Elizabeth Warren's Day 1 priority list as president
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Elizabeth Warren. Photo: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images
2020 hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren has become the 2020 candidate known for making plans, tackling college tuition, big tech, child care and housing costs. But with the possibility of a GOP-majority in the Senate or a Democratic loss in the House, the question remains: What's the plan for all Warren's plans?
Details: In an interview with Vox's Ezra Klein, Warren outlined her presidency from day 1 and how she would work to prioritize her goals:
Day 1: Warren says she would kick off her presidency by utilizing her executive powers to sign a moratorium on:
- New drilling
- Offshore drilling
- New mining on federal lands or in national parks
Warren said she will also seek a secretary of education who has been a public school teacher and an Environmental Protection Agency head who is "not a coal lobbyist."
First priority: Warren marked her anti-corruption plan as her first legislative priority, which is anticipated to include:
- A ban on members of Congress trading stocks while in office.
- A lifelong ban on members of Congress becoming lobbyists when they retire.
- Requiring every candidate for federal office to put their tax returns online.
- Requiring the Supreme Court to adhere to a code of ethics and tightening the code of conduct.
"I think going straight up the middle on the corruption plan is the first one. Knock them back, and while they’re all scrambling, then start passing the rest of it,"— Warren said
Second priority: Warren said she will next take on her proposed wealth tax, set to include:
- A 2% tax on assets exceeding an individual's first $50 million, and 3% on those exceeding $1 billion.
- That 2% would go toward a number of Warren's other initiatives including universal child care, universal pre-kindergarten and student-loan debt cancellation.
Yes, but: Warren acknowledged the possibility of filibusters, saying the situation will depend on the majority side in the Senate, but has previously called for the abolition of the mechanism.
The bottom line: Warren says her plans give a clear path of action upon election. She sees her legislative agenda starting now. "As those issues over the next year and a quarter get clearer, sharper, they're issues worth fighting for, and issues where we truly have leadership on it ... Then, the idea is to take that energy from the election and take it straight into Congress."
Quotes are from Vox's transcript of the interview, which was noted as lightly edited for clarity.
Go deeper: Warren unveils $2 trillion "Green Manufacturing Plan"
