July 16, 2019 Senator Amy Klobuchar National Press Club Speech and June 18, 2019 - Senator Amy Klobuchar Releases Plan of More Than 100 Actions for Her First 100 Days as President

Amy Klobuchar « First 100 Days

Amy for America
For Immediate Release: July 16, 2019

Klobuchar Echoes FDR’s Call for “Direct, Vigorous Action” in Speech Outlining Her First 100 Days as President

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senator Amy Klobuchar delivered remarks at the National Press Club on her 100-day plan for America to regain the trust and spirit of our democracy.

“You know, a lot of candidates have a lot of plans,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar in her remarks today. “Me? Well, I have big bold plans yes, but I’ve also given myself and our Congress and our nation deadlines. And as you all know as journalists, there’s nothing better than a deadline.”

Senator Klobuchar outlined the concrete steps she will take in her first 100 days as President to reverse the worst abuses of the current Administration and return to a path of progress.

Watch her full speech here:

Highlights from her speech:

“That’s what this is about. Setting a new tone that the currency of our democracy will once again be that of decency, and that our nation will be grounded in hope. Because as you know, this nation—this grand experiment in democracy—was founded on hope. It wasn’t founded on false hope. It was founded on hope.

Because when our founders spoke about ‘a more perfect union’ centuries ago, they meant that it wasn’t perfect when they started, they knew that, but they believed it would become more perfect over time. And each generation of Americans has an obligation to make it more perfect, to meet the challenges of their time.”

...

“The next President can and must immediately take action using the authority granted to her by law. Because in this time of crisis, we can’t wait. We can’t wait when the foundations of our democracy are cracking. We can’t wait when our nation’s social fabric is fraying. And we can’t wait when Americans live in fear because of who they are or what they look like or where they come from or who they love. So yes my 100 days plan includes things that we can do right now. Without waiting on the Republican leaders.”

…

“At his first inaugural, FDR said the people were demanding ‘direct, vigorous action.’ They were demanding results. That was true in 1933. And it is true again today.   When millions marched at the Women’s March, they were demanding results.   When thousands rushed to the airports over the President’s meanspirited travel ban, they were demanding results.   And when Americans voted last year to turn the House of Representatives back into the People’s House, because they didn’t like what the president was doing when it came to health care, when they didn’t feel like they were part of this economy, they were demanding results.   And when they vote on November 3, 2020, the American people will once again be demanding results.”

Full remarks:

Well thank you so much, Alison. It’s great to be back. I came in late last night from Iowa. I don’t know why I was there, but I was. And thank you to the National Press Club for hosting me. I’ve been here several times before, including as the keynote speaker for the event commemorating the election of your new Press Club president at the time, Alan Bjerga, a Minnesotan.

And I remember three things well about that event.

First, it was in the middle of some really bad D.C. weather and somehow I made it in for the speech in the middle of that snowstorm, which is not new for me. But I didn’t have 4 inches of snow on top of my head.

Second, the musical entertainment was Bob Schieffer playing with the local country western band Honky Tonk Confidential.

And third, in my talk—which was a humorous speech—I noted that Bjerga was ushering in a new era: Press Club presidents who were not only outstanding journalists but whose name—in this case Alan B-J-E-R-G-A if played right, garnered more than 160 points on the Scrabble board. For the record, you may be surprised to know that in Scrabble the name Amy Klobuchar actually scores more points than Pete Buttigieg, not that I’m competitive, but it is 28 to 19. There’s an app for it, you can check it out.

So on to the first 100 days.

Now that phrase, 100 days, has become ubiquitous in presidential politics.

Generations of candidates have made promises about what they’ll do in that time frame.

Generations of journalists have conducted analyses about what actually got done during that time frame.

But sometimes, I think, we forget about where that concept came to begin with.

It was Franklin Roosevelt.

So we all know why those first 100 days were so important back then.

In 1933, there was of course a crisis.

But it wasn’t just a crisis of economics. It was also a crisis of confidence. A crisis of trust.

Because FDR was well aware that when he was sworn in as President, people had lost their trust in the government. And they didn’t think the government would come through for them...they didn’t think that Washington would make things better for them.

FDR was determined to earn back their trust. Right away he laid out a bold plan to take on the crisis of his time. He got that as a leader you have to set a new tone, a new sense of leadership, as well as advocate long-term changes. He foresaw that the people needed to move forward for the long haul but that they also needed to see a change in the short-term right away to even start considering the end of the year, or the end of two years after that.

He had to convince the nation that the government had their backs and that there was hope.

Today, we need a new 100-day plan for America.

This time it’s not only about long-term economics and how so many people aren’t sharing in our economy’s prosperity. It’s also about our very democracy. It’s about common decency. It’s about how we govern and how we treat each other.

Because when parents don’t want to show their kids what the President is saying on television because it’s just too embarrassing, or not appropriate, we lose confidence.

When the President is asked about Russia’s attack on our democracy, and he turns to a ruthless dictator—Vladimir Putin—and makes a joke about it, we lose confidence.

And as we gather in this room, where we don’t just tolerate the First Amendment, where we embrace it, when we have a President who wakes up and tweets whatever he wants every morning—including this morning—but still doesn’t respect the amendment that allows him to do it—calling journalists the “enemy of the people”—well then we lose confidence.

When the President sends reprehensible and racist tweets telling American citizens serving in the Congress—people who were elected to serve their nation—to go back to other countries, yes, we lose confidence.

You see, all of this tears at the fabric of our country and weakens the institutions that have made America, America.

And this is not just about the rhetoric. The president has used the power of the Presidency to advance a mean-spirited agenda, sometimes to invigorate his base at the cost of sound policy, sometimes to distract the country just for the sake of making news and controlling the day’s press coverage.

We saw it when he tried to add a citizenship question to the Census in an effort to undercount immigrants and people of color. Even though the courts repeatedly said it was wrong, he—as they say—persevered and while he ultimately failed, he managed to get a whole lot of press coverage in the meantime.

We saw it when he cut funding for Planned Parenthood and put women’s health at risk.

We saw it when he proposed cuts in funding for Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and programs that help Americans afford their heat in the winter.

We saw it when he tried to kick DREAMers out of this country when it’s the only country that they’ve ever called home. We saw it with the threats of the raids this past weekend.

We see it every day when he tells outlandish untruth — now 10,000 and counting. Broken promises littering the Oval Office carpet, while cash-strapped Americans wait for their prescription drug price reductions, wait for their rural broadband, wait for their educations.

Today, right now, we can start earning back the people’s trust. We can start restoring people’s confidence in our democracy.

To do this, yes, we need legislative marathons — like passing climate change legislation, a major infrastructure bill, health care cost reductions and economic relief for regular people—all of which I believe can be done in the first year—but we also need sprints.

Why? Because just like FDR understood years ago, you need to regain both the trust in, and the spirit of our democracy immediately—those are the sprints—both in words and in actions—to get people on board for the marathon in the long haul.

Now I don’t run marathons and I am not a big sprinter either. You’d have to look at other candidates for that. But I am really good at long distance bike riding and long hikes, and as I proved this weekend in Ankeny, Iowa, really long parades.

