On the Issues

Health care is a human right. In the wealthiest nation on earth, any person left without health coverage is a moral failing. In Congress, I will support any positive policy that advances our country toward the ultimate goal of universal coverage. At a minimum, we should expand Medicare to cover dental, vision, and hearing while lowering the age of eligibility and providing a public option.

The fight does not end with universal coverage. No one should have to choose between their job and getting the care they need, which is why in Congress I will fight for guaranteed paid sick time and paid family and medical leave.

From nurses and physician assistants to dentists and physicians, health care providers are the backbone of our health care system. Everyone should be able to access a quality provider near them, regardless of whether you live in a small town in Sussex or just north of Wilmington. As I have successfully done in the legislature, I will support our health care workforce by bringing investments to Delaware for education and career support.

As MAGA extremists continue to criminalize abortion, I will fight to protect the private relationship between a patient and their physician. In my time in the State Senate, I proudly worked to make Delaware a safe haven for reproductive care. I’ve supported and co-sponsored every pro-choice bill that has come before me and been a champion of bills expanding access to reproductive care in Delaware. Now, I want to take this experience to Congress and fight for reproductive freedom for all.

It is so important that we shed light on the importance of reproductive health and maternal health, especially for women of color. We must take decisive action to bridge the gap in health disparities here at home and around the world. In 2022, I helped expand Medicaid coverage for post-pregnancy care. In Congress, I will be a staunch advocate for coverage, including through Medicaid, for the full range of reproductive health care patients need and to end draconian policies like the global gag rule that limit funds internationally in reproductive health care.

The American Dream is unaffordable and inaccessible for too many workers. Delawareans across our state are struggling under rising costs and insufficient wages. Our government is not doing enough to support people as they set off in their careers and seek to start a family.

Every worker deserves a living wage, basic protections, good benefits, and the support necessary for them to thrive. That is why Congress must increase the federal minimum wage to $15 and set it to rise with inflation. In Congress, I will fight to pass the critical policies that got cut from the Build Back Better Act like paid family and medical leave, universal childcare, and investments in housing and elder care.

The backbone of the American middle class is the right to organize and form strong unions. For 40 years, Republicans have sought to weaken federal protections for workers, undermine the enforcement of national labor laws, and strip workers of their right to organize. In order to restore the American middle class, we must do more to support unions and empower workers in their right to organize.

In Congress, I will sponsor and support the PRO Act. Just as I have in the General Assembly, I will work arm and arm with unions to enhance protections for the right to organize, fully fund agencies looking out for workers, and ensure that as new industries and economies emerge, they are powered by a unionized workforce. I will also fight to codify President Biden's executive order that federal projects are contracted with unionized workforces. Unions don’t need lip service; they deserve a champion.

Our criminal justice system should protect everyone equally, but unfortunately, it never truly has. That is why our system needs reform to right the wrongs of the past, foster public safety, and help put people on the path toward a brighter future.

In Delaware, I’ve supported meaningful criminal justice reforms aimed at reducing recidivism, expanding expungements, and ensuring reintegration after incarceration. I have also supported expanding the use of police body cameras, pressed for reform in police training, and advocated for increased transparency in policing.

I'll bring this experience to Congress and help make our criminal justice system work for everyone. I’ll vote to end mass incarceration, legalize marijuana and expunge convictions, and help to reimagine a system that prioritizes reentry and prevents recidivism.

Climate change poses an urgent threat to both our planet and our home, Delaware, the nation’s lowest-lying state. President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act was the single largest investment in green infrastructure and the most profound attempt to rescue our climate in history. Building on that progress must be a top priority for Delaware’s sole member of Congress.

In the House, I’ll fight to increase investment in renewable energy, make green technologies affordable and accessible for consumers and businesses, and ensure that the sustainable industries of the future employ a local and unionized workforce. In order to achieve net-zero emissions as soon as possible, the United States must demonstrate commitment to both domestic action and global investment.

Few policies are more urgent and high stakes than gun safety policies. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community, whether you are walking alone at night or going to school during the day. The truth is, when it comes to guns, our country has lost its common sense. We need Congress to step up and fight for the safety of our loved ones and children. We need Congress to pass common-sense gun safety laws.

I am proud to have helped ban assault weapons in Delaware and pass the most significant gun safety package in the state’s history. When elected to Congress, I will vote to strengthen background checks, ban assault weapons, and institute safeguards to prevent dangerous individuals from getting guns.

Throughout the 20th century, Delaware has led the nation in harnessing new technologies to improve the way people bank. WSFS, a Delaware institution, created the first iteration of the debit card in 1972. In 1980, Delaware’s economy was revolutionized with the passage of the Financial Center Development Act, which made Delaware a leader in accessing credit with those same technologies.

Nearly forty-five years later, Delaware is writing a new economic chapter for our state. Our financial system is undergoing a radical transformation as businesses and banks transition to using new financial technologies, or fintechs. Delaware has the capacity to leverage our legacy to become a leader in these evolving industries, but only with federal action that lays the foundation for innovation.

Congress must help position the United States - and Delaware - as a global leader by fostering progress with federal investment and federal regulation that provide consumers with protections and entrepreneurs with clarity.

The United States has not enacted new securities laws since 1933. Our existing laws around banking do not fit 21st century technologies and without updates, we risk harming consumers, innovation, and economic opportunities. Clear and stable rules that defend the privacy and security of consumers serve businesses and consumers well. Passing robust data privacy legislation will restore consumer agency over personal data and help build trust and confidence in emerging financial services. Just as I’ve done in the Delaware General Assembly, I’ll fight for these common sense protections.

By embracing fintech, blockchain technology, and crypto innovation, we have the opportunity to cultivate a more inclusive economy that reaches every corner of our nation – and sets Delaware’s economy up for long term success.

Democracy is strongest when every citizen can make their voice heard. We can make our democracy more healthy and inclusive by removing barriers to voting and enacting strong protections against voter disenfranchisement in all its forms.

In the Delaware General Assembly, I have joined many of my colleagues in passing vote by mail, early voting, and same-day voter registration. These efforts have been blocked by extremist voices peddling Donald Trump’s lies to undermine the right to vote. In February of this year, Delaware’s Superior Court issued a decision in a case brought by the Delaware Republican Party striking down laws passed by the Delaware General Assembly to expand early voting and permanent absentee voting in Delaware. While I’m hopeful that this decision will be overturned on appeal, this ruling made it clear that no state is safe from Republican Party extremists looking to reduce voter participation and take away access to the ballot box until Congress passes stronger voting rights protections.

When elected, I will co-sponsor and fight to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. These bills will protect voting rights and combat the issues compromising the integrity of our electoral system such as dark money politics, election denialism, and gerrymandering. In Congress, I will be a champion of free and fair elections and work to strengthen our Democracy.