Economic Policy

The Problem

The numbers are clear: 17 of our 18 counties are growing slower than the national average. Seven shrank. This is not what a healthy region looks like.

People are leaving their hometowns because they can’t build a future here anymore. Those who stay are finding it harder to hold onto what they have. Retirees are trying to make fixed incomes last. Working families are stretched thin. Young adults are struggling to get started.

This reflects decisions made over time that are holding this region back.

The economy is being shaped by decisions that concentrate power, wealth, and opportunity in fewer hands. The result is a system where people are working hard but falling behind.

Productivity has risen, but wages have not kept up. The cost of housing, healthcare, education, and childcare continues to rise faster than income. Market rules increasingly favor large corporations, reducing competition and putting pressure on small businesses. When the economy becomes unstable, losses fall on the public while gains are protected elsewhere.

This goes beyond normal market forces. It reflects a system where more money leaves communities than returns to them.

The strain is being felt across the entire community. Retirees are watching what they earned lose ground. Working families are doing more to stay in place. Small businesses are trying to compete in markets that are harder to enter and harder to survive in. Young adults are facing higher costs and fewer opportunities than the generation before them.

When all of these pressures show up at once, communities weaken, growth slows, and confidence in the future breaks down.

An economy only works when the rules are fair, enforced, and built to reward work. Workers should be able to earn a living. Entrepreneurs should be able to start and grow businesses in their own communities. Families should be able to build a stable life and plan for the future.

I am not running to describe these problems. I am running to fix them.

The path forward is to restore what has been lost, protect what people rely on, and build what comes next so hard work pays and opportunity grows. That means raising wages, lowering the cost of essentials, strengthening competition, and rebuilding the systems that allow communities to compete and grow.

We need to invest in infrastructure, small businesses, and workforce development so this region can move forward again.

The sections that follow show how these challenges play out across the economy and what we can do to fix them.

Retirees

WHAT WE FACE

The promise of a stable retirement is slipping away, replaced by growing vulnerability for those who have contributed to our society for a lifetime. For many, retirement is defined by rising healthcare costs and the fear that their savings will not last. This erosion of security reflects policy choices that put profit ahead of long-term retirement stability. Efforts to privatize essential services have opened the door for profit-taking within systems designed to provide stability.

WHAT WE NEED TO CHANGE

Medicare remains incomplete, lacking essential coverage for dental, vision, and hearing care. This forces retirees to spend down fixed incomes on basic health needs that should be covered. The current model relies heavily on for-profit intermediaries, driving up administrative costs, increasing financial burdens, and complicating access to care.

Social Security must be protected so people can count on it when they need it. These gaps allow the highest earners to contribute a smaller share relative to their income, weakening long-term stability for future generations.

HOW WE GET IT DONE

We must protect what retirees have earned and make sure it keeps up with the real cost of living to ensure that healthcare and income security are guaranteed rights for every retiree, funded through a more equitable and transparent system.

Expand Medicare to include dental, vision, and hearing.
Reduce out-of-pocket Medicare costs.
Strengthen Medicare Part D bargaining to lower prescription drug costs.
Increase the FICA tax cap to strengthen Social Security for the long term.

Working People

WHAT WE FACE

Working people are doing everything right and still falling behind as the basic promise that hard work leads to a better life continues to break down. The daily reality for most is a race against rising costs, where wages stall while housing, food, and transportation consume nearly 60 percent of every paycheck.

This reflects a system where the rules have changed in ways that weaken workers’ financial security while protecting those at the top. Worker productivity has surged by over 60 percent since 2000, but workers have seen only a fraction of that gain in their paychecks. This gap between effort and reward has left 60 percent of adults living paycheck to paycheck, while 37 percent are one $400 emergency away from falling behind.

WHAT WE NEED TO CHANGE

The balance in our economy has shifted away from workers and toward those who profit from their work. Real wages have not kept pace with the wealth workers are helping create, leaving households unable to absorb even small unexpected expenses. This insecurity is compounded by a tax code that places a heavier burden on work while deliberately giving an advantage to income that comes from wealth.

As worker bargaining power has been weakened, job quality has declined and families have lost the ability to build savings or move ahead. As core expenses take up more of each paycheck, gaps in overtime protections and restrictive contracts like non-compete agreements keep workers stuck and limit their ability to move ahead.

