HFA Statement on Trump’s VA Reforms

On Monday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump laid out his plan for reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs. His plan calls for a mix of government and private care options for our nation’s veterans. Hillary for America advisor, and Army veteran, Bishop Garrison released a statement saying that the plan was the first step to privatizing the VA and would not address the current issues. He argued that Hillary Clinton’s plan to update the VA systems to include modern technology is a better option for veterans and their families. A copy of the statement is below:

“Make no mistake about what Donald Trump just laid out. The policy reforms he proposed would put us irreversibly on a path toward the wholesale privatization of the VA. We can and must fix the VA to ensure it provides top-of-the-line 21st century care for our veterans, and Hillary Clinton has laid out a plan to do exactly that. But Donald Trump’s proposal would gut the VA of the resources needed to provide high-quality, coordinated care. Fully privatizing the VA – the inevitable result of Trump’s proposals – is not a fix at all; it’s an ideological crusade that will only compound the problem. It would deprive our veterans of access to the specialized care they require and deserve and leave them at the mercy of a private health care market that’s ill-suited to handle their needs.”

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News Source: Time

Read: Hillary Clinton’s Broad Presidential Platform

Since launching her campaign last April, Hillary Clinton has outlined a number of major platform points in a series of speeches. Now that it it is clear the general election will be Clinton versus Republican Donald Trump, it is important that Clinton continue to deliver substantive speeches and combat a Trump platform that seems to offer no substance or foundation. Clinton’s platform is built on a career of public service and an understanding of domestic and foreign policies. While not everyone may agree with points of her platform, taken as a whole it is clear that she has put together a solid plan to more the country forward and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to live up to their full potential.

When Clinton has introduced a major platform topic, we add it to the Platform category of the website. Looking through Clinton’s speeches and policy proposals, a clear plan emerges. From Clinton’s kickoff rally in June 2015 to the announcement of the proposed cap on child care costs and expanded early childhood education earlier this month, a list of Clinton’s platform speech topics and announcement dates are below:

• June 13 – “Four Fights” of Campaign
• July 13 – Economic Agenda
• July 27 – Climate Change
• July 31 – Cuban Embargo
• August 10 – College Affordability
• August 18 – Drilling in the Arctic
• August 26 – Agriculture
• September 1 – Substance Abuse
• September 8 – Campaign Finance Reform
• September 9 – Nuclear Agreement with Iran
• September 14 – Sexual Assault
• September 22 – Prescription Drugs
• September 23 – Clean Energy
• October 5 – Gun Control
• October 7 – Trans-Pacific Partnership
• October 8 – Wall Street
• November 4 – US – Israeli Relations
• November 10 – Department of Veterans Affairs
• November 12 – Coal Communities
• November 19 – ISIS and Global Terrorism
• November 20 – Middle-Class Taxes
• November 22 – Caregiver Tax Credits
• November 29 – Infrastructure
• December 8 – Manufacturing (Part 1)
• December 15 – Immigration Reform
• December 15 – Anti-Terrorism
• December 16 – Buffett Rule
• December 20 – LGBT Rights
• December 22 – Alzheimer’s Disease
• January 5 – Autism
• January 11 – Fair Share Surcharge
• February 12 – “Breaking Every Barrier Agenda”
• March 4 – Jobs
• March 23 – Counterterrorism
• April 1 – Manufacturing (Part 2)
• April 13 – Department of Immigrant Affairs
• April 13 – Environmental and Climate Justice
• May 10 – Improved Child Care and Early Childhood Education
• May 25 – Infrastructure Revitalization in First 100 Days
• May 31 – Plan to Assist Military Families
• June 2 – Foreign Policy
• June 13 – Reduction of Gun Violence
• June 24 – Immigration Reform
• June 25 – Democratic National Committee Platform
• June 28 – Empowering Young People to be Entrepreneurs
• June 29 – Initiative on Technology and Innovation
• July 6 – Debt-Free College
• July 7 – Protections for Small Businesses
• July 9 – Universal Health Care

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

Hillary Clinton Fundraises in San Francisco Area

Clinton attends a private fundraiser in Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania in July 2015.

