Hillary Clinton released a statement on Thursday calling for the passage of the the bipartisan Miners Protection Act, a bill sponsored by Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Joe Manchin (D-WV). The plan would rescue the pension offered by the United Mine Workers (UMW) and ensure that retired miners continue to receive their benefits. UMW will be on Capitol Hill on Thursday to gather support for the bill. In her statement, Clinton expresses her support of the act saying that it will ensure that miners receive the benefits they have earned. A copy of Clinton’s statement is below.
“I firmly believe that if you spent your life keeping the lights on for our country, we can’t leave you in the dark. For more than a century, America’s coal miners have put their own health and safety at risk to provide affordable and reliable energy for the nation. They are entitled to the benefits they have earned and the respect they deserve.
That’s why I am proud to stand with Senator Joe Manchin and the United Mine Workers of America in calling on Congressional Republicans to stop playing politics and give the Miners Protection Act a vote before the benefits of these hardworking men and women start expiring later this year.
We also have a shared responsibility to reinvest in the coal communities that have been an engine of American economic growth. That’s why last fall, I proposed a comprehensive revitalization and job creation plan including building 21st-century infrastructure and high-speed broadband, repurposing abandoned minelands and power plants to support new economic activity, and creating a Coal Communities Challenge Fund to support locally-driven economic development priorities in small business, agriculture, health care, tourism, housing, and other industries.
And we need to invest in carbon capture and sequestration, which will reduce emissions from coal and natural gas combustion, and will help us meet the global climate challenge more quickly and at lower cost, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. That’s why I support Senator Heidi Heitkamp and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Act, which Senator Kaine has also co-sponsored.”
Throughout her campaign, Hillary Clinton has stood up for the healthcare and retirement security of American miners and their families and challenged attempts by coal companies, including Patriot Coal,Peabody Energy, Alpha Natural Resources, and Walter Energy to use bankruptcy courts to shirk their responsibilities.
While under pressure some of these companies have since reversed course, a federal backstop is required to protect coal miners, their families, and their communities. Hillary Clinton has called for such a backstop as part of her plan to revitalize coal communities.
On Labor Day, Bill Clinton returned to the campaign trail for Hillary Clinton and Time Kaine attending Labor Day events in Michigan and Ohio. He began in Detroit where he took part in a Labor Day parade and spoke to a crowd of supporters at a United Auto Workers (UAW) picnic. Bill spoke about Hillary’s plans to increase job growth and continue to invest in the economy by improving the country’s infrastructure. He said that Hillary’s plans would return the country to a similar condition in which he left it at the end of his presidency. He promised that incomes will rise across the board and an increase in jobs saying that during his presidency, “We had 22.7 million new jobs in those eight years. We had 40% more jobs in my eight years than Ronald Reagan did.” A video from the Detroit event will be added when/if available.
In Cincinnati, Ohio Bill visited with patrons of Graeter’s Ice Cream before giving a speech at the annual AFL-CIO Labor Day Picnic. Bill spoke about the importance of labor and labor unions saying that Hillary would fully support unionization as president. He then spoke about a number of Hillary’s platform proposals before asking attendees to support her in November. He said, “You should vote for the person who will be best for you, your community, your family. I think you should vote for Hillary because we’re stronger together than stronger apart.” A video of Bill’s speech is below.
On Thursday, Vice President spoke at two campaign events in Ohio in support of Hillary Clinton. At the first event in Warren, Biden spoke to a crowd of supporters at the United Auto Workers Local 1714 hall. Biden, like Clinton, included local references in his speech. He spoke about the importance of the automakers in Ohio and their successful turnaround following the recession in 2008 and 2009. He then spoke about a number of topics including Clinton’s record as a public servant and her dedication to the country, her plans for the economy and building jobs, and his ties to Ohio. Biden then went after Donald Trump for being ignorant of foreign affairs saying, “He is totally, thoroughly, completely uninformed.” A video from the event is below.