HOW WE GET IT DONE

We will make sure hard work actually pays, protect wages from being undercut, and create real paths to get ahead.

Wages and Worker Power

Establish a $20/hour national minimum wage.
Raise the non-exempt salary threshold for overtime to $100,000.
Expand eligibility for overtime pay.
Pass the PRO Act to protect the right to organize.
Ban restrictive barriers like non-compete agreements.

Fair Taxes

Make the first $20,000 of all income tax-free.
Tax capital gains for top earners as regular income.
Eliminate tax loopholes used by the ultra-wealthy.
Increase funding for tax enforcement on high-income evaders.

Lower Costs and Household Stability

Directly reduce the cost of higher education.
Roll back tariffs that drive up the daily cost of goods for families.

Growth, Infrastructure, and Workforce Alignment

Invest in national broadband and physical infrastructure.
Restore full funding to the Small Business Administration.
Invest in vocational training and robust workforce pipelines.
Align immigration policy with actual workforce and economic needs.

Young Adults

WHAT WE FACE

Young adults have always faced challenges getting launched into adulthood, and that transition has never been easy. What is different now is the presence of systemic barriers that are changing the outcome. For the first time in modern American history, upward mobility is no longer the norm. The likelihood of earning more than one’s parents has fallen from roughly 90% to less than 50%, not because young adults are working less, but because the system they are entering has been changed in ways that make it harder to get ahead.

This is the result of multiple pressures hitting at once. Housing costs have moved from roughly three times income to five or six times income in many markets, locking first-time buyers out of the market. Tuition has nearly tripled, and student debt now follows borrowers for decades. At the same time, wages have not kept pace with productivity and the cost of living, breaking the link between work and getting ahead.

Young adults are entering a labor market that offers less stability than the one before them. Entry-level jobs with benefits and clear advancement pathways have been replaced by contract work, limited benefits, and frequent job changes just to maintain income. Healthcare, childcare, and insurance costs consume a growing share of earnings early in life, leaving little room to save or build anything for the future. Asset growth in housing and financial markets continues to accelerate, but many are locked out, falling further behind each year.

This is not just a difficult start. It is a system that takes more at every stage of early adulthood, delaying homeownership, family formation, and long-term financial stability.

THE DEBT WE OWE TO THE NEXT GENERATION

Each generation is supposed to pay it forward. The generation in power is supposed to help the next get established, build a life, and move forward. That is how this country is supposed to work.

That is not what is happening today.

The policies being set now shift resources away from future growth and increase costs for the next generation. Gains built over generations are being used up, leaving younger Americans with higher costs, more risk, and fewer opportunities.

We were given a system that worked. We are handing back one that does not.

WHAT WE NEED TO CHANGE

We must restore a system where early adulthood is a launch point, not a financial trap that holds people back before they even get started. That means realigning policy so that work once again leads to stability, and stability leads to opportunity. The current structure shifts risk onto individuals while concentrating gains with those already ahead. That balance must be reset.

The cost of entry into adulthood must come down. Education, housing, and healthcare can no longer function as barriers that delay progress for decades. At the same time, wages must reflect the value of work, and labor markets must provide pathways to build careers, not just cycle through jobs.

We also need to restore access to wealth-building. Prior generations were able to buy homes, save early, and benefit from long-term asset growth. Today’s system restricts that access, widening the gap over time. Policies must ensure that young adults can participate in the same mechanisms of growth, rather than being locked out of them.

Finally, we must reconnect education, training, and employment. A system that produces degrees without opportunity and jobs without qualified workers is fundamentally broken. Public investment must be tied to outcomes that create real mobility, not just credentials or short-term fixes.

HOW WE GET IT DONE

We will lower the cost of entry into adulthood, strengthen earnings, and create direct pathways to stable careers and long-term financial security. These are not isolated fixes. The challenges facing young adults are cumulative, and they require a coordinated set of policy changes to restore a viable path to stability and growth.

Lower the Cost of Getting Started

Make the first $20,000 of income tax-free to provide immediate financial relief.
Make public colleges and trade schools tuition-free for low-income families.
Implement a universal free-first-year policy for all public college students.
Cap and renegotiate student loan interest rates to prevent long-term debt traps.

