Getting a higher education should not be a privilege for the wealthy few. Anyone interested in going to college or university, should be able to without taking on tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Every job does not and should not require a degree, but we are doing a huge disservice to college graduates who can’t pursue their chosen career out of fear of not making enough money to cover monthly student loan debt payments. It’s time to close the racial and class disparities that exist in higher education by canceling all student loan debt. 

The richest nation in the world has some of the greatest inequality on the planet because our economy is rigged to steal from the poor to line the pockets of the wealthy few. Creating an economy that works for all of us starts with a comprehensive tax system that benefits working people and ensures the top 1%, Wall Street, and large corporations pay their fair share. Instead of taxing the poor to fund more wealth for the rich, it’s time to tax the rich to end poverty.

The future of our movement relies on a powerful and robust labor movement that can mobilize and unite workers across the country to build the people power necessary to demand our needs from bosses and politicians alike. There is no path forward for a progressive electoral movement without the strength of a united working class movement behind it. Our laws should protect and strengthen that movement so that workers can regain their power from greedy CEOs and corporate power. We must pass the PRO Act and more to ensure every worker has the right to form a union and strike. Labor’s power is our leverage to raise the standard of living for everyone and we must do everything to strengthen and expand that power.

Americans have lost millions of jobs due to unfair trade deals that reward corporations for failing workers. It’s time to end the race to the bottom and renegotiate these rigged deals that only benefit the elite. Multinational corporations should not possess the power to dictate laws for the United States. We need to eliminate incentives for multinational corporations to outsource jobs overseas and prioritize strong labor, environmental and human rights standards for all trade agreements. Our trade deals should focus on lifting up workers’ standards and protections across the world, so that corporate interests can never pit workers against each other. Solidarity among workers across borders is crucial to give everyone a fair deal and toward a united agenda of tackling the global crisis of capitalism.

Republicans led by Trump are waging a war on Social Security, taking benefits away from hundreds of thousands of seniors who have been paying into a program they deserve to reap the benefits from. This is a direct result of decades of lobbying by the corporate cronies of both parties seeking to privatize our fundamental social services.  We must increase funding and expand Social Security benefits for all recipients and protect pensions.

Transitioning every building, home, and mode of transportation to 100% green energy will create millions of good-paying jobs. Our nation can grant a job to every American who wants one. The climate crisis requires a massive jobs program — and a federal jobs guarantee program through the Green New Deal would establish a baseline for wages and benefits for the nation’s workforce. The program would provide a baseline minimum wage of at least $20 an hour. By investing in a just transition for our own workforce, we can lift thousands of American families out of poverty and help people re-enter the workforce, doing the work that needs to be done to build a better future.

High tuition costs have put college and trade schools out of reach for millions of people and saddled millions more with a lifetime of student loan debt. We support free public college and trade schools for all to end the equity gap in higher education. Alongside that, we need federal investments in registered apprenticeship programs to expand job opportunities for the trades and manufacturing industries.

Now is the time for a comprehensive, once-in-a-generation mobilization that prioritizes front-line communities, combats the climate crisis, and creates millions of good-paying union jobs. A Green New Deal will transition away from fossil fuels and dramatically expand existing renewable power sources with the goal of meeting 100% of national power demand through renewable sources. A Green New Deal also provides people across the country with the opportunity, training, and education needed to participate fully and equally in a green economy, offering jobs to help rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. A Green New Deal would include a federal jobs guarantee that ensures a just transition for all workers, low-income communities, communities of color, and indigenous communities.

Over the past several decades, the cost of living has increased significantly while workers’ wages have remained relatively stagnant. While CEO’s compensation soars, most workers’ wages aren’t even keeping up with inflation and affordable housing remains out of reach. We must secure a minimum wage of at least $20 that’s tied to inflation.

The United States has the most expensive and least effective healthcare system compared with other industrialized nations. It’s time to end the destruction of healthcare in America by price gouging, for-profit private health insurers and catch up to every other modern nation that’s implemented a single-payer universal healthcare system – no networks, no premiums, no co-pays, no deductibles and no surprise bills. Medicare For All will expand Medicare coverage to include dental, hearing, mental health and substance abuse treatment, prescription drugs, long-term and disability care, and reproductive and maternity care.