Lisa Blunt Rochester in State of Delaware Archives

On Abortion: Fight against defunding Planned Parenthood

Women's health care is under a relentless attack across the country. Republicans in Washington have voted over and over again to defund Planned Parenthood's work providing cancer screening and health services to women in need. They have voted against a woman's right to choose and even refused to protect the medical records of victims of rape and incest from government invasion. In Congress, Lisa will be a champion for women's health by:

• Standing up to the Republicans in Congress trying to defund Planned Parenthood
• Working to make it easier for low-income women to get cancer screenings and mammograms
• Fighting against regressive legislation that tries to put the government between a woman and her doctor

On Civil Rights: Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act for gender pay equity

Women in Delaware make on average 81% of the wages earned by their male counterparts and that rate is even less for Latino and African American women. In Congress, Lisa will be a champion for Equal Pay by:

• Pushing for an online database that would make information about wages by job category public, so everyone can see if they are getting proper compensation for their type of work.
• Working to finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act so that employers couldn't retaliate against employees who want to share information about how much they're paid.
• Fighting to provide accessible, high quality early learning options for working families.

On Crime: Systemic problems in judicial system affect people of color

I still remember the day that I jumped into my car, in my pajamas, when my son called and told me he had been pulled over. For far too many mothers like me, our strong need and desire to have the safest streets possible is complicated by the reality that, unfortunately, systemic problems exist within our judicial system that disproportionately affect people of color.

In Congress, Lisa will be a champion for protecting our communities by:
• Promoting economic equality and creating satisfying job options.
• Working to close the educational achievement gap as a critical part of finding a holistic approach to crime prevention.
• Furthering her work to bring police and communities together to figure out how best to protect our neighborhoods.

On Education: New College Compact: free tuition for 10 hours weekly work

I always emphasized the importance of a good education to my children. And, like so many parents who also place a premium on education, I now find myself helping my kids pay off the loans we took out so that they could go to college.

In Congress, Lisa will be a champion for improving access to affordable education by:
• Helping families with current student debt to refinance their loans at current rates and providing debt relief to thousands of graduates.
• Fighting for the New College Compact that would allow students to attend public colleges tuition free in return for 10 hours a week of work.
• Protecting the President's efforts to make community colleges free to all residents Working to increase vocational training options.

On Government Reform: Overturn Citizens United decision by amending Constitution

Over the last few decades there has been a shift in our politics to where money became more important than the will of the people. We reached a tipping point with the Citizens United decision in which the Supreme Court tore down the floodgates and let unlimited, unregulated money into our system. The Citizens United decision was an incredible mistake that works to prevent everyday Americans from having a say in the political process. If I'm elected, one of my top priorities will be to reform our campaign finance system, and we need to start by passing legislation that will overturn the Citizens United decision, even if that means amending the Constitution.

On Government Reform: Institute same day voter registration

In Congress, Lisa will be a champion for getting money out of politics and reforming our broken system by:
• Working to pass a constitutional amendment declaring corporations aren't people and overturning Citizens United.
• Pushing for national Same Day Voter Registration laws.
• Introducing legislation to take drawing congressional districts out of the hands of politicians.

On Gun Control: Stand up to the NRA to close gun loopholes

We need to figure out long-term solutions to this problem by putting much tougher restrictions on who can own a gun and what those guns can do. We need to put much more effort and resources behind fixing our mental health system. In Congress, Lisa will stand up to the NRA by:

• Working to close loopholes that allow criminals easy access to guns.
• Fighting for expanded background checks and instituting a cooling off period for anyone who wants to buy a gun.
• Pushing for more resources to fix our mental health system.
• Championing programs aimed at strengthening police/community relations.

On Health Care: ObamaCare is not perfect, but it is a huge step forward

The Affordable Care Act has brought the number of uninsured down to historic lows, taking the burden off the backs of taxpayers and helped stabilize sky rocketing insurance rates. The law is not nearly perfect, but it is already a huge step forward.

In Congress, Lisa will be a champion for better healthcare by:
• Allowing Medicare and Medicaid to negotiate directly with drug manufacturers and cut out waste in our medical system.
• Working to expand access to the program, curbing costs, and ensuring standards of quality.
• Pushing to fund community health clinics and other local outreach efforts to help fill in the current gaps.

On Social Security: Fight any attempt to privatize Social Security and Medicare

Before Social Security and Medicare, the single biggest cause of poverty in this country was getting old. We saw this problem, came together as a country, and created two of the most successful public programs of all time. Most Republicans in Washington want to gamble with our seniors' wellbeing by privatizing Social Security and cutting Medicare.

In Congress, Lisa will be a champion for our seniors by:
• Fighting any attempt to privatize Social Security and Medicare
• Allow Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices
• Opposing reductions in cost of living adjustments
• Fighting to keep the retirement age at 67
• Increasing the current qualified income cap