Alma Adams, 80, represents North Carolina’s 12th congressional district. Famous for her hats, she was first elected in 2014 and is serving her sixth full term. A native of New Jersey, she has her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. in art education and taught art at Bennett College for 40 years. She previously served on the Greensboro City Council, the Greensboro school board and in the N.C. House.
Alma Adams, 80, was first elected to represent North Carolina’s 12th congressional district in 2014 and is serving her sixth full term. A native of New Jersey, she has her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. in art education and taught art at Bennett College for 40 years. She previously served on the Greensboro City Council, the Greensboro school board and in the N.C. House.
Candidate Q&A
The following answers were provided by Alma Adams’ campaign:
What do you see as the biggest financial and administrative challenge to implementing the work requirements for Medicaid that were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill?
The biggest challenges for implementing the work requirements for Medicaid are challenges by design. The fact that individuals in crisis will now need to navigate the Medicaid work requirement reporting paperwork with no help from an underfunded government agency is exactly the system that Republicans wanted. Many of our constituents who need help the most and work full time will still struggle to maintain the proper paperwork to remain eligible for Medicaid under the new reporting requirements. This is going to lead to many who need healthcare going without, including and especially children who need the help the most.
What would be your plan for ensuring the future security/strength of Social Security and Medicare?
One of the first things we must do is ensure that each program is properly funded so that beneficiaries and those utilizing the service are able to access the service. Under H.R. 1 we saw a gutting of the Social Security Administration that makes it harder for our seniors to get access to the benefits they paid for. These institutions have saved lives and lifted millions out of poverty, and if Americans are ever going to trust that Social Security and Medicare will be there for them when they get older, we must make sure that they are properly funded.
What would you support in Congress as a plan to help control health care/ pharmaceutical costs?
As someone who grew up receiving healthcare from the emergency room, I understand the impact of high costs and inaccessible healthcare and prescription medication. One of the first things we must do is restore the cuts to the Affordable Care Act that have directly impacted the ability of thousands of District 12 residents to afford healthcare. These cuts have devastated working families, children, seniors, and everyone in between who needs healthcare. We must reinstate these cuts in the short term and should be open to the passage of legislation like Medicare for All, which would ensure that every American gets quality and affordable healthcare.
What steps would you take to improve access to health care in rural areas? How do we make the Rural Health Transformation Program successful in North Carolina?
One of the most important things we should do is support rural hospitals that are currently underwater and struggling to remain open. These hospitals are critical to the communities they serve, and if we don’t do everything we can to keep them open, rural Americans across the country will suffer. That is one area that Congress needs to act regarding the Rural Health Transformation Program. We need to properly fund the program and allow for states like North Carolina to use the funds to support those hospitals that might close without the proper funding. For this program to be a success, we need Congress to act to ensure that we save the critical healthcare infrastructure in rural communities.
The rollout of AI is moving fast, including in health care, and leaders in that space are calling for things to slow down. What federal moves should be taken to regulate it, if at all?
AI must be regulated to ensure that we don’t move too fast and take unnecessary risks. AI can be a wonderful tool when used properly and when used in a way that doesn’t put citizens in harm’s way. AI still has a long way to go before it can be trusted with major tasks in the healthcare field. Congress should act to regulate AI in the healthcare field to make sure that major decisions and processes are still handled and maintained by humans rather than AI. In healthcare, any mistake could be fatal, and it is critical that we minimize the likelihood of error while using AI.
Where do you stand on federal vaccine policy? What should be done to prevent future disease outbreaks?
Secretary Robert F Kennedy has jeopardized the health of every citizen with his assault on federal vaccine policy. Vaccines have saved millions of lives and eradicated disease that plagued our world. We should increase funding for vaccination research and do everything we can to educate the public about the benefits of vaccinations and increase trust in the vaccination process.
We’ve had some high-profile food contamination outbreaks, yet the federal government is pulling back regulation of food, air and water. What level of federal regulation do you support and why?
For us to have meaningful regulations we must have a fully staffed USDA and FDA that are prepared to enforce that regulation. The reorganization of critical departments and agencies has made it harder for us to enforce these food safety standards and has ultimately led to us experiencing multiple food safety recalls and concerns. I support returning to the regulatory levels we saw under the Biden administration that protected American consumers from contracting disease and illnesses due to contaminated food.
PFAS contamination is a nationwide issue; how do you address it while balancing public safety and business interests?
Forever chemicals are a danger to society and to every American individual’s health. Having safe drinking water is fundamental to the health of any society, and preventing the contamination of drinking water with PFAS should be a critical environmental goal that should be taken seriously by the EPA. Sadly, we have seen the EPA prioritize corporate lobbyists over the health and safety of Americans. It is in the best interest of American businesses for people to be healthy and for people to have safe drinking water. We should strengthen the PFAS regulations that Administrator Zeldin has weakened and safeguard the interests and health of Americans.
The building and placement of data centers have become a big issue, particularly in many rural communities. What should the federal government’s role, if any, be in how these are developed?
The construction of data centers is largely a local issue, but one that certainly concerns the nation. I have supported local governments, including the city of Charlotte, placing a moratorium on data center construction and believe that the federal government should enact legislation that incentivizes local governments to protect residential communities from the harmful effects of building data centers in proximity to our neighborhoods. People should have a right to live and thrive in their communities without having their neighborhoods feel as though they are being put at risk by the construction of data centers.
Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?
In Congress, I have championed the cause of Black Maternal Health through my cosponsorship of the Momnibus Act and as a co-founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus. In the richest country in the world, we should not tolerate mothers needlessly dying in childbirth. While in Congress, I will continue to advocate for legislation that addresses Black Maternal Health in the United States.
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