Our government must be of, by, and for the people. That means all of us — not just some. We must actively call out racism, white nationalism, LGBTQ and gender bias, as well as work to address the disparities still defining too much of American life. Tom’s administration will vigorously defend the civil rights of all Americans, work across agencies to reform policies that reinforce inequality, and ensure justice in our housing, education, access to capital, environmental, agriculture, health, and human services programs, and election processes. Tom also strongly supports legislation to establish a commission to re-examine the issue of reparations.

America’s criminal justice system perpetuates a system of mass incarceration and punishment, not rehabilitation and restorative justice. This system was built on — and still suffers from — rampant racism. We must reform our criminal justice system to reflect the rule of law for all, not just those with the power to defend themselves. Tom will work to end cash bail, reduce the prison population, stop the prison pipeline and revolving door, eliminate private prisons, restructure parole and probation, promote better-policing methods and training to reduce police brutality, exercise his clemency powers where appropriate, and increase resources for public defenders and community intervention programs. Spending time in the criminal justice system can haunt someone’s life long after they’ve served their time — Tom will also fight for the rights of those re-entering society by supporting rehabilitation and workforce readiness programs.

Without guaranteed access to quality education, there is no such thing as equal opportunity. Every American should have the right to a free, quality, public education from universal pre-kindergarten through higher education, including workforce and technical training. Looking to the leadership of teachers, parents, and school officials, Tom’s administration will work to reinvigorate our public schools by increasing resources to close the education achievement gap, improving school facilities, increasing teacher pay and professional development, and ensuring equal access to opportunities.

• Learn about Tom’s 5 Rights.

Donald Trump has tarnished our global standing by cozying up to our enemies and alienating our allies. With tweets and tantrums, he has broken promises to our allies and escalated a security crisis. Tom will rebuild our global alliances into a coalition that will work together to solve the serious, urgent challenges that we all face, starting with climate change. Tom will reinvigorate the State Department and respect the skill and expertise of our career diplomats and intelligence community. He will also negotiate trade agreements with everyone at the table, including labor and environmental groups. Above all, Tom will always protect America’s national security and honor the role our servicemen and women play in keeping America safe.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were mostly created after the Civil War to serve the needs of black students who didn’t have access or opportunity to attend the nation’s universities. They have served as the backbone of the black middle class for generations of graduating doctors, lawyers, entertainers, engineers, and other black professionals. HBCUs make America better, smarter, and more successful, and we must do more to protect their ability to educate for generations to come.

Without sustained federal investments, we risk losing these institutions that shape so many bright futures. As president, Tom will invest $125 billion to HBCUs over the next 10 years for infrastructure and technology upgrades, student and faculty support, building endowment capacity, and HBCU Centers of Innovation, among other initiatives.

He will also develop and implement a bold HBCU 2030 plan. In his first 180 days, Tom will require the White House Initiative on HBCUs to develop a set of recommendations to create a more comprehensive and independent HBCU governance structure. He will also create new federal and state funding mechanisms and pathways for resource allocation. Fostering new partnerships with philanthropies, private organizations and other higher learning institutions will help generate additional endowment funding, research opportunities, and student and faculty support services.

Collectively, these measures will place HBCUs on much more secure footing and allow them to continue to serve communities of color and low-income students for generations to come.

• Read more about the HBCU 2030 plan.

The American people deserve a health care system where everyone has access to quality, affordable, and secure health care. Tom supports a universal health care system, including a strong public option that aggressively competes with the private insurance marketplace, drives down costs, and expands coverage. As president, Tom will work to reduce prescription drug costs, increase system accountability, eliminate surprise billing, and put patients and doctors — not the drug manufacturers or insurers — in charge of their health care.

• The Right to Health.

America is a nation of immigrants, and we must never trade border security for compassion. Tom will work toward comprehensive immigration reform, including re-establishing America as a safe haven for those fleeing persecution and oppression. He will take executive action to reinstate the DACA and TPS programs, reinvigorate our visa system to attract the best and brightest to our schools and companies, invest in smart border security, provide more aid to Central America, and create a path to citizenship for millions of people that contribute to our economy, but are currently living in the shadows.

• A Welcoming Nation for All

For the last several years, Tom has traveled around the country listening to young students talk about their vision for the future of this nation. Many are ready to roll up their sleeves and join millions of others in tackling the challenges we face both at home and abroad. Tom’s New National Service Plan will channel this energetic spirit into a historic $50 billion expansion of our public service programs to address pressing challenges in communities across our country and abroad. He will pass an updated Serve America Act in his first 100 days as president, increase public service program living allowances and educational benefits, and increase public service participation to one million positions in five years.

• Read more about Tom’s New National Service Plan.

As Commander in Chief, Tom understands that his first job is to keep America safe. He will embrace that challenge by ensuring that those who serve our country continue to be the best-trained and best-equipped fighting force in the world. That means being ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century, including a rapidly changing climate. By rebuilding strong partnerships and coalitions like NATO, Tom will bring a steady hand and cool temper back to the White House. He respects the full responsibility of America’s global leadership, the gravity of holding the nuclear codes, and the solemn honor of commanding America’s armed forces.

America is powered by rural communities, yet they are too often left behind. The corrupting influence of corporate America and the politicians who profit from that system have left rural communities to grapple with crumbling infrastructure, failing schools, a lack of access to adequate health care, and dwindling economic opportunities. This has to change. It’s time to connect rural communities to the prosperity they deserve.

• Explore Tom’s Partnerships with Rural Communities.

The crushing burden of student debt is fueling inequality, hurting our economy, and making it much harder for far too many Americans to achieve success. We must make higher education affordable and available to everyone. Tom will tackle the student debt crisis head-on by forgiving certain types of student loan debt, reforming the public service student loan forgiveness program, making the refinancing of student loans easier, cracking down on predatory student loan servicers, and expanding access to educational benefits through his New National Public Service Plan.

• Read Tom’s Recommitment to Service.

Right now, the richest Americans and corporations get to live by a different set of rules than everyone else. That’s fundamentally wrong — we need a tax system that is fair and promotes people over profits. Tom believes that expanding the earned income tax credit, rolling back the Trump administration’s tax cuts, and instituting a wealth tax will begin to solve the massive economic inequality in this country and restore power back to the people.

• We need a wealth tax.
• Tom detailed his middle-class tax cuts.

Gun violence is a public health epidemic that claims far too many lives each year. Tom stands with students, parents, educators, law enforcement, victims of gun violence, and community members, and is ready to implement the urgent common-sense gun safety reforms we desperately need. His plan — titled “We Can End Gun Violence” — will establish universal background checks, ban large-capacity magazines and assault weapons, enact red flag laws, close loopholes, create a new Office of Gun Safety and licensing requirements, and provide resources to communities to reduce gun violence.

• Read more about Tom’s plan to end gun violence.

As we celebrate a century of a women’s right to vote, there is still much to do to realize full equality. It’s about more than fair wages; it’s about having a voice and a seat at the table. Tom’s administration will fight for full reproductive justice, workplace policies including pay equity and paid family leave, and equal educational opportunities. When we lift up women, we lift up families and entire communities.

Corporate influence in Congress has silenced labor groups, and halted progress on wages, retirement security, health care, and other issues affecting families across the country. It’s time to push power back to the people who actually do the work. Tom’s first and best partner in organizing has always been organized labor. As president, he will keep fighting for a minimum wage of at least $15 an hour, strengthen the right to organize, institute paid family leave, and make childcare more affordable and available. Tom will invest in programs that work for working people: increasing the earned income tax credit, enforcing strong workplace protections, and fighting for a living wage.