On Wednesday, Hillary Clinton attended a fundraiser in San Francisco. The event came after she unveiled her technology agenda and featured two guests: Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards and actress Jamie Lee Curtis. Also holding a fundraiser on behalf of Hillary for America on Wednesday was Senior Campaign Strategist Jim Margolis. The event was held in New York City. On Thursday, an additional New York City fundraiser was held, this time it included a conversation with Chief Financial Officer Gary Gensler.

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News Source: KRON

Hillary Clinton Holds Town Hall for Digital Content Creators

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
  • Make Government Simpler and More User Friendly
  • Open up More Government Data for Public Uses

A video from the town hall event is below.

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

News Source: The Briefing, The Los Angeles Times

Hillary Clinton Unveils Plan to Help Military Families

On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton released her plan to assist military families. The plan unveiled today builds upon a previously introduced plan to build upon the Department of Veteran Affairs and ensure veterans receive proper support after they have left the military. The plan includes provision that will not only ensure that the members of our military are supported, but their spouses and children will as well. You can read the full details of the plan on The Briefing, and an outline of the plan is below:

• Realign the Demands of a Military Career in Service to the Nation to Accommodate 21st Century Family Realities While Maintaining a Strong Force
• Ensure that family leave policies meet the needs of our military families
• Increase access to child care for all service members in the Active Duty and Reserve who need it
• Let service members and their families take a knee
• Create the ability to serve in different ways
• Officially include life-cycle and family considerations in permanent moves
• Back Military Spouses as they Pursue Education, Seek Jobs, Build Careers and Secure their Finances
• Enhancing opportunities for military spouse employment and breaking down antiquated rules, such as onerous state credentialing, that lead to military spouse under-employment
• Reforming the assignment process to better support dual-military couples
• Standing side-by-side with families through transition out of the military
• Enhance military families financial planning and protection
• Creating flexibility around military moves
• Ensure Military Children Receive a High-Quality Education and the Resources to Succeed
• Keep Defense Department schools strong and focused
• Elevate public schools with high number of military children
• Preserve and protect the Post-9/11 GI Bill, making it a lasting part of the nation’s social contract for those who serve and their families
• Enhance the Exceptional Family Member Experience
• Bring Key Resources for Military Families in to the Information Age
• Move resources into higher gear with on-line technology
• Increase virtual access and information for families and surrounding communities
• Champion efforts to care for our military members and families
• Ensure continued focus on mental health for military members and families
• Remain committed to extended leave policies
• Continue to support Gold Star Families
• Continue and Build on the Obama Administration’s Effort to Elevate Military Families in the White House and Across Government
• Create a standing President’s Council on Service Members, Veterans, and Military Families
• Establish “Joining Forces” as a permanent part of the Executive Office of the President
• Direct senior White House and Department of Defense civilian and military leadership to conduct a series of town hall meetings to hear directly from service members and their families about their needs
• Personally request and receive a thorough report and 12-month implementation plan on priority areas for improvement based on these town halls

Meanwhile, Clinton attended two fundraisers today. The first was in East Brunswick, New Jersey and included a conversation with Clinton and Senator Cory Booker. In New York City, Clinton attended an event at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. The event included a conversation with her, former Attorney General Eric Holder, and actress Julianna Margulies.

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

News Source: The Briefing

Clinton Responds to State Department Report Criticizing Private Email Use

Earlier this week, the State Department Inspector General released the findings of their investigation into the state of department email security, including Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State. The report is critical of Clinton’s decision to exclusively use a private email address and not one that was government issues. The report said that Clinton did not seek approval before using an alternate email address, and the Inspector General said that she did not follow proper procedures in turning over all work related email before leaving the State Department. All emails have since been turned over.

The report is also critical of the State Department admitting that the current policies for record preservation are outdated and the technology is outdated as well. The report mentions former Secretaries of State that used private email addresses and failed to turn over any work related content. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell also used a personal email address to conduct government business, but he has stated that he is unable to turn over records because they no longer exist. While Clinton is not the first Secretary of State to use a private email address to conduct business, she is the first to exclusively use a private server.

