ISSUES
I’m running for Congress because it’s time we put Nebraska values ahead of Washington politics. We need someone who understands what it’s like to live, work and raise children in this district.
I’m a pragmatic problem-solver who will go to Washington and stand up for you every single day. All my life I have been someone who gets things done, and I will bring this same commitment and focus to Congress.
I strongly believe that our representatives need to listen. It’s why our listening tours are front and center in this campaign. Some of my top priorities are listed below, but I also would like to hear from you. Please email me at ann@annashford2020.com to share your ideas to improve the quality of life for you and your family.
Please join me.
Healthcare
- Strengthen the Affordable Care Act
- Offer Medicare on the market as a public option; i.e., individuals can choose to be covered by Medicare or a commercial product
- Limit direct to consumer advertising by pharmaceutical companies
- Pass legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies
Education and Student Debt
- Provide the ten-year loan forgiveness now available to some public sector service jobs to all jobs, and reduce repayment terms in exchange for volunteerism
- Provide employers with tax advantaged solutions for providing employees with a student debt repayment benefit, without negative tax consequences to the employee
- Provide for student loan debt discharge under bankruptcy laws
- Develop partnerships among educational entities, including trade schools/programs, private employers, and government to develop training and education programs for new economy jobs
- Fund universal pre-kindergarten
- Develop incentives for post-secondary educational institutions and training programs that demonstrate a high placement of students in employment in their chosen fields
- Consider making community college free for two years after high school provided the student is engaged as a full-time student or in a job training or apprentice program
- Sponsor legislation to make the salaries of teaching staff in K-12 schools exempt from federal taxation
Gun Violence
- Authorize and fund research in gun violence, its causes and potential remedies
- Enact nationwide requirements for permit to purchase, mandatory waiting periods, and background checks
- Enact “No Fly, No Buy” – if on the no-fly list, a person is not permitted to purchase a firearm
- Restrict large capacity magazines and suppressors
- Authorize a commission of law enforcement and health care professionals to recommend what weapons should be considered assault weapons and therefore be banned
- Ensure red flag laws are in place throughout the U.S.
Infrastructure
- Address technology deserts in the rural and low-income urban areas to ensure greater affordable access to high-speed internet and related technology services
- Invest in 21st century expertise and training in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors to increase U.S. competitiveness around the world and bring high paying jobs to U.S. workers
- Prioritize infrastructure investment in roads, bridges, and transportation in the budget with public-private partnerships evaluated as a vehicle to address the funding needs
- Address the impact of flooding and irregular weather patterns with modern infrastructure solutions
International Relations
- Adopt Authorization for Use of Military Force legislation to establish time limits and review of military actions
- Restore our global leadership in the world by supporting our allies, and not our adversaries
- Encourage multilateral trade agreements that reflect our values as a nation
Women’s Issues
- Title X needs to be funded and applied to Planned Parenthood and similarly situated clinics
- Fund access to birth control, prevention and education to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies
- Equal pay for equal work needs to be part of every piece of legislation covering workers and the workplace
Immigration
- Pass DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) legislation that includes citizenship and provides a pathway to citizenship to DACA family members
- Prohibit separation of families at the border
- Establish an earned pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who have met criteria, similar to the plan passed by the Senate in 2013
- Guest Worker programs should be modernized and reflect the needs of our economy
Border Control
- Use 21st century solutions to secure the border, strengthening high-tech modes of border security
- Prohibit separation of families at the border
- Adequately fund processing of asylum seekers
Trade
- Regulate and legislate with the goal of free and fair trade, expanding U.S. global trade. Trade wars to impact non-economic disputes is bad policy
- Environmental and worker protections need to be included in every trade agreement negotiated by the U.S.
- Reform the WTO processes to address unfair trade effectively and in a timely manner with imposition of sanctions where appropriate
- Adopt a 21st century industrial policy to prepare our workers to compete in a global economy
- Fund a robust displaced worker policy to retrain workers impacted by economic changes
Climate
- Return the United States to the Paris Climate Agreement
- Legislation and regulation implemented to facilitate government and private industry working together to move away from fossil fuels and develop renewable energy along with the storage and transmission for renewable sources
- Establish both aspirational and cost-effective benchmarks to reduce pollutants
- Adopt policies that offer tax incentives for renewable energy sources
- Support sustainable agriculture technologies
- Support reduction of plastic bags and bottles, and support technologies that reconstitute plastic waste
- Support ethanol use