Raise Wages and Strengthen Worker Stability

Establish a $20/hour national minimum wage.
Raise the non-exempt salary threshold for overtime to $100,000.
Expand eligibility for overtime pay.
Pass the PRO Act to restore the right to organize and strengthen bargaining power.

Restore Access to Wealth-Building

Expand pathways to homeownership through targeted first-time buyer support and increased housing supply.
Align federal housing policy to reduce cost pressures and increase availability in high-demand areas.

Align Education with Real Opportunity

Mandate public reporting of post-graduation employment and salary outcomes.
Coordinate workforce programs, apprenticeships, and training with actual employer demand.
Expand vocational training, registered apprenticeships, and career pipeline programs.

Reduce Structural Barriers to Mobility

Ban non-compete agreements that prevent workers from advancing or starting businesses.
Reduce healthcare costs through a non-profit universal system so coverage is not tied to employment.

Housing

WHAT WE FACE

The American dream of homeownership is being pushed out of reach, leaving working families renting with no clear path forward. A home once cost roughly three times a family’s annual income; today, it costs five or six times, putting the primary path to building generational wealth out of reach for most families.

This crisis reflects policy choices that pulled support away from middle-class ownership while pushing housing costs beyond what wages can support. This has pushed families to spend over 30 percent of their income just to keep a roof over their heads. This shortage limits savings, drives up debt, and replaces the stability of ownership with the uncertainty of long-term renting.

WHAT WE NEED TO CHANGE

The core problem is a housing shortage driven by years of decisions that failed to keep supply aligned with demand. Public policy has shifted away from supporting homeownership and toward a rental market that favors those who own property over the families trying to buy it. This has been made worse by rising material costs and labor shortages that make new construction more expensive and less frequent.

The market is further distorted by large investors who treat local neighborhoods as financial assets, outbidding families and taking homes that would otherwise go to them. Without action, the path for first-time buyers will continue to narrow, leaving the next generation without a realistic way to put down roots or build equity.

HOW WE GET IT DONE

We must increase the supply of homes and make sure they are available to working families, not bought up by large investors before people can get a fair shot.

Expand construction of entry-level housing through direct federal incentives.
Leverage the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and infrastructure funds to expand middle-class housing development.
Strengthen federal loan programs so first-time buyers can compete in the market.
Ban interstate corporate speculation to prevent companies from buying up family homes.
Stabilize mortgage markets so they remain accessible to working families.

Small Businesses

WHAT WE FACE

Local entrepreneurs and small business owners are being pushed out of the communities they built, forced to compete in an economy that favors distant conglomerates over local businesses. In places like Southern Indiana, job growth is being held back by rising input costs, uneven market conditions, and a chronic lack of accessible capital.

This decline reflects a policy environment that prioritizes short-term gains for a few over long-term investment in local economies. By shifting gains upward while pushing risk onto local economies and working families, the system has produced lower wages and underinvestment in the infrastructure small businesses depend on. The result is direct pressure on the systems small businesses rely on to survive and grow.

WHAT WE NEED TO CHANGE

The cost of doing business must come down to restore the stability small businesses need to compete and grow. This requires ending erratic tariffs that drive up the cost of essential materials and make it harder for businesses to plan and invest. We must also strengthen the middle class so local businesses have a reliable, well-paid customer base instead of a community struggling to make ends meet.

Healthcare costs must be reduced as a primary business barrier, leveling the field between small businesses and large corporations that can absorb these expenses.

We must reverse cuts to the Small Business Administration, including the 33% workforce reduction and the $167 million reduction in entrepreneurial development. These cuts limit the ability of startups to launch and existing businesses to expand, weakening local ownership that forms the backbone of our economy.

HOW WE GET IT DONE

We will strengthen small businesses so they can compete and grow without being pushed out by larger players with advantages they cannot match.

Lower Costs and Reduce Barriers

Ban non-compete agreements to encourage talent mobility and new business formation.
Roll back tariffs that drive up the cost of raw materials for small producers.

Expand Access to Capital

Restore SBA staffing and funding to ensure small businesses have access to technical support.
Expand SBA lending capacity and support so small businesses can actually access the capital they need to compete and grow.
Seed community loan funds through public-private partnerships to increase access to local capital.
Use federal guarantees to expand access to capital for local businesses that struggle to secure financing.

