AL-05: Dale Strong (R)

REPLACING:

Mo Brooks (R)^[i]

WORK HISTORY:

Madison County Commission (Chair); Madison County Commission (Commissioner); First Alabama Bank (Public Relations Professional); Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Sales Representative); City of Huntsville (Emergency Medical Services); City of Huntsville (Medflight); Huntsville-Madison County Emergency Communications (9-1-1 Dispatcher); Monrovia Volunteer Fire Department (Volunteer Firefighter & EMT)^[ii] [iii]

EDUCATION & TRAINING:

EMT, University of Alabama at Birmingham; EMT, University of Alabama in Huntsville; BS, Athens State University; Diploma, Sparkman High School^[iv]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Conservative Alabama Values; Trump Conservative; Trump Economy & Spending; Support Our Law Enforcement; Illegal Immigration; Prevent the Next Pandemic^[v]

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

Strong believes life begins at conception and has pledged to “stand up for the unborn and fight for our Christian values,” which he argues are under attack “by those who want to control what we read on social media and what our children are taught in school.”[vi] [vii] He was “ecstatic” about the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, saying it was “the day we have been praying and fighting for.”[viii] However, Strong said the fight to end abortion in America isn’t over.

ECONOMY, JOBS & TAXES:

Strong argues that “record level inflation and the supply chain crisis” make it harder for Americans to feed their families, and that cutting “wasteful spending and downsizing government” must be top priorities in order to deal with rising prices.[ix] [x] He wants the minimum wage to be “driven by the market,” not the federal government.[xi] Strong says increasing taxes is “not an option” and has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.[xii] [xiii] He opposed President Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan.[xiv]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Strong supports improving the mental health system and named fentanyl and heroin as two of the biggest health threats facing Americans today.[xv] [xvi] He argues “the last thing” Congress should do is cut Social Security and that issues with funding should be addressed by slashing the budgets of other agencies, eliminating foreign aid, and reducing regulations.[xvii]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Strong blames illegal immigration on a lack of leadership from Democrats and giving “amnesty” to millions of undocumented immigrants, who he says, “swamp our schools, overcrowd our prisons, take advantage of our healthcare, and stretch our law enforcement thin.” He advocates for “sending illegals back to their country of origin” and “fully enforcing the law on those that are in our country illegally.” He has called securing the border “a core responsibility” and supports building the wall.[xviii] Strong has also called for revamping asylum laws, which he says allow “people to invade our country.”[xix] He will also defend Title 42, which allows the president and surgeon general to prohibit individuals from specific foreign countries from entering the US to protect the population from “communicable diseases.”[xx]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

Strong has criticized the “Defund the Police” movement.[xxi] He has highlighted his work to hire dozens of deputies and invest in new police vehicles, equipment, and technology during his tenure as chairman of the Madison County Commission.[xxii]

GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS & ELECTION SECURITY:

Strong believes President Trump won the 2020 general election and that Russian interference was a “hoax.”[xxiii] [xxiv] In an August 2021 Facebook post, he wrote that Trump “IS our President and will be again!”[xxv] He opposes early voting and has pledged to support term limits on members of Congress.[xxvi] [xxvii]

EDUCATION:

Strong argues that education “is not one size fits all” and that there should be more choices for parents when it comes to their children’s schooling. He supports charter schools and believes education funding should be tied to the student. He has also called for tax credits for parents who seek education alternatives and believes the US Department of Education should be abolished.[xxviii] [xxix]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Strong believes the country was “energy independent” under the Trump administration and has called for expanding offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.[xxx] [xxxi] He wants the Keystone XL Pipeline to get “back rolling” and criticized the “crazy ideas” holding domestic energy production back.[xxxii] To combat increasing fuel prices, Strong advocates for “more production of fuel and gas here in America.”[xxxiii]

BIG TECH & DATA PRIVACY:

In 2018, Strong celebrated Facebook’s $750 million investment in a new data center in Huntsville, praising the company for its leadership and arguing that the city was “perfectly positioned for today’s high tech market.”[xxxiv]

GUN SAFETY:

Strong is a lifetime member of the NRA and received an “AQ” rating in 2022.[xxxv] [xxxvi] He argues that the last thing people want is “a bunch of bureaucrats determining who can have a gun and who cannot have a gun,” and believes red flag laws are “not the way we need to go.”[xxxvii] [xxxviii] Strong supports increasing the number of School Resource Officers and allowing other “qualified” individuals to carry firearms in schools.[xxxix] [xl]

FOREIGN POLICY:

Strong believes the US should be less dependent on China, especially when it comes to essential products like computer chips and pharmaceuticals.[xli] He supported the Trump administration’s trade policies with China.[xlii] Strong argues the US should not rely on Russia for anything, particularly fuel.[xliii] He supports increasing military funding and supporting Ukraine, but that the US should “make sure we’re protecting America First.” He opposes sending troops to Ukraine.[xliv]