Lori Loureiro Trahan

Economy

We need to restore basic fairness to our economy and get it working for everyone, not just those at the top. Restore basic equity to our tax code. Wealthy families shouldn’t pay a lower tax rate than hardworking middle-class families. In Congress, Lori wants to close the loopholes that unfairly position middle-class families and don’t allow them to take full advantage of the economy. Unlock public funding to promote smart infrastructure improvements and create jobs. Lori wants to revitalize our cities and towns and strengthen our regional economy. Continue the Third District’s leadership in developing technologies of the future. By working with businesses – specifically high tech, life sciences, and defense companies—Lori believes the Third District can continue to be on the cutting edge of innovation. Through cooperative planning and creative public-private partnerships, Lori knows that the Third District will continue to be a leader in our regional economy. Learn more

Education

Higher-education and student loans shouldn’t be a barrier to achieving your dreams: Explore solutions through federal-state partnership to aid employers who help pay down an employee’s student loans. Expand targeted aid and grants for students who can’t afford the price of college. Continuing education options that are local, convenient, and affordable for working people and those who are transitioning to new careers. Making higher education accessible and affordable. Too many of our young people are saddled with gross amounts of debt that put them on the wrong economic path in adulthood. Hold private universities accountable for student loan debt. The cost structure of private institutions has escalated to epic proportions. Lori believes that we need to incentivize these institutions to focus as heavily on job readiness and placement as they do on admissions, holding those schools with student loan default rates far above the national average accountable. Learn more

In Congress, Lori will: Increase teacher pay and collective bargaining rights. Protecting and investing in our teachers and providing more money for professional training will help provide our education system with a stronger foundation and also provide students with more resources and a fairer shot in this competitive economy. Invest in wrap-around programs and ensure our most vulnerable schools and students receive an equitable education. Your zip-code shouldn’t define your success. Investing in wrap-around programs will help serve diverse populations across this district so that students of all backgrounds have the opportunity to succeed. Lori supports increasing Title I funding for our low-income schools and also support the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act and Community Eligibility Provision, which subsidize healthy meals for children. Fully and adequately fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The average per pupil expenditure has dramatically increased since the advent of the IDEA. In Congress, we need to account for innovation and the different barriers that exist in 2018 to appropriately fund the IDEA. Local districts are struggling to pay for needed services under a student’s IEP. Fully funding the IDEA will help relieve the burden on local communities and also widen the circle of opportunity for students with disabilities. Promote early exposure to trade, vocational, and apprenticeship programs. There is no question that vocational education leads to good-paying jobs. Lori believes that the federal government should partner with state governments and collaborate to design programs that expose students to more pathways to success at an early age, so they can find the one that works for them. Early Childhood Education: Lori Trahan believes that one of the greatest investments this country can make is in a strong early childhood education system. Research has shown that investments in early education reap valuable life-long benefits and that children exposed to quality early education are more likely to graduate from high school, own homes, and have higher earning potential for later in life. Investing in early education is a priority and in Congress, Lori will: Support free and accessible full-day Kindergarten. It’s clear, universal full-day kindergarten will not only help our overall economy, but it will also help close the achievement gap. Closing the achievement gap will help level the playing field for all students. Promote affordable and accessible early childhood care and pre-K services. Congress needs to take action on helping families afford these services. No family should have to break the bank so that their child can receive a high-quality pre-K education. Learn more

Congresswoman Trahan is an advocate for initiatives that will hold institutions accountable for student success; her work on key provisions included within the College Affordability Act illustrates this commitment. Learn more

Environment / Energy

Push to expand access to cost-saving renewable energy for low-income households. Lori understands that our environment and our economy will benefit from a fresh commitment to an alternative energy source and that we must make sure there is no barrier to entry for families seeking to run their homes in a green, affordable way. Clean air and clean water are fundamental human rights. While this is true, Lori knows that low-income communities of color are disproportionately saddled with high levels of pollution and toxic hazards. Lori understands that climate change will affect low-income and minority communities, tribal nations, and Alaska Native villages. Lori will work towards comprehensive climate change policies that do not leave any demographic — including former mining communities — behind. Lori will work towards aligning the United States with international consensus and impose strict regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. Lori believes it is well past time that the United States and our Environmental Protection Agency stand with the international scientific community and let their comprehensive knowledge of climate change patterns inform our own environmental policy. Learn more