Build Infrastructure and Workforce Capacity

Complete the build-out of high-speed rural broadband.
Invest in physical infrastructure and workforce development tailored to local industry needs.
Align immigration policy with specific regional labor demands.

Ensure Fair Competition

Enforce labor laws to ensure a fair playing field for businesses that follow the rules.

Strengthen Local Innovation

Strengthen research and innovation partnerships between universities and local businesses.

Healthcare

WHAT WE FACE

We are paying for a world-class healthcare system and receiving a predatory one, with high costs and limited options.

The American healthcare system is a failure of both economics and ethics. We spend twice as much as peer nations, yet Americans die four years earlier than those in France. Medical debt is now a leading driver of bankruptcy, and 80% of those affected already have insurance.

This system is not just expensive. It is built in a way that does not work for the people paying into it. It ties coverage to employment, turning premiums into a permanent, private cost on every paycheck. It leaves families with plans they can barely afford to use, while consolidation increases and rural hospitals continue to disappear.

WHAT WE NEED TO CHANGE

This is not a gap we can patch. It is a system that has to be replaced. We need Medicare for All, a non-profit model that removes profit from basic care, guarantees coverage, and brings costs back under control. That is why I am a member of Physicians for a National Health Program.

This transition will be executed through a disciplined three-year rollout that ensures people keep their care and are not put at risk at any point:

Year 1: Maintain all existing coverage, cap immediate costs, and begin enrolling the uninsured so no one is left without access.
Year 2: Expand automatic enrollment and transition employer contributions into the system without reducing take-home pay or forcing provider changes.
Year 3: Complete national automatic enrollment and eliminate premiums and deductibles in favor of a predictable, lower-cost public system.

HOW WE GET IT DONE

We will stabilize current providers while building the infrastructure for a universal system that prioritizes rural access and mental health.

Immediate Cost Relief and Access Stabilization

Restore ACA subsidies to slash immediate out-of-pocket costs.
Increase federal reimbursement rates for low-volume and rural medical facilities.
Directly fund rural maternity care and mobile EMS units in underserved areas.
Guarantee 12 months of continuous postpartum care for all new mothers.
Eliminate prior authorization requirements and administrative barriers to care.
Fully fund the 988 crisis line and shift mental health response from jails to treatment-based care.
Enforce strong financial penalties and criminal accountability for corporate healthcare fraud.

Near-Term System Expansion and Capacity Building

Invest in school-based early intervention and provider loan forgiveness for high-need areas.
Complete the transition to a non-profit, universal healthcare model.

Long-Term Structural Guarantee

Pass a Constitutional Amendment establishing healthcare as a right so it cannot be taken away.

More about my Health Care Policies

Infrastructure

WHAT WE FACE

Rural communities are being hollowed out as investment has been pulled back over decades, putting their long-term viability at risk. When the bridge is closed, the hospital shuts down, and broadband is unavailable, opportunity does not just stall, it leaves. Families have to travel further for basic care, and young people leave when their hometown can no longer support their ambitions.

This decline reflects years of decisions that left entire regions without the core systems needed to compete. Investment follows reliability, and for too long, rural infrastructure has fallen behind as funding has been inconsistent and delayed.

WHAT WE NEED TO CHANGE

The physical systems we rely on every day are reaching a breaking point. Indiana currently has over 1,000 structurally deficient bridges, with thousands more needing upgrades to keep commerce moving. Our aging electric grid is under strain and does not have the capacity to support new industrial demand or future energy needs.

The lack of universal high-speed broadband and modernized water systems creates a divide where rural communities fall behind in health, education, and economic opportunity. Strategic bottlenecks, such as congestion around Louisville crossings, slow movement across the entire region and limit economic growth. We need to overhaul the fragmented federal funding process, where delayed budgets and poor coordination slow down projects and limit results.

HOW WE GET IT DONE

We will align federal funding with the community development plans already established by local and regional leaders so communities actually get the resources they need to fix what is broken and support growth.

Project Acceleration and Core Infrastructure

Repair and replace all structurally deficient bridges to secure commerce routes.
Upgrade electric grid capacity and resilience to meet future industrial demand.
Modernize aging water and wastewater systems to protect public health.

