Clinton, Trump Clash on Policy at Final Debate

On Wednesday night, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off for their final debate before the election on November 8th. The debate was moderated by Fox News’ Chris Wallace, who did a pretty good job of keeping the candidates on topic. The topics covered at the debate included debt, entitlements, immigration, the economy, the Supreme Court, foreign hot spots, and “fitness to be president.” While each candidate took shots at each other, Clinton outlined a number of her proposals. Each candidate wrapped up the final debate with a one-minute closing statement. Clinton asked for America’s vote saying:

“Well, I would like to say to everyone watching tonight that I’m reaching out to all Americans — Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Because we need everybody to help make our country what it should be. To grow the economy, to make it fairer, to make it work for everyone. We need your talents, your skills, your commitment, your energy, your ambition. You know, I’ve been privileged to see the presidency up close and I know the awesome responsibility of protecting our country and the incredible opportunity of working to try to make life better for all of you. I have made the cause of children and families really my life’s work — that’s what my mission will be in the presidency. I will stand up for families against powerful interests, against corporations. I will do everything I can to make sure you have good jobs with rising incomes, that your kids have good educations from preschool through college. I hope you will give me a chance to serve as your president.”

While pundits will argue who won and who lost last night’s debate, what is important is who you feel will best represent you. This political cycle has become more about personality and less about the issues at stake. Both candidates have outlined a series of policies they believe are important to them and that says a lot about their beliefs. What is key is that on November 8, you have a choice. You have a voice at the ballot box and make sure it is heard. Vote.

Watch a video replay of the debate below. And more importantly, VOTE on November 8th.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, CBS News, Fox News, CNN, Las Vegas Sun, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, ABC News, PBS, The Washington Post, Politico, Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Romper

Hillary’s Plan: Debt and Entitlements

Clinton Will Fight For Medicare & Social Security, Pay For Her Plans; Trump Will Risk These Programs & Add Trillions To Debt

Tonight, voters will hear from Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on six topics of national importance: debt and entitlements, immigration, economy, the Supreme Court, foreign policy, and the fitness of the candidates to serve as president.

Clinton has stood up for Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid her entire career, and she will not stop now.  She will ensure the wealthy, Wall Street, and big corporations pay their fair share, invest in middle-class families, and defend and expand Medicare and Social Security.  Furthermore, her new plans are paid for, so they will not add to the national debt.

Conversely, Trump’s plans will add $21 trillion to the national debt over 20 years and give reckless tax cuts to the wealthy instead of investing in Medicare and Social Security for generations to come.

Hillary’s vision on fiscal matters is clear. As she has said before, “We know what sound fiscal policy looks like and it sure isn’t running up massive debts to pay for giveaways to the rich. And it is not painful austerity that hurts working families and undercuts our long-term progress. It’s being strong, stable, and making smart investments in our future. So let’s set the right priorities and pay for them, so we can hand our children a healthier economy and a better future.”

Hillary has put forward credible plans to pay for her proposals without adding to the national debt.  As president, Hillary will:

• Continue to put forth plans that add up, are paid for, and will not add to the national debt. As the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said recently, “We are encouraged that Clinton continues to largely pay for her new spending…”
• Restore fairness to the tax code and make sure the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share. The independent, non-partisan Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center found that around 2/3rds of the revenue from Hillary’s tax plan came from the top 0.1%, earning more than $3.7 million per year.
• NYT: “Mrs. Clinton would substantially raise taxes on high-income taxpayers, mostly on the top 1 percent; … reduce taxes on average for middle- and low-income households; and overhaul corporate taxes. Her plan would increase federal revenue $1.4 trillion over the first decade….Mrs. Clinton would use the money to pay for education and other initiatives.”
• Hillary has a responsible, progressive fiscal vision. Progressive policies such as investing in growth and the middle class, and asking the wealthy to pay their fair share – not trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy, have been successful. For example, President Bill Clinton took a $300 billion deficit in the year before he took office and turned it into a $200 billion surplus.

