Education is the cornerstone of democracy. Providing quality education is one of the government’s most important obligations to the people. If our children are to receive a quality education, we must increase teacher’s pay. Kim proposes to use the federal tax code to create a permanent $20,000 refundable Teachers Tax Credit.
Kim also wants to change the Teacher Forgiveness Program. The Teacher Forgiveness Program is unattainable and ineffective. You must currently have no outstanding balances on Direct Loans or Federal Family Education Loans to be eligible. You must work full-time and complete five academic years in a row. Kim's approach will alter the current program by having the Department of Education pay the teacher's student loans for the next five years, after which the remaining balance will be forgiven.
Student loan debt in America is over $1.6 trillion and exceeds accumulated car loans and even credit card debt. Kim proposes:
Our college students face an increase in financial insecurity, especially since the pandemic. For these students, unexpected events like loss of income or disruption in child care arrangements can derail their path to graduation.
Due to the pandemic, Congress enacted temporary reforms to provide flexible emergency support to low-income students. The FSEOG program provided grant aid directly to institutions that distributed these funds to students on campus. The grants ranged from $100 to $4,000, prioritizing low-income students. Kim proposes making the FSEOG permanent and allows institutions to use a portion of their funds for micro-grant programs.
Kim opposes repealing the Affordable Care Act. She supports Joe Biden’s plan by giving Americans a choice to purchase a public health insurance option. She also supports expanding coverage to low-income Americans by offering premium-free access to states where they have refused to take up the Medicaid expansion.
Historical increases in prescription drug prices are contributing to unsustainable health care costs in the United States. While individual politicians sponsor bills to lower drug costs through competition, they are not addressing the root cause of why Americans pay the exorbitant price of drugs. To lower prescription drug costs Kim proposes:
Our country is regarded as a global pioneer in socioeconomic rights, but we still have a long way to go before social injustice is eradicated.
Kim wants to be a part of making decisions that affect our culture so that our daughters do not have to fight the battles she did. Working in a male-dominated industry required Kim to outperform her male counterparts to be acknowledged. Kim supports:
On June 26, 2015, we celebrated the Supreme Court's landmark civil rights case ruling regarding same-sex marriage. In 2021 the LGBTQ community is still fighting for equality. In several states, Republican governors pushed anti-transgender legislation requiring children to compete in school sports according to their sex at birth. This year (2021) is slated to become the worst year for the LGBTQ community. State legislatures are poised to enact several anti-LGBTQ measures into law. Kim supports:
Kim believes in a free and fair election. Together we can create a political system which is based on the principles of one person - one vote. Unfortunately, Republicans have shown their hand and unleashed a tsunami of voter restriction laws. They have doubled down on the lie that they won the presidential election and laid the groundwork to suppress their opponent's votes in the future. Their argument is they want fair elections. But since there is zero evidence that elections weren't fair, this excuse has nothing to do with securing our elections and everything to do with regaining and retaining their power. Kim supports:
Homelessness was on the rise before the pandemic. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in 2019, 568,000 people experience homelessness. In 2020, those figures rose, and legislators (both state and federal) introduced dozens of laws in an attempt to avert an eviction crisis. According to a Census Bureau survey, the problem is far from finished; 14 million persons are still behind on their rental payments. Kim supports Biden's plan to:
Kim holds the highest regard for our men and women in blue. The job is both physically and psychologically taxing. But we cannot dismiss the racial injustices that people of color endure at the hands of law enforcement. Like many African American families, Kim's mother gave her "the talk," A family tradition passed down through generations. Kim hopes that when her children have children, that tradition will come to an end. Kim is an advocate for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The bill addresses a wide range of policing policies and challenges, including law enforcement accountability.
Our economy needs help recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. We also need to quickly create millions of clean energy jobs in order to tackle the climate crisis. Combined, we have the opportunity to create good-paying jobs and put people to work building our clean energy future. Our actionable plan will get us on the right track towards building the green economy that we urgently need: one with investments in clean energy, federal clean standards and climate justice for all.