Broadband Access and Affordability

Complete the expansion of rural broadband through BEAD, ReConnect, and RDOF.
Restore the Affordable Connectivity Program to ensure internet remains affordable.

Financing and Local Investment

Deploy Community Development Block Grants directly for local infrastructure needs.
Expand USDA Rural Development and Rural Utilities Service financing.
Scale up Rural Business Development Grants and Community Facilities Loans.
Leverage EDA, RAISE, and INFRA grants to fund large-scale regional projects.
Expand SBA lending and Treasury-backed CDFI programs for local growth.

Workforce Alignment

Align WIOA workforce funding with actual employer hiring outcomes so people are trained for jobs that are in demand.

Governance and Coordination

Mandate on-time federal budgets to provide stable, multi-year project funding.
Unify federal tools into single, coordinated regional investment strategies so communities are not forced to navigate fragmented systems to get results.

Education

WHAT WE FACE

Education is not just a childhood experience. It is a lifelong system that includes K-12, career and technical training, postsecondary education, and continuing education that workers rely on to adapt and grow. When that system breaks down at any stage, it weakens the entire economy. Education is a foundational pillar of long-term growth, workforce readiness, and national competitiveness.

Public education is no longer functioning as an engine of opportunity, leaving a generation in a system that favors those who start ahead. For the first time in American history, young adults can no longer expect to outpace their parents. The promise that hard work leads to progress is breaking down as outcomes become more tied to family wealth than individual effort.

This is not a temporary economic shift. It reflects decisions that are changing how opportunity is built and who it is available to. Funding is being pulled away from the public systems that serve the vast majority of Americans, while the cost of every educational milestone continues to climb. College has been turned from a public good into a high-stakes private risk, with tuition costs nearly tripling and student debt surging. At the same time, continuing education and workforce retraining pathways remain underfunded and disconnected from actual job demand.

The results are measurable. Upward mobility has plummeted to less than 50%. Young adults are entering the workforce burdened by debt, delaying homeownership, family formation, and long-term financial stability. What should be a system that builds capability across a lifetime has become one that takes more at every stage.

WHAT WE NEED TO CHANGE

To restore mobility and long-term growth, we must rebuild education as a complete system that supports Americans from early learning through career advancement. Each generation is supposed to help the next get established and move ahead. Today, policy is doing the opposite by taking from the future instead of building it.

Redirecting K-12 funding away from public schools weakens outcomes and widens the gap between those with resources and those without. Higher education has become a debt-driven system where financial support has not kept pace with rising costs. Continuing education and workforce retraining remain disconnected and difficult to access, limiting the ability of workers to adapt to a changing economy.

At the federal level, proposals to eliminate the Department of Education would remove more than $3 billion in funding that currently supports schools, students, and communities. This sets up a funding shift that reduces accountability and weakens long-term investment.

Eliminating the Department of Education also removes a critical layer of transparency and community visibility. Without consistent federal reporting and oversight, families, educators, and local leaders lose clear insight into how schools are performing and where resources are going. That loss of visibility makes it easier for funding to be redirected without public oversight, further undermining trust and outcomes.

Workforce systems must also be realigned. Education, training programs, and employer demand cannot continue to operate in silos. Federal resources must be simplified and directed toward measurable outcomes that connect education directly to jobs and long-term mobility.

HOW WE GET IT DONE

We will align federal education and workforce funding with the specific needs of local schools, training programs, and employers to create a clear path from early education through career advancement while removing financial barriers at every stage.

Lower Costs and Expand Access

Make public colleges and trade schools tuition-free for low-income families.
Implement a universal free-first-year policy for all public college students.
Expand Pell Grants and other forms of need-based financial aid.
Expand work-study and service-based education pathways.

Fix Student Debt and Financial Barriers

Cap and renegotiate predatory student loan interest rates.

Strengthen K-12 Investment and Accountability

Fully fund Title I to ensure low-income school districts have the resources they need.
Strengthen federal oversight to ensure education funding reaches the classroom.

Align Education with Workforce Outcomes

Mandate public reporting of post-graduation employment and salary outcomes.
Coordinate WIOA, CTE, and apprenticeship programs to match local employer demand.
Expand Registered Apprenticeship and Job Corps programs across the region.
Increase Perkins funding to modernize career and technical education.
Support adult retraining through fully funded AEFLA programs.