Hillary believes seniors have paid into Social Security for a lifetime, and they’ve earned these benefits when they retire. Social Security isn’t just a program—it’s a promise.  As president, Hillary will:

• Defend Social Security against Republican attacks and attempts to privatize the program – and refuse to embrace proposals to raise the retirement age or reduce cost-of-living adjustments
• Expand Social Security for those who need it most and who are treated unfairly by the current system—including women who are widows and those who took significant time out of the paid workforce to take care of their children, aging parents, or ailing family members.
• Preserve Social Security for decades to come by asking the wealthiest to contribute more.

Hillary believes Medicare and Medicaid are the bedrock of health care coverage for more than 50 million Americans, from seniors to people with disabilities.  As president, Hillary will:

• Fight to preserve Medicare benefits for Americans – and stand strongly against Republican attempts to “phase out” or privatize Medicare.
• Require drug manufacturers to provide rebates for low-income Medicare enrollees that are equivalent to rebates in the Medicaid program through her prescription drug plan.
• Reduce the cost of prescription drugs for seniors by allowing Medicare to use its leverage with more than 40 million enrollees to negotiate drug and biologic prices.
• Tackle rising medical costs by expanding value-based delivery system reform in Medicare.
• Help protect consumers from unjustified price hikes for long-available drugs.
• Ensure we expand Medicaid in the states where Republican governors and legislatures have refused to do so.

Donald Trump may have abused the tax system to avoid paying taxes into Social Security and Medicare – Hillary Clinton would help end this practice. Based on what we do know about Donald Trump’s tax returns, independent experts at the Tax Policy Center believe that Trump may have avoided paying his fair share in taxes into Social Security and Medicare by abusively taking advantage of the so-called “Gingrich-Edwards” loophole. This loophole allows some high-income business people to funnel their wages through a business.  While the law still requires these business owners to pay payroll taxes on a reasonable portion of compensation, Trump may have flouted this legal requirement and avoided paying his fair share in payroll taxes that support programs like Social Security and Medicare. Earlier this year, Hillary Clinton embraced a proposal from President Obama’s budget that would end such abuses and crack down on tax gaming by high-income individuals through shifting business income, including addressing the so-called “Gingrich-Edwards” loophole.

Donald Trump’s tax plan would increase the debt by $21 trillion over 20 years to give tax cuts to the rich, and he has recklessly considered defaulting on the national debt.

• Trump infamously called himself the “king of debt” and has proposed a tax plan that would increase our national debt by 21 trillion over 20 years – with more than half of the benefits going to the top 1%.
• Trump displayed his willingness to play Russian roulette with the full faith and credit of the U.S., suggesting recently that “you could make the case” for defaulting on the debt, or maybe we could just “make a deal.” Defaulting on our debt would undermine more than 200 years of confidence in the American economy, and could cause a global financial crisis.

Paying for Donald Trump’s tax cuts for the rich could require cutting Medicare and Social Security by trillions:

• As an analysis by CAP Action explains, “Trump says his agenda ‘will be completely paid-for,’ but paying for his tax plan would require cutting federal spending by an average of approximately 13.5 percent. In the next 10 years, an across-the-board cut of 13.5 percent would mean cutting Social Security by $1.7 trillion and cutting Medicare by $1.1 trillion.”

Trump is willing to jeopardize Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, which he once called a Ponzi scheme.

• Trump said “it’s possible” to replace Medicare.
• Trump wrote in his book that he would privatize Social Security and raise the retirement age, calling the program a Ponzi scheme.
• Trump’s campaign adviser suggested Trump would be open to looking at program changes to Social Security and Medicare.
• Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, wanted to privatize Social Security faster and further than George W. Bush, and supported privatization in Medicare long before the Ryan Budget tried to voucherize it (which Pence also supported).

