Policy Positions
Economy(2)
Supports raising the minimum wage to $15 but without committing to a specific timeline.
"Lee said she supports the fight for a $15 minimum wage, but didn't commit to a specific timeline for bringing it to pass. 'I'm going to go back to my approach of how do we get there, without hurting the very people we're intending to help.'"
Supports expanding trade but insists on including environmental and worker protections in trade agreements.
"Asked about the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA) and TPP in a Sept. 13 interview, she said she supports 'expanding trade but also making sure we have the protections of the environment and the workers internationally,' as well as 'helping our country create not only good-paying jobs but good-paying careers.'"
Education(2)
Opposes Education Savings Accounts (vouchers) while supporting public education as the foundation for democracy.
"Lee said she doesn't support ESAs, which generally are opposed by Democrats. 'I'm for how are we going to promote quality education, public education. I think that's the foundation for democracy,' she said."
Supports protecting and expanding federal Pell grants to ensure college affordability, while stopping short of endorsing free public college.
"'I continue to look at my basic premise — equal opportunity, equal access to opportunity,' she said. 'To the extent that Pell grants and federal aid help our most impoverished students have access to education to reach the American Dream, I'm going to be a strong fighter for that and for expanding that.'"
Healthcare(4)
Strongly supports the Affordable Care Act and opposes repeal, while acknowledging it needs improvements such as reducing premiums and drug costs.
"She also opposed any effort to repeal Obamacare. Her criteria for any reform bill? 'Does it either protect or expand protections for people with pre-existing conditions? Does it not burden people over the age of 50 and does it protect Medicaid and Medicare and those people who access health care under those systems?'"
Supports protecting Medicare and Medicaid as a criterion for evaluating any healthcare reform legislation.
"'Does it either protect or expand protections for people with pre-existing conditions? Does it not burden people over the age of 50 and does it protect Medicaid and Medicare and those people who access health care under those systems?'"
Declined to commit to Medicare for All, preferring a solution-based approach that brings people together rather than taking a firm ideological stance.
"'This is sort of what's frustrating to many people about Washington and why Washington is so broken and not producing results for families — because we're forcing people to be in one camp or another on an issue that is clearly, clearly complicated,' she said."
Supports reducing drug costs, pointing to drug-pricing transparency measures as an example of needed reform.
"Asked about potential improvements, she pointed to efforts such as a diabetes drug-pricing transparency measure proposed by Democratic state Sen. Yvanna Cancela in this spring's legislative session and highlighted the need to reduce drug costs."
Immigration(3)
Strongly supports the DREAM Act and expressed that revoking DACA protections is unconscionable.
"'I'm a supporter of the DREAM Act for sure. And I think what we have done to our DACA children in this country — almost a million people — is unconscionable,' Lee said."
Supports comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship.
"She wants to see comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship but said she also wants to 'do as much as we possibly can to secure our borders as well.'"
Supports doing as much as possible to secure the borders alongside immigration reform.
"She wants to see comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship but said she also wants to 'do as much as we possibly can to secure our borders as well.'"