Biden then spoke at a rally outside of Cleveland in Parma. During his speech, the Vice President continued to go after Trump, but he focused more of his time on Clinton’s experience and his middle class roots. He told stories about his father’s job and his family’s money problems saying that his father couldn’t qualify for a loan to help him pay for college. When it comes to the struggles of the middle class, Biden said, “Hillary gets it, man. Trump has no idea. He has no idea.” A video from the event is below.
Hillary Clinton announced her comprehensive plan to better treat people living with a mental illness. The current mental health treatment policies have been criticized for not properly treating patients. Highlights of Clinton’s plan include the expansion of early intervention programs, a national suicide prevention initiative, increased training for police in dealing with the mentally ill, providing mental health care for those who commit non-violent crimes, expanding employment opportunities, and increasing investments in research for the brain and behavioral research. An outline of the plan is below, and the full plan can be read on The Briefing.
Early Diagnosis and Intervention
Increase public awareness and take action to address maternal depression, infant mental health, and trauma and stress in the lives of young children
Scale up efforts to help pediatric practices and schools support children facing behavioral problems
Help providers share information and best practices
Ensure that college students have access to mental health services
Federal Support for Suicide Prevention
Create a national initiative around suicide prevention across the lifespan that is headed by the Surgeon General
Encourage evidence-based suicide prevention and mental health programs in high schools
Provide federal support for suicide prevention on college campuses
Partner with colleges and researchers to ensure that students of color and LGBT students are receiving adequate mental health coverage
Integrate our Healthcare Systems and Expand Community-Based Treatment
Foster integration between the medical and behavioral health care systems (including mental health and addiction services), so that high-quality treatment for behavioral health is widely available in general health care settings
Expand reimbursement systems for collaborative care models in Medicare and Medicaid
Promote the use of health information technology to foster coordination of care
Promote the use of peer support specialists
Encourage states to allow same-day billing
Support the creation of high-quality, comprehensive community health centers in every state
Launch a nationwide strategy to address the shortage of mental health providers
Improve Outcomes in the Criminal Justice System
Dedicate new resources to help train law enforcement officers in responding to encounters involving persons with mental illness, and increase support for law enforcement partnerships with mental health professionals
Prioritize treatment over punishment for low-level, non-violent offenders with mental illnesses
Enforcing Mental Health Parity
Launch randomized audits to detect parity violations, and increase federal enforcement
Enforce disclosure requirements so that insurers cannot conceal their practices for denying mental health care
Strengthen federal monitoring of health insurer compliance with network adequacy requirements
Create a simple process for patients, families, and providers to report parity violations and improve federal-state coordination on parity enforcement
Housing and Job Opportunities
Expand community-based housing opportunities for individuals with mental illness and other disabilities
Expand employment opportunities for people with mental illness
Expand protection and advocacy support for people with mental health conditions
Brain and Behavioral Science Research
Significantly increase research into brain and behavioral science research
Develop new links with the private and non-profit sectors
Commit to brain and behavioral science research based on open data
UPDATE (8/30/16): Hillary for America announced that Clinton and Tim Kaine spoke with the mental health policy community including patients, advocates, researchers, policy experts, physicians, counselors, and service providers. The conference call featured people from across the country and allowed Clinton to speak about her plan and hear feedback from experts.
Following the meeting, Clinton said, “I have heard heartbreaking stories for years about these incredible challenges, but during this campaign, it has seemed like a floodgate has opened from parents and students, from veterans, nurses, doctors, police officers. But I’ve also heard stories of hope and courage – people getting the help they needed, being able to lead happy, healthy, and thriving lives. And cities and states are deploying innovative programs, and that’s what we want to hear more of. We’ve got to break through and break down the stigma and shame. We’ve got to make clear that mental health is not a personal failing. Right now, it is our country which is failing people with mental health issues.”
