For decades, leaders of both parties preached the gospel that free trade was a rising tide that would lift all boats. Great rhetoric – except that the trade deals they negotiated mainly lifted the yachts – and threw millions of working Americans overboard to drown.
There’s no question we need to renegotiate NAFTA. But as it’s currently written, Trump’s deal won’t stop the serious and ongoing harm NAFTA causes for American workers. It won’t stop outsourcing, it won’t raise wages, and it won’t create jobs. It’s NAFTA 2.0.
I oppose NAFTA 2.0, and I will vote against it in the Senate unless @realDonaldTrump reopens the agreement and produces a better deal for America’s working families.
.@realDonaldTrump grabs headlines railing against @GM’s plans to axe thousands of American jobs in Ohio and Michigan – but his actual policies aren’t stopping them or other like them from continuing to put corporate profits ahead of American workers. It’s time for real change.
We need a new approach to trade, and it should begin with a simple principle: our policies should not prioritize corporate profits over American paychecks. That should be true for NAFTA and true for every deal we cut.
Our economic policies should also address the challenges of today’s interconnected world, including areas like corruption, privacy and data rights, and climate change.
Just last week, our own government said that climate change is already happening and will dramatically endanger the world we share. The threat is real and existential – and we need to take action, now.
All three of my brothers served in the military. I know that our servicemembers and their families are smart, tough, and resourceful. But a strong military should act as a deterrent so that most of the time, we won’t have to use it.
For nearly 2 decades, this country has been mired in a series of wars – conflicts that sap American strength. The human costs of these wars has been staggering: more than 6,900 Americans killed, another 52k wounded. Many more who live every day with the invisible scars of war.
Yes, we can – and we we must – continue to be vigilant about the threats of terrorism, whether from Afghanistan or anywhere else. But rather than fighting in an Afghan civil war, let’s help them reach a realistic peace settlement that halts the violence and protects our security.
Let’s make sure that the three brave Americans killed in Afghanistan this week, including one who grew up in Boston, are the last Americans to lose their lives in this war. It’s time to bring our troops home from Afghanistan – starting now.
Let’s cut our bloated defense budget. The US will spend more than $700 billion on defense this year alone. That is more than President Reagan spent during the Cold War. If more money for the Pentagon could solve our security challenges, we would have solved them by now.
How do we responsibly cut back? We can start by ending the stranglehold of defense contractors on our military policy. It’s clear that the Pentagon is captured by defense contractors – and taxpayers are picking up the bill.
.@realDonaldTrump has refused to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia in part because he's more interested in appeasing defense contractors than holding the Saudis accountable for murdering a @washingtonpost journalist or for the thousands of Yemeni civilians killed by those weapons.
The defense industry will inevitably have a seat at the table – but they shouldn’t get to own the table. US security and values should come ahead of the profit margins of private companies.
It is time to identify which programs actually benefit American security in the 21st century, and which merely line the pockets of defense contractors. Then pull out a sharp knife and make some cuts.
America should also be reinvesting in diplomacy. Foreign policy shouldn't be run exclusively by the Pentagon. Yes, we should expect our partners to pay their fair share. But diplomacy isn't about charity; it's about advancing US interests.
Let me propose three core nuclear security principles:
1. No new nuclear weapons.
2. More international arms control, not less.
3. No first use.
1. No new nuclear weapons.
2. More international arms control, not less.
3. No first use.
A foreign policy that works for all Americans must recognize that America can project power abroad only if we are strong and secure at home. But every day, shortsighted domestic policies are weakening our national strength.
Investments at home strengthen the economy, but they also serve national security. A 21st century industrial policy, for example, would produce good jobs that provide dignity, respect, and a living wage, and it would also reinforce US international economic power.
We must remain vigilant and fight for our democracy every single day. That starts with protecting our elections and democratic processes, and making it clear that there will be severe consequences for those – foreign or domestic – who meddle, hack, or undermine them.
It also requires us to speak out against hateful rhetoric that fuels domestic terrorism of all kinds. We must speak plainly about all of these incidents. Just like the hateful terrorism of Al Qaeda & ISIS, domestic right-wing terrorism is completely incompatible with US values.
Here’s the thing about authoritarian governments – they are rotten from the inside out. Authoritarian leaders talk a big game, but their system is rotten because, by its very design, it stacks the decks for the wealthy and depends on corruption in order to survive.
.@realDonaldTrump’s actions and instincts align with those of authoritarian regimes around the globe. And he is aided and abetted every step of the way by Republican politicians too pleased with his judicial appointments and tax cuts to stand up for fundamental American values.
The time for holding back is over. Patriots of every political persuasion must stand up to this type of behavior. Americans must demonstrate to @realdDonaldTrump and to the world that we are not sliding toward autocracy – not without a fight.
55 years ago, when President John F. Kennedy spoke at @AmericanU, he said that, “our problems are manmade--therefore, they can be solved by man.” The same is true today.
(OK, I’d add that they can also be solved by women, too.)
(OK, I’d add that they can also be solved by women, too.)
Americans are an adaptive, resilient people, and we have met hard challenges head on before. We can work together, as we have before, to strengthen democracy at home and abroad. We can build a foreign policy that works for all Americans, not just wealthy elites.
