Chellie Pingree

Defense / Veterans We must also ensure that our veterans are able to smoothly transition from the armed forces into civilian life. From higher-education to starting a new business, we owe it to our vets to give them every opportunity to succeed. Education Universal quality education, tailored to meet the rapidly changing needs of tomorrow’s workforce, is the absolute best way we have to break the cycle of poverty and to ensure America continues to lead the world for years to come. Social Services We need to strengthen Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid so they are around for generations of Americans to come. That means no more gimmicks, no risky privatization schemes, and no breaking our promises. Wages / Job Benefits We need an economy that works for everyone. Where anyone who works hard at a full time job is paid a livable wage. Abortion / Contraception We cannot compromise on a woman’s absolute right to make decisions about her own health care without intrusion from the federal government. Chellie is committed to protecting Roe v. Wade, an essential piece of Supreme Court precedent that has ensured access to safe abortions for more than forty years. Guns That includes a ban on bumpstocks, which essentially transform semi-automatic into fully automatic weapons; a ban on high-capacity magazines; and the closing of the “gun show loophole” that enables potentially dangerous people to avoid criminal background checks when purchasing firearms. Drug Policy We also need increased access to life-saving drugs like Naloxone, smart law enforcement strategies that focus on getting drugs off the streets, research funding to develop non-addictive pain management strategies, and outreach to doctors, nurses and public health officials so they can effectively identify and intervene when they see people at risk. Guns Our current laws allow too many people with criminal histories or serious mental illness to acquire weapons that are better suited for the battlefield and can inflict unimaginable carnage on innocent people in an instant. That’s why Chellie favors common sense gun safety measures to keep weapons of war out of the hands of dangerous people. Abortion / Contraception She’s also fighting every attempt to roll back access to basic care, including making sure that women don’t have to pay out-of-pocket for birth control, preserving programs that help low-income Mainers afford preventive care like STD and cancer screenings, and resisting efforts defund Planned Parenthood, an important and trusted provider in our communities. Healthcare Chellie believes fundamentally that access to affordable high-quality health care is a human right, not a privilege for the wealthy few. Drug Policy Increasing access to treatment is critical to reaching people with substance use disorder, many of whom don’t have the means to afford private programs. Wages / Job Benefits And we need to support the right of workers to form unions that will fight for safe and fair working conditions. Defense / Veterans We need a Department of Veterans Affairs that provides world-class care to veterans of all ages, including our returning servicemen and servicewomen. That means eliminating long wait times for treatment and effectively diagnosing diseases like PTSD and depression before they contribute to the epidemic of veteran suicide. Taxes / Budget We need a tax code that asks the rich to pay their share, rather than giving them more massive tax breaks on the backs of working families. Environment / Energy Chellie is opposed to opening our coastal waters to offshore oil drilling, and attacks on the laws protecting our clean air and water. Education Chellie believes the we must act — both to make higher education more affordable and accessible, and to make student loan payments more manageable for those who already have them. Healthcare Ultimately, Chellie believes that the time has come to pass Medicare for All. Environment / Energy Chellie believes that quickly transitioning our power and transportation systems from dirty fossil fuels to clean, job-creating, renewable sources like wind, solar and hydropower is critical.