Kaine said, “I am really happy that today when our campaign rolled out this proposal with respect to comprehensive mental health improvement, that we decided one group of people that we really want to talk to is college students. Most mental health challenges do first present themselves during adolescence or college. So, while even a mental health challenge of an adult later in life may become more manifest, there are early signs about it. One in four college students today do acknowledge that they are dealing with mental health challenges at some point along the way. And it is very important that we are aware of that and that we make clear that it’s normal, there is no stigma associated with it. And we want to make sure that there are appropriate resources, innovative resources, community-based resources so that people can access help, and that the response of society is treatment rather than judgment or pretending that it doesn’t exist.”
Tim Kaine campaigned in Las Vegas, Nevada today. He attended an organizing event at the Local 525 Plumbers & Pipefitters Training Center where he spoke about Hillary Clinton’s plans to boost job growth by investing in the nation’s infrastructure. Kaine then went after Donald Trump for refusing to release his income tax returns. He then attacked Trump’s business record citing a recent study by The New York Times which found that Trump’s businesses were deep in debt. Kaine framed Trump as the “king of debt” with his businesses owning at least $650 million. Kaine argued that with his business record, Trump cannot be trusted with the country’s finances.
Kaine then spoke at Iron Workers 43rd International Convention at The Mirage where he continued with a similar message of job growth and a focus on the economy. During his remarks, he spoke about importance of trade unions and Clinton’s dedication to union labor. He spoke about Trump and how he has fought against unions at his hotels and casinos. “Donald Trump doesn’t get it. Labor unions helped build the great American middle class,” he said. A video from Kaine’s speech at the convention is below.
Over the weekend, Hillary Clinton attending a series of fundraisers on the east coast. She attended an event on the island of Martha’s Vinyard. Then on Sunday, she attended an event Provincetown, Massachusetts which featured an appearance by singer Cher. Meanwhile, a “Give ‘Em Hill” fundraising party was held in Atlanta, Georgia.
Today, Jake Sullivan, Hillary for America Senior Policy Advisor, released the following memo outlining the campaign’s arguments as to why they believe Donald Trump is unfit to be president. The full release and video are below.
To: Interested Parties From: Jake Sullivan, Hillary For America Senior Policy Adviser Re: Trump Unfit To Be Commander In Chief Date: Monday, August 15, 2016
This is not a normal election. Simply put, Donald Trump is unfit to be our commander in chief. This isn’t overcranked campaign rhetoric – national security experts across the political spectrum are issuing the same warning.
Trump is erratic. He’s thin-skinned. He’s vindictive. He praises dictators and displays a strange affinity for Putin. He trash talks America and threatens to abandon our allies. He uses dangerous rhetoric and proposes dangerous policies that play into the hands of terrorists. He talks casually about nuclear weapons. He knows nothing about foreign policy and he has no interest in learning.
Last week, we got yet another clear and alarming reminder of his lack of fitness for the job. Reading off the talking points of Vladimir Putin and our other adversaries, Trump falsely claimed that Barack Obama founded ISIS. The world noticed. Just days later, the leader of Hezbollah – a terrorist organization that seeks Israel’s destruction – approvingly quoted Trump’s comments.
Hillary Clinton is uniquely qualified and prepared to assume the role of commander in chief. And Donald Trump is uniquely unqualified. She has serious plans to make our country more secure, and a record of leadership to back it up. He has neither. She is proud to call herself an American and of her work as a public servant. He calls America a third-world country.
The choice is clear. It’s not a choice between a Democrat and a Republican, but between a responsible leader who will keep us safe, and a volatile man who threatens our security.
Background:
Arrogance And Ignorance: A Dangerous Combination
When it comes to foreign policy – just like everything else – Donald Trump is convinced he knows more than anyone in the room. Asked who he consults to help shape his views, Trump explained that he mostly just relies on himself because he has “a very good brain.” His lack of interest in learning from others is reflected in his lack of knowledge of basic facts on foreign affairs:
Donald Trump on who he speaks to on foreign policy: “I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things.”
Donald Trump on foreign policy experts: “Honestly, most of them are no good.”
Donald Trump: “I know more about ISIS than the generals do. Believe me.”