In order to jumpstart the economy, accelerate job creation, and avoid the worst impacts of climate change, when elected Kim will:
In congress Kim will prioritize investment and policy solutions that support low-income communities and frontline communities that bear the brunt of pollution and climate change, and that have been left behind in our economy. And we must hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the damage they’ve caused to our communities.
In order to drive sustained emissions reductions, we must set bold and aggressive sector specific clean energy standards.
As a disabled veteran, Kim used the VA system after departing the military. Due to excessive wait periods, she became frustrated when scheduling an appointment. The VA has improved, but more needs to be done to guarantee that our veterans receive the excellent care they deserve. Kim opposes the privatization of the VA and will strive to guarantee that the government keeps its end of the agreement. In recent years, the VA has created a program that allows Veterans to seek treatment from private medical providers. Kim understands that not all treatment can be performed at the VA; her greatest fear is the chiseling away VA's primary purpose. Kim will advocate in Congress to fund additional VA centers in rural areas that will bring the treatment our Veterans require closer to home and create jobs in the community.
Much progress has been made in the field of suicide prevention and mental health in recent years. The VA plan for transitioning soldiers targets service members in the post-9/11 generation who are at an increased risk of suicide to engage with them before the moment of crisis. These improvements are crucial in dealing with suicide issues. But more must be done. Kim's plan to improve access to quality mental health care includes:
Members of the National Guard and Reserve Component of the Armed Forces are an important part of our military. These vital members of our military must have access and support to mental health care. Kim plan will call for:
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has faced long-standing challenges in modernizing its IT infrastructure. As more veterans are utilizing the VA for care, there has been an influx of new claims. This influx of new claims is not only causing delays but also a backlog. Kim will use her background in technology to help streamline antiquated processes and ensure the VA's new systems are implemented effectively and transparently, allowing it to serve a new generation of veterans better.
Kim supports:
Everyone deserves quality health care and enough finances to keep a roof over their heads, buy medicine and food, and meet other basic needs. However, in today's America, that vision is out of reach for over half of older adults. Kim supports the Better Care Better Jobs Act that would invest billions in Medicaid Home and Community Based Services. The Better Care Better Jobs Act bill would:
Gun violence has plagued the United States for far too long. 80% of Americans want common-sense gun control, yet new laws continue to undermine the people's will to keep guns out of the wrong hands. How is that freedom or democracy? This capitulation of the Second Amendment, which Kim believes is misinterpreted, means the rest of us have to live our lives in fear. Why is it so hard to understand we can be pro-Second Amendment while still supporting reasonable gun laws that can save lives? We can't continue to be at the will of the NRA and the lawmakers and judges beholden to them. Every single mass shooting, we call for common-sense gun control, yet we are still here. If anything, we are going in the wrong direction.
The U.S. must work with other countries as a global leader to create a more open, innovative, and prosperous world. Isolation is no longer viable in this new age of globalization. The future of U.S. influence depends on how willing it is to engage with other countries and regions. Below are Kimberly Walker’s position on foreign policy issues:
China has always been a bad actor, from stealing US trade secrets to undermining the sanctions placed on North Korea. The greatest threat coming from China is their advancement in artificial intelligence (AI). As a result, China's rapid advancement and investment in AI poses a significant threat to the US as their technology can disrupt many aspects of American life including manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation. China is also investing in undeveloped countries by building bridges, hospitals, roads, railways, airports, and seaports. China’s goal is to expand trade and influence via infrastructure and investments in other countries.
Iran should never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, abandoning the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ruined America’s credibility. The US should rejoin the JCPOA.
North Korea is a challenge. Kim Jong Un does not care about his citizens, and no matter what type of sanctions imposed on North Korea, they will never give up their nuclear weapons. In my option, there are only two options: war or allow North Korea to keep some of its nuclear weapons. Neither options are good but by going into an agreement with North Korea that entailed partial sanctions relief in exchange for some dismantling of its nuclear weapons, but not full denuclearization would be the better of two bad options.