David Russ

What they say they would do

Advocates stronger state and local control, fewer federal subsidies and regulations, domestic manufacturing and stricter immigration enforcement.

• Transfer federal public lands toward state or local control.
• Reduce federal control over schools, utilities, business and infrastructure.
• End subsidies to large corporations and federal subsidies or loans to noncitizens.

Our reading

• Local control
• Smaller federal role

Returning lands, schools and utilities to state control and ending conditional federal grants would shift both authority and hundreds of billions of dollars; who funds those responsibilities afterward is not addressed in the reviewed pages.

Where they stand

The choices this office faces

Every candidate in this race is asked the same 8 questions. David Russ is on record on 8. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.

• Keep H.R. 1’s Medicaid work rules, six-month renewals and SNAP cuts, or repeal them?

  Said: Would keep H.R. 1’s Medicaid and SNAP rules as long as the federal government is involved.

  Emailed response, response source

• Restore the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that expired December 31, 2025?

  Said: Says the Affordable Care Act has damaged affordability and is federal overreach; would support another option while it is unwound rather than restoring the credits.

  Emailed response, response source

• End the tariffs and take tariff power back from the president?

  Said: Does not support ending the tariffs, noting the country funded itself largely through tariffs before the 1913 income tax.

  Emailed response, response source

• Fund the $70 billion expansion of ICE and Border Patrol through 2029 (the Secure America Act)?

  Said: Fully supports giving federal law enforcement enough money to do its job efficiently; says the border is now secured.

  Emailed response, response source

• Direct the president to end U.S. military involvement in the war with Iran?

  Said: Says only people in the highest-level national-security meetings can make this call and he has not been in one; he does not say whether to end U.S. involvement.

  On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.

  Emailed response, response source

• Pass the Fix Our Forests Act: faster thinning and logging on federal forests with shorter windows to sue?

  Said: Calls the Fix Our Forests Act “OK” but a bureaucratic maze; would support it only as a stopgap, saying the states could run the same program for less after federal lands are returned.

  Emailed response, response source

• Expand the federal role in housing, from the new ROAD to Housing law to more vouchers and tax credits?

  Said: Says current federal involvement in housing already violates the 10th Amendment; states that want such programs should run them.

  Emailed response, response source

• Should federal policy rein in data centers’ power, water and cost impacts, or keep fast-tracking them?

  Said: Opposes federal involvement, saying lobbying would tilt deals toward data centers; local officials should negotiate terms, as he says some cities have done to secure benefits such as free power.

  Emailed response, response source

Their answers to our questions

Housing and homelessness

Said: Nearly every one of my statements, proposed Bills, and proposed actions will lead to reduced homelessness. My goal is to return the country, and prosperity, to the people. When the economy soars, homelessness will drop dramatically. Giving money to NGO’s to over pay their bloated staff only exacerbates the problem. We can not continue with the failed policies created by Progressive theology.

Received 2026-09-24

Housing and homelessness (his clarification)

Said: My statement regarding distribution of federal funds was regarding NGO’s. I did not say “non-profits.” Many NGO’s are non-profit, but not all. [...] These entities spend more on their staff, consulting, and programs that actually make the homeless dependent on them than what they spend helping the homeless to become independent.

Received 2026-09-25

Transportation, energy and climate

Said: I have not created a specific process by which I intend to make this happen, however, since the US Constitution does not provide for the Federal Government controlling large swaths of lands within state boundaries this should really not be a complicated issue. Removing lands that are not specifically National Parks Open to all, will also reduce the Federal Budget.

Received 2026-09-24

ICE and border money

Said: I fully support ensuring that Federal Law Enforcement has sufficient funding to efficiently perform their duties.

Received 2026-09-24

Fix Our Forests Act

Said: The Fix Our Forests act is OK. However, it is basically a bureaucratic maze designed to give the bureaucrats a way to claim they are doing things right while simultaneously wasting huge amounts of money in consulting and administration. I would support this legislation only as a gap stop. However, the fact is States could administrate exact same program for less.

Received 2026-09-24

Medicaid and SNAP cuts

Said: Yes. Keep rules as long as the Federal Government is involved.

Received 2026-09-24

ACA premium credits

Said: The “Affordable Care Act” has clearly damaged healthcare affordability. The issue is complicated, and Federal Overreach. I would support another possibility while it is unwound.

Received 2026-09-24

Tariffs

Said: I do not support such a thing. That would require a re-write of The Constitution. This nation had no income tax and funded virtually everything via Tariffs until 1913 (137 years!).

Received 2026-09-24

Iran war powers

Said: Anyone who has not participated in the highest level of National Security meetings in the White House only “imagines” that they have sufficient information to make a call on this issue. I have not been in one of those meetings.

Received 2026-09-24

Federal housing programs

Said: The current level of Federal Involvement in housing is already a huge violation of the 10th Amendment. [...] If States believe that this type of program is important, they should institute them internally.

Received 2026-09-24

Data-center costs

Said: At this point, smart municipalities are cutting deals with data centers that are very favorable for the municipality. Some have even secured free power for their residents! If the Federal Government gets involved it will undoubtedly start to skew the deals toward the data centers due to federal lobbying. [...] Smart people in local areas need to cut the right deals for their constituents.

Received 2026-09-24

A question the evidence leaves open

Which transfers and spending reductions would you pursue first, and who would fund the responsibilities shifted to states or localities?