Trump’s plan to block grant Medicaid could cause millions of low-income adults and people with disabilities to lose or see lower benefits.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

HFA Highlights Hillary Clinton’s 30 Year Career

Donald Trump is eager to talk about the last 30 years and Hillary Clinton, too, is eager to discuss her three decades of experience and public service. Clinton has dedicated her life to serving others, while Trump has spent decades trying to get ahead at the expense of others. Today, Hillary for America is launch a new website offering a side-by-side comparison of what they were each doing at various times in their lives.  Their records show that there’s only one candidate in this race who truly puts the American people first: Hillary Clinton.

In the 1970s and 80s:

• Clinton’s first job out of law school was with the Children’s Defense Fund, and one of her first tasks was going door to door to figure out why so many children were missing school. The evidence she helped gather was presented to Congress to build the case for the passage of the law that ensures all children with disabilities have access quality education. Later, while a law professor at the University of Arkansas, Clinton founded a legal aid clinic to help low-income children and families in need of legal representation. And as First Lady of Arkansas, she chaired the state’s Education Standards Committee, working to improve the quality of schools and give every child a chance to succeed.

• Trump was President of his dad’s real estate company and the family business when it was sued by the Justice Department for refusing to rent apartments to African Americans in New York City and Virginia. The lawsuit unearthed a disturbing pattern among employees of Trump’s real estate company, who appeared to systematically deny applications to aspiring black renters.  Trump borrowed at least $14 million from his father for his real estate empire.

In the 1990s:

• Clinton worked with Democrats and Republicans to pass the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which insures more than 8 million American kids today. She traveled to China to give a bold, landmark address affirming women’s rights.

• Trump refused to pay contractors on some of his biggest projects and was sued for fraud repeatedly– like Marty Rosenberg, whose family business was paid less than half for its work at Trump’s casino. No business person or contractor proved too small for Trump to stiff. Trump claimed such large losses on his tax returns that he possibly avoided paying federal income taxes for up to 18 years. Trump insulted women for their appearances, calling a former Miss Universe an “eating machine.”

In the 2000s:

• After 9/11, Clinton immediately got to work fighting for first responders and emergency workers. She introduced a bill to speed up the payment of benefits to families of public safety officers who died in the line of duty on 9/11 and it became law a few days later. In 2006, she introduced the Heroes at Home Act to aid veterans with post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injuries.

• In the Senate, Clinton also worked on improving access to health care and making it more affordable. She fought for Medicare to be able to negotiate for fair drug prices, supported getting generic drugs to market faster, and consistently backed safe prescription drug importation from other countries. She co-authored and worked to pass the Pediatric Research Equity Act, which forced drug companies to conduct pediatric tests on products prescribed for kids. “She also worked on economic issues for New York State, co-founding the bipartisan Senate manufacturing caucus and fighting for New York’s strong manufacturing base and steel industry.

• At the same time, Trump took $150,000 from a program designed to help small businesses in the aftermath of 9/11 and spent years lying about both his personal attachment to 9/11 and his commitment to helping New York recover. Trump also spent his time cheating more than 5,000 students at his scam Trump University and running a sham charitable foundation that spent money on non-charitable expenses like a portrait of himself and personal legal fees, and failed to properly register to raise money in the State of New York. It was reported that Trump repeatedly demeaned a crew member working on The Apprentice and used misogynistic language about female contestants.

In the 2010s:

• Clinton served as Secretary of State. She built the toughest sanctions regime in history on Iran, twisting arms in China, Russia, and dozens of other countries, to force Iran to the negotiating table. And when pressure started working, she sent her closest aides to explore a diplomatic opening that led to a  deal cutting off Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon. She personally negotiated an end to Hamas rockets raining down on Israel in 2012 and worked to build stronger defense programs for Israel, including upgrading the Iron Dome rocket defense system. She worked to ensure ratification of the New START treaty, which will make the world safer by reducing the number of deployed U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear weapons. She fought to make women’s rights a priority in international relations, stood up against sex trafficking of women and children, and led the fight for a UN Security Council resolution to combat sexual violence against women and children around the world that passed unanimously. She advised President Obama on the decision to bring Osama bin Laden to justice — and on May 1, 2011, she was in the Situation Room as the operation unfolded.

