Florida's 27th Congressional District election, 2018

CLIMATE CHANGE

Secretary Shalala believes climate change is the biggest planetary challenge we face in the 21st Century, and for South Florida it is a dire existential threat.

The United States must once again assume a position of leadership in an international, coordinated response to the threat posed by global warming, and the first step in that direction is to fully rejoin the Paris Climate Accord.

Domestically we need to invest in clean energy infrastructure, facilitate and encourage the installation of solar panels in as many American homes as possible and progressively tighten efficiency standards as they pertain to transportation, housing and the workplace.

She also believes that, with institutions such as the National Hurricane Center and the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science headquartered in this community, Miami has the potential to become a worldwide hub for research on this crucial issue, and she intends to pursue federal dollars to make that a reality.

JOBS AND THE ECONOMY

Today, for too many working families, the American dream is slipping away. Low wage jobs, wage stagnation and high health care cost have forced many people to work harder than ever, not to get ahead but just to survive.

Secretary Shalala will fight to build an economy that invests in people, not in tax cuts for the wealthy. Smart, strategic investments that include an education system that prepares our children for the jobs and industries of the future; building a strong local infrastructure of roads, bridges, mass transit options, airports and seaports that allows the movement of people and goods throughout our region and investments in a social safety net that allows everyone in our society to enjoy a decent minimum standard of living.

She will support efforts to diversify the local economy to attract entrepreneurship and grow new businesses in high-tech, international commerce and other industries that can capitalize on Miami’s unique strengths and geographic location. We need to work on making existing jobs stronger for day care workers, nursing home employees, hotel housekeeping staff, maintenance crews and home health aides, just to name a few. As a nation we can do better. It is not enough to just create more jobs, we need better jobs with higher wages, jobs that can deliver affordable health care, retirement plans you can count on and a genuine sense of prosperity and security for American workers and their families.

IMMIGRATION

Donna Shalala will work to mend our immigration system so that America can remain a beacon of hope to the world. The granddaughter of immigrants from Lebanon, Donna is proud of our heritage as a nation of immigrants and believes that we must continue to welcome those seeking better opportunities for themselves and their families with fairness, dignity, and compassion.

To fix America’s immigration system and help restore the American Dream, Donna Shalala will:

• Protect and unify families – not tear them apart. If you’ve worked hard and played by the rules, there should be a pathway to citizenship. Separating children from their parents to try and scare people into not crossing the border is evil — plain and simple.
• It is plainly un-American that families living here should be fearful of government.
• Defend DACA and protect DREAMers. Donna Shalala believes that Congress must renew DACA and provide a pathway to citizenship for our young DREAMers and their families as well.
• Extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) where applicable and provide a pathway to permanent residency for those who have children or parents who are citizens or who can prove extreme hardship if deported.
• Pressure dictatorial regimes through sanctions and diplomatic strength, but not punish their citizens or those seeking freedom and opportunity in the United States.
• Ensure access to education, social services, public safety, and affordable health care to all families, regardless of immigration status – providing sanctuary wherever we can to upstanding members of our communities.

HEALTHCARE

As the longest-serving Secretary of Health and Human Services in American history, Donna Shalala is one of America’s foremost experts on health care.

To continue working towards universal, high-quality, affordable health care for Floridians and all Americans, Donna Shalala will:

• Defend and improve the Affordable Care Act. Florida’s 27th District has the highest number of people enrolled in the ACA marketplace in the entire country. Taking that coverage away would do irreparable damage to the health of our community.
• Create a “Medicare Option for All” by enhancing Medicare to better cover routine dental and vision, and long-term care, and make it available to anyone regardless of income, immigration status, or age. At the same time, preserve employer coverage as an option for those Americans satisfied with their current coverage.
• Reduce prescription drug costs, along with other out-of-pocket expenses like copays and deductibles. Medicare must be allowed to use its immense bargaining power to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices, similar to how Medicaid and the Veterans Health Administration achieves lower prices.

