U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen and challenger Edwin Feller discuss the issues

Rick Larsen, left, and Edwin Feller

Snohomish County Elections mailed ballots for the Nov. 3 general election to 500,000 registered voters on Oct. 20. The county previously mailed ballots to military and overseas voters, as well as out-of-state and rural voters.

The Beacon sent five questions to both incumbent U.S. Rep. Democrat Rick Larsen and Republican challenger Edwin Feller. The position represents Edmonds and Mukilteo in the 2nd Congressional District, which includes Skagit, Whatcom, San Juan and Island counties, as well as communities that line the I-5 corridor in Snohomish County.

Larsen, who has represented the district since 2001 – he is seeking his 14th term – and has won every two-year election since then.

Feller is a first-time candidate who worked in the HVAC industry for 60 years.

Edmonds Beacon: People continue to cite housing, groceries, utilities, healthcare, and transportation as major household expenses. What can Congress realistically do to lower the cost of living in northwest Washington? Name one bill or policy you would make a priority.


Rick Larsen: For housing, we need to increase the supply of affordable homes, support first-time homebuyers and renters, strengthen housing tax incentives, and invest in local infrastructure so communities can build the housing they need.

For groceries, gas, food, and utilities, I oppose policies that raise prices on families. I have voted to repeal the stupid tariffs and end the Iran war immediately. I support practical steps that reduce costs, strengthen supply chains, lower utility bills through clean energy and efficiency, and invest in transportation choices that save people money.

For health care, I support protecting and expanding the Affordable Care Act, extending premium tax credits, lowering prescription drug costs, protecting Medicaid and Medicare, preserving telehealth access, and supporting hospitals and providers that serve rural and underserved communities. I have fought against efforts that would raise costs or cut coverage for people in this district, and I will keep working to make health care fit families’ budgets.  

Edwin Feller: Congress can do very little about cost of living in the NW. The policies of the state Legislature have had more to do with the rising cost here. Gas tax, transportation cost, fish bypass in dry creek beds, carbon tax.


Beacon: What is your position on artificial intelligence? More and more citizens fear its overreach and the continued construction of data centers.

Larsen: AI is moving faster than the rules governing it. Congress needs to protect workers, consumers, communities, and national security before the largest technology companies make decisions that are difficult or impossible to reverse.

Congress has tools to act. I support human control of AI, requiring rigorous testing of the most powerful AI systems before deployment, mandating disclosure of serious safety incidents, establishing privacy and consumer protections, protecting workers from abusive uses of AI, setting cybersecurity standards for AI use in critical infrastructure, and making sure companies are accountable when they cause harm.

Feller: AI is here to stay. It is used a lot in medicine, hospitals. If an AI center goes rogue, it needs to be shut down and never reopen.

Beacon: What should Congress do to improve Washington State Ferries, roads, bridges, and public transit? How much responsibility should the federal government assume for infrastructure that is primarily operated by the state?

Larsen: The federal government should be a strong, reliable funding partner. State operation does not eliminate the federal responsibility to invest. That is why I helped write the bipartisan BUILD America 250 Act, a five-year transportation bill that would invest $580 billion in infrastructure.

It includes $45 billion in bridge funding and $87.5 billion in transit funding, while continuing major investments in our roads. For ferries, the bill would provide $1.7 billion.

Feller: Congress can only look at interstate roads. The state has control of all other roads and ferries. The state has messed this up royally.

Beacon: What limits, if any, should Congress place on ICE enforcement operations? What rights should people have when they are detained?
 
Larsen: I will not vote for any full-year funding for ICE that fails to create oversight and accountability. I am demanding that ICE follow the same rules as every other law enforcement agency – including higher training standards for officers, and requiring a visible ID and body cameras.

I support legislation to end child and family detention and prohibit DHS from using private, for-profit facilities for immigration detention. I also support legislation that will require DHS to provide detained individuals with in-person medical exams, safe drinking water, adequate meals, private and sanitary restrooms, basic personal hygiene products, and provide individuals in immigration detention with unlimited communication with legal counsel.

Feller: Let ICE do its job. If they are here undocumented, they should be sent back.

Beacon: Washington is heavily dependent on trade. What should U.S. tariff policy be, particularly when tariffs can affect consumers, farmers, manufacturers, and aerospace companies here?

Larsen: Nothing about this tariff war is good for us. Washington state is projected to lose 20,000-25,000 jobs if Trump’s tariffs are extended through 2029. President Donald Trump's tariffs are estimated to cost the typical middle-class household roughly $2,200 per year in price increases. Traffic from British Columbia into Whatcom County is down 37%, comparing September 2024 with September 2026.

Across over 100 meetings and conversations with people I represent in northwest Washington, I heard how a stable economic relationship with Canada and Mexico is critical to keeping local businesses afloat, lowering prices, and creating good-paying jobs.

The U.S. must renegotiate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) and end these pointless, reckless tariffs. I will keep fighting to end these tariffs, bring down costs, and make the U.S.-Canada relationship boring again.

Feller: Tariffs are related to trade. If products are brought in from another country because their labor was less and is competing with U.S. product, then there should be a tariff on that imported product.

Beacon: What federal policy should govern transgender participation in women's and girls' sports and Title IX protections?

Larsen:  Federal policy should protect fair competition and equal opportunities for women and girls while ensuring transgender students are treated with dignity and protected from discrimination. I oppose a blanket federal ban on transgender students participating in women’s and girls’ sports.

The federal government should enforce Title IX’s guarantees of equal opportunity, including access to teams, scholarships, facilities and coaching, and protections against sexual harassment.

Feller: Transgender is not a word. You are either male or female. Males should not be in female sports.