. I am a faith, family and fiscal discipline candidate who in the past 6 years would have voted most similarly to Mike Lee, among Utah's congressional delegation. I am transparent and glad to discuss details of all of my positions. 

Q: How do you plan to address the problem of gridlock and inaction in Congress?

 

A: Through persuasion. Not through compromising our Republican values. I will knock on the doors of 99 other senators and work tirelessly for 12 years to convince them to vote right. It is possible.

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Q: What is your view of election fraud in the 2020 election?

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A: Emergency declarations ran wild in 2020. Secretaries of state, governors and executive officials of different states bypassed their state legislatures in the 3 months leading up to the election due to "Covid". I advocate limitations to stop these type of "emergency" irregularities in the 6 months prior to federal elections. The legislatures must retain the constitutional authority to oversee elections in our states.

 

Intelligence agencies inappropriately pressured media and social media to suppress the freedom of speech and of the press to shield the Biden family from deserved scrutiny. 51 intelligence officials signed on to a document that misinformed the public about a Hunter Biden laptop. Dissenting voices opposing Covid shutdowns were also suppressed. Intelligence and former intelligence officials still deserve congressional investigation and possible criminal prosecution for the interference and shielding of the candidate of the Democratic party. Our executive branch must be loyal to our country, not to the DNC. 

 

These interferences from our own government cannot be repeated.

 

Q: Who do you support for President of the United States in 2024 and why?

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A:  I would have voted for DeSantis first, Ramaswamy second (whom I also would have viewed as a solid VP to DeSantis), and Trump third. I consider these to be "major change" candidates, like myself. I will vote for Donald Trump this year. I support him 100% on the border (remain in Mexico, finish the wall, deport far more, defund sanctuary cities, etc.). He gave us 3 solid supreme court justices. He was also a very good religious liberty president and fought hard to protect the unborn. 

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Q: What do you intend to do to promote conservative principles in the U.S. Senate?

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A:  I will consistently vote socially and fiscally conservative. I won't vote to suspend or raise the debt ceiling. I understand that many of society's ills would be remedied if our laws and policies help encourage mothers and fathers stay together, and raise their children together. We must have strong families. When homes are missing mom or dad, the next generation pays a devastating price. I would not have supported the Respect for Marriage Act. I would defund Planned Parenthood. I would oppose ESG and CRT initiatives and push hard to ensure that the federal government is not imposing arbitrary and liberal social priorities on our state.

 

Q: What do you think needs to happen with our immigration system and what is your plan to get it done?

 

A: Finish the wall, defund sanctuary states/cities, re-implement "remain in Mexico", put a stop to "catch and release", implement a national e-verify system, use military force to destroy cartel human and drug trafficking operations, and exponentially increase deportations. We must disincentive illegal crossings. We determine who crosses our borders, not the cartels. I concur with the Utah Republican platform, we don't support amnesty, including automatic citizenship through birth. In addition, we need a Senator who can change the narrative on this issue. We do these things because we care about prospective immigrants and our citizens. No immigrant wants to constantly be worried about whether they're in danger from the cartels or living in the shadows fearing deportation. Republicans have been labeled racist for our efforts to secure the border. A Utah Senator cannot leave doubt that our party is pro-immigration, and that we love immigrants, because we do.

 

Q: What is your view of climate change, and how do you intend to balance that with economic development?

 

A:  Climate change initiatives by the government are not a top priority. We care deeply about the environment and should do all we can on a voluntary basis to take care of our air, ground, water, forests and mountains. Any environmental policy must be thoroughly vetted and devoid of liberal/partisan initiatives that are unreasonable, costly, and that don't actually help the environment. We, as Republicans, must be sure that these initiatives are responsible and not requiring funds that we don't have, or that would be better used elsewhere. 

 

Q: What is your view of gun control and gun violence in the United States?

 

A: Physical, cyber, drug abuse and other forms of abuse, along with isolationism and a lack of wholesome relationships are causing mental health crises in our country. Mental health crises lead to firearm abuse. I would advocate for and encourage laws that are geared towards preventing the mental health problems. I am convinced that a socially healthy citizenry will commit very few gun crimes.

I am absolutely opposed to adding additional gun control or "red flag" laws. Our second amendment rights differentiate us from other countries, and help provide incentive to government leaders to avoid inappropriate abuses of our constitutional rights through tyrannical policy.  

 

Q: What do you think about term limits?

 

A:  I favor term limits. 12 years for the Senate and 8 years for the house. I view congressional service as public service, not as a career. I am committed to working with all I have for 12 years to lift and help our country, and then I plan to return to the private sector.

 

Q: What do you intend to do, if anything, about the practice of adding riders to bills?  (Question requested by a constituent.)

 

A:  I don't care for "riders" added to bills. Many riders have been inappropriately consolidated into omnibus bills that eliminate the possibility of passing provisions that would otherwise receive bi-partisan support. Riders are causing gridlock and infighting even in the Republican party.

