A New Populist Agenda for America

People > Politics

Our politics really is rigged.

But it’s not rigged by some shadowy conspiracy.

It’s rigged by money.

Billionaires are now spending 39 times more on federal elections since Citizens United in 2010.

Most politicians are loyal to their donors, not you.

They’re more worried about losing their campaign funds than losing votes.

That’s why so many bills with broad public support get blocked by as little as one vote.

We need a new populist political movement.

Focused on issues that affect everyone every day:

Issues like universal healthcare and universal preschool, federally guaranteeing home loans for first-time buyers, and creating millions of new federal jobs for Americans to help rebuild America.

We can do this, and so much more, if we elect more populists at every level of government.

This means elevating a new class of politicians who create and pass bills that the majority of all Americans will support, fighting strong opposition by establishment politicians and corporations.

We need to focus on the fundamentals: healthcare, education, jobs, housing, and justice.

This will require compromises, such as creating a single-payer health system while guaranteeing that a private option is always available. And cutting wasteful defense spending so we can afford to protect social security and ensure seniors get the benefits they paid into for decades.

This is what the majority of all Americans want.

Our politics can be so much better if we measure success by what gets done, not which party won.

By focusing on issues with broad public benefit and bipartisan support, we can build momentum for a new type of positive politics and bring back America’s ambitious optimism.

Here are the top 10 issues I’m fighting for now as a populist political activist:

1. Let Medicare Negotiate All Drug Prices

• Problem: It’s illegal for Medicare to negotiate with Big Pharma on most drug prices.
  • The Inflation Reduction Act was supposed to fix this, but the rule got diluted due to lobbying pressure from pharmaceutical companies and trade groups.
  • Medicare Part D now covers over $200 billion in drug costs each year.
    • One third of American adults still cannot afford to take their medications as prescribed.
  • Meanwhile, the top five pharma companies made over $76 billion in profits last year.
    • 82% of Americans say the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable.
• Solution: Allow Medicare to negotiate the price of all medications.
  • This would save the US government $237 billion over ten years.
    • And this would also lower the cost of offering a public option to all.
  • Cap prescription drug prices at $200 per person per year.
    • This would save the average American $763 per year.
• 83% of Americans want the federal government to negotiate drug prices.
  • 93% agree that “even if U.S. prices were lower, drug companies would still make enough money to invest in the research needed to develop new drugs.”
  • Allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices is great for seniors and saves us money.
  • We need to loudly fight Big Pharma lobbying and get this full bill passed ASAP.

2. Public Option for All

• Problem: We’re spending more money for worse health than any other country in the world.
  • The US government already spends $2 trillion per year just to cover a fraction of our health costs, enriching the private healthcare system.
    • And that doesn’t include the $10K+ per person ($3+ trillion per year) Americans spend in healthcare out-of-pocket costs + insurance.
  • Higher health insurance costs for companies also cause lower wages and benefits.
    • And tying health insurance to employment restricts people from quitting bad jobs.
• Solution: Allow anyone to opt into Medicare for free.
  • Create a single-payer national health insurance program for all Americans.
    • $0 premium, $0 deductible, $0 co-pay, no surprise bills.
  • Private doctors, hospitals, and clinics will also always be available.
    • Companies and individuals could buy extra insurance to cover elective healthcare.
  • This would force US healthcare and insurance companies to compete with Medicare.
    • More competition in public and private markets benefits all Americans.
  • We could implement universal healthcare, Medicare for All, for $3 trillion total per year.
    • US healthcare spending hit $4.7 trillion this year (projected to $7.2 trillion by 2031).
  • Medicare for All would save us trillions of dollars and save 68,000 lives per year.

3. Public Preschool for All

• Problem: Preschool and/or daycare is the #1 expense of young families.
  • Sending two kids to daycare costs more than the average rent in every state in America.
    • In Michigan, sending an infant and 4 year old to daycare costs $20K per year.
• Solution: Congress should pass a bill funding universal preschool for 3+ year olds.
  • This proposal was already in the original Build Back Better plan.
    • But just one senator, Joe Manchin, was able to block it.
  • We need to reduce the financial burden of being a parent.
    • We have been below 1% annual population growth rate every year since 2001.
      • We need more Americans! This will make it easier for families to grow.
  • This bill will also help reduce racial and income inequities caused by education gaps.
    • The difference between starting school at 3 vs. 5 years old can persist for a lifetime.

