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.

Tim Kaine Pens Higher Education Op-Ed

Time magazine published an op-ed from Tim Kaine today in which he touted the education plan proposed by Hillary Clinton. Kaine writes about the rising cost of a college education and the importance of being college educated in today’s workforce. He explained that the Clinton-Kaine plan will help students reduce their current debt and will provide tuition free education to students whose families make less than $125,000 per year. Kaine says, “The Clinton-Kaine ticket is fully committed to sending every child in this country to world-class schools with great teachers, no matter where they come from. But higher education is a distinct challenge—which is why our plan will help anyone willing to work for a quality, affordable college degree.” The full text of Kaine’s op-ed is below.

When I graduated from college in 1979, education costs were manageable for many working families. By the time my own kids started college in the 2000s, it was a very different story.

So what happened?

The cost of a higher education skyrocketed by every measure. American students and graduates hold more than $1.2 trillion in debt today—and each indebted graduate can expect to owe nearly $30,000.

If you’re a current college student reading this, I want you to know that Hillary and I know what you’re going through. As the father of three, a lifelong supporter of educational opportunity for all and a former teacher at the University of Richmond’s Law School, I want to make one thing clear: We can do better.

These questions of access and affordability aren’t new to us. Hillary Clinton’s first job out of law school was working for the Children’s Defense Fund, where she went door-to-door in the fight to help kids with disabilities get the schooling they deserve. I ran a technical school in Honduras, an experience that inspired my ongoing support for those kinds of programs here at home. And my wife Anne’s decades-long career fighting for kids and families recently culminated in her service as Virginia’s Secretary of Education.

The Clinton-Kaine ticket is fully committed to sending every child in this country to world-class schools with great teachers, no matter where they come from. But higher education is a distinct challenge—which is why our plan will help anyone willing to work for a quality, affordable college degree.

Our plan would make debt-free college available to everyone, and make tuition free for in-state students from families with income under $125,000. It will free millions of Americans from the existing debt they’re struggling to pay off. And because I know that a four-year degree isn’t the only path to success, we’ll open up new opportunities for students beyond traditional degrees.

Meanwhile, institutions and states alike will have to commit to lowering costs and raising their own investments in education if they want to continue receiving federal funding. From restoring year-round Pell Grants to supporting HBCUs and on-campus childcare, our plan leverages commonsense, sustainable changes for the public good.

After all, an American with a college degree will earn about $570,000 more in their lifetime than one without—but they’ll also be expanding our national economy and building up our middle class along the way. That’s the real beauty of this plan: When everyone does their part, it’s a win-win all around.

But then there’s Donald Trump’s plan—or lack thereof.

Though he brags about his own four-year degree from an Ivy League school, he has no intention of offering anyone else the same opportunity. Trump University, currently the subject of multiple class-action lawsuits, made a mockery of higher education while its namesake and his cronies unapologetically scammed thousands of student out of thousands of dollars.

Trump has long said that the United States spends too much on education. Instead of reconsidering how that money should be spent, he wants to all but nix the Department of Education, an agency that offers an array of resources to support our most vulnerable students. Hillary wants to build on what works there; Trump wants to pull the rug out from under everyone not in his tax bracket.

Hillary and I believe passionately in advancing educational opportunity from pre-k through higher education and career and technical training. Trump chose a running mate, Mike Pence, who as Governor of Indiana turned down millions of federal dollars that could have expanded access to preschool for low-income kids and cut funding for schools serving Indiana’s most vulnerable students.

When it comes to expanding access to higher education, the choice in November is clear. We’re siding with students and with every American seeking an affordable college degree.

I hope you join us!

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: Time

Clinton Counters Trump’s Economic Message in Michigan Speech

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.

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

News Source: The New York Times, Detroit Free Press, Newsweek

Hillary Clinton Statement on the 4th Anniversary of DACA

On Wednesday, Hillary Clinton released a statement celebrating the 4th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy that has allowed many DREAMers to complete their education, enter the workforce, and build families. Republican Donald Trump has vowed to end DACA and programs like it thus removing a chance for the children of immigrants and undocumented workers to better themselves and becoming productive citizens. Clinton said that it is vital to our economy to ensure DREAMers are able to build better lives and join the workforce. They deserve that chance because the promise of the United States is that everyone can live up to their full potential. A copy of Clinton’s statement is below.

