Knott, an attorney and former federal prosecutor, was elected to Congress in 2024. He previously prosecuted organized crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking and financial crimes.
Candidate Q&A
NC Health News reached out multiple times by social media DM, email, phone and text to Rep. Knott’s team without success. To provide information to readers, we have included examples from his/her congressional voting record, along with statements he/she has made on his/her website and in news releases.
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?
Knott has not publicly identified specific financial or administrative challenges associated with implementing the Medicaid work requirements that I could find. He voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and characterized its Medicaid provisions as removing “able-bodied young people” and people without legal status from programs intended for vulnerable Americans.
In a September 2025 telephone town hall, constituents pressed Knott about the law’s potential effects on rural health care. He emphasized that many Medicaid changes would not take effect immediately and said Congress had provided tens of billions of dollars for rural health care and could make changes if problems arose.
What would be your plan for ensuring the future security/strength of Social Security and Medicare?
Knott has said he supports preserving Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits for people who need them. During his 2024 campaign, he also said Medicare reforms should not reduce benefits for people who are retired or nearing retirement.
He’s said that the One Big Beautiful Bill would preserve Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits for people who need them. He has also highlighted the law’s tax provision affecting Social Security income.
What would you support in Congress as a plan to help control health care/ pharmaceutical costs?
During his 2024 campaign, Knott said competition was the way to reduce health care costs. He proposed eliminating requirements that consumers purchase coverage they do not want, encouraging private insurance plans to compete across state lines, including through co-ops, and gradually reducing government subsidies to allow private plans to compete.
In 2025, Knott and Rep. Deborah Ross called on federal authorities to stop the sale of counterfeit, research-grade and illegally copied GLP-1 medications.
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?
In the September 2025 town hall, Knott said Congress had allocated tens of billions of dollars to respond to rural health needs and said lawmakers should be prepared to make additional changes if Medicaid provisions threaten rural hospitals.
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?
Knott has expressed skepticism about broad AI regulations that could benefit large technology companies at the expense of smaller competitors. During a 2026 congressional hearing, he argued that competition among multiple AI companies was important to keeping the technology beneficial and competitive with other counties. In 2025, he also voted for the House version of the One Big Beautiful Bill when it included a proposed 10-year moratorium on state AI regulation.
Where do you stand on federal vaccine policy? What should be done to prevent future disease outbreaks?
In a 2024 candidate questionnaire, Knott said vaccine mandates should be limited to certain close-contact settings and vaccines with an established safety and effectiveness record. He also opposed the military’s discharge of service members who refused COVID-19 vaccination. We could not find a public statement detailing what steps he would take to prevent future disease outbreaks.
We’ve had some high-profile food contamination outbreaks, yet the federal government is pulling back on regulation of food, air and water. What level of federal regulation do you support and why?
In a February 2025 interview following a House Water Resources and Environment hearing, Knott rejected the characterization that the Clean Water Act had been “weaponized,” while saying interpretations of the law had sometimes become too broad.
His congressional record includes votes to narrow some federal environmental review and regulatory requirements. We could not find a public statement from Knott specifically addressing federal food-safety regulation.
PFAS contamination is a nationwide issue; how do you address it while balancing public safety and business interests?
Knott’s FY26 community-project requests included millions for water storage and wastewater projects in Johnston and Harnett counties, with his office describing water infrastructure as important to public health, resiliency and economic development.
NC Health News could not find a public statement from Knott addressing PFAS regulation or how he would balance the costs to businesses and utilities with protecting people from PFAS exposure.
The building and placement of data centers have become a big issue, particularly in many rural communities. What should be the federal government’s role, if any, in how these are developed?
Knott voted in September for the Ratepayer Protection Act, legislation addressing how utility regulators account for infrastructure costs associated with large data-center customers. NC Health News could not find a broader public statement from Knott outlining what role he believes the federal government should play in data-center siting or development.
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