Steve B. Montenegro

Steve B. Montenegro earned a B.S. in political science from Arizona State University in 2004. Montenegro's career experience includes working as the principal of Coronam Consulting.[13]

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The Trump Agenda

Make America Great Again! We all know the slogan… Behind it is a simple philosophy that we need to return to proven truths about what works and what doesn’t work. We need to take the power away from the government and give it back to the people. We need to remember to care for the forgotten man, who works, produces, saves, and provides our country with its lifeblood, while largely being ignored by the media and those in power.

This won’t be easy. The people who have the power today will not give it up without a fight, and we have seen that they will lie, cheat, and steal to try and keep it. They want Trump to fail because they want his agenda to fail. We are running out of time to save our country. We must not lose this fight!

Immigration

Much as our hearts might want to, we cannot take in everyone in the world who simply wants a better life. That is why America’s immigration policies must be designed with just one question in mind: What policy is in the best interests of America? The first steps to a sound immigration policy is to enforce our existing laws, build a real border wall, properly equip our U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel, and eliminate all of the magnets that encourage illegal aliens to risk their lives to come here. If you watch Fox News or CNN then you may have already seen me arguing against Amnesty. I remain opposed to Amnesty because it is an affront to those who have done things right already as well as those who are waiting to come here legally, and it only encourages more illegal immigration.

Repeal ObamaCare

Too many politicians are talking about replacing ObamaCare and skipping the actual repeal of it. What they’re really talking about is modifying ObamaCare and that will never work. ObamaCare is rotten and must be pulled out by its roots, as soon as possible. No health care system is perfect, but the best system will be based on free-market solutions that empower consumers and doctors to make decisions that are best for them. That includes buying insurance across state lines, health savings accounts, and tort reform. ObamaCare is failing us here in Arizona. Insurers are leaving the state, costs are skyrocketing, care is suffering. The time to act is now.

Restoring our Constitutional Rights

I’ve been a leader in Arizona’s fight to restore our Constitutional rights and I’ll continue that fight in Congress. Liberals are after our 1st Amendment rights when what we need as a country is a greater freedom of speech. Liberals are after our 2nd Amendment rights even as the need for self-defense is proven in headlines with tragic regularity. Liberals are after our privacy rights as they seek to expand government control over everything they can. Here in Arizona we have said no more and we have fought back. Nowhere are our victories more apparent than in how we respect the 2nd Amendment. I’m proud to have helped pass Constitutional Carry to give Arizona the best gun laws in the country. As your Congressman, I will defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic!

Economy/Jobs

Liberals believe the government creates jobs. We know that’s a lie. The best we can hope for is a government that gets out of the way and allows the private sector and free markets to create jobs. So when liberals are in charge, they spend trillions to “stimulate” the economy while ignoring that the money they’re spending was pulled by brute force from the economy, or was borrowed, adding to the already suffocating debt our country carries. As a legislator, I have cut government spending and voted for policies to create a pro-job environment here in Arizona. The results? Our state is a national leader for job creation, we’re a top destination for employers leaving high-tax states like California, we’re a top state for new start-ups, and our economy is growing more diverse so we are less vulnerable to economic downturns.

Taxes/Regulations

High taxes kills jobs and slow the economy. Excessive regulations do the same. That’s why here in Arizona we cut taxes and regulations. The problem is far worse in Washington D.C., where the regulatory complex employs tens of thousands of people who spend their time coming up with new ways to control our lives and punish behavior they do not approve of. The Trump Administration is serious about eliminating job-killing regulations and I look forward to joining that fight. I will also attack the tax code with the same energy I did in the Arizona Legislature.

National Security

Eight years of Obama have emboldened our enemies, funded our enemies, and made our enemies stronger. Today, our world is an incredibly dangerous place as we deal with a nuclear North Korea, a resurgent Russia intent on reassembling the old Soviet Union, and an increasing aggressive China. Add to the mix the battle against radical Islam, ISIS, and other jihadists, and it is clear that we must rededicate ourselves to rebuilding a military largely hollowed out by the previous administration. Democrats hold military spending hostage, refusing to increase spending unless they are given an equal amount of pork spending. That is simply shameful. We cannot afford everything we are currently spending on, but we must prioritize the resources needed to maintain the world’s strongest fighting force. Freedom around the globe is at stake.

Veterans

God bless the men and women who serve or have served our country. We owe them everything. So why are so many lacking basic care? We need to fix the VA, offer private-sector alternatives, provide early intervention to veterans dealing with mental health issues, and we need to also be ready to help the families of those who have served and who carry heavy burdens as a result. Some gave all, but they all gave their best. They deserve the same in return from us.

Social Security

Congressman Trent Franks was the author of the Seniors Financial Security Act which is a commonsense proposal to end the practice of taxing social security income. Much as the estate tax is a tax on earnings you’ve already paid taxes on, being taxed on your Social Security benefits is another double tax, and it should be ended.

Protecting Life

I have a 100% pro-life voting record and believe that Life was the first God-given right listed by our founders for a reason. Without a right to life itself, what value do the rest of our rights hold? As a State Legislator I wrote and passed the nation’s first ban on abortions performed for the purpose of race or sex selection, and I will always vote to protect children and their mothers from the devastation offered by our nation’s abortion mills. I will also vote to defund Planned Parenthood. No taxpayer money should be paid to organizations that fund or perform abortions.

Strong Families

We don’t need to read the studies to know that strong families are in everyone’s best interests -- Best for our children, best for our communities, best for our nation. As a State Legislator I made sure that one of my litmus tests for bills we were considering was how it would effect Arizona families. As a Congressman I will do the same.

