VOTE ED MARKEY FOR SENATE
Experience that shapes his values
Throughout his career, Ed has refused to compromise his progressive values in his fight to build a Commonwealth and country that are fair, just, and equitable for all. He has never been afraid to disrupt the status quo, and for the last six years in the United States Senate, Ed has been leading and delivering on the issues that matter the most to the people of Massachusetts.
Ed grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood in Malden. As the son of a union leader, Ed learned his progressive values at his kitchen table–the same table where his mother would pay the bills and calculate how long the heat could be kept on during cold winter nights. It was his working-class upbringing that taught Ed the value of hard work and inspired him to spend his life seeking to provide the same opportunities he had, for every child, no matter their race, socioeconomic background, or zip code.
AOC ENDORSES MARKEY
Ed believes health care is a right, not a privilege, and that a strong health care system is the foundation for a robust economy. He is a fierce advocate for funding for medical research and guaranteeing every American affordable, quality care and services.
As an original co-sponsor of Senator Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All Act of 2017, Ed has fought to create a federal single-payer health care system to provide comprehensive health insurance to every American.
This December, Ed secured $200 million in NIH funding for the creation of a universal flu vaccine, which would protect against multiple strains of the flu virus and offer longer lasting protection. In the 2017-18 flu season, there were 810,000 hospitalizations and 61,000 flu-related deaths across our country. Ed knows the toll that the flu takes on Massachusetts families, and successfully delivered the funding to end this global scourge.
By harnessing the energy and talent of entrepreneurs, educators, scientists, and workers all across the country, Ed believes we can continue to create jobs and promote economic growth. He is a firm believer that strong competition, coupled with a level-playing field, fosters economic prosperity.
Ed is a longtime champion for increasing corporate accountability and cracking down on Wall Street’s fraud and manipulation that led to the financial market meltdown in 2008. As a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Senator Markey plays a key role in the oversight of American consumer-related and business issues.
In July 2019, he introduced the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which provides funding for research and development, and ensures that America’s small businesses have access to the capital they need to thrive.
For far too long, systemic racism in policies that touch every aspect of our lives has widened the equity gap between white and families of color in America. We need to change this. Ed has spent his political career working to address the health, environmental, economic and housing justice issues that disproportionately affect communities of color.
Ed has cosponsored Senator Booker’s Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act, the only reparations bill in the Senate, which establishes a commission to make recommendations of reparations proposals. It is impossible to craft an American future that is fair and just without openly acknowledging and confronting the generational inequalities caused by slavery and a history of systemic racism in the United States. Reparations are the first step acknowledging the wrongs and repairing the harm done to African Americans.
African Americans face vast inequalities when it comes to health outcomes and health care access, compared to white Americans. Ed believes that health care is a human right, which is why he is a proud original co-sponsor of Medicare for All Act of 2017, which would ensure that every American has comprehensive health insurance.
National Security & Foreign Relations
Over the last four years, Donald Trump has diminished our country’s position as a world power and strained our allied relationships. Ed is working every day to combat the damage that our president has done and rebuild our reputation with foreign nations – Ed believes that security through diplomacy will best strengthen the foundation for American leadership abroad.
Ed knows that we cannot go to war with Iran. The assassination of General Soleimani was an unnecessary escalation of tension in the Middle East, and killing him was the most extreme option presented to Trump. Following the escalation in military force, Ed led 21 Congressional colleagues in a call on President Donald Trump to prevent war with Iran. And when Donald Trump threatened to attack Iranian cultural sites, Ed knew this was an explicit war crime and introduced a resolution that condemned Trump’s threats and demanded that the President refrain from violating the laws of armed conflict.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the ranking member on the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, Senator Markey believes the United States can and must play a leadership role on the greatest issues facing the planet – regional instability and poverty, climate change, and the threat of nuclear proliferation.
Our gun violence epidemic has gone too far. Too many lives have been lost and it’s time for our elected leaders to step up and take action.
Senator Markey is committed to ensuring the safety and security of our family, friends, and neighbors in Massachusetts, advocating for common sense gun legislation to prevent violence in our communities. He is a fierce advocate for universal background checks, banning assault weapons, making gun trafficking a federal crime, prohibiting high capacity ammunition magazines, and closing the loopholes surrounding the creation of undetectable, plastic guns.
Ed has been working tirelessly to support the vibrant immigrant and refugee community in Massachusetts and around the country. He is an original cosponsor of the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and in Emergency (SECURE) Act, which would allow qualified Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients to apply for lawful permanent residency.
Ed is an outspoken critic of the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and has been at the forefront of the fight to pass a clean Dream Act to provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. He has criticized the lower refugee resettlement cap for fiscal year 2018 — the lowest in the history of our nation’s resettlement program — and has introduced the GRACE Act to prevent a U.S. President from setting a Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions at a level below 95,000 in a given fiscal year.
Stand with Ed Markey
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