Abundance New York 2026 Congressional Candidate Questionnaire
Nina Schwalbe
Congressional District NY-12
Background
Please briefly describe your background and why you are running for this office.
I’m a public health expert and advocate who has spent my career as a public servant, working hard to fix broken systems and connect people to life-saving care. I have held leading roles at some of the world’s most complex institutions where politics, finances, logistics, and human lives intersect. I have managed large teams and large budgets, negotiated among governments, strengthened systems that operate across borders, and created alliances that deliver results. From vaccine access and pandemic preparedness to maternal health, disability inclusion, TB, HIV and sexual and reproductive rights, and human rights, I have dedicated my life to fighting for the right to health and social justice and to ensure public systems serve people. And I have lives saved to show for it.
As a scientist, lesbian and mom, I have used my voice -- from the PTA to the G7-- to stand up for change, fix broken systems and work for a world where everyone everywhere has the right to health, happiness and pursuit of justice.
I’m running for office because our health, dignity and security are being destroyed. The executive branch is running the show, stealing taxpayer dollars, and Congress is just sitting back and watching it happen. Corporate influence has distorted public policy, working families face ever rising costs, and rule of law is being destroyed. I’m running for Congress because the American people deserve leadership that will fight for health, dignity, and security as human rights and a government that puts people before profit. We won't ever change the way Washington works if we're unwilling to change the types of people we send to represent us, and that starts in NY-12.
How are you differentiated from your opponent(s)? What does your path to victory look like in your district?
We are running a kitchen table campaign and we’re proud of it. No political machine, no big insider network, just real people stepping up, inspired to meet the moment and bring real change. We have more than 100 volunteers and counting, because they trust me – and my message is resonating. That’s our path to victory: deep roots, strong relationships, and a grassroots movement powered by New Yorkers who are ready to change Washington by changing the types of people we send to represent us.
I will be the only Democratic public health PhD in Congress. I have had a long, distinguished career as a scientist and public health expert who has delivered billions of vaccines. I have extensive experience in running large government programs and international diplomacy. This moment demands a different kind of candidate – not an establishment product of the Democrat machine, not a TV talking head, not a celebrity social media personality or legacy family. I am the lone true progressive in the field.
Government Delivery Reform
NEPA Reform: Congress should reform the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to reduce the time and scope of federal environmental review for housing, transit, renewable energy, and resilience projects. NEPA delays affect federally funded projects in New York, adding years and significant costs to critical infrastructure.
Disagree
Capital Project Procurement Reform: Congress should give federal agencies and their state and local grantees more procurement flexibility—such as expanded other transaction authority and performance-based contracting—to speed up delivery of federally funded capital projects. This should include examining Buy America requirements and federal cost-sharing rules that inflate project costs.
Agree
Additional context
Reducing environmental reviews weakens safeguards and concentrates risk in communities already living in high risk areas.
Housing
Expanding Housing: Addressing the housing affordability crisis requires increasing production of all kinds of housing, including market-rate units. Congress should increase federal support for housing production through funding and regulatory changes, including by tying federal transportation, infrastructure, and community development funding to pro-supply local policies such as zoning and permitting reform.
Agree
Homelessness: Congress should increase federal funding for Housing First approaches, including permanent supportive housing, as the primary strategy for addressing homelessness.
While building increased housing is vital for addressing the homeless crisis, helping people get off the streets is not just about physical infrastructure. It is about economic security and access to health. There are so many reasons why people lose their homes—financial security, medical expenses, drug addiction, mental health challenges, and diseases like HIV and TB. A progressive engagement-based approach, one tailored to the individual needs of every person or family, is the most effective way for getting people off the street
Transit-Oriented Development: Congress should incentivize transit-oriented development by conditioning federal transit funding on local zoning changes that allow more housing near transit stations.
Agree
Build Code Reform: Congress should support research, funding, financing, and model codes that encourage cheaper construction methods (e.g., modular construction, mass timber) while maintaining safety.
Agree
Repeal the Faircloth Amendment: Congress should repeal the Faircloth Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds to build new public housing units beyond the number that existed in 1999, to allow for the construction of new public housing.
Agree
Additional context
I’ll push to repeal the Faircloth Amendment to allow new public housing construction and other necessary code changes to increase construction, as long as safety and health standards are maintained. Furthermore, I will work to improve access and quality of public housing by fully funding NYCHA with tenant-led oversight, expand housing vouchers, and advance a Social Housing Development authority based on Mitchell-Lama – permanently affordable, publicly owned, stable rents.