4. Increase Funding for K-12 Public Schools

• Problem: Teachers are burning out, schools are falling apart, and students are struggling.
  • Teachers make on average $3,644 less than they did 10 years ago, adjusted for inflation.
    • 55% of teachers are now considering leaving the profession earlier than planned.
  • The richest school districts spend over 50% more per student vs. the poorest districts.
    • And this gap has been growing over the last decade.
  • Average reading and math test scores for US students are at multi-decade lows.
    • The greatest declines have happened since COVID in 2020.
• Solution: Give K-12 public schools more funding and tools to help students.
  • Directly fund low-income public schools with new federal grants.
    • Every American child deserves a high quality education, regardless of zip code.
    • Every American teacher deserves a fair salary, benefits, and resources.
  • Add new subjects like entrepreneurship and vocational training in high school.
    • Let high school students take a semester off to do an apprenticeship or internship.
  • Measure student success by student skills and growth, not test scores.
    • School funding should not be tied to standardized testing.
  • Create free online learning tools available to all schools and students.
    • This will also help homeschooled students access more education.

5. Invest in Skilled Trades and Careers

• Problem: We have a skilled labor shortage in America.
  • Our skilled trade workforce is shrinking and aging.
    • We have the funding for more US manufacturing, but we don’t have enough skilled workers to build the factories or enough technicians to run the factories.
  • Meanwhile, the cost of an undergraduate degree has increased 169% since 1980.
    • We need more alternatives to a four-year college degree.
• Solution: Create national vocational education and apprenticeship programs.
  • Increasing our skilled workforce is key to bringing manufacturing back to America.
    • These will be good paying jobs in small towns and big cities.
  • Set government and union standards to hire based on skills, not degrees.
    • Create more paths for people to get on-the-job training to get to work faster.
  • We also need more skilled health and service workers in America.
    • Simplify occupational licensing so it’s easier to start a service business yourself.
      • Occupational licensing affects 30% of US workers now.

6. Relaunch Domestic Peace Corp

• Problem: JFK’s original vision for a Domestic Peace Corps has largely been lost.
  • Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush both cut AmeriCorps funding and President Trump attempted to end the program entirely.
  • This program now sponsors just 7,000 volunteers per year.
• Solution: Hire 1M+ Americans per year to help rebuild America’s infrastructure.
  • We need this work done and our young people need more job opportunities!
    • Serving our country together will strengthen national identity and pride.
• Give young Americans a chance to work for 1-2 years building skills and experience.
  • The hardest job to get is the first one!
    • This service should be celebrated and help people get other jobs faster.
  • Let’s rebuild our country and give our young people valuable experience!

7. Federally Guarantee 3% Home Loans

• Problem: Large corporations are on pace to own 40% of US homes by 2030.
  • Single-family mortgage applications are now at a 28-year low.
    • The mortgage payment on a median-priced home has increased 128% since 2019.
      • The average American can’t afford to buy or sell a home now.
  • Investment firms can get <2% interest rates, so they can pay more for homes vs. families.
    • REITs even get tax benefits for the way they buy, sell, and rent these homes.
    • This competition forces families to rent instead of buying and building equity.
• Solution: The US should guarantee mortgages for first-time single-family homebuyers.
  • Any family with 1+ full-time income should be able to buy a home with 0-10% down.
    • The federal government will provide a 90% loan-note guarantee for these homes.
      • Banks who get this guarantee will have a 3% interest cap on these loans.
    • Qualified homebuyers will be able to buy a home for as little as 0% down.
    • This is modeled off our existing Guaranteed Loan Program for rural homes.
• We need to fix our housing system for the benefit of our people, not large corporations.

8. Cut Housing Regulations

• Problem: Restrictive zoning laws are one of the biggest factors in rising home prices.
  • Decreased housing supply is directly correlated to rising home prices.
  • Zoning barriers artificially limit how many units can be built, reducing housing supply.
    • Montana and Maine both implemented housing reform, which led to housing booms.
  • Housing codes make it illegal for manufactured homes to be built efficiently.
    • This drives up prices for everyone and limits innovation in new homes.
• Solution: Increase housing supply by cutting regulations on new homes & apartments.
  • Ban exclusionary zoning laws nationwide.
    • Allow duplexes and apartments to be built in all residential areas.
      • This will also make single-family homes more affordable.
  • Expedite permitting processes.
    • 86% of Americans agree with this proposal.
  • Simplify building codes.
    • Legalize more methods to manufacture homes quickly and cheaply.