“Four years ago today, President Obama used his constitutional authority to change the lives of thousands of young people who call America home. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has given DREAMers the freedom to provide for their families, further their educations, and live their lives without fear of being deported from the country they know and love. This policy is good for our economy–and it is true to our values as Americans. We are proud of our heritage as a nation of immigrants. We believe every young person deserves the chance to live up to his or her God-given potential. We know we are stronger together.

This anniversary also reminds us of how high the stakes are in this election. Right now, the United States Supreme Court is set to rule on the recent expansion of DACA and the creation of Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA).  I strongly believe that these executive actions that are rooted in law and precedent will be upheld, but the fate of these policies, and of the millions of people who were impacted by them, will be in the hands of the next President.

If Donald Trump is that president, he has pledged to eliminate DACA and DAPA on day one. He has said he will create a ‘deportation force’ to round up 11 million people. He will tear apart families, separate parents and children, rip young people out of school and workers from their jobs. He has even said he will undermine that most fundamental American value–that if you are born here, no matter who your parents are or where they came from, you are an American.

I believe America is stronger together. When we embrace immigrants, not denigrate them. When we protect families, not tear them apart. When we build bridges, not walls.

It is why I co-sponsored legislation to protect DREAMers throughout my time in the senate as well as legislation to enact comprehensive immigration reform, and it is why I will do everything in my power as president to protect President Obama’s executive actions, go further to provide relief for families, and introduce comprehensive immigration reform with a path to full and equal citizenship within my first 100 days in office.”

En español:

“Hace cuatro años, el presidente Obama usó su autoridad constitucional para cambiar la vida de miles de jóvenes quienes llaman a los Estados Unidos su hogar. La Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA) le ha dado a los DREAMers la libertad para poder mantener a sus familias, continuar su educación y vivir sus vidas sin miedo de ser deportados del país que conocen y aman. Esta política pública es buena para nuestra economía y es fiel a nuestros valores estadounidenses. Estamos orgullosos de nuestro legado como la nación de inmigrantes que somos. Creemos que cada jóven merece la oportunidad de desarrollar el potencial que Dios le ha dado. Sabemos que juntos somos más fuertes.

Este aniversario nos recuerda, además, la importancia de estas elecciones. En este momento, la Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos está por deliberar sobre la reciente expansión de DACA y la creación de Acción Diferida para Padres de Ciudadanos Estadounidenses y de Residentes Permanentes Legales (DAPA). Estoy convencida que estas acciones ejecutivas tienen base legal y establecerán un precedente, pero el futuro de estas políticas y el de millones de personas impactadas por ellas, estará en las manos del próximo presidente.

Si Donald Trump es presidente, se ha comprometido a eliminar DACA y DAPA en su primer día. Ha dicho que creará ‘una fuerza de deportación’ para deportar a 11 millones de personas. El destrozaría familias, separaría a padres de sus hijos, removería a jóvenes de las escuelas y trabajadores de sus empleos. Incluso, ha dicho que socavaría el valor estadounidense más fundamental: si naciste aquí, eres estadounidense, no importa quienes son tus padres ni de dónde vinieron.

Creo que los Estados Unidos es más fuerte cuando estamos juntos, cuando acogemos a los inmigrantes, no cuando los denigramos, cuando protegemos a las familias, no las separamos, cuando construimos puentes, no murallas.

Es por esto que copatrociné legislación para proteger a DREAMers durante mi tiempo como senadora, así también legislé para establecer una reforma migratoria integral. Es por esto, que haré todo lo que esté en mi poder como presidenta para proteger las acciones ejecutivas del presidente Obama e iré más allá para proveer alivio a las familias al introducir una reforma migratoria integral con un camino hacia una ciudadanía plena e igualitaria durante los primeros 100 días de mi administración.”