When you do these long treks, you know that you wake up early in the morning and you get a lot of miles behind you, before it really gets too hot and the sun gets too high in the sky and before you get too tired.

That’s what this is about. Setting a new tone that the currency of our democracy will once again be that of decency, and that our nation will be grounded in hope.

Because as you know, this nation—this grand experiment in democracy—was founded on hope. It wasn’t founded on false hope. It was founded on hope.

Because when our founders spoke about “a more perfect union” centuries ago, they meant that it wasn’t perfect when they started, they knew that, but they believed it would become more perfect over time. And each generation of Americans has an obligation to make it more perfect, to meet the challenges of their time.

This is what I mean: when Donald Trump inherited an economy grounded in the resilience of our workers and our businesses who had led us through a really bad downturn. His obligation was to meet the challenges of his time—immigration reform, climate change, doing something to advance workforce training, doing something to make for more shared prosperity, to make our country stronger. To reduce health care costs--you know what those challenges are. His obligation was not to gloat, and it was not to rest on the laurels of others.

It’s something that every small business owner knows...if you develop one successful product, and it keeps you going strong, she doesn’t stop there, you look for the next product for that next year, for that next decade. It’s something every restaurant cook knows when he comes up with a new recipe, and it’s something every parent whose child comes home with a good report card knows—you don’t say, “Wow you did so great for a fourth grader and now I don’t have to worry about you for fifteen years.” No, we rise to the challenges of our time. That’s what leaders do.

That is especially true of our nation, which has been a nation that always strives for a more perfect union. But we do it as a country that has been cradled in community. As a people with different but shared stories. As a place where ordinary people do extraordinary things every day.

And that’s why I’ve announced a plan to take over 100 actions in my first 100 days as President.

Because I believe we can reverse the worst abuses of this President.

I believe we can return to the path of progress. And once again be a nation governed not by chaos but by opportunity.

And I believe we can restore confidence in our government and our democracy.

Well, first, of course we will get major bills introduced in the first 100 days. And as President, I’ll make sure we get them passed. I know how to work with Congress to get the job done.

My priorities? I’ve mentioned many times. Climate change legislation, a major infrastructure package, comprehensive immigration reform with the very clear goal of getting it done in the first year—something both Democrats and Republicans have supported many times in the past—prescription drug legislation, legislation to reduce health care costs, and making sure that all families have a fair shot in today’s economy.

I have found success in working in Congress. In the United States Senate, I have passed over 100 where I’ve been the lead Democrat.

But, as Roosevelt knew well, Congress is not the only way to get things done.

That’s why our founders gave the President considerable authority. The next president will be the chief law enforcement officer. The commander in chief. She will be the face of our nation.

And she will have the power to act, at times, without Congress.

But let me answer your question before you ask it, daughter of reporter. And that is when I use executive power, when Congress refuses to act, I pledge to you that I will do it in a way that is consistent with the rule of law.

Because I believe, just as our founders did, in the separation of powers. Our system of checks and balances is essential.

The Trump Administration has ignored these checks and balances. Instead, Donald Trump has pursued his divisive agenda by undermining our democracy and exploiting executive power.

So my first 100 days, in that time, we will restore that balance.

But at the same time, we will not wait for Congress if we don’t have to, we will move our country forward if we can, but when I act, I will respect our laws, and our democracy and our country.

The next President can and must immediately take action using the authority granted to her by law. Because in this time of crisis, we can’t wait.

We can’t wait when the foundations of our democracy are cracking.

We can’t wait when our nation’s social fabric is fraying.

And we can’t wait when Americans live in fear because of who they are or what they look like or where they come from or who they love.

So yes my 100 day plan includes things that we can do right now. Without waiting on the Republican leaders.

You know, a lot of candidates have a lot of plans. Me? Well, I have big bold plans yes, but I’ve also given myself and our Congress and our nation deadlines. And as you all know as journalists, there’s nothing better than a deadline.

Once elected I will ask that the American people join me in taking on these first 100 days with a sense of urgency. This is in fact a to-do list bigger than any post-it note on a refrigerator. But it is a list that—when completed—will help the very people that have those post-it notes on their refrigerators. And it is doable so long as I bring the country with me.

So here are just a few examples. And you can see all of these examples, which is a living, breathing document. We’ve been adding a few things to it along the way on our website atamyklobuchar.com. But here are a few examples of what you’ll see from me in my first 100 days.

On day one, we will get back into the International Climate Change Agreement and restore the Clean Power Plan and work to bring back the gas mileage standards. Those are things you can do without passing a law.

We can safeguard the Affordable Care Act’s protections for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions. We’ll immediately put these protections back in place, stop sabotaging the Affordable Care Act exchanges and get to work towards expanding to universal health care.

In the first 100 days I will stop the practice of “pay for delay” where big pharmaceutical companies pay off generics to keep their products off the market. Yes, a president can do that herself. And will apply for a waiver from the ban on reimporting safe drugs from other countries--yes, again, a president can do that on her own--and put forth a bill to require Medicare to negotiate prices for our seniors.

Remember, it was this President who said on Fox News that he would lower prescription drugs so much--their prices-- that it would make, “your head spin.” I can tell you what has made our head spin. That is when the price of over 2,500 drugs have increased by double digits in just his first 14 months in office.

He has done nothing. He has done absolutely nothing. Nor has he pushed for major changes like the ones I’ve just outlined to be included in any bills.

When it comes to economics, for the middle class—as I said at the debate—it has been all foam and no beer. The solution? Let’s be more aggressive first of all--and this is the big picture--about how we enforce our antitrust laws--and I have many bills that we can get done in the long term--but in that first 100 days, I can update the standards for reviewing both horizontal and vertical mergers.

Let’s increase the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15 an hour--something you can do in the first 100 days--while we work to pass an increase to the federal minimum wage in year one.

Let’s expand apprenticeships and put our country on the path to doubling the number of apprenticeships within four years. We know where all those job openings are, and this is one good way to fill them.

We can close the tax loopholes and encourage companies to send--to encourage companies that try to send jobs overseas to bring them back.

We can also overhaul major parts of that tax bill that just passed, the regressive parts of that tax bill. That’s gonna not be able to get done in the first 100 years, but closing the tax loopholes on the companies that are putting the money overseas, that can be done in the first 100 days. We can put back in place policies aimed at addressing racial disparities in education, health care and our economy.

We can protect a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her health care, and end the domestic and global gag rules and ensure funding for Planned Parenthood.

When it comes to infrastructure, I will get that bill introduced in the first 100 days and get it done by the end of the year. Both Democrats and Republicans have been waiting throughout this Administration to see a major infrastructure package.

Two years and seven months later, since the president won his election, we’re still waiting. We still have bridges that are crumbling, schools without heat, faucets we can’t drink from, and levees breaking apart. And yes, he said that, in front of the whole nation, on election night--that he was going to fix that.

And let’s get another win for our economy by passing comprehensive immigration reform in the first year and immediately--in the first 100 days--ending separation of kids and their parents, stopping the constant push back at those here on legal temporary status, and allowing the DREAMers to stay.