The same night as Clinton advised President Obama on the Osama bin Laden raid, Trump was busy appearing on an episode of The Celebrity Apprentice. Trump has spent this decade peddling shameful lies about President Obama’s nationality as the leader of the birther movement; making a deal with Gaddafi to set up a tent on Trump’s property; filing for bankruptcy at Trump Plaza; fighting fraud suits over Trump University; and doling out illegal campaign donations from his sham charitable foundation.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

Tim Kaine Campaigns in Nevada

Tim Kaine wrapped up a visit to Nevada this morning with an event in Henderson at the Sun City MacDonald Ranch. While Kaine spoke about he and Hillary Clinton’s platform, he primarily focused on health care during the event. He spoke about Clinton’s proposals to give tax credits to caregivers, provide grants to researchers to find a cure for Alzheimer’s, combat the rising costs of prescription drugs, and protect Medicare and Social Security. Following his remarks, Kaine answered question from those in attendance. A video from the event is below.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal

Bill Clinton Campaigns in Michigan

On Monday, Bill Clinton campaigned on behalf of Hillary Clinton in Michigan. His first event was in Saginaw where he spoke about Hillary’s plans in detail saying, “We need a change to broadly shared prosperity. You have to have plans to do that.” Bill contrasted the plans of Hillary with those of Donald Trump saying that what we need a country are answers and not anger, empowerment over resentment, and bridges instead of walls. He argued that Hillary was the best and only candidate offering all three. A video from the event is below.

Bill then traveled to Flint where he spoke about inequality and unity. He said that Hillary is about more than just jobs and that her “Stronger Together” is more than a motto, it is a framework for the country. Bill detailed a number of Hillary’s platform points including her plans to create jobs, invest in the country’s infrastructure and clean energy, improve health care by expanding Medicare and Medicaid, and making college more affordable. He made it clear that Hillary is “the only person who’s got a clear, affordable, achievable economic strategy.” A video from his speech in Flint is below.

Meanwhile, in Brussels, Belgium, a fundraiser was held on behalf of Hillary for America for American citizens living in the area. The event featured a conversation with Stephen Rapp, Former United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: Midland Daily News, Fox 2, The Detroit News

Hillary Clinton Interviewed by ESSENCE Magazine

An interview with Hillary Clinton is featured in the October issue of ESSENCE magazine. Clinton was interviewed by ESSENCE Editor-in-chief Vanessa K. De Luca, and they discussed how Clinton’s proposals would benefit black women. Clinton spoke about a number of her plans including ensuring equal pay for women, ensuring that students graduate from college debt-free, and her plans to enact criminal justice reform. Read the full interview below.

In ESSENCE Magazine’s October Issue, Secretary Hillary Clinton sat for an exclusive interview with the editor-in-chief Vanessa DeLuca to discuss her agenda for Black America.  She outlined her commitment to support women business owners, equal pay, criminal justice reform and to protect President Obama’s legacy.

ESSENCE: Thank you, Secretary Clinton, for spending time with ESSENCE. Let’s jump right in: In 2012, more than 70 percent of eligible Black women voters went to the polls and 96 percent of them voted for President Obama. How do you plan on energizing this bloc to vote for you in 2016?

HILLARY CLINTON: First, thank you, Vanessa. I’m delighted to be talking with you today. I think what’s remarkable and worthy of great attention is the percentage of Black women who vote. Black women understand that politics and government have a direct effect on their lives. I want to build on the progress that has been made under President Obama. I am absolutely unabashed in saying that I don’t think he gets the credit for what he’s achieved.