Simplify and Target Federal Funding

Simplify federal education grants to ensure they are accessible for local use.
Streamline the flow of federal funding to communities with the highest economic need.

More about my Education Policies

Agriculture

WHAT WE FACE

Farmers are being pushed out of their own livelihood, forced to work harder for a smaller share of the value they create. The independence of the American farm is being replaced by a dependence on volatile global markets and rising input costs that leave families with less control over their own land.

For years, trade decisions have relied on reactive tariffs that drive up the cost of equipment and fertilizer while limiting access to the export markets farmers rely on. This instability is compounded by corporate consolidation, where a handful of firms now dictate the price of seeds, processing, and distribution. By prioritizing short-term gains over long-term resilience, the system pushes risk onto the farmer while profits are captured elsewhere.

WHAT WE NEED TO CHANGE

To sustain the family farm, we must move away from reactive bailouts and toward a foundation of predictable, functioning markets. Trade policy must be stabilized to ensure farmers can plan for the next decade rather than the next news cycle. Market concentration has reduced competition, weakened price transparency, and left producers with little negotiating power.

Rising barriers to entry are making farm succession increasingly difficult, so family farms are more likely to be absorbed by a larger operation rather than passed to the next generation. We must address the rising costs of essential technology and inputs that are increasing faster than farm income. Without enforcing antitrust laws and protecting the right to repair, independent farmers will continue to lose control over how they operate and what they earn.

HOW WE GET IT DONE

We will restore stability for farmers by strengthening competition and establishing trade and labor policies that support long-term planning.

Fair Markets and Competition

Enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act and antitrust laws to break up corporate consolidation.
Expand regional processing capacity to increase competition for farm products.
Mandate transparent USDA price reporting to ensure fair market value.

Lower Input Costs and Strengthen Supply Chains

Roll back tariffs to lower input costs and restore stable export relationships.
Incentivize domestic fertilizer production to reduce reliance on foreign supply.
Expand the Rural Energy for America Program and invest in precision agriculture tax credits.

Farmer Independence

Codify the national “Right to Repair” for all farm equipment.
Limit corporate overreach on seed patents and genetic materials.

Labor and Risk Management

Reform the H-2A program and align immigration policy with actual agricultural labor needs.
Lock in permanent disaster relief and expand Whole Farm Revenue Protection insurance.

Access to Capital and Generational Continuity

Increase Farm Service Agency loan limits and support for beginning farmers.
Incentivize generational land transfers to keep farms in the family.
Expand the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program to protect farmland from development.

Predictable Policy

Shift federal support from ad hoc bailouts to predictable, market-based structures.

Consumer Protection

WHAT WE FACE

The American consumer is being turned into a source of data and risk, trapped in a system where gains are kept private while losses are pushed onto the public. When reckless financial practices fail, the public is forced to absorb the damage, while the architects of those failures walk away with their profits intact. This is a deliberate shift in the balance of power.

Families are increasingly exposed to complex, opaque financial products designed to obscure predatory lending and hidden fees. This vulnerability is amplified by technology. Personal data is collected, sold, and used to make decisions about credit and employment without clear consent or accountability.

This reflects reduced enforcement that leaves consumers exposed to higher costs, hidden fees, and limited recourse. As oversight has been weakened, the system has shifted away from protecting consumers and toward exposing them to manipulation and loss.

WHAT WE NEED TO CHANGE

To restore trust, we must move away from a “buyer beware” economy and rebuild a system where transparency and accountability are required. Financial markets require clear, proactive rules that prevent deceptive practices before harm occurs, rather than reacting after families have already lost their savings.

Individuals must have clear ownership and control over their personal data, replacing the current fragmented system with one that requires meaningful consent and provides clear recourse.

We must expand access to fair credit through community-focused institutions to replace the gaps currently filled by high-cost lenders. This requires rebalancing the tax and regulatory structure so the economy no longer favors capital over working households. Without these changes, risk will continue to fall on those least able to absorb it, weakening the stability of the entire market.

HOW WE GET IT DONE

We will protect individuals by enforcing clear standards for data use and financial behavior so fair practices are the only way to do business.