Donna Shalala is uniquely qualified to hit the ground running, with decades of experience in improving America’s health:

• During her tenure as Secretary of Health and Human Services, among her accomplishments, Donna led the effort to provide health care to millions of children through the Children’s Health Care Insurance Program (CHIP).
• She also oversaw the doubling of the National Institute of Health’s budget and secured the highest immunization rates in American history. At the end of her tenure, a Washington Post article described her as “one of the most successful government managers of modern times.”
• In 2007, President George W. Bush handpicked Donna Shalala to co-chair with Senator Bob Dole the Commission on Care for Returning Wounded Warriors, to evaluate how wounded service members transition from active duty to civilian society. For her work, President Bush awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor, in recognition of her “leadership and determination to ensure that all Americans can enjoy lives of hope, promise and dignity.”
• In 2012, Donna Shalala chaired the Future of Nursing, an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Nursing, which addressed the role of nursing in a reformed health Care system.
• Donna Shalala served as Chairwoman of the Children’s Defense Fund, serving on the Board alongside Hillary Clinton. In its mission to ensure a level playing field for all children, the organization works to expand children’s access to health care.
• Donna Shalala has taught health care policy throughout her tenure as President of the University of Miami and afterward as Trustee Professor of Political Science and Health Policy.

GUN CONTROL

Donna Shalala is calling for immediate action to reduce gun violence in our country.

She was part of the team that pushed the 1994 assault weapons ban, and knows that we can do it again. In addition to banning assault weapons, she believes in expanding background checks by closing the gun show, internet sales, and “Charleston” loopholes, and increasing access to mental health services.

Beyond legislative solutions, Americans can also help move our country towards common sense gun reform by pressuring Wall Street and large institutional investors to divest themselves from gun manufacturer stocks. It would encourage these companies, along with the National Rifle Association, to come to the table and agree to work in good faith towards reasonable steps that would reduce gun violence in our country. Socially responsible investing often involves funds that take into account human rights abuses and environmental concerns. Funds that exclude gun manufacturer stocks should be available too.

Donna Shalala supports the Second Amendment and comes from a family of hunters. Law-abiding Americans should have access to firearms for sporting and self-defense. This is about common sense measures to prevent more tragedies from happening.

The only way these and other common sense gun control measures will come to fruition is with your help. Now is the time to join Team Donna. Work with us to mobilize, to create real change, and to make sure our views are represented in Washington.

Donna Shalala is inspired by the nationwide movement that has sprung forth from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy. She has long understood the power of the collective voice. It is time for bold, fearless action to defend our youth from gun violence. With your support and Donna Shalala’s leadership, we can make Miami-Dade a safer place to live, work, and learn.

TRAFFIC

Inadequate and outdated transportation infrastructure is crippling to the long-term viability of our community, hampering the economy and undermining the quality of life of Miami-Dade residents.

Donna Shalala is committed to promoting innovative solutions to help alleviate traffic concerns and will fight for the resources to improve local infrastructure – including roads, bridges, mass transit options, airports and seaports – allowing efficient movement of people and goods throughout our region.

Donna Shalala will work to bring federal dollars back to Miami-Dade County. She will lead efforts to prioritize and focus on transportation infrastructure in the federal budget that for too long as been ignored. The residents of Miami-Dade County deserve a world-class transportation system. Efforts include:

Expanding local trolley routes Implementing Bus Rapid Transit along US1 Increasing reliability and expand the Metrorail Investing in high tech road technology like synchronizing traffic lights to improve efficiency Delivering those federal transit dollars to Miami-Dade requires engaged leadership to bring all the local stakeholders together – the county, the cities, transportation experts, budgetary experts – to improve coordination and efficiency.

She has a proven track record of doing just that. Donna Shalala is a trained urbanist with expertise on state/urban government and finance, and early in her career served as treasurer of New York City’s Municipal Assistance Corporation, the organization that helped rescue the city from the brink of bankruptcy. She later worked extensively on urban issues while serving as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

As President of the University of Miami, Donna Shalala worked to mitigate traffic congestion in Coral Gables by overseeing policies prohibiting on-campus freshmen from bringing cars and the disbursement of millions of dollars in subsidies for transit fares to encourage students, faculty, and staff to use public transportation. Transportation is a regional issue and we need a long-term vision of a system that connects all of the people of South Florida without regard to city and county boundaries.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

Donna Shalala has been a leader in the ongoing fight for women’s rights and equality throughout her career. While we have made significant progress, too many barriers and inequalities remain. In Congress, Donna Shalala will continue to be an outspoken voice for women by:

• Working to close the gender pay gap and fighting for paid family leave.
• Defending women’s health and fighting any attempt to roll back women’s reproductive freedom
• Addressing violence against women by fighting for legislation that protects and assists victims of sexual harassment, rape, and domestic abuse, while punishing the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law.