There is a very clear set of issues that are particularly important to African-American women. I will continue to reach out to say, “Look, we’ve got to build on the progress. I can’t do it without you. I want to know what you need, and I want you to know that I’m going to do everything I can to respond to those needs.

ESSENCE: In a poll we conducted with civic engagement group Black Women’s Roundtable last year, we asked our audience to tell us the top three issues they found to be the most critical in deciding whether they would vote for a particular candidate. The issues were affordable health care, living wage and college affordability. How can the middle class participate in the affordable health care plan in the ways they are prevented from doing right now?

HILLARY CLINTON: I was thrilled when President Obama got the Affordable Care Act through. I will be looking to see how we make it truly affordable so that the co-pays, the premiums and the deductibles don’t take such a huge chunk out of a woman’s or a family’s budget. Women are eligible for Medicare starting at age 65, but what about the women between 55 and 65 who are maybe facing health challenges but don’t have Medicare? What about caretakers, all the women who cut back on their work hours or stop their work life to care for a child, a spouse or an elderly relative? They are hurt when it comes to social security, so how do we take care of that? I want to look at this broadly to figure out how we help people get the quality affordable health care that everybody needs and deserves to different points in their life.

ESSENCE: Let’s shift to the second issue. Black women with a bachelor’s degree are making $10,000 less than the average White male with an associate’s degree. How do you plan to address the significant pay gaps for us?

HILLARY CLINTON: More good jobs with rising incomes is the centerpiece of how we’re going to provide a higher standard of living for people. There is still too much explicit and implicit bias in employment, hiring and promoting that, again, disproportionately affect the African-American women. I am in favor of raising the minimum wage, and support the efforts that have already been successful in New York and California to raise it to 15$ per hour. I want to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act so that you’re not retaliated against if you try to find out what you’re paid. Right now if you and I are working for the same company and we’re having lunch together and I say, “Well I’m making X an hour or my salary is Y,” and you say, “But we’re doing the same job and I am making X minus or Y minus,” we could both be fired for that.

ESSENCE: A lot of our readers are excited about your student loan plan. How will it assist those of us with college loan debt, especially those who attended historically Black colleges and universities?

HILLARY CLINTON: From the very moment I rolled out my college affordability plan, I made it very clear that I wanted to get back to where we used to be, where it was possible for someone for someone from a modest-income family to afford to go to college. I have a plan to make four-year public colleges and universities tuition-free. If you make less than $125,000 a year, you should not have to borrow a penny to pay for all their other costs. I also have a really strong commitment to historically Black colleges and billion fund set aside that will help HBCUs be competitive, be able to upgrade their laboratories and be able to provide more financial support to make sure they remain a viable option.

ESSENCE: Why is that important to you?

HILLARY CLINTON: My first boss, Marian Wright Edelman went to Spelman, and another great friend of mine, Vernon Jordan, got his law degree at Howard. I’ve has close friends talk about how that experience was so important in their maturing and that they felt very nurtured—challenged, but nurtured. I have visited a lot of HBCUs and the ones that are the public colleges and universities in a lot of states are being shortchanged when it comes to funding, so they’re having to close departments and buildings. It’s not that these schools don’t have the demand; they still do. They don’t have the resources. I want to provide a floor underneath them. I have a plan to help refinance your debt, to get it paid down, to ensure you pay no more than 10 percent of your income for your debt and to provide relief. If you go into public service, and that includes teaching and law enforcement, we will forgive the rest of your debt after ten years.

ESSENCE: How will you deal with the ongoing issue of police brutality and racial profiling should be elected president?

HILLARY CLINTON: I think there are four issues that we have to address simultaneously. One is policing reform and I think President Obama’s policing commission has excellent recommendations. What I intend to do is use the federal budget to incentivize and catalyze the 18,000 police departments we have in America to follow those kinds of recommendations. I want there to be national guidelines on the use of force, particularly lethal force, that every department would accept and that they would then train their police and hold them accountable. I want independent investigations of any police incident that results in the death of any person.