We can rebuild our relationship with our allies and we can restore America’s standing in the world, start the negotiations to get back into the Iranian agreement as well as return to the INF treaty while working with our allies to address Russian violations.

Let’s reverse the Trump reversals on Cuba and work to restore freedom to travel to Cuba and trade with Cuba. I have long led this bipartisan bill--first with Senator Flake, now with Senator Enzi--and as President I look forward to completing the work that Barack Obama started when it came to Cuba.

Let’s strengthen cybersecurity and protect our elections and other American infrastructure.

We can end the practice of granting big oil companies secret waivers from the renewable fuel standard.

Yep, the President said he was going to support our farmers. And we all know in 2016 he got a lot of support in those areas of the country. But what did he do? He went out and behind closed doors gave secret waivers to the big oil companies just at a time when our sector of the economy--the agriculture sector--has been hurting -- hit by bad weather while he does nothing on climate change. Hit by commodity prices, hit by the trade war.

In my first 100 days, I will also implement gun reforms that are long overdue. We can start by closing the ‘boyfriend loophole”--that’s a bill that I have led for years. But guess what? A president can do it herself. And that will keep guns out of the hands of abusive dating partners and go from there of course, to introduce a bill, one just passed the House of Representatives, for the bigger items, including background checks.

Let’s reduce incarceration rates. We go a start with the First Step bill, but there’s more we can do. I will create a clemency advisory board, actually, on day one to begin reviewing requests for clemency.

Let’s make mental health and addiction a priority and address workforce shortages for nurses, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, especially in rural areas.

Let’s tackle disparities in maternal and infant mortality by developing a national model for care.

We can target funding on Alzheimer’s research and put us on track to develop a cure, treatment, and better prevention and treatment by 2025, something I was just talking about at AARP. By the way, this issue of long term care, and Alzheimer’s which is gonna hurt 14 million Americans by 2050, doubling of our senior population, is like the elephant in the room that no one is dealing with, no one is talking about. We have over 40 million people, right now, who are seniors.

When it comes to our democracy, we can stop the insidious discrimination at the ballot box by restoring the Voting Rights Act.

We can immediately nominate judges to fill judicial vacancies. Judges who will follow the law and respect precedent.

We can make it clear that the resident and the Vice President have to follow conflict of interest laws and require the president to make her tax returns publicly available.

We can publicly post executive branch ethics waivers and report senior officials’ conflicts of interest in rulemaking. All this can be done by the President.

And we can fully fund Freedom of Information Act offices and post FOIA requests online.

Let’s shed a light on the corporate dark money spending by requiring publicly traded companies to disclose all political spending over $10,000 to their shareholders.

Finally, let’s stand up for net neutrality. I will use federal contracting requirements to encourage broadband providers to honor net neutrality principles.

And we can immediately put in place a plan to connect every household to the internet by 2022. If Iceland can do it I think we can do it. The President can set this goal now.

So there’s so much more, so unless you are in a rural area that doesn’t have access to the internet, something I will change, you can see all of these plans and goals and my 100 day plan on my website at amyklobuchar.com.

To conclude, at his first inaugural, FDR said the people were demanding “direct, vigorous action.” They were demanding results. That was true in 1933. And it is true again today.

When millions marched at the Women’s March, they were demanding results.

When thousands rushed to the airports over the President’s meanspirited travel ban, they were demanding results.

And when Americans voted last year to turn the House of Representatives back into the People’s House, because they didn’t like what the president was doing when it came to health care, when they didn’t feel like they were part of this economy, they were demanding results.

And when they vote on November 3, 2020, the American people will once again be demanding results.

And when I take the oath of office on January 20, 2021, that's what I will deliver. 100 days of direct, vigorous action followed by the passage of major legislation. The American people are hungry for this change, and believe it or not, some of our elected representatives, many of them, are hungry for it too.

My first 100 days plan is what I credibly pledge to do to move our country forward as President. It’s a plan to return to the optimistic politics of one of my mentors Paul Wellstone, who always said politics is about one simple thing: it’s about improving people's lives. And when you believe that, all of this other stuff, it just melts away. So let’s get it done. Thank you.

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ed. note: This would be a lot more useful if the actions were presented by issue areas.

Amy for America
For Immediate Release: June 18, 2019

Senator Amy Klobuchar Releases Plan of More Than 100 Actions for Her First 100 Days as President

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar released a plan outlining the more than 100 concrete steps she will take in her first 100 days as President of the United States to take on the biggest challenges we face at home and abroad. The problems Americans are facing every single day require urgent action. That’s why Senator Klobuchar has a plan to get to work and deliver results on Day One.

Through executive action, Senator Klobuchar will begin to immediately deliver on her ambitious, optimistic agenda that will build a safer world, a stronger democracy, and a fairer economy while taking much-needed action on health care, climate change, and immigration.

“After four years of Donald Trump, a new President can’t wait for a bunch of congressional hearings to act,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar. “The urgent problems our country is facing require immediate action. That’s why in my first 100 days as President I will enact an ambitious, optimistic agenda to improve our health care, combat climate change, pursue economic justice and shared prosperity, and build a stronger democracy and safer world. With these concrete steps, we will put our country back on a path of progress where people have an opportunity to get ahead.”

During the first 100 days of Senator Klobuchar’s presidency, she will:

Get the United States back in the International Climate Agreement on day one. On day one of Senator Klobuchar’s presidency she will get us back into the International Climate Change Agreement, working so that the United States maintains global leadership to address the climate crisis.

Immediately suspend the Trump Administration’s efforts to eliminate the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Senator Klobuchar will immediately suspend all Trump Administration efforts — both in federal court and at the Department of Health and Human Services — that would allow insurance companies to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

Rebuild our relationship with our allies and restore America’s standing in the world. To rebuild the relationship with our allies that President Trump has undermined, Senator Klobuchar’s first international trips as President will be to Canada and Europe to begin restoring trust with our most important allies.

Immediately allow for the safe importation of prescription drugs from countries like Canada. Americans pay double what Canadians do for some prescription drugs, which is why Senator Klobuchar will use existing Food and Drug Administration authority to grant a waiver that allows people to import safe prescription drugs for personal use from countries like Canada to decrease drug costs for seniors and all Americans.

Fill judicial vacancies by nominating well-qualified judges on day one. Senator Klobuchar will waste no time in working with the Senate and the American Bar Association to nominate a full slate of well-qualified judges who will follow the law to fill judicial vacancies on federal courts on day one of her presidency.

Revive the aggressive protection of voting rights. Senator Klobuchar will restore the federal government’s longstanding position of challenging intentionally racially discriminatory voting laws. And while Congress works to restore the Voting Rights Act (VRA), Senator Klobuchar will direct the Department of Justice to use Section 3 of the VRA to “bail-in” jurisdictions to its preclearance requirements, allowing federal courts to place jurisdictions under the oversight requirement of the VRA.

