Issue Position: Protecting What We Have Worked For

Issue Position

For generations, Americans have worked for progress. This progress takes many forms--from a secure and healthy retirement to a free and equal society. We must protect what we have worked for, and keep our country moving forward. Recent Congressional actions threaten much of that work. In Congress, I will work to:

*Protect Social Security and Medicare. As the deficit and the national debt continue to rise, Congressional actions put the future of our investments at risk. We must keep our promise to retired Americans by opposing consistent efforts to efforts to turn Social Security and Medicare into voucher programs, privatize them, or use them to pay for irresponsible tax cuts; addressing waste in these and all government programs to ensure only those eligible get the benefits in which they invested; and preserving the integrity of the programs for those who pay into them now.
*Protect voting rights. We should be enacting and enforcing laws that make it easier, not harder, for citizens to vote--fighting for a better system to determine our representation, eliminate partisan bias, and work for an equitable voting process. This means championing a full restoration of the Voting Rights Act, challenging discriminatory voter identification laws, facilitating registration, and expanding early voting and vote-by-mail options. It also means addressing partisan gerrymandering, which dominates our political system and disenfranchises voters.
*Protect civil rights. Our nation's laws are designed to protect against discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin. These laws should be enforced and expanded to ensure that everyone is treated fairly. This means support for a federal Equality Act that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (and related statutes) to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. We must work to end discrimination and to retain the rights that so many have worked so hard to achieve.
*Protect women's rights. Women have worked to have a seat at the table, in business and in our government. We must ensure that women's voices are heard so that issues like equal pay, family and medical leave, women's healthcare and reproductive rights are addressed. This means working to protect Title X family planning funding, which was first introduced by TX-07 Congressman George H.W. Bush; ensuring access to birth control; and reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

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