Andrei knows that our economy doesn’t grow from the top down but from the middle out. A strong middle class, with money in its pocket to buy the things they need, will drive our economy.
Unfortunately, for too much of the past decades, Republicans like David Schweikert have passed giveaways to big corporations and billionaires while giving the middle class the shaft. Today, too many people are living paycheck to paycheck, just barely getting by, one broken arm or flat tire away from seeing everything fall apart.
While Arizonans have struggled with high costs at the gas pump and in the grocery store, David Schweikert repeatedly voted against cracking down on price gouging corporations, putting the profits of his corporate industry donors first, at the expense of Arizonans’ pocketbooks.
And David Schweikert voted for the biggest tax cut for the super-rich in our history and the largest tax increase on the middle class ever – blowing a hole in our debt and pushing people just getting by over the edge of the cliff. Schweikert’s middle class tax increase raised taxes on Arizona families by an average of about $3,000 a year.
Andrei will work for a tax code that values and rewards work not wealth. That means raising taxes on billionaires and cutting taxes for the middle class by restoring the family tax credit. And Andrei will work to make sure we stand up to big corporations that abuse their power to prey on consumers or avoid competition.
Andrei will work to make paid family and medical leave and quality child care available to every parent – so that people can go to work while still caring for their parents and children and loved ones. It’s not enough to talk about “family values.” Andrei will work to make sure our government actually values our families.
Andrei will work to invest more in schools and skills, making sure we give everyone the education they need to succeed and thrive. That means funding and improving our public schools and ensuring their budget isn’t drained by misguided, unaccountable voucher programs. And we need to make it possible for everyone to be able to afford to continue education after high school whether it is at a four year college, community college, or skills training programs or apprenticeships.
Andrei will work for health care reform that lowers costs for all Americans. He has been a champion for the Affordable Care Act and lowering prescription drugs and he will continue that work in Congress. He will work to combat abuses in the health insurance system, lower prescription drug prices, fight price gouging, and stop surprise medical billing, and cap out-of-pocket expenses for seniors. He’ll fight to pass a public option that will give every Arizonan access to an affordable and high quality health insurance plan, while lowering costs for everyone through better competition and greater choice.
Action:
Andrei is the son of a Teamster and a teacher and grew up watching his immigrant parents work so hard but struggle to make ends meet. Because of public schools and Pell Grants, and working his way through Harvard holding down three jobs, he has lived the American Dream. And he has devoted his life to make sure opportunity is there for everyone.
Andrei started a company that helped millions of Americans avoid hundreds of millions of dollars in unfair bank fees. And Andrei walked the walk: when COVID hit, he cut his own pay to save more employees’ jobs and raised his company’s minimum wage to $25 an hour. He knew it wasn’t just good for his employees but it would make his company better. That year, they were one of Inc Magazine’s fastest growing companies in America and one of Newsweek’s “Most Loved Workplaces.”
As Arizona Assistant Attorney General, Andrei prosecuted fraudsters preying on older Arizonans and families of military service members deployed overseas.
Working in the Clinton White House, Andrei saw that fiscal responsibility and a growing economy go hand in hand. Working across party lines, they balanced the budget while providing health care to millions of children.
Andrei worked with Elizabeth Warren to launch the fight for a consumer watchdog agency to stop mortgage brokers and credit card companies from preying on working families. The forces of reform faced off against the largest army of Wall Street lobbyists ever assembled – and won. President Barack Obama signed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau into law. So far, it has provided over $17.5 billion in relief for American consumers.
