Responsible Fiscal Policy

Fiscal responsibility is important, but it can’t come at the expense of working families or critical programs like Social Security and Medicare. My opponent’s calls for arbitrary spending caps and austerity measures would harm essential services that millions of Americans rely on while doing little to actually address the root causes of deficits. We need a balanced approach—one that invests in people, grows the economy, and ensures fairness in our tax system.

Right now, our tax code allows large corporations and billionaires to avoid paying their fair share, leaving everyday Americans to pick up the tab. Multinational corporations use offshore tax havens to hide profits from U.S. taxes while continuing to benefit from American infrastructure, public services, and workers. That’s not right, and it’s not fair. I’ll fight to close these loopholes by implementing a global minimum tax on corporate profits so companies can’t game the system by moving profits overseas. I’ll also crack down on tax avoidance schemes used by the ultra-wealthy—like the carried interest loophole—that allow billionaires to pay lower tax rates than middle-class families.

At the same time, I will fight against any cuts to Social Security and Medicare. These programs are lifelines for millions of seniors who have worked hard their entire lives and paid into these systems with every paycheck. They’re not “entitlements”—they’re earned benefits, and we have a responsibility to protect them. Proposals to privatize or weaken these programs would leave too many people vulnerable in retirement or without access to the healthcare they need. Instead of cutting benefits, we should strengthen Social Security and Medicare by ensuring their long-term solvency through fair taxation on high-income earners. For example, lifting the cap on taxable income for Social Security contributions so that those earning more than $160,000 pay their fair share would extend the program’s solvency for decades—without reducing benefits for anyone.

Investing in programs like Social Security and Medicare isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s also smart fiscal policy. These programs provide stability for seniors, reduce poverty, and ensure access to healthcare, which helps lower long-term costs by preventing expensive emergency interventions. Similarly, we need to invest in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and clean energy because these are the things that create jobs, boost productivity, and grow our economy over time. Cutting these investments might save money in the short term but would cost us far more in lost economic growth and increased inequality down the line.

Fiscal responsibility also means addressing wasteful spending where it exists. For example, we shouldn’t be handing out billions in subsidies to fossil fuel companies or allowing unchecked defense contracts that waste taxpayer dollars. We need to make sure every dollar spent delivers real value to the American people.

Being fiscally responsible doesn’t mean slashing programs that families depend on—it means making smart investments in our future while ensuring everyone pays their fair share. By closing tax loopholes for corporations and billionaires, protecting essential programs like Social Security and Medicare, and prioritizing investments that grow our economy sustainably, we can reduce deficits without sacrificing what makes this country strong: its people.