John Delaney in June Democratic candidates debate in Miami FL

On Corporations: Awarded for lending to 5,000 disadvantaged businesses

I'm very different than everyone else here on the stage. Prior to being in Congress, I was an entrepreneur. I started two businesses. I created thousands of jobs. I spent my whole career helping small- to mid-sized businesses all over the country, 5,000 of them I supported. The Obama administration gave me an award for lending to disadvantaged communities.

I know how to create jobs. We need a short-term strategy which is to put money in the pockets of workers with the earned income tax credit, raising the minimum wage, and creating family leave, and then we need to have a long-term strategy to make sure this country is competitive and we're creating jobs everywhere in this country.

Source: June Democratic Primary debate (first night in Miami) Jun 26, 2019

On Energy & Oil: Carbon pricing works; you just have to do it right

I introduced the only bipartisan carbon tax bill. All the economists agree that a carbon pricing mechanism works. You just have to do it right. You can't put a price on carbon, raise energy prices, and not give the money back to the American people. My proposal gives a dividend back to the American people. It goes out one pocket, back in the other. I can get that passed my first year as president with a coalition of every Democrat in the Congress and the Republicans who live in coastal states. Source: June Democratic Primary debate (first night in Miami) Jun 26, 2019

On Health Care: Keep what's working and fix what's broken

Q [to Rep. O'Rourke]: Would you replace private insurance?

Rep. Beto O'ROURKE: No. Our plan says that if you're insufficiently insured, we enroll you in Medicare. But if your health care plan works for you and your family, you're able to keep it.

Mayor Bill DE BLASIO: You've got to start by acknowledging the system is not working for people. Why are you defending private insurance?

Rep. John DELANEY: 100 million Americans say they like their private health insurance. I think we should be the party that keeps what's working and fixes what's broken. I mean, doesn't that make sense? We should give everyone in this country health care as a basic human right for free, full stop. But we should also give them the option to buy private insurance. Why do we have to stand for taking away something from people?

Source: June Democratic Primary debate (first night in Miami) Jun 26, 2019

On Health Care: Medicare-for-All would negatively impact hospitals

If you go to every hospital in this country and you ask them one question, which is how would it have been for you last year if every one of your bills were paid at the Medicare rate? Every single hospital administrator said they would close. The Medicare for all bill requires payments to stay at current Medicare rates. To some extent, we're supporting a bill that will have every hospital closing. Source: June Democratic Primary debate (first night in Miami) Jun 26, 2019

On Jobs: Create living wage via paid family leave & more

Q: How would you address income inequality?

NYC Mayor DeBlasio: You hear folks say there's not enough money. What I say to them is there's plenty of money in this country.

Q: Do you agree?

Rep. Delaney: We need to make sure everyone has a living wage. I've called for a doubling of the earned income tax credit, raising the minimum wage, and creating paid family leave. That will create a situation where people actually have a living wage. Then we've got to fix our education system.

Source: June Democratic Primary debate (first night in Miami) Jun 26, 2019

On Principles & Values: Real solutions, not impossible promises

I believe we need to operate in a bipartisan manner. I will sign into law bills that come to the White House that are passed on a party-line basis, absolutely. But all the big transformative things we've ever done in this country's history have happened when huge majorities of the American people get behind them. If we become the party of getting things done for the American people, with real solutions and not impossible promises, we'll be able to get all these things done. Source: June Democratic Primary debate (first night in Miami) Jun 26, 2019

On Principles & Values: America used to do things; let's get back to those roots

Together we are on a mission to find the America that's been lost. We're so much better than this. We're a country that used to do things. We saved the world. We created the American dream for millions of people like myself, the grandson of immigrants, the son of a union electrician who went on to become a successful business leader and create thousands of jobs. But we did these things with real solutions, not with impossible promises. And those are the roots that we have to get back to. Source: June Democratic Primary debate (first night in Miami) Jun 26, 2019

On Principles & Values: Trump could be prosecuted, but it's not an issue for voters

Q: No U.S. president has ever been prosecuted for crimes after leaving office. Do you believe that President Trump should be the first?

Delaney: I guess there's always a first. This president, who is lawless, should not be above the law. But I will tell you, the one thing when you're out doing as much campaigning as I've done, this is not the number-one issue the American people ask us about. They want to know what we're going to do for health care, how we're going to lower pharmaceutical prices, how we're going to build infrastructure, what we're going to do to create jobs in their communities. These kind of kitchen-table, pocket-book issues are actually what most Americans care about. They never ask about the Mueller Report.

Source: June Democratic Primary debate on Mueller Report Jun 26, 2019

The above quotations are from NBC News, "Decision 2020," the Democratic candidates debate, live from the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center in Miami, Florida, June 26-27, 2019.. Click here for main summary page. Click here for a profile of John Delaney. Click here for John Delaney on all issues.
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Page last updated: Dec 01, 2021