Prioritize cybersecurity and protect our elections and other American infrastructure from cyber attack. As President, Senator Klobuchar will make cybersecurity an immediate priority. She will issue an Executive Order launching government-wide cybersecurity initiatives, fast-tracking and streamlining procurement of modern information technology across agencies. She will also launch a cabinet-level taskforce on election cybersecurity to coordinate across agencies, including the intelligence community, on how the federal government can work with state and local governments to address cyber threats to our democracy and infrastructure. She will also introduce legislation that provides election security funding, requires backup paper ballots, and requires campaigns to report contacts from foreign nationals seeking to interfere in an election to federal authorities.

Update the standards for reviewing both horizontal and vertical mergers to ensure vigorous antitrust enforcement. To tackle unprecedented consolidation and monopoly power, Senator Klobuchar will direct the Department of Justice to update its guidelines to ensure vigorous and aggressive enforcement of our antitrust laws.

Undertake aggressive retrospective review of mergers. To tackle corporate consolidation in what she has called “the new gilded age,” Senator Klobuchar will direct her Attorney General to have DOJ's Antitrust Division undertake aggressive retrospective reviews of mergers. She will introduce legislation to increase funding for antitrust enforcement efforts by adjusting merger filing fees and she will change the legal standards to promote competition and prevent consolidation.

Raise the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15. In line with her goal of increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, Senator Klobuchar will increase the minimum wage for federal contractors to that threshold.

Expand VA health benefits for women veterans and their babies. The Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2008 gave the VA the authority to provide care for newborn babies born to women veterans, but a narrow interpretation of the law is preventing access to care. Senator Klobuchar will direct the VA to expand covering the costs of medically-necessary emergency services for newborn babies of veterans.

Jump-start legislative negotiations for comprehensive immigration reform with the stated goal of passing it in the first year. Senator Klobuchar will jump-start negotiations for comprehensive immigration reform — which includes a pathway to citizenship, the DREAM Act and border security — with the stated goal of passing it in the first year of her presidency. Comprehensive immigration could reduce the deficit by $158 billion.

Protect DACA and TPS and Deferred Enforcement Departure designations. While she jump-starts negotiations for comprehensive immigration reform with the stated goal of passing it within the first year, Senator Klobuchar will undo attempts by the Trump Administration – many of which have been blocked by courts – to deport DREAMers and immigrants who are living, working and succeeding here under Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforcement Departure.

Shine a light on the corporate dark money spending. Senator Klobuchar will shine a light on the dark money by requiring publicly traded companies to disclose all political spending over $10,000 to their shareholders.

Bring transparency to dark money issue advocacy. Senator Klobuchar will direct the IRS to institute the requirement that tax-exempt organizations that engage in issue advocacy disclose to the IRS the names of individual donors who contribute more than $5,000 per year.

Propose landmark legislation that drives our changing economy forward and provides opportunity to all Americans. Our laws and our policies have not kept pace with our changing economy and the digital revolution. That’s why Senator Klobuchar will propose landmark legislation to take on monopoly power, empower our workers, and protect consumers’ privacy and health data privacy. She will also invest in quality child care, raise the minimum wage, provide paid family leave, support small business owners and entrepreneurs, as well as establish portable, worker-owned UP Accounts for retirement savings. She will also allow students to refinance their loans at lower interest rates, provide tuition-free community college and technical certifications, and expand Pell Grant eligibility and award amounts. To pay for these policies and reduce the debt, Senator Klobuchar will repeal the regressive portions of 2017 Republican tax reform, equalize tax rates for capital gains and ordinary income, put the Buffet rule in place, and close the carried interest and big oil loopholes.

Immediately close the “boyfriend loophole.” Senator Klobuchar leads legislation in the Senate to close the ‘boyfriend loophole’ by preventing people who have abused dating partners from buying or owning firearms, and she will take executive action to get it done immediately.
Introduce gun violence legislation. Senator Klobuchar will introduce gun violence legislation including putting universal background checks in place, closing the gun show loophole, and banning bump stocks, assault weapons and high capacity magazines.

Consider gun violence as a public health issue in CDC studies. Senator Klobuchar will direct the CDC to study gun violence as a public health issue and help identify approaches to reduce gun violence and save lives.

Propose a historic investment in public education. Senator Klobuchar will propose a historic investment in America’s education system that will fully fund education, increase teacher pay, and rebuild our crumbling school infrastructure.

End the misguided overuse of secret RFS small refinery waivers that have been granted to big oil companies at the expense of farmers. Senator Klobuchar will completely overhaul the EPA’s small refinery waivers and greatly increase transparency, ensuring that RFS waivers meant for small refiners do not go to big oil companies like Chevron and ExxonMobil and that these secret waivers do not line the pockets of big oil companies at the expense of farmers.

Protect federal employee labor rights. Senator Klobuchar will immediately rescind Executive Orders signed by President Trump that severely restrict federal workers’ rights, including the right to collectively bargain.

Prioritize mental health and addiction. Senator Klobuchar will take immediate action to combat substance use disorders and prioritize mental health, including launching new prevention and early intervention initiatives, expanding access to treatment, and giving Americans a path to sustainable recovery. This includes addressing workforce shortages for nurses, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals in many areas of the country and it means addressing the lack of hospital services and treatment beds.

End attacks on tribal sovereignty. Senator Klobuchar will respect tribal sovereignty including by stopping the Department of Justice from taking anti-sovereignty positions in litigation, directing the Department of Health and Human Services from deferring to states on Medicaid rules for tribal members, and increasing meaningful tribal consultation.

Make a plan to connect every household to the internet by 2022. Senator Klobuchar will work to close the rural-urban divide by connecting every household to the internet by 2022. This means directing federal support to close the last mile gap, overhauling broadband coverage mapping by establishing processes to verify carrier-reported data, and encouraging public-private partnerships in the areas of greatest need.

Restore the Clean Power Plan. To address the climate crisis, Senator Klobuchar will bring back the goals established by the Clean Power Plan, which set emissions standards for states with respect to reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.

Bring back the fuel-economy standards. Senator Klobuchar will restore and strengthen our fuel economy standards, which are key to fighting climate change. The Trump Administration has weakened the fuel-economy standards for cars and light trucks and has challenged the right of California and other states to follow more stringent standards.

Introduce sweeping legislation to address the climate crisis. Senator Klobuchar will introduce sweeping legislation to combat the climate crisis that builds on the framework of the Green New Deal, including a massive investment in green jobs and infrastructure, promoting rural energy development, supporting tougher building codes, buy clean, better greener transportation, appliance standards and climate resilience.

End “pay for delay” agreements that increase the cost of prescription drugs. Senator Klobuchar will take aggressive action to crack down on drug companies that are — in effect — paying the makers of generic drugs to delay cheaper versions of drugs from getting into the market.

Outline a plan to cut childhood poverty in half in ten years and end it within a generation. Senator Klobuchar will put forward a plan to cut childhood poverty in half in ten years, including expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Care Tax Credit, SNAP benefits and overhauling our country’s housing policy.

Restore and strengthen overtime rules. Too many American workers have been working overtime without getting paid for the extra hours. Senator Klobuchar will restore and strengthen the Obama Administration’s overtime rules to expand overtime pay to millions of workers, increasing the maximum salary for a worker to qualify for the overtime pay they’ve earned.

