Jay Inslee

Candidate's Facebook Page, 2017

"The Trump tax cuts for the rich and the powerful just passed yesterday by the Republican Congress will be a disaster for our state and its working families. We face big challenges as a nation -- and if we are going to make a huge investment of our hard-earned money -- it should go to educating our kids, rebuilding our infrastructure, creating jobs, and fighting climate change. Instead, we are lining the pockets of the very wealthiest in our country, all while stripping health care for millions and raising taxes for many middle-class families. We can't keep governing like this. We can and must do better."

Candidate's Website, 2017

Inslee released the following statement on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which included a block grant system for Medicaid:

"The Congressional Republicans who voted for this bill are turning back the clock to when our state had double-digit uninsured rates and hundreds of thousands of Washington families and workers faced crippling uncertainty about their ability to find affordable coverage. They destroy Medicaid as we know it so they can give the wealthiest Americans a $600 billion tax giveaway. The CBO score shows the bill leaves America worse off than if we had never addressed health reform at all."

Other, 2017

"Five years ago this month the federal government began accepting applications from undocumented immigrants under the age of 31, many of whom were brought here as small children and have known no other home than America. They came forward, passed a background check and achieved their dream of living in our country without fear and contributing as fully recognized members of our society.

"Today, close to 800,000 young people have been granted protection from deportation under DACA. Some 17,000 of them live in Washington State. These "Dreamers" are students, teachers, doctors, and small-business professionals who are working, studying and raising families. ...

"Now is a moment for the President to show leadership and defend the DACA program against a legal challenge. But given the President's words and actions in recent months and days, I believe it will be up to Congress to choose empathy, sensibility and smart policy over hate, division and fear-mongering.

"If President Trump will not protect Dreamers, Congress must immediately pass the bipartisan DREAM Act and provide permanent protection for these young Americans."

Candidate's Facebook Page, 2016

"Talked with Rachel Maddow last night on the need for strong background checks on gun purchases and to take a public health approach to reduce gun violence. Enough is enough."

Candidate's Website, 2016

Inslee has not specifically addressed a ban on abortion after twenty weeks, but he is strongly pro-choice. For example, in a statement he said, "Unfortunately, many politicians will continue in their quest to take these health decisions away from women. I am wholeheartedly committed to the continued fight to protect Washington women's right to choose, expand access to reproductive care and family planning services and defeat ideologically driven attempts to block that access."

Candidate's Facebook Page, 2012

"I was honored to stand with Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, in Seattle today. As governor, I will ensure Washington State continues to lead the nation in the protection and expansion of women's access to family planning and reproductive health services."

Candidate's Facebook Page, 2018

"It's time for Congress to acknowledge that marijuana legalization is working in states like Washington, Colorado, and others and legalize marijuana as well."

Candidate's Facebook Page, 2018

"New study tells us what we already know in Washington state. Raising the minimum wage raises wages for low-income workers and results in no widespread job losses. A big part of the reason our economy is booming is the policies we've pursued to boost workers, including raising the minimum wage, equal pay protections, providing paid sick leave, and soon, the best paid family leave in the nation."

Candidate's Website, 2019

"Jay has been at the forefront of national efforts to combat climate change. In 2007, he co-authored a book - Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy - calling for a moonshot mission to take on this challenge. In Congress, he played a leading role advancing the growth of U.S. clean energy industries, by ensuring that the 2009 Recovery Act made record investments in renewable energy, efficiency, smart grid, energy storage, electric vehicles and other clean energy technologies and green infrastructure."

Candidate's Website, 2019

"We will end billions in fossil fuel subsidies and handouts, and hold polluters accountable for the health impacts and environmental harm in American communities. That means transitioning off fossil fuels, while protecting workers and diversifying the local economies that depend on them today."

Candidate's Website, 2019

"Jay has been at the forefront of national efforts to combat climate change. In 2007, he co-authored a book - Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy - calling for a moonshot mission to take on this challenge. In Congress, he played a leading role advancing the growth of U.S. clean energy industries, by ensuring that the 2009 Recovery Act made record investments in renewable energy, efficiency, smart grid, energy storage, electric vehicles and other clean energy technologies and green infrastructure."

Other, 2018

"I am concerned about the impact the Trump administration's tariffs on Chinese imports will have on our businesses and consumers."