 

Q: Why should I vote for you?

 

A:  I have spoken a lot. I hope what I have gives you a good idea of why you would want to give me your vote. I've asked my wife, and campaign manager, Brianna, to share why she thinks you should vote for me.

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"If you want positive change in DC, then send Josh. If you want someone you can trust to stand firm on principles that strengthen families, communities, and countries, then send Josh. He has a way of discerning problems and solutions that others don't easily recognize. Josh has worked hard to be the expert in every job he has taken. I am sure that this one would be no different. Our family is uniquely built to support Josh in this public service." - Brianna

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Q:  If you could send me a brief summary of your highest priorities and specific plans of how you intend to implement these priorities, that would greatly assist me in deciding who I vote for at the caucus.

 

A: 1) Securing the border.

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To secure our border I would push legislation to:

• Finish building missing segments of border wall on our southern border.

• Institute a national e-verify system

• Defund sanctuary cities/states.

• Utilize military force to eliminate human/drug trafficking cartels, retaking control of who and what comes into our country.

• Exponentially increase deportations.

• Reinstate remain in Mexico policies.

Because we care about US citizens and prospective immigrants we must restore order to the border. Illegal immigration is wreaking havoc on our education system, housing industry, healthcare industry and is contributing to an overall sense of lawlessness in our country. 

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2) Balancing the budget. 

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Balancing the budget requires a combination of legislative changes, and we need more Senators like Mike Lee, Rand Paul etc... tea party type candidates to implement these changes. Not just senators who know how to fix our spending problems, but senators who speak differently, and never give up at working to convince the entire body of 100 to vote for the answers. Laws need to restore the federal government to focusing on its constitutionally mandated responsibilities and eliminate, privatize, or send everything else back to the states. The federal government can't afford anything else. 

• I favor a massive relocation of federal employees to the private sector. 1 to 1.5 million civilian employees. The private sector sorely needs them. I also favor at will employment for federal workers and faculty and staff of public universities.

• I would overturn the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, which gives back pay to furloughed federal employees who stop working shutdowns but get paid fully for their time off as soon as the government resumes operating. Shutdowns are not the enemy. Shutdowns that worsen our country's balance sheet, however, are putting Republicans into difficult situations each year when appropriations deadlines loom. I will advocate legislation to ensure that we are financially better off during shutdowns than not, so that we aren't boxed into a corner every year during budget negotiations.

• We need a balanced budget constitutional amendment, and even beyond balanced right now. I believe the amendment can appropriately require $500 billion surpluses until our country has paid off its debts. 

• To balance the budget, I support eliminating federal HUD, Education and labor departments and phasing the federal government out of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, healthcare insurance and other industries where the government has inappropriately bailed out or picked winners. I view the federal government's role to defend life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Not to provide and promise healthcare, housing, food, or welfare to the public. People need to understand that the redistribution programs of the government are not only unconstitutional, but they are extremely inefficient and highly damaging to productivity. The free market/law of the harvest model is the best approach. Forced benevolence by the coercive arm of government never yields long term success.

• I support the privatization of Social Security. I would change from an annuity system to a traditional retirement savings account, like an IRA or 401k. I support eliminating entitlement portions of social security and medicaid. Medicaid and food stamps recipients should not be using drugs and alcohol. Drug and alcohol abuse account for 20% of the United States' ICU capacity on a perpetual basis. Those on government welfare should not be using those benefits to subsidize recreational drugs and alcohol use, by themselves or others. These are complicated issues, and I could go on for quite a while on various changes that need to be enacted and how I would do it. Suffice to say that I am confident that we can make these changes and that all people will be better off once they're implemented.

• Insider trading, bankruptcies and government bailouts without accountability are hurting national morale and sowing doubt in capitalism. I will push to implement clawback provisions and laws that more easily allow creditors to pierce the corporate veil. We're confronted with a low accountability bankruptcy epidemic in our country, hundreds of thousands of filings every year. It is a blemish on the character of many of our corporations and people. A cultural shift is needed. Administrative expense-type industries leech at the productive arm of our country. Wall street hedge funds and arbitrage experts have mastered the art of exploiting tax and federal business law to maximize their rewards and minimize their risk, often passing that risk on to taxpayers. I favor taxing "carried interest" as ordinary income. I also believe stock compensation for publicly traded companies may need to be taxed as ordinary income at the time of granting, exercising and possibly selling of company stock. 

 

3) Re-enshring the indispensable values that come through Faith and strong families.

• As a general principle I believe we need an infusion of faith and hope in DC. I seek to embolden and empower people to live their faith and feel comfortable bringing their faith and family values to the ballot box. We need miracles right now in DC, and faith precedes miracles. Our founders sought direction from God in how to build this country. I too will seek that divine direction. We need relationships of trust between people and their congressmen. I am an open book candidate. Transparent and willing to discuss the details. I believe we need a renewed spirit of volunteerism in our country. Utah leads the country in volunteer time and resources contributed to charitable causes. Our campaign also works hard to show an example of focusing on persuasion and volunteerism. I will not leave the conversations, I will not walk away from the difficult issues. I will "stay in the room," so to speak, during my entire tenure in the Senate. I am convinced that we need more people who can and will speak differently in order to make the changes our country needs. We can repair our politics and restore the people's faith in Congress/the Senate.