Propose legislation to get us to universal health care. Senator Klobuchar will propose legislation that gets us to universal health care, which includes creating a public health care option by expanding either Medicare or Medicaid, as well as improving the Affordable Care Act to help bring down costs to consumers through reinsurance, providing cost-sharing reductions, expanding premium subsidies, and continuing delivery system reform. Her legislation will also provide additional consumer protections and lower the costs of prescription drugs through aggressive reforms including lifting the ban that prohibits Medicare from negotiating the best possible price. These programs significantly reduce cost to consumers and help promote choice.

Develop best models of care to address disparities in maternal and infant mortality and address the shortage of maternity care health professional in underserved rural and urban areas. Senator Klobuchar will immediately implement a new law that tackles the shortage of maternity care health professionals —including nurses, midwives, and obstetricians — in underserved areas, and she will develop best models of care to address racial disparities in maternal and infant mortality.

Stop Trump sabotage of the ACA by ending workarounds that allow states to raise premiums for sicker people and shift ACA premium subsidies away from lower-income enrollees. Senator Klobuchar will eliminate the Trump Administration guidance that provides states more flexibility to increase insurance costs for sicker people and shift premium subsidies away from low-income enrollees.

Remove the citizenship question from the Census. Senator Klobuchar will direct the Department of Commerce to remove the Trump Administration’s citizenship question that was added to the 2020 Census from the short form during preparations for the 2030 Census.

Prevent outsourcing of jobs overseas by closing tax loopholes on corporations’ overseas earnings. The 2017 tax law instituted a new minimum tax on corporations’ overseas earnings but applied the tax on a global or “blended” rate, encouraging companies to move physical operations and jobs overseas. Senator Klobuchar will direct the IRS to mitigate the worst effects of this law and crack down on attempts to minimize tax liability through outsourcing.

Provide incentives for employers to adopt paid family leave and child care benefits. Senator Klobuchar will reward federal contractors by providing additional points during the contract bidding process if contractors offer paid family leave to their employees or child care benefits.

Restore freedom to travel to and trade with Cuba. Fifty years of an embargo have not achieved America’s policy objectives in Cuba. Senator Klobuchar believes that a better path forward would allow Americans the freedom to travel and conduct business there and that lifting the trade embargo will open a huge export market, create American jobs, and support both the Cuban and American economies. She will revive policies to expand the ability of Americans to travel to Cuba and facilitate U.S. exports to the island using credit to the maximum extent allowed by current law while respecting human rights and property claims against the Cuban government.

Create a clemency advisory board and position in the White House that advise the President from a criminal justice reform perspective. Senator Klobuchar will create a clemency advisory board as well as a position in the White House — outside of the Department of Justice — that advise the President from a criminal justice reform perspective. The clemency advisory board will investigate and review requests for clemency for federal offenses and ultimately prepare a recommendation for the President.

Aggressively combat illegal Chinese steel dumping. Senator Klobuchar will ensure the federal government is aggressively combating illegal Chinese steel dumping including through expanded personnel to enforce our trade laws and increased inspections of steel imports at ports of entry. She will also direct the U.S. Department of Labor to expedite approval of Trade Adjustment Assistance petitions for workers from the affected mining operations.

Restart the President’s Export Council. Senator Klobuchar will restart the President’s Export Council, which brings together business, labor, and agricultural leaders with Members of Congress and key Administration officials to help promote a comprehensive export and trade strategy.

Reverse dramatic proposed funding cuts to diplomacy and foreign assistance. Senator Klobuchar will reverse this Administration’s shortsighted approach to diplomacy and US foreign assistance. The FY2020 budget request would cut diplomacy and development funding by 23 percent, including a 30 percent cut to humanitarian assistance and a 22 percent cut to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

End the sale of junk insurance policies that eliminate existing protections for consumers. Senator Klobuchar will end efforts to provide short-term junk insurance that eliminates existing protections for consumers like protections for people with pre-existing conditions and Affordable Care Act requirements to cover essential health benefits.

Restore protections for journalists and protect the First Amendment. Senator Klobuchar will restore former Attorney General Eric Holder’s guidance on protections for journalists so that they are not jailed for doing their jobs.

End the family separation policy. Senator Klobuchar will issue an Executive Order putting an immediate end to the cruel and inhumane policy where the government is taking kids away from their parents and ensuring children are reunited with their parents without delay. She will also reverse this administration's attempt to overrule the Flores Settlement Agreement, which prevents prolonged detention of children and prevents children from being detained in inhumane conditions by requiring basic levels of food, water and health care.

Restore staffing levels at the Department of Agriculture. Under the first two years of the Trump Administration, between December 2016 and March 2018, USDA had more staff departures than any other federal agency. This has severely impacted USDA’s ability to carry out its mission on behalf of rural communities and farmers. Senator Klobuchar will restore staffing levels to the appropriate levels.

Protect student borrowers. Senator Klobuchar will restore and strengthen rules that allow students who believe they were defrauded by their colleges to apply for loan forgiveness, providing relief to thousands of additional students.

Crack down on gun manufacturers and dealers that break the law. Senator Klobuchar will increase inspections and strengthen enforcement to crack down on gun manufacturers and sellers that violate the law.

Commit to strong financial regulation. Senator Klobuchar will rescind Executive Order 13772, which has allowed the Treasury Department and other financial regulators to weaken critical safeguards put in place after the financial crisis. She will commit to strong financial regulation that levels the playing field and promotes economic stability and growth.

Stop the use of noncompete agreements to stifle competition and hurt workers. Senator Klobuchar will instruct the FTC to initiate a rulemaking addressing anti-competitive noncompete agreements that prevent low-wage workers from pursuing new employment opportunities.

Strengthen minimum wage enforcement efforts. Senator Klobuchar will strengthen enforcement and expand investigations to make sure that are wage laws are properly enforced and that workers are able to recover back pay when the government rules in their favor.

Lift the ban preventing qualified transgender people from serving in the military and restore protections for the LGBTQ community. Senator Klobuchar will direct the Department of Defense to lift the ban on military service by transgender people. She will reverse the harmful anti-LGBTQ administrative actions taken by the Trump Administration when it comes to education, health care and civil rights, and she will work to pass the Equality Act in year one of her presidency.

Protect LGBTQ people from government-sanctioned discrimination. Senator Klobuchar will stop efforts to give federal protections to those discriminating against LGBTQ people. She will end all efforts by the Department of Justice that argue that transgender people do not have protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Prioritize LGBTQ antidiscrimination policies across the federal government to address homelessness, suicide and access to life-saving drugs. Senator Klobuchar will expand efforts to reduce LGBTQ homelessness, address LGBTQ suicide rates, and increase access to PrEP. She will create an office of LGBTQ Antidiscrimination within the White House Domestic Policy Council to coordinate these efforts across federal agencies.

