Candidate for U.S. Senate - Massachusetts in 2020 Massachusetts Primary Election.
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Get StartedJoe has stood up against inequities in our health care system that result in differences in health outcomes by race, income, geography, and sexual or gender identity. He has fought to address the disproportionate racial impacts of the maternal mortality crisis and has been a leading voice in addressing discrimination against transgender patients, including the Trump Administration’s discriminatory rules that would restrict care for LGBTQIA+ individuals. Joe understands the ways in which economic and social justice issues intersect with health equity, from adequate housing, to reliable transportation, to concentrated pollution, to education access, and more. He is committed to taking on the systemic reforms needed to address these inequities and ensure that every American has access to equitable, affordable health care. Learn more
Criminal justice reform must also address sentencing policies, including a dramatic reduction in the use of mandatory minimums to ensure judicial discretion. To protect juveniles, Joe supports raising the age for criminal liability, expanding the use of youth offender courts, and eliminating life-without-parole sentences for minors. Joe advocates for more humane prison conditions, and supports banning private and for-profit prisons and ensuring that prison conditions facilitate a goal of rehabilitation. Finally, Joe believes we must improve access to crucial services that help people re-enter society after serving their time, including public housing, employment, transportation, education, and voting rights. Learn more
Our criminal justice system is badly broken. Joe believes we need to pursue bold, systemic reforms to end mass incarceration and transform our system into one that prioritizes rehabilitation. That means addressing every piece of the system – from what we criminalize in the first place, to how we enforce the law, to alternatives we present to incarceration, to how we treat people in prisons, to how we rehabilitate and assist people re-entering society. Learn more
While in Congress, Joe has worked to reduce backlogs at the VA, expand access to health and mental health care for veterans, and strengthen civilian job training and certification programs. He advocates for increased investments in patient advocacy, expanding legal assistance to reduce barriers to accessing veteran benefits, and protecting immigrant veterans who have served our country from deportation. Joe is proud to have introduced bipartisan legislation to support surviving military spouses and improve caregiver services for service members and veterans. Learn more
Joe understands that our existing systems are not working for our veterans. He advocates for strengthening constituent services that our veterans rely on, from health care to job training to housing and family support. Creating robust constituent programs is critical to helping veterans and their families cut through administrative red tape and access the services they need. Joe is committed to reforms to create non-adversarial systems that meet veterans’ needs, and that have sufficient oversight and accountability. Learn more
Our public education system is one of this country’s crowning achievements, but we have allowed profound inequities to undermine its basic promise: That every child has a pathway to economic dignity, regardless of where they start out. These inequities have infiltrated every facet of our education system, from early childhood to secondary schools to higher education. Learn more
He supports initiatives to bring down the cost of higher education, making it more affordable and accessible to families across the economic spectrum. And as mounting debt burdens an entire generation – disproportionately affecting students of color – Joe believes we need to take immediate action to address our country’s student debt crisis. He supports legislative efforts to wipe out student debt for a vast majority of those who have it, and continues to stand up against the predatory practices of the for-profit student loan collection industry. Learn more
Joe also advocates for empowering local communities to address climate change through community-based initiatives, and believes it is crucial that we bring voices from frontline communities to the table as we develop policies to protect our future. As we mobilize our economy around clean energy, Joe believes we must prioritize a just transition for our workers. That means ensuring benefits and financial security for workers in the fossil fuel industry, including early retirement benefits, guaranteed health care coverage, and job retraining for new opportunities in clean energy. It also means guaranteeing that new jobs in the green economy are unionized, with family-supporting pay and benefits, and have strong labor laws to protect them. Learn more
As we work to transition to a single-payer system, Joe advocates for policies to make health care more affordable and accessible immediately, like increased funding for community health centers, substance use treatment centers, and expanding Medicaid coverage. He is proud to have passed legislation to close loopholes exploited by pharmaceutical companies at the expense of patients, and supports policies to lower drug prices and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable. Learn more
Joe believes we must take on the structural inequities of environmental impacts, with a particular focus on the disparities in adverse health effects, pollution exposure, and vulnerability to the threats of climate change by socioeconomic status and race. He advocates for urgent action to reduce concentrated pollution in these communities, including by guaranteeing that everyone has access to clean drinking water, clean air, and can take part in the transition to clean energy. He believes our communities must have the federal support and resources they need to prepare, adapt, and respond to the inevitable effects of extreme weather and climate change, including coastal flooding and the health impacts of extreme heat waves. Learn more
Joe believes we need comprehensive reform to create a fair, just, and humane immigration system. He advocates for decriminalizing migration and making it easier for those seeking a better life in our country to do so legally. Joe believes comprehensive reform must include a pathway to citizenship for those already here, strong protections for DREAMers and TPS recipients, compassion for refugees and asylum seekers, and equitable access to work visas. He advocates for systemic reform to our immigration enforcement agencies to root out abusive practices. He supports strategic investments in legal assistance and humanitarian aid, as well as effective security along our border. Learn more
Joe also understands that transportation equity is fundamental to environmental justice. As he travels around the Commonwealth throughout his campaign, Joe continues to hear from the frontline communities bearing the brunt of the environmental hazards from traffic congestion. From Chelsea to Springfield and East Boston to Roxbury, environmental justice communities have worse rates of asthma, heart disease, low infant birth rates, and even dementia — all linked to their proximity to highways, heavy traffic, and concentrated air pollution. With some of the worst traffic congestion and densest communities in the country, the Greater Boston area has to do more to address these public health disparities. Learn more
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