The Valley Reporter has interviewed all Vermont candidates for U.S. Senate and Congress who responded to an interview request.
Gerald Malloy (R), Perkinsville, is running for the U.S. Senate seat left open by retiring Senator Patrick Leahy. “I’ve been serving the country in one way or another for 42 years now, working in DC and military and government. I’ve been to all 14 counties and met many people. Vermonters are ready for a change,” Malloy said.
“What I see is a lot of unconstitutional mandates and executive orders that I would fight against . . . We have to stop the reckless overspending. I would also look to remove one of those unconstitutional executive orders, what I call the president’s crusade to kill the oil and gas industry. I advocate for a reassessment of climate, future energy, environmental emissions plans. I want to have developed future energy capabilities to include solar, wind and electric, but we don’t have a plan for that yet. We need to develop a plan and, most importantly, our limited government needs to have the people make that decision.”
Malloy, a graduate of West Point, has extensive military experience, including serving in Korea and the Middle East. “There’s not a single senator with that experience right now,” he said.
“In terms of defense security and order, I am in favor of putting up a wall. I’m in favor of adding sanctions against China to try to curb the amount of fentanyl coming into our country. . . It’s hitting here in Vermont right now.
“I want to fund the police and resource the police and support the police. I do not support the progressive prosecutor movement. I think that people who break the law should go to jail. Crime is on the rise and that’s bad for our country.”
Asked how he would address the housing crisis, he said, “I think one of the issues is [Act] 250. The Vermont Legislature would need to take a look at maybe easing some of that to promote creating new housing. Unfortunately, what’s happening now is because of the inflation and what I call the late response to try to tamp down inflation; the interest rates have literally doubled in the last month and they’re highly likely to keep climbing up. . . I’d like to see more well-paying jobs so people can afford housing.
“One of the things I would look to do here in the state of Vermont is to improve the internet service. There are times when I would drive an hour [in Vermont] and not have cellphone service. That’s not acceptable.
“I’m living the issues that Vermonters are living. I’m a parent, so I’m a voice for a lot of parents that are not happy about certain topics being taught to their children or pushed onto their children.”
Asked whether he supports Universal Pre-K, he said, “Universal Pre-K. Can you explain that a little bit?” When clarified, he said, “That seems to be a popular program here in the state and I think that’s a state decision based on the interest of Vermonters. I have read about some type of day care program being in place, so I support that, but I think that’s more of a state-funded program.”
He also hesitated to respond to a question about paid family and medical leave. “I’m going to have to think more about that one,” he said. “I don’t have a very firm position on that yet because I think there’s a balance between what private industry has a say [in] versus the government and the workers. Getting back to my overall position in terms of having limited government and less control, I guess the answer I would say is leave that up to the individual company.”
Asked about reproductive rights, he said, “That power -- reproductive rights--is not anywhere in the Constitution, so I do support the overturning of Roe v. Wade and putting it to the states and the people. I personally am pro-life . . . I am opposed to Prop 5 and Article 22; I will vote against that.
“Based on my work experience I’m good at engaging people and developing relationships towards a common goal. As a U.S. senator, I will consider and weigh the interests of Vermonters and the United States in everything I do. I’m most interested in ensuring individual liberty, freedoms from the Constitution and having just enough orders so that all Vermonters can enjoy their rights.
“We’ve gotten away from abiding by the Constitution with limited government and limited control. We’re kind of doing the opposite right now with more and more government, more and more spending, more and more control, and that’s not what Vermont or the United States is all about. I think I offer the leadership and the performance for Vermont to move us back in the right direction . . . to ensure that we have a strong economy and a strong America.
“I always like to say, ‘May the 14th star shine bright, may God bless America.’”