 

Q: Paper ballots or electronic voting machines?

 

A: I support whichever methods will ensure that ONLY US citizens are voting, and that ballots are verifiable, traceable, and that each ballot can be directly tied to one voter who has verified his/her citizenship by photo identification. I am open to discussing different methods for accomplishing those goals. We must have a system that the general public can have faith in.

Q: Public lands.  Should access be limited or eliminated on existing public roads traversing BLM managed land?

 

A: I would like to see Utahns involved with decisions about BLM land in Utah. Utahns are closest to the land and see the issues arising from federal regulations and overreach firsthand. My general sentiment is that I would like to see less federal land in Utah, and more state/private land ownership and management.

Q: CRT, IED in schools and business?

 

A: All men are created equal. Love all people, regardless of race or ethnicity. Public schools should not be leading children to believe that any race or ethnicity is systemically persecuted or favored over any other. We judge people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. The United States historically had to overcome racist policy and laws. Gratefully, the United States laws have purged systemic racism. Our country is not and has not been systemically or institutionally racist during my lifetime. IED training for security officers is appropriate, and I believe it's appropriate for each junior high or high school to have a security officer on campus during school hours. IED training for kids seems to risk giving them ideas and is probably not the best approach to securing a school. I am open to discussion on this issue.

Q: Should there be limits on the 2nd Amendment? This is a key right that distinguishes our country from many others. It was a foundational principle and we saw the wisdom of it during the revolutionary war. I am a strong advocate of 2nd amendment rights. Utah gun law spells out appropriate exceptions to the right to bear arms. Those convicted of eggregious violent felonies, particularly those involving assault, battery and assault with a weapon should not be allowed to own guns. 

Q: Vaccine and mask mandates? I believe the Covid mandates were ineffective, inconsistent and often not evidence based. The lack of compliance and enforcement clearly evidenced that the mandates were not in keeping with the will of the people of Utah. I don't think Covid mandates were appropriate and I opposed them.

Q: Immigration and refugees.  Encourage or discourage? I discourage physical migration toward the United States at this time. We need to get our house in order regarding our southern border. Remain in Mexico or your home country until your case can be reviewed. There is a legal process that must be followed prior to immigrating to the United States. And while it is a long process, nevertheless our system must favor those who follow the outlined laws and procedures to lawfully immigrate to the United States. 

Q: Support for Ukraine? I believe Russia wrongfully invaded Ukraine. I don't believe we began that proxy war with the end in mind. Even now our executive branch is not articulating a clear exit strategy or goal for funding the fighting. Our involvement may largely have cost more lives than would have been lost had we not started funding it in the first place. We don't have the money, and at this time it cannot be a priority. I would not support additional funding to the war in Ukraine, though I greatly hope to see Ukrainians retain freedoms from the reign of Putin.

 

Q; What is your stand on funding the Ukraine war?

 

A: We didn't begin with the end in mind. Proxy wars need well defined goals and exit strategies. In very rare cases do I believe in funding Eastern hemisphere wars when we don't have budget surplus. I would not vote to send additional funding to Ukraine. We don't have the money. Borrowing from China to fight Russia doesn't strengthen our national security, it weakens it. Too much of money and resources have been consumed by that war, and heartbreakingly far too many lives have already been lost. 

 

Q  What is your position on our current stand on the Gaza conflict?  What changes would you make?

 

A: The burning, raping, beheading and murdering of innocent Israelis was a horrific and evil atrocity perpetrated by a terrorist organization, Hamas. Israel is justified in destroying the Hamas terrorists responsible for the attacks on Israel. I believe they should do their best to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza. I also believe civilians (including Palestinians) in Gaza should join with the Israeli army to neutralize Hamas until they are no longer threatening innocent people. 

 

Q:  How will you work across the aisle?

 

 

A: I speak differently than other candidates. I feel confident that I can persuade Senators to adopt correct policy stances. One of our Senators has compromised when I wouldn't have. I wouldn't have voted the same as Mitt on various bills he supported in the past 5 years. I would spend a lot of time knocking on doors, seeking first to build understanding and trust with members of the Senate. I believe it's possible to be civil even when we disagree. I don't walk away from hard conversations or compromise on core values. I've helped people change to adopt better positions on various important issues. It has required faith, patience, work and building on common ground whenever possible. Insider trading crackdowns, corporate bailout clawbacks  and bankruptcy law changes are areas where I know already that I can build on common ground with both Republicans and Democrats.

 

Q:  What is your position on the recently abandoned border bill?

 

A: I see that bill as a poor compromise that would have increased spending without fixing our improving our immigration problems. I would not have supported it.