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Melanie D'Arrigo's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2022.

  • "As a National Organization for Women endorsed candidate, I will fight relentlessly to codify Roe v. Wade, end the Hyde Amendment and unrig the Supreme Court to ensure our rights are never again under attack." (darrigo2022.com)
  • Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? "Pro-Choice" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The choices around a person’s reproductive rights should be left up to the individual, and access to healthcare shouldn’t be limited by income." (darrigo2022.com)
  • "For decades, billionaires have paid millionaires to write laws to increase their wealth at the expense of millions of working-class families struggling to get by. It is long past time that billionaires start paying their fair share. This is a great start." (twitter.com)
  • In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? "Yes" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The 99.9% shouldn’t bear the financial burden of tax breaks for billionaires and corporations. I believe in a tax system where everyone pays their fair share and closes the gap in wealth inequality." (darrigo2022.com)
  • Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare? "Yes" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "NY’s 3rd District is home to over 155,000 adults over the age of 65. I support lifting the Social Security cap to ensure that Social Security continues to be fully funded and never privatized, lowering prescription drug costs, expanding the Older Americans Act and acting on policies to end age discrimination and senior harassment." (darrigo2022.com)
  • Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? "Yes" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "I have proposed the PAID BY (Politician Accountability Disclosures Benefitting You) Act, which would force transparency and accountability on politicians and candidates by having them disclose corporate and special interest campaign donations that are conflicts of interest." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act bans no-knock warrants and has bipartisan support. We need a Senate courageous enough, who is willing to stand up for ALL Americans, to finally pass it." (twitter.com)
  • "All my love to George Floyd’s family. Let this be the start of a new era of accountability and police reform. Let this be a resounding reminder that we must not be bystanders of injustice. This is a new day for our country. Let’s not waste it." (twitter.com)
  • "We are passed injustice. Accountability needs to mean more than firing a murderer. It needs to mean more than charges. Accountability means we all stand together and demand a seismic shift in the way one race is treated over another. #GeorgeFloyd" (twitter.com)
  • Do you support increasing defense spending? "No" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "For just 6% of our military budget, we could end homelessness and hunger in the United States. Budgets are declarations of our values, and we must choose to value helping those Americans who need help over war." (twitter.com)
  • Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? "Yes" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The Build Back Better Act will create jobs, create a fairer tax structure and invest in the middle class. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to prioritize the future of our families. We must not waste it." (twitter.com)
  • Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? "No" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "The 99.9% shouldn’t bear the financial burden of tax breaks for billionaires and corporations. I believe in a tax system where everyone pays their fair share and closes the gap in wealth inequality." (darrigo2022.com)
  • Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19? "Yes" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "I support relief to small businesses. Additionally, I believe there should be relief for the people. Congress has prioritized relief to large corporations and families are going hungry because they cannot afford food. I believe the Covid-19 response was a colossal failure and put many people at risk." (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "A well-educated America greatly benefits us all. I believe every child deserves a high-quality education that doesn’t leave them with a lifetime of crippling debt." (darrigo2022.com)
  • Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? "No" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "We must provide funding for culturally relevant curriculums and Social Emotional Learning as well as increased and updated education on topics critical for children and teens for inclusiveness (gender/orientation, bullying, identifying and stopping hate, eating disorders and depression)." (darrigo2022.com)
  • Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? "Yes" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "I support the Green New Deal because it is the ONLY plan that lays out a path to saving our planet. The climate crisis is the existential threat of our generation. We must act now." (darrigo2022.com)
  • "The Green New Deal would end our dependence on fossil fuels and require 100% of our country’s power demand to be met from zero-emission energy sources like wind and solar, modernize transportation infrastructure, slash carbon emissions from agricultural and manufacturing sectors, weatherize homes and buildings to make them more energy efficient and increase our land preservation. The Green New Deal also creates an economic safety net for those communities affected by the shift away from fossil fuel use, including guaranteed healthcare, living-wage jobs and job training." (darrigo2022.com)
  • Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? "Yes" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "I support the Green New Deal because it is the ONLY plan that lays out a path to saving our planet. The climate crisis is the existential threat of our generation. We must act now." (darrigo2022.com)
  • "The Green New Deal would end our dependence on fossil fuels and require 100% of our country’s power demand to be met from zero-emission energy sources like wind and solar, modernize transportation infrastructure, slash carbon emissions from agricultural and manufacturing sectors, weatherize homes and buildings to make them more energy efficient and increase our land preservation. The Green New Deal also creates an economic safety net for those communities affected by the shift away from fossil fuel use, including guaranteed healthcare, living-wage jobs and job training." (darrigo2022.com)
  • Do you generally support gun-control legislation? "Yes" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "New York has some of the most progressive gun safety laws in the country, which has led us to having the 2nd lowest rate of gun deaths in the U.S. (CDC) That tells us that common sense gun safety laws work. While New York has strong safety laws, guns still come across state lines from states where they are easier to access. We need laws at a federal level." (darrigo2022.com)
  • "Over 100 Americans are shot and killed each day. As a long-time Moms Demand Action volunteer and the only candidate in this race to be endorsed by Everytown, I support the common sense gun safety laws that will make our communities safer." (darrigo2022.com)
  • Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? "No" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Hope won't protect our rights or the ACA. Hard work will. Find an organization on the front lines putting in the work electorally & in the streets and get involved." (twitter.com)
  • Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19? "Yes" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Republicans and centrist Democrats in Congress who have unlimited paid leave and guaranteed healthcare do not think working families should have paid leave and guaranteed healthcare. We need to elect representatives who aren't owned by lobbyists because this isn't sustainable." (twitter.com)
  • "The pandemic disproportionately impacted women. Any plan to build back our economy needs to center women — living wages, paid leave, universal childcare, strong unions and worker protections." (twitter.com)
  • "A path to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, farmworkers and essential workers." (darrigo2022.com)
  • "Children should not be locked in cages. I support humane immigration reform that doesn’t violate an asylum seeker’s basic human rights and due process along with a path to citizenship." (darrigo2022.com)
  • Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? "No" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)? "No" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts? "Yes" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Why are we in forever wars in the Middle East AND don’t have a #GreenNewDeal?" (twitter.com)
  • Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)? "Yes" (justfacts.votesmart.org)
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
Pro-choice Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
Yes In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
Yes Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare?
Yes Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
I have proposed the PAID BY (Politician Accountability Disclosures Benefitting You) Act, which would force transparency and accountability on politicians and candidates by having them disclose corporate and special interest campaign donations that are conflicts of interest.
No Do you support increasing defense spending?
Yes Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
No Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
Yes Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19?
I support relief to small businesses. Additionally, I believe there should be relief for the people. Congress has prioritized relief to large corporations and families are going hungry because they cannot afford food. I believe the Covid-19 response was a colossal failure and put many people at risk.
No Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
Yes Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)?
Yes Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
Yes Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
No Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
Yes Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19?
No Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
No Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
No Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)?
Yes Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts?
Yes Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)?
- we should also establish standards for fair competition -address currency manipulation -create an environment that fosters new trading opportunities while building international cooperation on trading
I am fighting for healthcare, combatting out climate crisis and getting corporate money out of politics. We will need swift governmental action to combat the climate crisis. The US must stop subsidizing the fossil fuel industry and instead subsidize clean energy. We are the only industrialized country in the world that does not provide healthcare to our residents and we have worse outcomes which is why I am fighting for healthcare for all. Lastly, I will work to overturn Citizens United and get corporate money out of politics, which has proven to be the single biggest impediment to progress.

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