Hillary Clinton

ap_hillary_clinton_jef_160211_31x13_1600
(Photo from ABC News)


Taxes

Clinton’s proposal focuses on increasing the amount of revenue raised from large businesses and wealthy Americans.

First, she calls for the elimination of tax loopholes that allow wealthy individuals and businesses to pay less in taxes.

Second, her plan imposes a minimum effective tax rate of 30 percent on Americans making above $1 million per year, and an extra 4 percent surcharge on those making $5 million per year.

Third, Clinton’s plan also calls for increasing the “estate tax,” which taxes assets inherited after the previous owner’s death. As of 2016, the estate tax only applies when the property is worth more than about $5.5 million in total.

(Revenues: $1,550 billion over 10 years, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget)


Trade

Clinton has changed her stance on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. In a 2012 address regarding the U.S.-Australia relationship, she stated that the TPP “sets the gold standard in trade agreements,” but after the text was finalized among the 12 nations, she opposed the agreement, stating that the final negotiations did not live up to her standards.

Additionally, Clinton stated that she does not support the Central America Free Trade Agreement and would like to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement — both of which establish free trade among several countries.

She claims she is open to any trade agreement that would raise wages, create jobs and protect security.

(Costs unclear)


Immigration

The Clinton campaign calls for comprehensive immigration reform that will provide “a pathway to full and equal citizenship” for undocumented immigrants, according to Clinton’s campaign website. Clinton also supports expanding access to Affordable Care Act exchanges to undocumented immigrants.

Clinton plans on maintaining Obama’s executive orders: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents. In the event that Congress fails to pass comprehensive immigration reform, Clinton will make deferred action eligible for some undocumented immigrants with “sympathetic cases,” presumably through executive order.

Clinton opposes a ban on Muslims entering the U.S., and wants to increase the number of Syrian refugees allowed into the U.S. from 10,000 to 65,000 (provided that all refugees are thoroughly vetted).


Health care

Clinton’s campaign primarily aims to “fix” several problems with the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, her plan recognizes a need to increase participation in the program, and lower its costs.

First, she aims to expand and promote both Medicare and Medicaid, as well as control the affordability of health plans under the ACA. Medicaid and Medicare are both social insurance systems. Both would receive significant expansions under Clinton’s plan, which lowers the required age for a senior citizen to use Medicare, and continues to offer federal funds for states to offer Medicaid for citizens whose income is up to 133 percent of the poverty line.

She also plans to decrease the costs of prescription drugs, and thus the cost to the national government. This involves boosting competition with pharmaceutical and health care companies: allowing importation of drugs and establishing “public option” health care plans in the states.

(Costs: $250 billion over 10 years, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget)


Education

Clinton’s campaign has published a plan, called the “New College Compact,” aimed at increasing the affordability of public colleges nationwide. It aims to accomplish this by wrangling the rising costs of college tuition while offering lower interest rates for college debt.

In an effort to lower the cost of college, the plan aims to offer more grants to public colleges and universities, provide free tuition for two years of community college, and forgive the debt of students coming from low-income families.

(Costs: $500 billion over 10 years, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget)


National Defense

Clinton’s plan to defeat ISIS involves military campaigns, strengthening of diplomacy and keeping propaganda from reaching Americans.

Specifically, she calls for a sustained air campaign against the terrorist network, aiming to destroy their strongholds and hubs across the Middle East.

She also aims to strengthen alliances with other invested nations, and pursue the end of the Syrian war, so that the world can more effectively deal with the ISIS threat.

Finally, the plan references an initiative to “[work] with Silicon Valley to shut down terrorist propaganda online,” according to Clinton’s campaign website.

(Costs unclear)