Washington Examiner: Trump says he has a secret plan to beat the Islamic State
USA Today: Trump attributes Russia knowledge to hosting Miss Universe pageant there
Boston Globe Editorial: “Not only did Trump not know the basics of the US nuclear triad (the Pentagon’s land, sea, and air contingent of nuclear forces)…”
Times of Israel: Trump can’t differentiate between Hamas, Hezbollah
Washington Post: Trump’s top example of foreign experience: A Scottish golf course losing millions
Donald Trump has offered a lot of rhetoric but very few actual proposals. The few plans he has put forth – like his Muslim ban – are out of step with our values and our common sense. From suggesting we should abandon our allies to calling for bringing back torture, Trump’s policies would make us less safe. Some align with Vladimir Putin’s interests and not with American interests; others play into ISIS’ hands:
Donald Trump: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.
Donald Trump: “It’s really rather amazing, maybe Syria should be a free zone for ISIS, let them fight and then you pick up the remnants.”
Vox: Donald Trump: make America great again by letting more countries have nukes
Donald Trump: “We don’t really need NATO in its current form. NATO is obsolete… if we have to walk, we walk.”
BBC: Trump says US may abandon automatic protections for NATO countries
Donald Trump: “The other thing with the terrorists is you have to take out their families”
Donald Trump: “Don’t tell me it doesn’t work — torture works… Waterboarding is fine, but it’s not nearly tough enough, ok?”
Donald Trump: “The case could be made, that let [Japan] protect themselves against North Korea. They’d probably wipe them out pretty quick….Good luck, folks, enjoy yourself. If they fight, that would be terrible, right? But if they do, they do.
AP: Donald Trump encourages Russian hackers to spy on Hillary Clinton
Politico: Trump changed views on Ukraine after hiring Manafort
New York Times: “It is not clear that Mr. Manafort’s work in Ukraine ended with his work with Mr. Trump’s campaign. A communications aide for Mr. Lyovochkin, who financed Mr. Manafort’s work, declined to say whether he was still on retainer or how much he had been paid.”
Mother Jones: Is Donald Trump’s Campaign Manager Still on the Payroll of a Ukrainian Political Leader?
New York Times: “Handwritten ledgers show $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments designated for Mr. Manafort from Mr. Yanukovych’s pro-Russian political party from 2007 to 2012, according to Ukraine’s newly formed National Anti-Corruption Bureau. Investigators assert that the disbursements were part of an illegal off-the-books system whose recipients also included election officials.”
New York Times: “A separate deal also funneled Russian-linked oligarchic money into Ukraine… Mr. Deripaska agreed to pay a 2 percent annual management fee to Mr. Manafort and his partners, and put $100 million into the fund…”
Dangerous Rhetoric: Trump Praises Dictators, Bashes America And Our Leaders, Stokes Islamophobia
The Trump *candidacy* alone is undermining our national security. He is the nominee representing one of America’s two major political parties. His words matter. Whether he’s praising dictators, channeling the talking points of our enemies, attacking American leaders and those who have sacrificed the most for our country, or stoking Islamophobia, those words are doing harm to our friends and emboldening our adversaries:
Donald Trump: “You’ve got to give [Kim Jong Un] credit. How many young guys — he was like 26 or 25 when his father died — take over these tough generals…. It’s incredible. He wiped out the uncle. He wiped out this one, that one.”
Independent and Republican Experts Agree: Trump Is Uniquely Dangerous
When all of this is taken together, it paints a striking picture: Donald Trump isn’t a normal presidential nominee. He is a uniquely dangerous candidate. The result? Foreign policy experts across the board – from lifelong Republicans to apolitical national security officials – are speaking out to say they cannot accept the prospect of a Trump presidency:
New York Times (8/8/16): 50 G.O.P. Officials Warn Donald Trump Would Put Nation’s Security ‘at Risk’: “He does not encourage conflicting views. He lacks self-control and acts impetuously. He cannot tolerate personal criticism. He has alarmed our closest allies with his erratic behavior. All of these are dangerous qualities in an individual who aspires to be president and commander in chief, with command of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.”
