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(WGHP) — North Carolina Congressman, Ted Budd, is asking voters for a promotion, hoping to move the US House of Representatives to the Senate.

That raises a new set of issues he’d have to deal with, including an increase in foreign policy questions. We asked Budd if the US is currently doing enough to help Ukraine in its war with Russia, including whether the US and NATO need to commit troops to the fight.

“Not at this point and I would say there are plenty – I think they have about 7 million according to the demographic that are capable to fight, there in Ukraine,” says Budd. “But and we need to provide what they need and we do not need to equivocate. If we’re going to supply something we need to just do it and not slow-roll them, that’s a tremendous concern.”

Some issues will linger from Budd’s days in the House – whether he wins the Republican nomination or not. One that Budd prioritizes is security at the US southern border and whether the wall begun on President Trump needs to be completed.

“When I was there, I saw tens of millions of dollars of steel just lying there,” says Budd. “I saw idle diesel equipment that’s been idle since January 20 of last year and (border agents) said, ‘Yes, we need a wall and it’s part of the solution.’ So, I definitely think we should finish the wall, all 1,936 miles of it.”

That, of course, costs money and the country is already heavily in debt but Budd thinks the main solution to that is growing the economy.

“We were at $20 trillion (of debt) before Covid, now it’s $30 trillion so, tremendously concerning,” he says. “One of the things we saw in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the end of 2019 – we saw at the end of 2017 – we saw tremendous economic growth. And though there was a tax cut, we know from the Laffer Curve we see increased revenues to the government. The number one of the things we have to do is, we have to stop spending more because you find yourself in a hole, the old proverb says, stop digging. Stop digging, stop spending more and then grow the economy. And then we need to begin to look, what can we begin to roll back and eliminate, what can we begin pushing to the states and I think there’s a long list of things we can do but the number one thing is economic growth.”

Looking at recent history, though, shows that government spending increases no matter which party is in control of congress. The last time the federal government reduced spending from the previous year was 1969.

“Well, it seems like now the conservatives are fighting a third of Republicans and all of the Democrats. When it comes to these big-spending packages we have to hold our ground,” Budd says.

And when it comes to how to handle the next pandemic better than Covid, Budd believes the federal government needs to use a lighter touch.

“I think you need to trust individuals, trust local officials with their medical capabilities,” he says. “I don’t think you need to politicize public health. We need to make sure that people have information – look, I supported Operation Warp Speed with President Trump and the creation of the vaccine and I’m glad it’s there. But we don’t need to force that on anyone. We don’t need to make conditions of employment dependent on vaccines, or presence in the military.”

See more of what Budd had to say, including on the January 6 riot at the capitol and former President Trump’s possible culpability in that, in this Your Local Election Headquarters Report.