Propose a bold infrastructure plan to rebuild America and re-establish the Presidential Advisory Council on Infrastructure. The Presidential Advisory Council on Infrastructure was intended to provide the federal government with expertise from key sectors on infrastructure policy, but President Trump disbanded the council. Senator Klobuchar will reinstate the council to execute her first budget proposal: a bold, comprehensive infrastructure plan. This trillion-dollar investment includes repairing and replacing our roads, highways and bridges, building smart climate infrastructure, ensuring clean water, modernizing our airports, seaports and inland waterways, expanding reliable public transit options, rebuilding our schools, and overhauling our country’s housing policy. The plan will be paid for by changes to the tax code including adjustments to the corporate tax rate.

Restore asylum for the victims of gender-based violence. Senator Klobuchar will overturn former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s opinion in Matter of A-B and restore protections for immigrant victims of domestic violence seeking asylum in the United States.

End anticompetitive practices that increase the price of prescription drugs. Many pharmaceutical companies have found loopholes in regulations that allow them to block or delay cost-saving competition like refusing to provide samples or share important information about how to distribute a drug safely. As President, Senator Klobuchar will instruct HHS to issue regulations to stop anti-competitive practices and help reduce the cost of prescription drugs.

Reduce racial disparities in disciplining students. Senator Klobuchar will re-issue guidance directing schools to reduce racial disparities in how they discipline students, which prompted more than 50 of America's largest school districts to institute discipline reform.

Bring cyber-security expertise into the Defense Department immediately. Senator Klobuchar will direct the Department of Defense to immediately provide adequate staffing for cyber security programs, as Congress has already provided the Pentagon with special authority to recruit civilian cybersecurity experts.

Strengthen prosecution of white-collar criminals. Senator Klobuchar will direct the Attorney General to issue a memorandum to federal prosecutors to strengthen prosecution efforts for individuals who are personally responsible for white-collar, corporate crime and tax fraud.

Expand Medicaid reimbursement for people receiving mental health or substance use treatment. While she works to pass a permanent legislative solution, Senator Klobuchar will make it easier for states to qualify for waivers that allow for Medicaid reimbursements for people receiving mental health or substance use care in facilities with more than 16 beds.

Fully fund the IDEA and reinstate the guidance protecting the rights of students with disabilities. Senator Klobuchar’s budget will fully fund IDEA to support students with disabilities. In addition, Senator Klobuchar will reinstate documents protecting the rights of students with disabilities after Secretary DeVos rescinded 72 guidance documents outlining those rights.

Restore oversight to eliminate discriminatory lending practices. Senator Klobuchar will direct financial regulators to restore Community Reinvestment Act protections, develop policies to encourage financial institutions to make loans and investment in local communities, especially communities in need, and conduct greater outreach to assess the true credit needs of certain areas.

Provide Americans a strong taxpayer advocate. The IRS Taxpayer Advocate exists to help taxpayers navigate tax laws and serve as an ally when Americans need to engage with IRS representatives. But the Trump Administration refused to designate the Taxpayer Advocate Service an “essential service,” forcing it to close shop during the government shutdown and leaving taxpayers without a crucial ally. Senator Klobuchar will designate the IRS an essential service so taxpayers have continued access to this support and advocacy.

Encourage reinsurance programs. Rather than penalizing states who put reinsurance programs in place, which happened under the Trump Administration, Senator Klobuchar will encourage states to adopt reinsurance programs that stabilize the state’s insurance marketplace, lower premiums, and allow more people to access to affordable, quality health care.

Provide incentives for states and localities to adopt sentencing and prison reforms. Congress passed the First Step Act, which changed the overly harsh sentencing laws on nonviolent drug offenders and reformed our federal prisons. But the reform only applies to those held in the federal system. The new law doesn't help the nearly 90% of people incarcerated in state and local facilities. Senator Klobuchar will create federal incentives so that states can restore some discretion from mandatory sentencing for nonviolent offenders and reform the unconscionable conditions in state prisons and local jails.

Restore staffing levels at the EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency now has fewer staff members than President Reagan’s EPA had in his final year in office. Senator Klobuchar will restore appropriate staffing levels to allow the agency to effectively protect the environment.

Strengthen the Minority Business Development Agency. The Minority Business Development Agency provides technical and managerial expertise to help minority business overcome social and economic disadvantages. President Trump has proposed eliminating the agency, but as President, Senator Klobuchar will ensure it has the resources it needs.

End Illegal Robocalls. Senator Klobuchar will coordinate efforts to end illegal robocalls across the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, and Department of Justice and direct the Department of Justice to aggressively pursue robocall scammers while working with Congress to increase penalties for aggravated violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

Ensure funding for Planned Parenthood, end the gag rule, and restore the Title X program. Senator Klobuchar will reverse the Trump Administration’s decision to change the Title X program to ban health providers like Planned Parenthood from receiving funding under Title X. And she will fight for legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade and protects women’s reproductive rights.

Remove barriers to education for homeless and foster youth. Senator Klobuchar will direct her Secretary of Education to remove barriers to higher education for homeless and foster youth, including by ensuring grant programs identify, recruit and prepare homeless and foster students for college.

Restore staffing levels at the Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Federal Student Aid. The Trump Administration has dramatically cut staffing levels at the Department of Education. Senator Klobuchar will restore staffing levels at the Department of Education, including at the Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Federal Student Aid, which has created obstacles for processing more than 87,000 borrower defense claims as well as impeded investigations into Title IX violations.

Prevent misclassification of workers. Senator Klobuchar will rescind the Department of Labor guidance under the Trump Administration that makes it easier for businesses to misclassify workers, which can result in reduced benefits, lower wages, discrimination, diluted worker protections, and abdications of legal responsibilities.

Expand investments in veterans telehealth services. Senator Klobuchar will further expand investments in VA telehealth to ensure rural veterans have access to medical professionals, especially for mental health services.

Ensure funding to prevent and respond to violent hate crimes and address racial discrimination. Senator Klobuchar will fully staff and fund the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service, a non-investigative office of “peacemakers” founded by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which provides communities facing racial and other conflict with confidential services to ease tensions.

Reinstate the National Climate Assessment Advisory Committee to immediately start addressing the climate crisis. The National Climate Assessment Advisory Committee was charged with translating the findings of the National Climate Assessment into concrete goals. Senator Klobuchar will reinstate this committee that President Trump let expire.

Improve free tax filing. Senator Klobuchar will direct the IRS to prevent tax preparation vendors from steering low-income taxpayers toward paid products, which has reduced the use of free filing products. She will also direct the IRS to devote greater resources to the enforcement of vendors’ obligations under the Free File program.

Reverse the Attorney General’s memo directing federal prosecutors to seek the most severe penalties in all cases. Senator Klobuchar would reverse former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s memo limiting federal prosecutors discretion and requiring them to seek the most severe penalties possible in all cases. She will also restore the Smart on Crime initiative, which had been hailed as a positive step forward in rehabilitating drug users by focusing on more serious drug cases and fewer indictments carrying mandatory minimums. Senator Klobuchar will start the evaluation process to reschedule marijuana, collecting the required scientific and medical evaluations and recommendations.