Washington Post (8/8/16): Former GOP national security officials: Trump would be ‘most reckless’ American president in history
Washington Post (8/4/16): Republicans are among a new list of foreign policy experts denouncing Trump: “We find Trump’s comments to be reckless, dangerous, and extremely unwise. They contradict a core, bipartisan principle found in every U.S. administration — that our security in North America is indivisible with our democratic allies in Europe.”
Washington Post (3/3/16): Trump is ‘fundamentally dishonest,’ say GOP national security leaders in open letter: “[Trump’s] vision of American influence and power in the world is wildly inconsistent and unmoored in principle. He swings from isolationism to military adventurism within the space of one sentence.”
Former Acting CIA Director Mike Morell: In sharp contrast to Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Trump has no experience on national security. Even more important, the character traits he has exhibited during the primary season suggest he would be a poor, even dangerous, commander in chief…. In the intelligence business, we would say that Mr. Putin had recruited Mr. Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation.”
GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger: “I’m an American before I’m a Republican. I’m saying for me personally, how can I support that? Because he’s crossed so many red lines that a commander in chief or a candidate for commander in chief should never cross.”
GOP Rep. Richard Hanna: “[Trump’s] unhinged. It’s difficult to imagine why anyone could support him. He comes across as a demagogue. He comes across as a guy who, frankly, Putin has made a fool of.”
ABC News: Gen. John Allen Says Donald Trump Could Cause ‘Civil Military Crisis’: “What we do have to do, George, is listen to what he’s been saying about our military,” Allen said. “He’s called it a disaster. He says our military can’t win anymore. That’s a direct insult to every single man and woman who’s wearing the uniform today.”
Defense One: Former Bush Officials — Negroponte and Donley — Endorse Clinton. Former Air Force Secretary Michael Donley: “Her deep experience in public service, even temperament, willingness to listen to others and unifying message stands in stark contrast with Donald Trump, who has sown divisiveness at home, confused our allies abroad and shown repeatedly that he lacks the temperament, judgment, character and common decency the American people deserve and should expect in their leadership.”
PoliticsUSA: Former Reagan/Bush Ambassador Calls Trump Incompetent As Republicans Flock To Clinton: “The Republican nominee for President has no government experience and has done nothing in his career to demonstrate that he is competent to be President. He has made repeated misstatements and inaccurate statements. He has insulted minorities, women, a war hero and Gold Star parents. He is unqualified and unfit to be President.”
Republican foreign policy expert Max Boot: “Trump is an ignorant demagogue who traffics in racist and misogynistic slurs and crazy conspiracy theories. He champions protectionism and isolationism — the policies that brought us the Great Depression and World War II.”
Former CIA Director Michael Hayden: “The jihadist narrative is that there is undying enmity between Islam and the modern world so when Trump says they all hate us, he’s using their narrative … he’s feeding their recruitment video.”
Hillary Clinton attacked Donald Trump’s economic plan in a speech in Warren, Michigan. She hit Trump hard calling him the enemy of “the little guy” and that his economic agenda would be beneficial for him and his businesses, but would write off everyone else. “There is a myth out there that he’ll stick it to the rich and powerful because, somehow, at heart, he’s really on the side of the little guy. Don’t believe it,” she said. Clinton then gave a point-by-point rebuttal to Trump’s plan by describing her plans to increase taxes on the wealthy, make big businesses pay higher taxes when they outsource their workforce, and improve the nation’s infrastructure. She argued that her plan will create more jobs and build the economy at a faster pace. A video from the event is below, and a transcript of Clinton’s speech can be read HERE.
Hillary Clinton continued her jobs tour with a stop in Iowa on Wednesday where she toured RAYGUN, a printing and design store in Des Moines. Clinton then spoke to a crowd of supporters at Lincoln High School. During her speech, Clinton spoke about her plan to create millions of jobs by investing in American manufacturing and improvements to the country’s infrastructure. The job push would be the largest since World War II. “How are we going to do that? Well, we’re going to invest in infrastructure. These are good jobs and a lot of them are good union jobs with good pay and benefits. See, I have this old fashioned idea that the middle class of America is what makes America’s economy work.” Clinton also criticized Donald Trump for his lopsided economic plan and his divisive language. A video from the event is below.