Donna Shalala has been a groundbreaking, national leader in fighting for equality for women:

• As one of the founders of EMILY’s List, she has been on the front lines of efforts to elevate pro-choice women into positions of leadership in government decision-making throughout her career.
• As a member of the National Women’s Hall of Fame, Donna Shalala has been widely recognized for her distinguished leadership. She served as Director of the National Women’s Law Center, and 1987, she became the first woman to lead a Big Ten school as the Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was named a Woman of the Year by Glamour magazine, named one of 100 of America’s Most Important Women by Ladies Home Journal, and named as one of America’s 200 Most Influential Women by Vanity Fair.
• Donna Shalala has fought tirelessly for women in the workplace – not just to get their foot in the door but to take their rightful place in the ranks of leadership and on the board. During the Carter Administration, Donna served on the President’s Interagency Committee on Women Business Owners to address issues of women business owners and help them get the resources they need to succeed.
• As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala was at the forefront of the fight for women’s health and protection from violence. She was instrumental in passing the Violence Against Women Act, and along with Janet Reno, hosted the meetings of the National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women.

Miami-Dade deserves the bold and fearless action in the fight for women’s rights that Donna Shalala has led throughout her career. With your support and Donna Shalala’s leadership, we can make Miami-Dade and our country a safer, fairer place.^[32]

PROTECT

Our Veterans

Our veterans offered their lives to protect and defend our nation from its enemies. We can never do enough to demonstrate our gratitude for their devout patriotism, their sacrifice and their service. As a grateful nation, it is our obligation to do everything in our power so that when these brave souls return home, they have access to the best possible healthcare, good paying jobs, continuing education and vocational training, affordable housing and other support systems. We must demand that the Department of Veterans Affairs be held accountable so that our retired servicemen and women receive the very best possible their country has to offer. The manner in which we care for our veterans must always reflect our nation’s profound appreciation for their service.

National Security

Since 911, our nation and its allies are facing increasing security threats from every sector of the globe. America, as the leader of the free world, must continue to provide strong leadership abroad. If we wish to protect and expand our democratic influence around the world, we must maintain strong and fully-funded military forces. Unfortunately, after years of cuts and neglect across all branches of our Armed Forces, our proud men and women in uniform are now left with the formidable task of protecting our nation, in spite of serious gaps in military readiness. I will work tirelessly to rebuild our military to ensure that our servicemen and women receive the necessary equipment, training, and support they need to successfully complete their missions.

Public Safety

Our nation’s most important responsibility is keeping its citizens free and safe. We must ensure that our local law enforcement has the necessary resources to protect our cities, communities and neighborhoods. Our public safety is paramount to the stability of our country. I am a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment. Although we must continue to protect this fundamental Constitutional right, we must find ways to keep guns out of the hands of those who should never have them – namely children, criminals, and the mentally ill. As Congresswoman, I will strongly support solutions that concentrate on gun safety, including improving school resource officer training, universal background checks, and effectively closing loopholes that allow criminals to have access to firearms, while preserving the integrity of all our rights as Americans. Protecting our children from any type of harm will be one of my highest priorities as a public servant. No family should ever have to endure the tragedy of a school shooting. To ensure their safety, one of my first acts as Congresswoman, I will introduce legislation to create an Early Intervention and Prevention Center (EIPC) in every public school in the country with the task of identifying mental health issues in our students before they become critical and lead to tragic consequences.

Life

As a Christian and a mother, I believe in a culture that values and nurtures all life from birth to natural death. As your Congresswoman, I will protect the life of the unborn and also the life and health of the mother. I oppose tax-payer funding for late-term abortions. I understand that, in some cases, the termination of a pregnancy—ectopic pregnancy, rape, and incest, may dangerously affect the health of the mother as determined by her physician. My votes will consistently protect life, and I will work to ensure that abortions become the exception, not the rule. We must oppose the culture of death. I do understand that, sometimes, difficult and painful decisions will have to be made which might lead to the termination of a pregnancy.

