Many of us are denied a basic standard of living. We live paycheck to paycheck, can barely afford housing, food, and other necessities to thrive. It's not just us as individuals, but us as communities and neighborhoods that aren't able to meet their basic and essential needs sustainably.

It is time to change this by supporting policies that increase the federal minimum wage.

In addition, social security and other vital programs that many Americans rely on to live comfortably are endangered by massive cuts in Trump's Big Beautiful Bill. However, programs like Social Security are promises to the American people to ensure a guaranteed stable income in the foreseeable future. That is why I will work to:

• Support Raise the Wage Act

  - Raise minimum wage to $17

  - Eliminate tipped subminimum wage

  - Reinforce the Fair Labor Standards Act

  - Reduce poverty

• Support the Social Security Expansion Bill

  - Enhance benefits

  - Reinstate student benefits

  - Ensure long-time solvency

• Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit

• Raise corporate tax rate

• Implement the Neighborhood Homes Tax Credit

• Expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)

  - Incentivizes building rental housing for low-income families.