Deseret News Questionnaire responses from 1st District Congressional candidate Rob Bishop, Republican.

1. In general, what are the two major issues facing the United States and your specific House district today, and how would you address them?

Security would be a good way to summarize two of the biggest issues facing the U.S. and our district. First, military issues will always be important in northern Utah and encompass a lot of my work in Congress. We are still recovering from the unwise and unnecessarily deep cuts in military and veterans spending during the Clinton years. I will continue to defend our installations, not just because they provide jobs for Utahns, but because they are critical to our national defense. And we must get our fighting men and women and our veterans the resources they deserve. Second, solving the problem of illegal immigration is another major issue affecting our nation and state. And it's not just about jobs; it's about securing our homeland. We must enforce the laws we have, secure the borders, and reform the system for legal immigration.

2. Would you over the next two years in office ever vote for a tax increase? Yes. No. Explain.

No, over the next two years I would not vote for a tax increase. We should make the temporary tax cuts permanent to avoid an automatic tax increase. The economy does better when we let Americans keep more of their hard-earned dollars.

3. Before the United States invaded Iraq, did you favor or oppose the U.S. taking new military action in the country?

I was not in Congress at the time authorization was passed to allow for military action. Since that decision has already been made, our responsibility now is to make sure that the military has what is necessary to be successful. There was a compelling legal case for action. Saddam Hussein was an evil dictator, he violated multiple UN resolutions, he broke his treaty with us, he sanctioned shooting at American servicemen, he placed a bounty on U.S. pilots, and he offered cash bonuses for suicide bombings against U.S. and Israeli citizens. He threatened our security and the world is a safer place without him in power.

4. In your opinion, what should the U.S. do now in the Iraqi War? (Please be specific, should we withdraw immediately, set a timeline for withdrawal, stay the course as President Bush advocates?)