Likewise, I will always stand by the elderly and work so that as they enter their golden years, they do so with the dignity, care and support they so greatly deserve. Ensuring their quality of life will always be one of my highest priorities as your Congresswoman.

PROSPER

The Economy

I will always support any legislative measure that puts more money in the pockets of the middle class. The Republican Tax Cut law was the right thing to do for our economy and our struggling middle class. I also believe, that tax cuts, combined with fewer regulations, have led to the explosive growth of our economy. As your elected representative, I will work with my colleagues to ensure that the tax cut law becomes permanent for everyone, not just corporations. The reduction in the corporate tax rate has been very beneficial to the U.S. economy and job growth, but we must also ensure that the corporations pay their fair share of taxes by closing current loopholes that have allowed them in the past to pay less than required. I will also work hard to attract investments to South Florida, including strengthening the industries that drive our dynamic economy – particularly tourism, business, and international trade – by investing and improving our infrastructure—roads, public transportation, and traffic flow.

Our local economy is driven by our small businesses, who employ the majority of our residents. We must help these small businesses grow by allowing them to invest and create more high paying jobs. I believe that our government does more when it involves itself less in our markets and leaves the business of job growth for our job creators. In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan described his goal for his tax reform initiatives as ‘fairness, simplicity and economic growth’ and that vision remains applicable today.

Healthcare

With Obamacare premiums expected to rise by at least 17% in Florida, many families in our communities are gravely concerned on how they will be able to afford health insurance now and in the future. The current system is simply not working. I am determined to protect South Florida families from mounting costs by reforming our broken healthcare system with cost-effective and patient-centered solutions. Specifically, we need to go after the $95 billion in annual waste, fraud and abuse; give individuals and businesses the right to purchase health insurance across state lines; and repeal crushing Obama-era taxes and needless regulations, while ensuring that the neediest among us have access to affordable, quality healthcare.

South Floridians deserve better! I am dedicated to bringing patient-oriented reforms to Washington that will work for hard-working American families.

Traffic & Transportation

The quality of life of the residents in our district could be significantly improved in several ways, one of which has to do with reducing the traffic flow problems that are threatening to paralyze our county. In addition, few know that our major traffic arteries—826, I-95, and 836—are managed and operated by different authorities, each responding to its own interests independently of each other. Add to this the political rivalries that exists in our community that have derailed any real effort to bring to this county a public transportation and road systems worthy of our community. This lack of coordination and cooperation between local, state, and federal authorities has – for decades – made it impossible to develop a coherent and practical plan to expand and improve our highways, roads, and public transportation systems (Metrorail in particular). Politics as usual, poor planning, and coordination has cost South Florida millions in federal dollars that are badly needed to solve the traffic and transportation crisis that affects all of us. It is shameful and intolerable that your commute to work will take almost an hour and half each way – every day! And all because we have failed to present a united front in Washington that could make a strong case for why South Florida badly needs and deserves federal transportation dollars. If Boston or Chicago can have a first-rate public transportation system, why can’t Miami, one of the busiest and most culturally diverse cities in the nation! We can and must do better for the betterment of our community… and with me in Congress you will get it!

STRENGTHEN

Immigration

Washington has failed to find a permanent solution to our immigration crisis. For too long, our approach to immigration has been piecemeal and mostly driven by executive orders. But this has not worked. What we need is an Immigration Reform Plan that addresses the problem on all fronts. We must tackle border security in a humane manner – without separating families – swiftly remove criminal aliens and correct visa overstay, while establishing a work authorization for the undocumented and a permanent solution for DACA recipients. It is also important that we have an honest conversation with Central American nations with the goal of identifying solutions that will stem the wave of immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. Any assistance we provide to these countries should be tied to actions and, most importantly, measurable outcomes that bring about the kind of changes and transformation that will make it worth for the citizens of those nations to stay in their home country.

Israel

Our nation’s close ties with Israel should be honored and protected. As our closest ally in the Middle East and the region’s only true free market democracy – we should stand by Israel. They’re right to exist should never be put in Jeopardy by threats from terrorists or Iran. As Congresswoman, you can count on me to stand by our allies, especially Israel.^[32]