ESSENCE: Beyond a grand jury?

HILLARY CLINTON: New York, after some of our regrettable, terrible incidents, made the right decision by legislating that the attorney general of the state would take over these investigations. I want to have a better approach to accountability and justice. I want to provide second-chance programs for people coming out of jail and prison, but I want to do much more to divert people from ever getting their in the first place. Honestly, young, Black kids, particularly young Black boys, for being kids. I want to replace the cradle-to-prison pipeline with a cradle-to-college or –career pipeline and really emphasize that.

ESSENCE: Obviously the country is in a very precarious state right now. There’s lots of division and failure to see the other side. How would you bring us all together?

HILLARY CLINTON: I hope that by reaching out to people—especially across the aisle to Republicans as I did when I was First Lady, as senator and as secretary of state—I will demonstrate that I’m walking the walk as well as talking the talk. I know that it takes time and investment of your energy to build relationships, but investment of your energy to build relationships, but there’s no substitute for that. I intend to begin doing that as soon as I possibly can. This will determine what kind of lives we have and certainly what kind of lives our children and grandchildren will have. Are we going to be fairer, more just society with opportunity for all, one that builds an inclusive economic prosperity that people can feel is helping them get ahead? Are we going to stand against discrimination, bigotry, bluster and bullying? Those are all core beliefs that I have about the kind of country that I think we must be, and in our better moments, we are.

ESSENCE: Should there be resistance, how will you push back against that?

HILLARY CLINTON: I expect there will be resistance, but you have to work to find whatever common ground you can. I don’t know if you have seen the wonderful musical “Hamilton” but there is a point where George Washington says that he is going to step down and people are shocked.  But he said, “It’s the right thing to do,” and then he said, “History’s eyes are on us.” I think history’s eyes are still on us. We’ve got to keep working together and that means creating common ground and common purpose wherever we can. There will always be naysayers; there will always be haters. But we can’t let them drive our agenda. What we’re trying to do is much bigger than them and much more hopeful than they even understand. I am going to keep reaching out, and based on my experience I think we can make progress.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: ESSENCE

Hillary Clinton Announces Plan to Combat High Prescription Drug Prices

On Friday, Hillary Clinton announced a plan to combat the rising cost of prescription drugs, particularly the excessive rise in costs of live saving prescriptions like the EpiPen. Clinton’s plan would create a federal team to monitor drug prices and track increases. Her plan also provides several actions the government could take when drug prices have been raised excessively such as fines and increased access to treatment programs. An outline of Clinton’s proposal is below, and the full plan can be read on The Briefing.

• Making alternatives available and increasing competition
• Emergency importation of safe treatments
• Penalties for unjustified price increases to hold drug companies accountable and fund expanded access
• Dedicated oversight to protect consumers
• Strong new enforcement measures to respond when there are unjustified, outlier price increases that threaten public health
  • Directly intervening to make treatments available, and supporting generic and alternative manufacturers that enter the market and increase competition to bring down prices
  • Broadening access to safe, high-quality generic and alternative competitors through emergency importation
  • Holding drug makers accountable for unjustified price increases with new penalties – and using the funds to expand access and competition
• Cap monthly and annual out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs to save patients with chronic or serious health conditions hundreds or thousands of dollars
• Clear out the FDA generic backlog
• Prohibit “pay for delay” arrangements that keep generic competition off the market
• Ensure American consumers are getting value for their drugs
• Stop direct-to-consumer drug company advertising subsidies, and reinvest funds in research
• Require drug companies that benefit from taxpayers’ support to invest in research, not marketing or profits
• Allow Medicare to negotiate drug and biologic prices and demand higher rebates for prescription drugs in Medicare

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: The Briefing, The New York Times

HFA Releases History of Trump’s History of Disrespect for Veterans and Military Families

Following Donald Trump’s speech before the American Legion’s National Convention yesterday, Hillary for America released a collection of quotes in which Trump has been disrespectful of veterans, the military, and their families. The full release is below.