End attempts to reduce federal housing subsidies. Senator Klobuchar will reverse the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to federal housing subsidies that could triple rent for some households and be particularly harmful for seniors, families with children and people with disabilities.
Promote net neutrality. Senator Klobuchar will use federal contracting requirements to encourage broadband providers to honor net neutrality principles and promote a free and open internet.
Support agricultural research. The Trump Administration has repeatedly proposed budgets for USDA that cut billions for rural development, conservation, and research. These include the forced closure of agricultural research laboratories and stations. Senator Klobuchar will give these important programs the support they deserve.
Put rules in place to prevent pay discrimination. The Trump Administration has tried to block rules that require large companies to disclose what they pay employees by sex, race, and ethnicity in an effort to prevent pay discrimination. Senator Klobuchar will end the Trump Administration’s legal efforts to prevent the rule from taking effect.
Prevent the expansion of private school vouchers. Senator Klobuchar will stand firmly with our public schools and end discussions of Secretary Betsy DeVos’s $50 billion proposal to fund private school vouchers.
End the travel ban. Senator Klobuchar will put an end to the administration’s travel ban, recognizing that immigrants don’t diminish America, they are America. While security and vetting should stay in place, the Trump Administration's ban was wrong.
Support the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership program helps small manufacturers innovate, upgrade their technology and improve production. Senator Klobuchar will support and expand this program, which the Trump Administration has tried to eliminate.
Hold for-profit colleges accountable if they put profits above students. The Trump Administration has repeatedly delayed rules requiring vocational programs at for-profit higher education institutions to show that they provide gainful employment for their students. Senator Klobuchar will hold for-profit colleges accountable if they put profits above students by ensuring that these protections are in place.
Establish a new senior fraud prevention office. Senator Klobuchar will establish a new senior fraud prevention office to educate consumers, expedite the handling of complaints, and coordinate prevention efforts across the federal government.
Collect data to address LGBTQ disparities. Senator Klobuchar will ensure all federal data collection efforts accurately reflect the needs of LGBTQ communities including reinstating LGBTQ data in the foster care system and Older American Act that the Trump Administration has tried to stop collecting.
Reopen and expand the Office for Access to Justice. Senator Klobuchar will reopen and expand the Office for Access to Justice, which makes access to legal aid more accessible to people and has the stated goal of making sure the justice system delivers outcomes that are fair and accessible to all, irrespective of wealth or status.
Raise the refugee admissions cap. Under President Trump, the State Department has dramatically lowered the annual cap on the number of refugees that can be resettled in the United States. Senator Klobuchar will direct the State Department to restore the cap to at least its pre-Trump Administration level.
Invest in the Veterans Health Administration. Expanding access to private care cannot come at the expense of fully funding and even expanding the current Veterans Health Administration (VHA) infrastructure. Senator Klobuchar will direct the VHA to use data on private care usage only as a means to help guide investments in its own growth, not as a way to further privatize its core functions.
Strengthen the National Science Foundation. Senator Klobuchar will fully support the National Science Foundation and ensure that research decisions are being made by researchers and scientists, not politicians.
Expand apprenticeships. Senator Klobuchar will direct her Secretary of Labor to analyze the use of apprenticeships for in-demand occupations and to launch a nationwide campaign to expand apprenticeship opportunities and their benefits.
Reinstate joint employer rules that protect workers’ rights. While the Trump Administration attempted to rewrite the “joint employment” standard, Senator Klobuchar will restore guidance recognizing the responsibilities of joint employers to their employees.
End the Trump Administration’s censoring of climate science. Senator Klobuchar will end Trump Administration efforts to censor climate science through actions like deleting climate-focused websites, removing the phrase “climate change” from reports, and preventing government scientists from attending conferences on climate change.
Set ambitious goals to reduce the carbon footprint of the federal government. The federal government has a significant carbon footprint. As President, Senator Klobuchar will set ambitious goals to increase the efficiency of federal buildings, data centers, and vehicles, reduce water consumption, and increase the use of renewable energy.
Reassess the granting of Medicaid waivers, including states that have privatized Medicaid. Senator Klobuchar will conduct a reassessment of the granting of Medicaid waivers for states that wish to privatize the program and impose discriminatory work requirements.
Restore disclosure rules that counter workers’ organizing efforts. Senator Klobuchar will restore a rule rescinded by President Trump mandating public disclosure when employers hire consultants to counter workers' union organizing efforts.
Prevent federal funding from being used to arm teachers. The Trump Administration has indicated that it would consider providing federal funding to arm teachers. Senator Klobuchar will prevent any federal funding from being used for arming teachers.

Impose full sanctions on Russia for hostile act against the United States and its allies. In 2017, Congress passed legislation providing additional authorities for the President to impose sanctions on Russia in response to its election interference and other aggressive actions. The Trump Administration has resisted full implementation of these sanctions. Senator Klobuchar will use these authorities to the fullest extent possible to impose serious costs on the Putin regime and its enablers for hostile acts against the United States and our allies.

Improve train safety. The Trump Administration blocked a proposal to require two-person train crews for safety. Senator Klobuchar will direct the Department of Transportation to restart this rulemaking and she will also restore a number of rules to improve train safety.

Protect students from discrimination and violence. Senator Klobuchar will repeal Title IX regulations proposed under the Trump Administration and restore guidance reminding universities of their obligation to protect students from sexual violence.

Direct the Department of Defense and VA to track servicemembers and veterans exposed to toxic chemicals. Currently, servicemembers’ exposure to toxic chemicals such as mold, caustic fumes, open air burn pits, and airborne chemicals during military operations are not being properly documented and tracked by the Defense Department or VA. Senator Klobuchar would direct these agencies to record any environmental health hazard exposure in a servicemember’s records during deployment, and the record would then follow the servicemember through his or her career and into veteran status.

Expand loans for and investments in local communities in need. For the past 40 years, the Community Reinvestment Act has encouraged financial institutions to make loans and investment in local communities, especially low-income and minority communities. Senator Klobuchar will protect the CRA and instruct financial regulators to conduct greater outreach to assess the true credit needs of their communities.

Overhaul ethics rules for White House employees and other senior officials. Senator Klobuchar will make clear that the President and Vice President must follow our conflict of interest laws, do more to investigate foreign agents who lobby in the United States, give the Office of Government Ethics more enforcement power, and provide additional protections for all Special Counsels.

Support and strengthen the Economic Development Administration. The Economic Development Administration works directly with communities and regions to promote competitiveness and innovation. It has a proven track record of success and on average every $1 of EDA infrastructure funding generates $15 in private investment. Still, the Trump Administration repeatedly proposed eliminating the agency. Senator Klobuchar will ensure the agency has the resources to carry out its mission.

Restore reporting requirements of civilian casualties. Senator Klobuchar will issue an Executive Order restoring requirements for the release an annual report on the strikes undertaken by the U.S. military and Central Intelligence Agency outside of war zones and assessments of military and civilian deaths resulting from those strikes.

Work to re-enter the Iran nuclear agreement. The 2015 nuclear agreement imposed verifiable limits on Iran’s nuclear program that would prevent it from building a nuclear weapon. Senator Klobuchar will negotiate to bring the United States back into the nuclear agreement with the goal of avoiding war and a nuclear-armed Iran.