Candidate's Website, 2018

"Meaningfully investing in safe and reliable infrastructure is a national imperative, and our state is more than doing its fair share. On a bipartisan basis, our state enacted the largest and greenest transportation package in state history in 2015 to make sure our roads, bridges, railways, ferries and transit systems can support our growing communities and economy. The president's plan, unfortunately, abandons the federal government's responsibility. His plan would essentially throw states a few Legos when what we really need is concrete and steel. His $1.5 trillion plan expects state, local and private partners to pick up more than 85 percent of the tab. States cannot and should not bear the burden of building a 21st century infrastructure system on our own."

Candidate's Facebook Page, 2019

"Let me make this point absolutely clear: if Trump tries to take one penny from projects in Washington to spend on his racist vanity project on the border, we'll see him in court."

Candidate's Website, 2019

"Governor Inslee will achieve universal healthcare coverage by:

• "Expanding Medicare so that everybody can buy-in, and so that no family's healthcare costs, including deductibles, co-payments, and premiums, exceed their means. This includes providing subsidies similar to those in the Exchange that make care affordable for middle-and-low-income working families.
• "Expanding the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) eligibility for Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion from 138% to 200%. This would ensure eligibility for a family of four making $50,200 per year. If a state decides not to offer this coverage through state Medicaid expansion, a federally administered Medicaid expansion program will provide coverage.
• "Lowering the Medicare enrollment age to 50, limiting out-of-pocket costs on the Exchanges, and increasing subsidies for Exchange enrollees earning between 200% and 600% of FPL to make care affordable for the middle class.
• "Under Governor Inslee's plan, employers will continue providing insurance as long as their offerings meet Affordable Care Act standards. Individuals may continue to buy insurance through the Exchanges. Employer insurance plans will be required to include all Essential Health Plan coverage as outlined in the Affordable Care Act and to ensure costs for employees remain affordable.
• "Allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices in Medicare, and allow reimportation of drugs, to help reduce drug costs for everyone.
• "Developing an auto-enrollment program for individuals reaching Medicare age, and for newborns. All newborn children will be eligible for Medicare for the rest of their lives and auto-enrolled with an opt-out option to private insurance.
• "Maintaining the role of businesses in providing insurance that is affordable for employees and their families through current private insurance but also allowing them to buy into Medicare for their employees with a payment of up to 8% of payroll depending on employer size."

Candidate's Website, 2012

"As a Member of Congress, Jay opposed efforts to privatize social security and consistently voted to protect the Social Security Trust Fund from being raided or cut."

Candidate's Website, 2018

In a joint letter with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Inslee wrote, "We call on you to stand with the American people and lead by denouncing the Russian government's assault on the fundamental and basic right of Americans to elect their leaders without interference. We call on you to enforce and strengthen sanctions against Russia and hold them accountable for their continued attacks. Lastly, we call on you to support strong congressional action to help states secure our elections and protect our democracy from Russian cyberattacks."

Other, 2018

As Washington Governor, Inslee signed the Student Opportunity, Assistance, and Relief (SOAR) Act.

"Increasingly, students and their families finance higher education with private loans, which are not eligible for the important deferment, income-based repayment, or loan forgiveness options that come with federal student loans. These loans carry higher interest rates and fees, have higher default rates, default faster than federal loans, and are subject to collection lawsuits. Black and Latino students are disproportionately impacted by student debt. The Washington State Attorney General's Office found that 90% of Black and 72% of Latino undergraduates have student loans compared with 66% of white students.

"The SOAR Act (HB 1169) changes Washington collection laws for private student loans:

• "Reduces the 12% postjudgment interest rate, which was the highest in the country, to two percentage points above the prime rate;
• "Exempts from garnishment the greater of 85% of earnings or fifty times the minimum hourly wage of the highest minimum wage law in the state. That is up from the greater of 75% of earnings or thirty-five times the federal minimum wage;
• "Exempts from garnishment $2,500 in bank accounts. That is up from a mere $500 that was exempt before the Act.

"The Act also repeals Washington laws that permit regulators of twenty-six professions to suspend the professional licenses or certificates of student loan borrowers who have defaulted on their loans."

Other, 2018

"Donald Trump cannot stop my state from fighting climate change. He cannot stop us from adopting a renewable portfolio standard. He cannot stop us from developing a carbon tax."

Candidate's Facebook Page, 2017

"President Trump is threatening to destroy the United States' commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement -- a landmark international agreement designed to protect our economic security against the growing threat of climate change.

"This decision will affect Washington state. It will affect your children and grandchildren. It will affect my children and grandchildren. It will change the entire planet.

"Trump's behavior is not just short-sighted, it is actually destructive to generations of American leadership. It threatens our ability to take bold action on building a clean energy economy in our state and our country. We can't sit back and just accept Trump's erratic behavior, not for a second. So I hope you'll keep fighting alongside me for the years to come."