From firing employees because of their military service, to lying about donations to veterans’ charities, to scamming veterans through Trump University, here’s a refresher on some of Trump’s most offensive statements and positions regarding veterans and military families:

Trump has attacked veterans and military families, including a Gold Star family.

NYT: Donald Trump criticizes Muslim family of slain U.S. soldier, drawing ire. “Donald J. Trump belittled the parents of a slain Muslim soldier who had strongly denounced Mr. Trump during the Democratic National Convention, saying that the soldier’s father had delivered the entire speech because his mother was not “allowed” to speak.”

BuzzFeed: Trump: My position on keeping terrorists out is what bothered Khizr Khan. “Trump has faced backlash from Republicans and Democrats over his remarks but has continued to attack the Khans.”

And when Trump was done, his campaign and allies continued the attack.

Stephen Bannon: “No, we’re not going to get off Khizr Kahn, we’re going to stay on this guy. We’re going to stay on this relentlessly.”

NH1: A top trump veterans adviser tells NH1 News Khizr Khan has ‘disgraced his son: “State Rep. Al Baldasaro, a top New Hampshire adviser to Donald Trump on veterans issues, says that Khizr Khan has ‘disgraced’ his son and ‘used him as a political pawn.'”

Trump has also profited from ripping off veterans and military families, and his businesses have fired employees because of their military service.

• Huffington Post: Trump Institute fired veteran for ‘absences’ after he was deployed to Afghanistan. “Wright was deployed to Afghanistan in the spring of 2007. When he came home to his job, the Trump Institute fired him. “All of your absences,” Wright’s boss at the Trump Institute told him, had forced the company to “reevaluate your position with the Trump Institute.” It is a violation of federal law to penalize an employee for absences caused by military service.”
• CNN: Iraq war veteran claims Trump University fired her for serving in the Army Reserve. “Corrine Sommers, who worked for Trump University for five months, sued Trump University after she was dismissed in October 2007. She reached a confidential settlement in that case. But she later alleged that she was fired because of her military service in a November 2012 deposition she gave in a federal class action suit that accused the school of fraud. That deposition was unsealed this week.”
• Huffington Post: Third Veteran Dumped By Trump Because Of Military Service: “Yet in at least three cases, Trump’s companies have either fired, or refused to hire, military reservists because of the time commitments demanded of them by their service in the armed forces.”
• TIME: What the legal battle over Trump University reveals about its founder. “The records indicate, for example, that Trump University collected approximately $40 million from its students–who included veterans, retired police officers and teachers–and that Trump personally received approximately $5 million of it”
• CNN: 40-year Navy veteran scammed out of $26,000 by Trump University
• The Daily Beast: Trump University’s star student: ‘it was a con.’ “’It was a lie,’ said Maddings, an ex-marine now 32, who told The Daily Beast that he racked up around $45,000 in credit card debt to buy Trump University seminars and products. […]'[Trump University] was a con. I’m 25-years-old, barely making $3,000 a month and they told me to increase my credit limit. I just maxed out three credit cards and I’m supposed to be able to qualify for loans to buy real estate? Those stupid principles have led me to borrow $700,000 of other people’s money and lose it all. I’m still paying off some of that debt to this day.”

Trump has also repeatedly lied about donating to veteran charities.