Tim Kaine wrapped up the work week with stops in Wisconsin and Michigan. He began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he spoke to a crowd at supporters at the Lakefront Brewery. During his speech, he focused on American made products and Hillary Clinton’s jobs plan. He criticized Donald Trump for his campaigns focus on him and less on the American people saying, “We’re talking about jobs, and Donald Trump is basically shadowboxing with every enemy he can think of.” Kaine also praised a Wisconsin court for striking down a law passed by Republicans to limit early voting. A video from Kaine’s speech is below.
In Michigan, Kaine spoke at the Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids. He continued to speak about job creation and Clinton’s plans to upgrade the country’s infrastructure. He continued his attacks on Trump by contrasting the two campaigns and the policies proposed by both candidates. “This is the guy who wants to be commander in chief, but during his entire life Donald Trump has bragged about figuring out every trick to avoid paying taxes,” he said. Kaine also spoke about the significance of Clinton’s nomination as a historical event. A video from the event is below.
Meanwhile, in San Francisco, California, a fundraiser was held on behalf of Hillary for America. The event included a conversation with Campaign Chair John Podesta and Darren Criss.
On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton attended two fundraisers and held a town hall event for digital content creators in Los Angeles, California. During the event, Clinton spoke about her plans to cultivate innovation and assist young people with their startups. Clinton then took questions from those in attendance and spoke about a number of topics including job creation, foreign policy alliances, and her thoughts on Republican Donald Trump.
Clinton also unveiled her Initiative on Technology & Innovation on Tuesday. While some of the details were discussed at an event earlier in the day in Denver, more details were discussed during the evening’s town hall. The extensive plan includes proposals to assist entrepreneurs, improve the technology used in the United States, update existing infrastructure, expand computer science and STEM education, protect user privacy, and make government more technologically efficient. An outline of Clinton’s proposals are below and the full details are available on The Briefing.
Spurring entrepreneurship and innovation clusters like Silicon Valley across the country
Allowing young entrepreneurs to defer their federal student loans for up to three years
Connecting every household in America to high-speed internet by 2020
Providing every student in America access to computer science education by the time they graduate
Building the Tech Economy on Main Street
Providing Every Student in America an Opportunity to Learn Computer Science
Engaging the Private Sector to Train up to 50,000 Computer Science Teachers
Encouraging Local STEM Education Investments
Opening up the Higher Education and Job Training Landscape
Rebooting Job Training around Industry Needs and Job Credentials
Supporting Programs to Diversify the Tech Workforce
Spur Entrepreneurship and Innovation Clusters like Silicon Valley across the Country
Support Young Entrepreneurs
Attract and Retain the Top Talent from Around the World
Invest in Science and Technology R&D
Ensure Benefits are Flexible, Portable and Comprehensive
Investing in World-Class Digital Infrastructure
Close the Digital Divide
Launch a “Model Digital Communities” Grant Program
Connect More Community Anchor Institutions to High-Speed Internet
Deploy 5G Wireless
Advancing America’s Global Leadership In Tech & Innovation
Fight for an Open Internet Abroad
Promote Multi-Stakeholder Internet Governance
Grow American Technology Exports
Promote Cyber-Security
Safeguard the Free Flow of Information across Border
Update Procedures Concerning Cross-Border Requests for Data by Law Enforcement
Setting Rules of the Road to Promote Innovation While Protecting Privacy
Promote Healthy Competition at the Federal, State and Local Level
Defend Net Neutrality
Improve the Patent System to Reward Innovators
Effective Copyright Policy
Commercial Data Protection
Protect Online Privacy as well as Security
Engineering a Smarter and More Innovative Government
Hillary Clinton Speeches 