Clinton and team immediately responded, and she spoke to several news outlets by phone to address the report. Clinton spoke with reporters from Univision, ABC, MSNBC, and CNN, all of which asked a number of questions surrounding the report and its findings. Clinton, once again, admitted that using a private email server was a mistake, but she quickly turned the conversation to the election and Republican nominee Donald Trump. Speaking with Chuck Todd on MSNBC’s Meet the Press Daily, she said, “I said this many times, it was still a mistake. If I could go back, I would do it differently. And I understand people have concerns about this, but I hope and expect voters to look at the full picture of everything I’ve done and stand for. And the full threat posed by Donald Trump. If they do, I have faith in the American people that they will make the right choice.”

The State Department’s review is the first report regarding her emails to be released. A report from the FBI is expected to be released sometime this summer. A full copy of the State Department’s report can be read HERE. Clinton has said on several occasions that she wants the emails from her private server available to the public in the interest of transparency. The State Department released the final batch of emails at the end of February. Since the release of the emails was part of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), all the emails were posted to the State Department’s FOIA website. To access the emails, follow the steps below:

1. Go to http://foia.state.gov/Search
2. Type “F-2014-20439” in the Case Number field
3. Click on the arrow next to the “Posted Date” column header and select “Sort Descending” so that the recently released documents show first
4. Click the title of the document in the “Subject” field to open a PDF copy

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News Source: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Business Insider, CNN, Politico

Hillary Clinton Campaigns in Buena Park and Salinas

Hillary Clinton addresses the crowd Wednesday at UFCW Union Local 324 in Buena Park.
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Hillary Clinton campaigned in California on Wednesday. Her first event was held in Buena Park where she addressed a crowd of supporters at UFCW Union Local 324. After being introduced by actress Jamie Lee Curtis, Clinton spoke about the importance of unity and how she is direct opposition to Republican nominee Donald Trump’s tenancy to divide people. She, again, spoke about the benefit of building bridges instead of walls when working out national issues. She said, “He is scapegoating everyone. That’s good for reality TV. But you’ve got to work with people.” She went on to speak about a number of her platform points including continuing to work to improve health care and bringing down the cost of higher education before asking for voters’ support on June 7.

Clinton also outlined her proposal to rebuild the nations infrastructure. She vowed to implement the plan during her first 100 days in office. The plan includes provisions that will:

• Deliver the most significant increase in infrastructure investment since President Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System
• Connect every household in America to affordable broadband and lead the world into next-generation wireless
• Develop transportation technology of tomorrow
• Make America the clean energy superpower of the 21st century with a cleaner, smarter, and more resilient electric grid
• Eliminate the chose points of commerce
• Revitalize public schools in every ZIP code and invest in communities being left out and left behind
• Build American airports that are the envy of the world
• Leverage private capital through public-private partnerships and ensure that taxpayer dollars are put to good use

Full details of the plan can be read on The Briefing, and a video of her speech is below.

Clinton then spoke at an organizing event in Salinas. Speaking at Hartnell College, she focused on working with Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. She argued that the United States is better served welcoming immigrants than working to keep them out. Again, she attacked Trump for his plans to build a wall along the border between the United States and Mexico. Clinton did discuss a number of other platform points before asking for voter’s support in the California primary.

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

News Source: The Orange County Register, KSBW

Inaugural Watermark Conference for Women

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared at the Inaugural Watermark Conference for Women in Silicon Valley. She spoke at length about the lack of women in Silicon Valley and the challenges facing young women and girls interested in entering the fields of science and technology. After her speech, Clinton was interviewed by Re/code CEO Kara Swisher. They continued the conversation about women in the Valley and the technology field. The topic of 2016 did come up briefly, but Clinton dodged the question.

Update: The Video has been added.

Video Source: YouTube

News Source: Re/code

Dreamforce Conference

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered the keynote address at the Dreamforce Conference in San Francisco. Clinton spoke to the technology community and urged them to continue to innovate. The conference, sponsored by SalesForce, focused on the future of technology. Clinton said, “What we have to be really focused on now is making sure that the benefits of technology to people’s lives outweigh the pitfalls — and it is as evenly distributed as it is possible to do — creating more jobs, connecting up more families and communities, and expanding our horizons.” In addition, Clinton praised SalesForce CEO Marc Benioff for his charity work. She also voiced her support for Net Neutrality as broadband internet companies begin to stream certain businesses content faster in return for payment. Net Neutrality would ensure that the internet provider could not slow down a sites content simply because they did not pay.

Video Source: YouTube

News Source: Government Technology