• Mother Jones: Donald Trump tried to cheat veterans out of $1 Million. “Donald Trump tried to cheat veterans out of $1 million: “ I want to make this simple. Here’s what Donald Trump did recently: He pledged $1 million to help veterans; he tried to weasel out of it for months and hoped no one would notice; and when he finally got caught, he ponied up grudgingly and insulted the reporter who caught him.”
• Washington Post: Four months after fundraiser, Trump says he gave $1 million to veterans group.“Trump also said he had never actually promised that the fundraiser had raised $6 million. ‘I didn’t say six,’ Trump said. In a video of the event, Trump tells the crowd at the end, ‘We just cracked $6 million! Right? $6 million.’ When asked about that quote, Trump said, ‘Well, I don’t. I don’t have the notes. I don’t have the tape of it.’”
• CNN:Trump’s website boasts that he gave $1 million to the 1995 Nation’s Day Parade, but the event’s organizer said that’s about three times more than he actually gave.
• CNN:“After signing a deal to launch his brand of vodka, Trump went on CNN’s ‘Larry King Live’ in 2006 and described the venture, saying, ‘I’m giving the money to charity.’ […] the vodka company sent multiple press releases stating it would donate sales proceeds to the Walter Reed Society, a charity supporting programs at Walter Reed Hospital. The charity’s administrator tells CNN the donations amounted to about ‘a few hundred dollars.'”

Trump also attempted multiple times to kick disabled veteran street vendors off Fifth Avenue, near the home of Trump Tower.

• NYDN:“Do we allow Fifth Ave., one of the world’s finest and most luxurious shopping districts, to be turned into an outdoor flea market, clogging and seriously downgrading the area?”
• NY Post: Trump to Mayor: Boot fifth ave peddlers: “Whether they are veterans or not, they should not be allowed to sell on this most important and prestigious shopping street… I hope you can stop this very deplorable situation before it is too late.”

Trump signaled he wants to privatize the VA and that he opposed the post-9/11 GI bill.

• WSJ:Donald Trump adviser signals plan to change veterans’ health care. “While short on details, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee would likely push VA health care toward privatization and might move for it to become more of an insurance provider like Medicare rather than an integrated hospital system, said Sam Clovis, Mr. Trump’s chief policy adviser, in an interview.”
• Asked point-blank in May if he supported the Post-9/11 G.I., which has benefitedover 700,000 veterans and their family members, Trump said no.

He’s disrespected prisoners of war like Senator John McCain…

• Trump on Sen. John McCain: “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured, ok? I hate to tell you.”
• BuzzFeed: Trump: I Don’t Regret McCain Comments, My Poll Numbers Went Up

…compared his own “struggles” to the true sacrifices of those who serve our country…

• Trump said that despite never serving our country, he “always felt that I was in the military” because he was sent to a military-themed boarding school.

…and after a veteran even gave Trump his coveted purple heart to which Trump responded:

• “This was much easier.”

Ultimately, Trump has shown he is completely unfit to serve as commander in chief.

• Last year, Trump downplayed the dangers of war with modern technology, claiming that if an armored Humvee is hit with an explosive, our soldiers just “go for a little ride upward and they come down.”

Trump said earlier this year that our military is a “disaster.” Later on, at a campaign rally in Delaware, he went as far as to say that our military is in “shambles” and that it needed rebuilding.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: The Washington Post

Clinton Unveils Comprehensive Agenda on Mental Health (Updated)

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.

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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.”

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: The Briefing, USA Today

Clinton Proposes Universal Health Care

On Saturday, Hillary Clinton and her campaign released an expansion to her health care plan that provides additional details on how, as president, she would achieve universal health care. Parts of the plan are suggestions from the campaign of former Democratic rival Senator Bernie Sanders. The expanded plan has three primary points:

1. Work with state governors to expand Medicaid in every state.
2. Reign in the cost of health care by ensuring low premiums, reforming the prescription drug industry to allow for price negotiations, and capping the maximum out of pocket expenses for a family per year.
3. Expand Medicare to all Americans 55 years old and older.

In the release, Clinton stresses the importance of insuring all Americans and ensuring that everyone has access to affordable health care, dental and vision care, and affordable prescription drugs. The full plan is available on The Briefing.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: CBS News, The Briefing