Tarik Samman
DemocraticQ1 Both research universities and government-funded research programs play a critical role in advancing scientific discovery, training the future workforce, and driving economic development. How would you approach funding and oversight of research universities and government-funded research programs, and what outcomes would you hope to achieve through those investments?
Funding should always be available for research and innovation. Like funding for any program, it should be conditioned on the results or outcomes sought and on the capability to achieve those results, with an oversight procedure in place to make sure nothing goes to waste.
In addition, given what has happened over the last two years, and as someone who witnessed firsthand the Trump administration’s attacks on Harvard and the repercussions of these attacks, the outcome I am hoping to achieve is to pass laws that stop the government from ever cutting university funding or research for political reasons again. It hurts schools, it hurts students, it hurts the startups working with those schools, and it hurts our advancement in scientific discovery, which is a catalyst for economic development. That is why I have met with professors and talked extensively about this topic, and once in office I will consult with them to sponsor bills that stop the government from ever interfering in educational research or academic freedom again.
Q2 What specific forms of AI regulation do you support, and where would you draw the line between necessary oversight and overregulation that could slow innovation?
AI is a tool, and like any tool, it can be used to benefit or to harm. The problem with AI today is that it is advancing with too little oversight while being controlled by big tech companies whose primary goal is to collect our personal data and concentrate the power of AI in their own hands. That is where the line should be drawn.
Once in office, I will work to create a clear path forward for regulating AI so that it benefits everyone. I will establish strict limits on how companies and government agencies collect, store, and use our personal data. I will also ensure that AI continues on a path of innovation while staying environmentally responsible, safe, transparent, accountable, and free from bias, and that this innovation actually creates jobs rather than eliminates them. I will do this hand in hand with experts who aren’t beholden to private interests over the public good.
Q3 What policies, if any, do you support or envision to manage land-based resources in your state (water, open-space preserves, parks, etc.)?
Protecting our environment is protecting our children’s future, and we cannot afford to wait. When it comes to land-based resources like parks, forests, water, rivers, lakes, etc., we quickly find that all these elements are deeply dependent on one another. Taking a holistic, ecological, and sustainable approach to not only conservation, but also to how we protect our people as we mitigate climate change, is key to preserving the future of Massachusetts and our region. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection does much of this work, but due to climate change deniers in the federal government and special interest groups that corrupt our politics, this work has often slowed or even stalled completely.
I support a strong national transition to clean and renewable energy that reduces emissions and strengthens our economy. This means policies that prioritize the sustainability of our environmental resources. It’s time to end federal subsidies for oil and gas companies and invest those resources in sustainable technologies and clean energy innovation. By doing so, we can create high-paying green jobs that rebuild our infrastructure, empower families to succeed, and prepare our communities for a sustainable future. We must begin building serious pathways to reverse atmospheric carbon, not just slow down our contributions to it, so that we can protect our communities from increasingly chaotic and destructive weather patterns.
Q4 What policies do you support to secure affordable and ready access to healthcare services for your constituents?
Every person deserves access to doctors, medicine, and mental health care without the fear of going into debt.
I support building a national path toward universal healthcare so every American can get care when they need it. This includes expanding Medicaid to cover people who remain uninsured and protecting the eighty million seniors, people with disabilities, and children who rely on it. We must also leverage Medicare’s buying power to bring down prescription drug prices for everyone and hold big pharmaceutical companies accountable. We need to expand paid family, maternity, and medical leave and make it a standard protection for all workers.
I also want to address the growing shortage of medical and mental health professionals by launching federal incentive programs that recruit, train, and retain the workforce our communities rely on, such as primary care physicians and the expert nurses that so often support them.