Guns

Lori will support legislation that creates a grace period in which the federal government would be responsible for buying all semi-automatic weapons from current gun owners. At the end of this period, owning an assault rifle without a special permit for approved dealers and collectors would be considered a felony. Lori supports closing the “gun show loophole” to ensure that gun sales made at gun shows, on the web, and via other unlicensed sellers are subject to criminal background checks. No-fly, No-buy. Lori will support legislation that would close the loophole that allows individuals on the terrorist watch list to pass background checks and purchase guns with no questions asked. Comprehensive background checks at every point of sale. Oppose concealed carry reciprocity. Lori would not support legislation that proposed by the gun lobby that would override state laws and require states like Massachusetts to allow concealed carry holders from across the country to carry in our state. Create a Select Committee on Gun Violence. In Congress, Lori will advocate for creating a committee that helps investigate solutions to curb violence and also bring people together to create sensible solutions. Repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) Bring back the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. Learn more

Is devoted to finding common sense legislative solutions to our nation’s ongoing gun violence epidemic. Learn more

No-fly, No-buy. Lori will support legislation that would close the loophole that allows individuals on the terrorist watch list to pass background checks and purchase guns with no questions asked. Learn more

Comprehensive background checks at every point of sale. Learn more

Oppose concealed carry reciprocity. Lori would not support legislation that proposed by the gun lobby that would override state laws and require states like Massachusetts to allow concealed carry holders from across the country to carry in our state. Learn more

Lori supports closing the “gun show loophole” to ensure that gun sales made at gun shows, on the web, and via other unlicensed sellers are subject to criminal background checks. Learn more

Create a Select Committee on Gun Violence. In Congress, Lori will advocate for creating a committee that helps investigate solutions to curb violence and also bring people together to create sensible solutions. Repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). Bring back the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. Learn more

Healthcare

Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Defend and expand the Affordable Care Act, which helps cover over 20 million Americans. Lori will stand up to Republican-led attacks that try to dismantle the ACA. Lori plans to build on the current success of the law and make sure no American is left uninsured. Defend access to reproductive health care. Lori will work to ensure that every woman has access to reproductive healthcare. Bring down out-of-pocket costs and deductibles. Families in the Third District are being bogged down by rising out-of-pocket costs. Health care should be simple to understand and manage. Patients should be provided with information about proposed treatments that includes alternative options. Lori believes we need to standardize medical records and make them easily transferrable between providers. This will help simplify the patient’s management of their care, reduce costs for providers, and improve the quality of care. Reduce the cost of prescription drugs. Today, Americans pay more than double than what other countries pay for prescription drugs and Lori is committed to rectifying this. Lori believes we need to demand lower drug costs for working families and seniors. Learn more

Congresswoman Trahan firmly believes that access to quality, affordable healthcare is a basic human right and that in the wealthiest nation on earth, no one should worry that getting sick could mean bankruptcy for their families. Learn more

Every pregnant woman deserves quality, affordable healthcare, but enduring inequities in our healthcare system have disproportionately put the lives of Black moms at risk. Learn more

Immigration

In America, we build bridges, not walls. Promote naturalization and help clear a pathway to citizenship. Lori believes that comprehensive immigration reform starts with creating a fair and equal pathway to citizenship. Bipartisan reform for DACA/ DREAMers. Lori believes it’s time members of Congress step across the aisle and work with their colleagues. Many DACA recipients and DREAMers were brought to the United States by their parents at very young ages, and have spent almost their entire lives within our borders. To send these people back to their countries of origin would be akin to dropping them in almost any foreign land where they are unfamiliar with the language or customs. These people were brought here through no fault of their own; America is their home, and we must defend our neighbors, not deport them to other countries. Reduce the immigration backlog and reduce delays in court. Some of the most significant bureaucratic delays to dealing with immigration in the U.S. Are due to the lack of a proper legal infrastructure. Lori will push for an increase in the number of Immigration Court judges and Board of Immigration Appeals Attorneys. Lori also believes we need to modernize our case management procedures and create electronic filing systems to improve the efficiency of processing such immigrant court cases. Secure our nation’s border… without a wall. Secure borders on the southern and northern edges of the country are necessary to ensure our safety from drug and human trafficking, violence, and terrorism. Lori is committed to doing all that is necessary to keep us safe. An ineffective, overpriced border wall, however, is not something Lori supports. Encourage international study and employment. Learn more

Congresswoman Trahan knows that the United States is a nation of immigrants, and that the Massachusetts Third has been especially enriched by immigrants who have located here from around the globe. Learn more

Legislation

Paycheck Fairness Act: Lori supports legislation, like that introduced by Senator Patty Murray of Washington, that would require greater transparency through data collection, close loopholes that encourage discriminatory practices, and, vitally, enable employees to freely discuss their pay. Learn more