Connect more families to housing in higher opportunity neighborhoods. Senator Klobuchar would expand the pilot for mobility housing vouchers that allow families with children to use their vouchers in higher opportunity neighborhoods.

Prosecute unscrupulous payday lenders. Senator Klobuchar will direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Justice Department and other agencies to prosecute unscrupulous payday lenders that engage in predatory practices and charge customers exorbitant interest rates.

Undertake a comprehensive review and restore environmental protections repealed by the Trump Administration. The Trump Administration has revoked dozens of guidance documents and rules that protect people’s safety, health and the environment when it comes to our power plants, oil refineries, national parks and wildlife refuges, offshore drilling, pipelines, and oil and gas development. Senator Klobuchar will undertake a thorough review of all the repealed guidance and rules, and work to restore our environmental and safety protections.

Ensure fair labor practices and safe workplaces for federal contractors. Senator Klobuchar will restore policies ensuring fair pay and safe workplaces for federal contractors.

Protect health care workers’ right to organize. Senator Klobuchar will rescind an anti-union regulatory change enacted by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services that prevents union dues from being deducted from Medicaid-funded paychecks of home health care workers.

Direct the Department of Health and Human Services to consider VHA facilities when designating Health Professional Shortage Areas. Senator Klobuchar has long pressed for HHS to consider adding VHA facilities as Health Professional Shortage areas. Once designated, these facilities have access to health professional students with scholarships and loan forgiveness who pledge to practice in the program for at least two years. As President, Senator Klobuchar would direct HHS to revise its current regulations for defining Health Professional Shortage areas to include VHA facilities.

Stop the diversion of funds needed to modernize our military bases from being used for the border wall. President Trump is diverting funding meant for modernizing our military bases in order to build his border wall. Senator Klobuchar will rescind his national emergency declaration and return funding for its intended purpose.

Visit our troops stationed in combat zones. Visiting our military servicemembers serving in harm’s way is a long-standing Presidential tradition. Senator Klobuchar will visit U.S. troops in combat zones within her first 100 days in office.

Reopen international U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices. The Trump Administration is shutting down international USCIS offices – which deal primarily with international adoptions, family visa applications, petitions for citizenship for military members stationed in foreign countries, and citizenship applications, along with help on refugee processing and investigations of fraud. Senator Klobuchar will direct USCIS to reopen its international offices.

Reduce State Department vacancies. Senator Klobuchar will immediately direct her Secretary of State to accelerate hiring for key positions.

Prevent people with severe mental illness from acquiring guns. Senator Klobuchar will restore a rule requiring the Social Security Administration to submit records of people with severe mental illness to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Curtail arms transfers and other support for the war in Yemen. Saudi and UAE military operations in Yemen have killed thousands of civilians and contributed to a humanitarian crisis that has left millions displaced and starving. The conflict shows no signs of ending, but the Trump Administration continues to go to extraordinary lengths to provide weapons and other support to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, including circumventing the standard Congressional approval processes. Senator Klobuchar will order a stop to arms transfers and support to the Saudi and Emirati forces until a negotiated settlement to the conflict is achieved.

Reinstate visas for same-sex partners of foreign diplomats. Senator Klobuchar will reverse the Trump Administration policy change of no longer issue family visas to same-sex partners of foreign diplomats or employees of international organizations who work in the United States.

Renew efforts to prevent another financial crisis. The Office of Financial Research, an independent bureau within the Treasury Department, was created by the Dodd-Frank Act to collect information on financial system risks, perform long-term research, and develop risk measurement and monitoring tools to help prevent future financial crises. Senator Klobuchar will restore the mission and stature of the office.

Protect funding for the Northern Triangle. Senator Klobuchar will end all Administration discussions to cut off direct assistance funding for Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, recognizing that the cuts present a serious risk to our national security and undermine efforts to address the underlying conditions driving migration to the United States.

Crack down on money laundering and tax evasion. Senator Klobuchar will crack down on money laundering and tax evasion by empowering Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to aggressively implement new rules for identifying the “true” owner of financial accounts, especially large accounts used in financial transactions where the incidence of fraud and tax evasion is high. And she will call on Congress to enact legislation imposing greater disclosure requirements.

Protect retiree pensions. The Kline-Miller Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014 (MPRA) allows underfunded multiemployer pension plans to request permission from the Treasury Department to reduce retiree benefits in order to improve their financial condition. Senator Klobuchar believes retirees are entitled to the benefits they’ve earned during their working lives and will recommend that Treasury heighten the scrutiny of any applications to reduce retiree benefits under MPRA.

Combat segregation in housing. Senator Klobuchar will suspend Housing and Urban Development Secretary Carson’s proposed changes to the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which would weaken efforts to combat segregation in housing policy.

Invest in adult basic education. Senator Klobuchar will reverse President’s Trump proposal to cut basic education programs for adults, and launch an initiative focused on increasing opportunities for adults to master literacy and basic math skills.

Restore consumer protections. Senator Klobuchar will direct the Department of Commerce, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Federal Communications Commission, Department of Transportation and other consumer protection agencies to re-evaluate any Trump Administration actions that have weakened protections for consumers.

Maintain protest rights on public property in Washington, DC. Senator Klobuchar will end the Trump Administration attempts to limit protest rights in Washington, DC, like closing 80 percent of the White House sidewalk and putting new limits on spontaneous demonstrations.

Prevent abuses by IRS private debt collectors. Reports suggest that the IRS private debt collectors have abused and harassed low-income taxpayers whose tax debts are relatively small. Senator Klobuchar will overhaul the program and limit these abuses.

Invest in Alzheimer’s research. Senator Klobuchar will commit to preventing, treating and facilitating a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. She will also immediately expand initiatives that provide support for family caregivers.

End the Justice Department’s reliance on private prisons. As President, Senator Klobuchar will phase out the use of private prisons by directing the Department of Justice to decline to renew or reduce the scope of contracts when the contract reaches its end.

Restore national monuments. Senator Klobuchar will restore the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to protect their ecological and the tribal cultural significance and undertake a review of other boundary adjustment and management changes initiated by the Trump Administration.

Prioritize health care delivery system reform to reduce health care costs. Senator Klobuchar will immediately identify value-based delivery system reforms, including in Medicare and Medicaid, and she will create incentives for employers and insurers to expand new payment models.

Expand the open enrollment period for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act so more people can get insurance coverage. Rather than shortening the open enrollment period on the exchanges from November 1st to December 15th, which happened under the Trump Administration, Senator Klobuchar will expand the open enrollment period for exchange enrollment so more people can access health insurance.

Investigate deceptive online travel practices that hurt consumers. Senator Klobuchar will direct the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Transportation to investigate deceptive and fraudulent practices by online travel booking websites.

And more! Senator Klobuchar is committed to governing from opportunity and taking administrative actions when it comes to our foreign policy and security, veterans, health care, education, income inequality, worker protections, economic justice, immigration reform, unions, civil rights, climate change, the environment, criminal justice reform and gun violence prevention. She will be updating these goals with your ideas.

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