Data Rights and AI Transparency

Establish a Data Bill of Rights guaranteeing access, deletion, and portability.
Mandate transparency and independent audits for all algorithmic and automated decisions.
Require explicit disclosure for all AI-generated content and political advertisements.
Enforce strict federal data breach notification and protection standards.
Grant data protection authorities enforcement and subpoena power.

Consumer Financial Protection

Strengthen and expand the capacity of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Ban exploitative lending traps, including balloon payments and predatory refinancing.

Access to Fair Credit

Expand federal support for credit unions and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs).
Seed community loan funds through public-private partnerships to replace payday lenders.
Use federal guarantees to expand access to fair, small-dollar lending.

Tax Fairness

Increase the federal standard deduction to $20,000 to provide immediate relief.
Tax non-homestead capital gains as regular income for top earners.
Eliminate the tax loopholes used by the ultra-wealthy to bypass public obligations.
Fully fund enforcement of existing tax laws to ensure compliance.

Project 2025 Policies Accelerate the Power Shift

Project 2025 policies accelerate the current economic imbalance in the United States. The result will further concentrate power and reduce economic security for working families. This will be aided by intentionally reducing the government’s ability to regulate and limit their power.

These policies shift more power and wealth upward, increasing influence while leaving working families more financially insecure.

The wealthiest class, corporate executives, large shareholders, and capital owners, are slated to be the primary beneficiaries. Their gains are built on systemic choices that reduce public safeguards and labor’s leverage by:

Project 2025 is being presented as a path to growth, but the framework accelerates a shift toward fewer safeguards and more concentrated power. This pressure is felt most by working families and small businesses as costs rise and competition narrows. At a time when wages are already struggling to keep up, these policies reduce the capacity to enforce fair rules—raising barriers for local entrepreneurs and limiting the tools our communities need to compete.

The impact is direct. As oversight is reduced, larger firms gain more leverage over pricing, supply chains, and labor markets. This restructuring drives the costs of housing, healthcare, and education faster than income growth, leaving families with more debt and fewer options. Corporate tax changes in this plan follow a familiar pattern: they increase profits at the top to drive shareholder payouts and stock buybacks rather than reinvesting in wages or local communities.

Expanded industry influence over the legislative process allows rules to continue favoring scale over competition. Over time, that compounds, concentrating both economic and political power. When rules favor scale, the consequences spread: labor protections weaken, bargaining power declines, and the cost of “cutting corners” falls. This allows predatory lending, hidden fees, and unsafe practices to expand—shifting risk onto the public while protecting gains at the top.

This shift toward consolidation comes when the pressure is already at a breaking point. Retirees are struggling to make fixed incomes last, working families are doing more just to stay in place, and young adults are facing higher barriers than the generation before them. Moving policy in this direction adds to that pressure, making it harder for work to pay and harder for local businesses to survive.

The impact shows up in whether a worker can negotiate a fair wage, whether a small business can get a fair loan, and whether a community can keep opportunity close to home. When rules consistently favor the largest players, opportunity narrows. These policies move the system further in that direction, making it harder for working families and small businesses to get ahead.

Conclusion

The impact of these decisions is clear. It is measured by whether a worker has the power to negotiate a fair wage, whether a local business can access the capital it needs to survive, and whether our community keeps its wealth or watches it be pulled away.

The struggles are across every part of this economy. Retirees are trying to make fixed incomes last. Working families are doing more just to stay in place. Small businesses are competing in markets where scale determines survival. Young adults are facing higher barriers to entry than the generation before them. These are not isolated challenges. They are the result of rules that have shifted over time in ways that concentrate power and narrow opportunity.

When those rules consistently favor the largest players, opportunity narrows and pressure builds across the system.

We have a choice about what comes next. The direction is clear, and so are the consequences. Continuing down this path concentrates power in fewer hands, limits opportunity, and forces families to work harder just to keep from falling behind.

We must restore balance so hard work pays and small businesses can compete. This requires enforcing fair rules, driving down the cost of essentials, and rebuilding the public systems that provide a foundation for stability and upward mobility.

This is about making progress possible again. It is about reconnecting effort to reward so the next generation is not just surviving, but building a life in the towns where they were raised.

The tools to fix this are within reach. The path forward is clear.

Now we act.