PRIORITIES

ECONOMIC JUSTICE

Our economy doesn’t work for working people. Small businesses get shortchanged while corporate profits skyrocket. The working-class experiences stagnant wages while their bosses earn bonuses and stock options. Now is the time for a transformation. I’ll fight for an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few.

As your Congresswoman, I will:

SUPPORT AN INCREASED MINIMUM WAGE

  • Nobody should have to work multiple jobs to put food on the table and a roof over their head. 
  • I will support legislation to increase the federal minimum and tip wages to $15 per hour, indexed to inflation, to ensure workers get a long-overdue raise. But $15 per hour is a starting point, not the end of the raise the wage movement. In Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District, a $15 minimum wage would provide a raise to 39% of our workforce, including 48% of Black workers.
  • I will fight for complementary policies to a minimum wage increase such as an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), permanent child tax credit, increased job training, expansion of the public workforce, policies to generate full employment, and a piloted Universal Basic Income program in the form of recurring COVID-19 relief checks.

GUARANTEE THAT WOMEN ARE PAID THE SAME AS MEN

  • Women are bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 economic crisis, all while making pennies on the dollar compared to men. In Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District, women earn just 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. Those disparities are even greater for women of color, particularly Black women. Equal pay for equal work is more critical than ever. 
  • I will work to end the gender pay gap and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.
  • I will support Representative Grace Meng’s Marshall Plan For Moms.
  • I will support elements of the Biden administration’s relief package that will ease the burden on unemployed and working women, including making permanent the $3,000 in tax credits issued to families for each child, a $40 billion investment in child care assistance and an extension of unemployment benefits. 
  • I will advocate for a world-class paid family leave program that would benefit and support all parents.

CHAMPION RACIAL EQUITY

  • In Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District, Black families earn half as much as their white neighbors and are nearly three times more likely to live in poverty. Nationally, the typical white family holds 10 times more wealth than the typical Black family. We need transformative solutions to right our nation’s history of racial inequity.
  • I will support Representative Sheila Jackson Lee’s legislation to study and develop reparation proposals for African-Americans, ensuring that this commission takes into account the interlocking systems of oppression that Black women have faced throughout our country’s history.
  • I will fight to distribute aid to our small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially to minority-owned small businesses that are disproportionately impacted.
  • I will not only support legalizing marijuana, but also establishing a federal tax and dedicating revenues to assist people most harmed by this failed policy, like reentry programs, job training, and substance abuse treatment, and providing licensing opportunities for the formerly incarcerated to enter the market.
  • I will champion tribal sovereignty and lift the voices of Indigenous Tribes in Louisiana like the Chitimacha, the Coushatta, the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, the Tunica-Biloxi, and the Houma.
  • I will stand firm against hate against our Asian-American brothers and sisters and ensure all people of color feel comfortable in this country.

STAND WITH WORKERS

  • The economy does not work for the American people. Our leaders continually place the interests of the wealthy over that of the working class. We will only transform our economy if we can rebuild labor strength. 
  • I will fight to protect public and private workers’ rights to organize, join a union and bargain collectively. 
  • I will support the Paycheck Fairness Act that would strengthen penalties for businesses that pay unequal wages and protect employees from retaliation for sharing information about their salaries.
  • I will support the PRO Act that would modernize labor relations and fight back against worker-hostile legislation like Right to Work laws.

MAKE THE ULTRA-WEALTHY PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE

  • During the pandemic, millions are unemployed, even more struggle to pay rent, and yet the ultra rich have only gotten richer – the wealth of billionaires has jumped by 40% in the past year alone. That is unconscionable. 
  • I will fight to pass the Ultra-Millionaire and wealth taxes in Congress to top the top 0.05%. We can help level the playing field by asking the wealthiest 100,000 households in America to pay their fair share. 
  • I will ensure revenue from the wealth tax funds programs in the public interest, such as public education, infrastructure, aid to small businesses, and more. 

WORK TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

  • The 2nd Congressional District has unrealized potential as a leader in technology, trade, health sciences, environmental management, and clean energy. According to the NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), The Gulf of Mexico represents one of the largest offshore wind markets in the nation. Louisiana has a unique advantage to accelerate developments as the epicenter of offshore Marine manufacturing and services with expertise in wind.
  • I will continue to provide support for the digital media and technology sectors, including the music, film, tv, video gaming, and the start-up technology community. 
  • I will push for opportunities in emerging industries like Cybersecurity. Security breaches are more common than ever, and Congress is dedicating tremendous resources in response. We must utilize existing projects like Dillard University’s IBM HBCU Quantum Center and UNO’s Innovation Academy to train workers in this high-paying field.
  • I will make sure the needs of the artists, musicians, and food workers that make New Orleans and the rest of the 2nd Congressional District unique are taken into account.
  • I will continue to support angel investor tax credits as a vehicle to attract investors to support small Louisiana businesses.
  • I will advocate for diverse projects such as the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility for space exploration & advanced manufacturing, which provides unique opportunities for the Greater New Orleans region to be a leader in science and technology.
  • I will oppose unsustainable and unjust attempts at developments, like the Formosa Plastics complex in St. James Parish. If a development plan doesn’t take into account the people and the environment, it’s not development, it’s cronyism.

FIGHT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND PREVENT DISPLACEMENT

  • The average renter in the 2nd Congressional District spends nearly 36% of their income making rent, well above the 30%% standard of affordability. And even for those with stable rent, a lack of tenant protections leave them at risk of eviction or exploitation. The American dream of home-ownership is now sadly out-of-reach for most working Louisianans. We need a fair and affordable housing market that protects working-class communities of color from displacement and allows for thriving, healthy neighborhoods.
  • I will advocate for increased investment in public housing and affordable housing construction and maintenance to ensure that one’s home is a place of security, not stress.
  • I will demand full funding of Section 8 benefits as an entitlement and policies to mandate landlords accept the benefit.
  • I will support Representative Ilhan Omar’s “Homes for All” act, which would build 10 million new, affordable and public homes in America over the next decade.
  • I will ensure that owners and renters live in safe housing conditions free from toxins such as lead.
  • I will support policies that protect communities from displacement, whether caused by unwanted gentrification in our cities or environmental hazards in the river parishes.

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