Energy & the Environment

The Trump Administration is serious about energy independence for America, and I agree wholeheartedly. It is not just a national security issue but an economic one as well. Energy exports strengthen our hand in international relations and it creates hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs. Government must also be guided by real science and consider every energy resource available. Subsidizing or favoring fashionable technologies creates an unlevel playing field and cheats American taxpayers. Clean, abundant energy is not only a possibility, it is an inevitability if we are guided by sound policy.

Accountability/Transparency

I wrote the bill to give Arizona taxpayers access to detailed information on how government spends their money because I know that accountability and transparency go hand in hand. I know that I am going to have to fight that fight all over again in Congress but I look forward to doing so. We face a massive national debt and part of that is because Congress is not properly accountable for how it spends our money. I will work to let sunlight into the process so that American taxpayers have the same access to data that Arizona taxpayers now have.

Defending the Electoral College

Recently, some of my opponents have been telling people that I oppose the Electoral College or voted to eliminate the Electoral College. Both claims are false and utter nonsense. I remain a staunch supporter of the Electoral College as I do all parts of our Constitution, and any suggestion that I voted to eliminate the Electoral College can only come from someone who is ignorant of our Constitution. You can't vote to eliminate parts of the Constitution or liberals would have already gotten rid of most of it. I will always defend the Electoral College and the rest of our Constitution.[28]

—Steve Montenegro for Congress[29]

Campaign advertisements

"Meet Steve Montenegro" - Montenegro campaign ad, released January 23, 2018

"Limited Government/Constitution" - Montenegro campaign ad, released February 9, 2018

"Strong Conservative Record" - Montenegro campaign ad, released February 9, 2018

Montenegro's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

Education

I’m proud that Arizona is a national leader in school choice and that we have so many of the nation’s top performing schools. I also recognize that many of our districts are still suffering and are often failing our children. That’s why I continue to fight the politicians and their bureaucratic allies who put unions and administrators ahead of students. I’m pleased we were able to add hundreds of millions of dollars in new education dollars, but we still need to better support our teachers, reward good teachers with merit bonuses, and create alternate pathways to get highly educated professionals into the classroom, particularly in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Our schools and school system are getting better. We need to finish the job.

Illegal Immigration & Border Security

I voted for SB1070 and have earned the endorsement of secure border leaders like Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Russell Pearce. 95 million Americans are out of the workforce, yet open-border advocates continue to block real border security, hurting our economy, our workers, and leaving us vulnerable to terrorist attacks. I will continue to fight to protect Arizona taxpayers from the negative effects illegal immigration has on our health care, education, and criminal justice systems, and I will continue to oppose amnesty in any form. It is long past time to secure the borders, but that will only happen when We The People put enough pressure on Washington D.C. to make it happen.

Economy & Jobs

Arizona is now a national leader in job creation, in where to start a new business, and in where businesses are relocating to. Why? Because we have been serious about balancing our budget and getting our house in order. Because we have gone after burdensome regulations that kill jobs. Because we offer companies a stable economic environment that is pro-growth. All of this is very attractive to companies that are trying to escape high-tax, high-regulation states like California. Add to all of this our climate and our people, and you have a recipe for success.

Protecting the Family

I fought to defend traditional marriage, I wrote the nation’s first ban on abortion for the purpose of race and sex selection, and I have a 100% pro-family voting record. Our values and our culture are under attack all across this country and it is up to all of us to speak loudly and clearly in defense of both, or we will lose them. The media will bully and intimidate in an effort to silence us, but we must speak up regardless. Please support those who fight to protect the family and the family values that make America great![28]

—Steve B. Montenegro, [30]

Montenegro's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[31]

Protecting The Taxpayers

Excerpt: "While most of our citizens have had to tighten their belts and cut their household budgets, big-spending politicians have forgotten how to say “No!” to the lobbyists and special interests that come to the state with their hands out. Enough is enough."

Sanctity Of Life

Excerpt: "The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. These words have great meaning to me."

Private Property Rights

Excerpt: "I will continue to fight to protect private property rights, to eliminate burdensome regulations and to better manage our public lands. I was proud to support Proposition 207 (Private Property Rights Protection Act), a 2007 effort to protect private property rights from the abuse of eminent domain laws."

Family And Traditional Marriage

Excerpt: "Families and traditional marriage benefit our society. I firmly believe that the institution of marriage should be protected, and that marriage is defined as one man and one woman. The decisions I make as a member of the House of Representatives will always be done with the best interests of families and children in mind."

Secure Borders

Excerpt: "Whether your primary concern is national security, wasteful spending, education, healthcare, or our criminal justice system, the most important thing we can do is to secure our borders. The cost of illegal immigration in Arizona is nearly 2 billion dollars a year, and you, the taxpayer, are paying the bill."

Medicaid expansion lawsuit

Steve Montenegro was one of the 36 Republican members of the Arizona State Legislature who signed onto a lawsuit brought by the Goldwater Institute in September 2013 against Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) over the expansion of Medicaid in Arizona under provisions of the Affordable Care Act.[32] Brewer announced her support for Medicaid expansion in Arizona in 2013, and by June of that year the legislature passed a bill expanding Medicaid in the state .[33] In September 2013, the Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank, filed a lawsuit seeking to block the law's implementation. They argued that the law contained a tax, and its implementation under the control of the executive branch violated state laws enforcing the separation of powers.[32] In 2015, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled against the 36 Republican lawmakers and the Goldwater Institute, saying that the law contained an assessment, not a tax. The Arizona Court of Appeals upheld the Superior Court's 2015 ruling on March 16, 2017.[34]