Policy Positions & Issues
I believe in evidence-based policies. We need a Senate, a government, that supports people-first policies. We need to fight back against those who have rigged our politics and economy to work for the few, and get it working for everyone.
Ending 50 Years of Wage Stagnation
$25/hr Minimum Wage: Fighting for Working Families
We need a $25/hr minimum wage. Wages have been suppressed and stagnated for 50 years. Ordinary people are struggling to make ends meet. The cost of groceries, housing, and healthcare have risen much faster than wages.
The 'Fight for $15/hr' started in 2012. In today's dollars, that would be more than $21/hr. A living wage is justice.
Raising the minimum wage will also help all other workers. As the minimum wage goes up, the wages of other jobs are forced to rise as well.
A Fair Economy for All
Ordinary people have more that unites us than the issues some attempt to use to divide us. The oligarchs, the 1%, and the billionaires have hijacked our politics and our economy. It doesn't need to be this way.
As we've seen, wages for ordinary people in New Jersey have stagnated for 50 years, while the wealthiest members of society have amassed unprecedented wealth. We need to get them to pay their fair share.
Fifty years ago, in 1975, the top marginal tax rate was 70%. Today it is just 37%. Making matters worse, the super-rich—the billionaires—have found ways to basically avoid paying taxes altogether.
We need to close all loopholes for those making more than $1 million per year and tax them on their total compensation.
Protecting Our Planet, Our People, and Our Home
We see the increasing severity and frequency of severe weather events that are a threat to New Jersey and people across the world.
This is a direct result of human activity, but we have solutions. Today, solar is the cheapest, most effective form of industrial-scale energy production available. Clean and renewable energy offers a way to both support modern infrastructure and protect the environment. Proven, natural solutions like planting trees, restoring wetlands, and protecting our oceans are effective measures to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Our progress is stalled by powerful special interests addicted to fossil fuel profits. They lobby against change and spread misinformation to protect their bottom line, preventing common-sense solutions simply because they don't offer a way for corporations to profit.
We only have one planet. We need to get serious about climate change because we can't afford not to.
Housing: Putting People First!
New Jersey is in a profound housing crisis. Soaring rents and unaffordable home prices are crushing families, a direct result of a system that prioritizes the profits of landlords and real estate firms over housing people.
Right now, we spend billions in public money to subsidize private developers, who often provide low-quality housing while reaping massive profits. This is unacceptable. Current public housing rules are also broken, punishing residents with eviction for getting a small raise or getting married.
It's time for a new vision. We must shift our resources towards high-quality housing that people can afford. This approach ensures that housing serves as a stable foundation for families, not a tool for private profit.
Healthcare: Putting People First!
Our healthcare system is broken and dysfunctional. The lack of adequate access to healthcare is a leading cause of preventable deaths in America, and too many New Jersey families either don't have health insurance or face prohibitively expensive medications and medical costs.
The real barrier to affordable, quality healthcare isn't cost. It's corruption. The healthcare industry spends billions lobbying Congress and donating to politicians to keep the system broken. Right now, in Congress they are making our broken system even worse. Millions are threatened with losing coverage.
I advocate for a universal, single-payer healthcare system. This is not an impossible dream; similar programs are successfully implemented in virtually every other industrialized country, delivering better care at a lower cost.
It's time to fight back. Overhauling the system will be a battle, but we can relentlessly fight to expand coverage, simplify the plans we have, and make them easier to access. We must put people first and ensure everyone in New Jersey has access to the high-quality care they deserve.
A Path to Peace and Justice
American leadership should be a force for peace, justice, and human rights. Unfortunately, our current leadership has failed miserably. The entire world has watched the terrible atrocities carried out by the Israeli government and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) against the Palestinian people.
In response to these actions, the International Criminal Court has sought arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister and his former defense minister on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A just and lasting peace for both Palestinians and Israelis is not only a moral imperative, but it is in the best interest of the people of New Jersey.
Our leaders have sent billions of dollars in weapons used to intensify this tragic conflict. This is a profound moral and strategic failure. The United States must not be complicit. Our aid should be used to save lives, not to enable human rights abuses.
True peace requires addressing the root causes of the conflict, including the ongoing occupation and the denial of Palestinian self-determination. The current cycle of violence will only end when the human rights of Palestinians are respected and international law is applied to allies and adversaries alike.