9. Fix Defense Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

• Problem: The defense budget allocation is now over $1.5 trillion dollars per year.
  • This number is higher than any of the last 20 years (2001-21) we were at war.
    • 87%+ of all future US government obligations are allocated to defense.
  • We’ve budgeted $10 billion per year for just one contractor to make 125 F-35s a year.
    • This F-35 program is already over a decade delayed and $165 billion over budget.
  • Defense contractors have made over $7 trillion in revenues since 9/11.
• Solution: Congress should strictly exercise its oversight of the Department of Defense.
  • Require all government contracts to be public.
    • This will give us key data on which wasteful spending to cut.
  • Open up procurement processes.
    • Require defense contractors to publicly disclose data about their costs.
    • Allow startups and small businesses to openly compete for federal contracts.
  • Hold contractors responsible for cost overruns.
    • We should withhold payment on the F-35s until they prove the software works.
      • There’s already been $236 million in overruns on the F-35 software alone.

10. Limit Corporate and PAC Political Spending

• Problem: The super-rich can secretly spend unlimited money in political races.
  • While individuals are limited to giving $3,300 per election to a candidate committee, corporations and special interests can now give unlimited money to Super PACs.
    • And these PACs are not required to disclose their donors.
    • This skews elections towards PAC-backed establishment candidates.
  • It now costs on average $15M+ to win a Senate race and $2M+ to win a House race.
    • This skews elections towards those with more money and/or connections.
• Solution: We need to pass the Freedom to Vote Act now.
  • Make all political spending transparent.
    • Corporations and PACs should have the same donation limits as individuals.
    • Federal agencies need to publish spending data online at least quarterly.
    • Governments departments should make all data machine-readable.
  • Ban partisan gerrymandering.
    • This will lower partisan and establishment control of our elections.
  • Modernize voter registration.
    • Enact automatic registration and same-day registration nationwide.
      • 23 states + DC now have automatic voter registration.
  • Defend election integrity.
    • Dedicate more resources to investigating all instances of voter fraud.
      • This will get this bill more bipartisan support.

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Here’s how we can pass all these bills in the next decade:

These bills are very popular with most American people.

• The public option has 80% support among Democrats and 56% among Republicans.
• 83% of Americans (95% of Democrats, 82% of Independents, and 71% of Republicans) support allowing the federal government to negotiate drug prices. 
• 82% of Democrats, 61% of Independents, and 52% of Republicans believe that the federal government should do more to address the cost of housing.

So why haven’t these bills passed yet?

Because a few corporations, lobbyists, and special interests fought these reforms behind closed doors with large donations and lots of negative PAC spending against populists and progressives.

For example, the original Inflation Reduction Act included strong negotiating powers for Medicare.

But after tens of millions of dollars in lobbying and attacks by pharmaceutical companies and trade groups, most Republicans opposed the provision, which got watered down to allowing Medicare to negotiate for the prices of just 10 medications starting in 2026.

The fastest way to get Congress to work for the people is to elect populists one district at a time.

11 House bills this year were decided by just one vote, including multiple bills prohibiting funds from being used to combat global warming.

The Universal Pre-K provision in Build Back Better was blocked by a single senator.

I know it can feel like one vote in a Presidential election doesn’t change much.

But you can change future laws by focusing on specific races where populists can win now.

Don’t just vote. Run for something! Encourage your friends to run!

We need to organize the power of our populist majority to finally make these changes.

A new Populist Caucus with at least 10 members from each party could swing over 30% of votes.

When elite Democrats and Republicans see our movement, they’ll be pressured to vote with us too.

Our generation needs to stop waiting for the world to change.

If we want younger politicians in Congress, we have to run, organize, and volunteer.

No one is coming to save us.

This is our time.

Here’s how you can get involved now:

• Run: Challenge a weak incumbent or find an open seat!
  • Look around you at the local, state, and federal levels for open elections in ‘24.
    • Less than 20% of incumbents lose re-election, so open seats are easier.
  • Find an incumbent with a bad history of not doing their job, and challenge them.
    • AOC defeated a 10-term Democratic Rep. in the 2018 primary with a populist campaign that focused on knocking doors and registering voters.
• Organize: Influence politicians, corporations, and institutions to support populist policies.
  • One of the best forms of activism is using collective action to change the public’s mind.
    • By voting with our time and money, we can convince companies to act differently.
  • Large companies and trade groups already lobby our government every day.
    • We need our own independent voices lobbying the government directly!
• Volunteer: Find candidates you love and support them with your time and money!
  • Don’t just apply online. Show up in person! Knock on doors with the candidates!
    •  This is the best experience you can get to prepare for running yourself.
  • It just takes a few good leaders to change the entire direction of our politics!