Transit
Transit Cost Containment: Congress should act to reduce the cost of federally funded transit projects, including by reforming FTA New Starts and Capital Investment Grant requirements, streamlining federal review, and encouraging cost-containment practices as a condition of federal funding.
Agree
Bus Transit Investment: Congress should leverage its funding for bus transit to encourage the creation of busways and bus rapid transit where appropriate to increase the speed of buses and the efficiency of federal investments, including through programs like the FTA's Capital Investment Grants and Bus and Bus Facilities program.
Agree
Automated Camera Enforcement: Congress should remove or oppose federal restrictions that limit state and local use of automated traffic enforcement—such as red light cameras, speed cameras, and bike lane cameras—and should allow federal highway safety funds to support automated enforcement expansion.
Agree
Parking: New York City should charge more for parking and reduce or eliminate free street parking.
While New York City should charge more for parking in high congestion areas, which will reduce pollution and make up a portion of the city’s spending deficit, fully eliminating free street parking would be a significant burden on working class residents, particularly those in the outer boroughs.
Additional context
Programs specific key performance indicators for federally funded programs will help Congress measure results, not just dollars. For transit programs, these KPIs will hold agencies accountable to their targets and ensure that tax payer dollars are used effectively without running up unnecessary costs.
Clean Energy & Climate Resilience
Solar Energy: New York State should preempt local regulations that effectively ban solar projects by establishing a ceiling on restrictions and should streamline solar permitting by adopting automated systems in order to enable more solar energy.
Agree
Nuclear Energy: Congress should support expanding U.S. nuclear energy capacity by funding new reactor designs, streamlining NRC licensing, and extending the operating licenses of existing plants in order to hit the goal of 100% zero-emission electricity generation by 2040.
Agree
Geothermal Energy: Congress should support the expansion of geothermal energy development through federal research funding, streamlined permitting, and incentives for deployment, including in dense urban areas like New York.
Agree
Transmission Co-Location: Congress should support legislation that prioritizes existing highway, railroad, and utility rights-of-way for the siting of new electricity transmission lines, reducing permitting delays and landowner conflicts while accelerating the buildout of transmission capacity needed to deliver clean energy.
Agree
Climate Resilience Investments: Congress should increase federal investment in climate resilience infrastructure, including coastal defenses, stormwater management, and cooling infrastructure, with priority given to socially vulnerable communities.
Agree
Buyout Reform: Congress should reform federal disaster buyout programs—including those administered through FEMA and HUD—to accelerate the relocation of families out of high-risk flood zones, with streamlined environmental review, standing funding, and expanded eligibility for renters.
Agree
Additional context
Expanding our clean energy infrastructure and distribution networks is vital for reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and combating climate change. In the face of increasing disaster, building more resilient infrastructure and increasing funding for disaster preparation will reduce the impact of the future crises. I support buyout reform, as long as the process is voluntary with proper review and equitable funding to ensure low income residents have their needs met and find proper housing.
Candidate Statement
Abundance Examples from Your Work: Please describe a specific example from your record (legislative, professional, or community work) where you championed a project or policy that is aligned with our agenda. What obstacles did you overcome, and what was the outcome?
I led the Biden administration's Global COVID 19 distribution program which delivered over 500M vaccines. When I started the job we had 500M vaccines - and no syringes. I worked through bureaucracy in weeks to make it happen - and it worked.
Legislative Priorities: If elected (or re-elected) to Congress, what are your top three legislative priorities? Please be specific about the policies you would advance and what you hope to achieve.
PROTECT OUR HEALTH: RFK Jr. is dismantling science and gutting public health. I will lead the charge to impeach him, restore science, guarantee healthcare and primary care for all, lower drug costs, and protect our children through mandatory vaccination. I closed the deal to cut HPV vaccine prices by 65% for the world's poorest countries. I get results.
DEFEND OUR RIGHTS: I will fight to abolish ICE, create humane immigration pathways, and defend human rights at home and abroad. That means safe and affordable housing; reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights; and racial and climate justice. I led efforts that prevented 700,000 child deaths and delivered 500 million COVID-19 vaccines to 125 countries. I will deliver for us.
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY: Trump is stealing our tax dollars, killing people in custody and on the streets, and waging unauthorized wars. Congress is just watching. That ends now. I developed an accountability framework for the World Health Organization's global Pandemic Treaty - and fought to enforce it. I know how to make governments accountable and I will do that here.