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

News Source: NBC News

Hillary Clinton Campaigns in Lexington and Louisville

On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton held three events in Kentucky while citizens of neighboring West Virginia voted in their Democratic primary. Clinton’s first event was in Lexington where she laid out a new plan to help parents with the rising costs of child care. Speaking at a roundtable event, Clinton outlined the plan and spoke with care providers and parents about the importance of child care and the struggle for many families to find and afford adequate care. The bullet points of the plan includes:

• Improve the quality of care by giving a RAISE (Respect And Increased Salaries for Early Childhood Educators) to America’s child care workforce
• Provide home visiting services for more than 2 million parents and children in the next 10 years
• Support young parents as the balance family responsibilities and their careers
• Award scholarships of up to $1,500 per year to as many as one million student parents
• Increase access to child care on college campuses by serving an additional 250,000 children
• Doubling federal investment in high quality early learning programs
• Making preschool universal for every 4-year old in America
• Proving working parents paid time off to care for a new baby

The full plan can be read on The Briefing and a video from the event is available below.

Clinton then traveled to Louisville where she spoke at a rally. During her speech, Clinton focused on the economy and her plans to raise incomes and create new jobs. She also spoke about a number of other platform points before turning her attention to local politics and her Republican opposition. She criticized Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin for his plans to scrap the state’s health insurance exchanges and the state’s expansion of medicaid, both of which were provided as a result of the Affordable Care Act. Clinton then turned her attention to Republicans and their endless attacks on her career saying, “The right wing never gives up attacking me. I think they are going to throw everything but the kitchen sink at me…I’ve got a message for them. They’ve done it for 25 years and I’m still standing.” A video from the event will be posted when/if available.

In the evening, Clinton spoke at a second organizing event in Louisville. During her speech at Louisville Slugger Field, Clinton took a number of shots at presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and his disparaging comments about women and minorities. She said, “You could not imagine a more different vision for our country than the one between our side, of Democrats for progress, for prosperity, for fairness and opportunity than the presumptive nominee on the Republican side.” Clinton focused on her plans to continue the progress of President Barack Obama’s administration and ensure that people have access to health care and affordable higher education. A full video from the event is below.

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

News Source: Courier-Journal, WKYT, WEKU, The Briefing, Courier-Journal

Hillary Clinton Presents Manufacturing Plan in Syracuse

On Friday, Hillary Clinton held two public events in Syracuse, New York. The first was a round table discussion during which she unveiled her plans to boost manufacturing. The plan calls for an investment of $10 billion and is called “Make it in America.” The basic components of the plan include:

• The establishment of “Make it in America Partnerships” that make America the first choice for manufacturing production by harnessing regional strengths.
• Prevent foreign countries like China from abusing global trade rules, and reject trade agreements that do not meet high standards.
• Revitalize the hardest-hit manufacturing communities.
• Crack down on companies shipping jobs and earnings overseas – and create incentives for companies to bring back jobs to the U.S.
• Invest in America’s manufacturing workforce to ensure that they will always be the best in the world.

Full details of her plan can be read on The Briefing, and a video from the round table event is below.

Clinton then held a public rally in Syracuse’s Regional Market where she covered a number of topics including her pledge to fight for equal pay for women, making higher education more affordable, and growing the economy of New York and and the country. She also touched on the topic she covered earlier in the day at the small business round table saying, “Upstate New York has a storied history of manufacturing. We now have a chance to recapture that.” While in Syracuse, Clinton also made stop at Varsity Pizza where she posed for pictures and signed basketballs. A video from the event will be added when/if available.

Clinton also attended two fundraisers today. The first was held before the rally in Syracuse where donors could meet Clinton. She then traveled to New Jersey for a fundraiser in Tenafly.

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

News Source: Syracuse.com, WXXI, Syracuse.com, The Briefing

Women in the Workforce (Japan)

Friday, September 12, 2014

Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke via video to a women in the workforce conference held in Japan. In her remarks, Clinton spoke about the lack of paid family leave in the United States. She said, “The United States, unfortunately, is one of a handful of developed countries without paid family leave.” In Japan, a portion of paid family leave is guaranteed. Clinton also discussed the inequality of pay for women, and in particular the lack of women in some industries, particularly Silicon Valley.

News Source: The Wall Street Journal