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Ayanna Pressley's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Key

Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Ayanna Pressley did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2024 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

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Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2024.

  • Rated 100% by Planned Parenthood Action Fund (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Ayanna is co-chair of the Abortion Access Task Force and has co-led legislation, now passed twice in the House, to protect and restore access to abortion care nationwide. Abortion care is healthcare and an essential human right. Ayanna has continued to organize, legislate, and push back against the cruel attempts to tear away bodily autonomy and necessary healthcare. She has also successfully expanded access to abortion medications and birth control and worked closely with the Secretary of Health and Human services to use every tool available to protect families and providers who need abortion care. Everyone in this nation should have access to the care they need." (ayannapressley.com)
  • "This pro-choice majority Congress must be more than a talking point. It's time to codify Roe and affirm abortion care as the fundamental human right it is. Our humanity, our collective liberation, & our lives are at stake." (x.com)
  • Rated 100% by NARAL Pro-Choice America (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "Social Security provides a critical safety net for our seniors and community members with disabilities. We cannot let these funds run out. We must ensure Social Security is adequately funded and protected for generations to come." (x.com)
  • "While Democrats fight hard to expand Medicare and Social Security, Republicans want to slash them. The cruelty is the point." (x.com)
  • Rated 100% by Alliance for Retired Americans (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • "John Lewis, may he rest in peace & power, dedicated his life to advancing civil rights & protecting our sacred right to vote. We must honor his legacy by abolishing the filibuster & passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act & For The People Act. Our democracy depends on it." (x.com)
  • Rated 92% by End Citizens United (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 1 "For the People Act of 2021" (votesmart.org)
  • "End qualified immunity." (x.com)
  • "Qualified immunity allows law enforcement to evade accountability. If a police officer kills a person, at the very least, they must be held accountable. We need to pass my bill to end qualified immunity." (x.com)
  • "Qualified immunity is a barrier to accountability & healing & we must dismantle it at all levels of government. I urge the @MA_Senate to preserve the provisions on qualified immunity in the Reform, Shift and Build Act. We will not be intimidated & we will not back down." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 7120 "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021" (votesmart.org)
  • "Policy violence is when the richest country in the world spends over $700B annually on its military but does not guarantee affordable housing, childcare, or healthcare for its people." (x.com)
  • Voted against HR 2670: "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 4365: "Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2024" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against S. 1790 "The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020" (votesmart.org)
  • "Ayanna has introduced Federal Job Guarantee legislation that would make good wages, strong benefits, union protections, and safe working conditions a legal right in America. Funded by the federal government and implemented locally, in partnership with communities, federal job guarantee projects would provide public jobs for all adults seeking employment – because the people deserve true economic justice." (ayannapressley.com)
  • "The #BuildBackBetter Act would relieve millions of families, deliver critical investments in our communities, jumpstart the economy & is key to a just and equitable recovery. Full stop." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 5376 "Build Back Better Act." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 5376 "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • "Ayanna has used her position on the Financial Services Committee to press for increased federal investments in our housing stock and taken bad actors to account. She organized and legislated to successfully extend the federal eviction moratorium three times during the pandemic. Ayanna will continue to advocate for sustainable, robust housing investments to end our intergenerational housing crisis and make affordable, high-quality housing more accessible and attainable for people and families across the Massachusetts 7th." (ayannapressley.com)
  • "Public housing is a lifeline for millions of families. But the chronic underfunding of public housing is a disgrace to our values and has real consequences. Republicans can and must join us in taking action to improve the quantity and quality of public housing." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of HR 7301 "Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 8294 "Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related agencies Appropriations Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "Boston is now the second most expensive city to rent in, where the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is over $3,000. This is a crisis. We need bold investments in affordable housing & immediate solutions like rent stabilization to address inflation & lower housing costs." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 4521 "America COMPETES Act of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 5376 "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 7688 "Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "Ayanna has spent years pressing for student debt cancellation and, in partnership with Senator Warren, Congressional colleagues, and a dedicated coalition of advocates and borrowers, has effectively secured Presidential action to cancel billions of dollars in debt for millions of borrowers in Massachusetts and across the nation." (ayannapressley.com)
  • "Student loan borrowers are facing crushing debt, and they deserve and demand relief. We can and must deliver." (x.com)
  • "Student loan debt is a nearly $1.7 trillion crisis that disproportionately impacts Black communities. We have a critical opportunity to champion economic & racial justice with broad-based debt cancellation — and we cannot miss this moment." (x.com)
  • "Student loan debt is an intergenerational issue of racial & economic justice. Debt cancellation would help to close the racial wealth gap & liberate millions from this crushing burden. Let’s get it done" (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 4 "John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 5746 "Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "Climate change is real—full stop. We must divest from fossil fuels. That’s why @RepMondaire, @RepRashida, and I introduced the Fossil Free Finance Act to move us toward renewable and clean energy. This is the only Earth we have. We must act urgently to protect it." (x.com)
  • "I am proud to continue supporting a #GreenNewDeal and to continue rejecting donations from #FossilFuel companies. TY to the bold, visionary citizen activists who are taking #action to stop climate change and to build a more sustainable future for generations to come." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 9 "Climate Action Now Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "Climate change is real—full stop. We must divest from fossil fuels. That’s why @RepMondaire, @RepRashida, and I introduced the Fossil Free Finance Act to move us toward renewable and clean energy. This is the only Earth we have. We must act urgently to protect it." (x.com)
  • Voted against H.R. 1 "Lower Energy Costs Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 823 "Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "The trauma of gun violence in our communities is endless. It's time we abolish the filibuster and pass meaningful gun control legislation—background checks, automatic weapons ban, gun licensing, and so much more. Enough is enough." (x.com)
  • Rated 0% by Gun Owners of America (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by National Rifle Association (justfacts.votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 1808 "Assault Weapons Ban of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • "Ayanna believes we need Medicare For All to ensure that every person in our country has consistent access to essential care. We need to improve health outcomes for communities that are simultaneously impacted by health disparities and overlooked in our national conversations around healthcare access. We need to continue to invest in community health centers. And we need to keep advocating and legislating for an equitable public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, that includes those suffering from Long COVID." (ayannapressley.com)
  • "If you’re poor, Black, brown, indigenous or disabled, your ability to live & survive in America is jeopardized by a broken healthcare system that puts profit over people. Healthcare is a human right. We need #MedicareForAll." (x.com)
  • "In the richest nation in the world, it's a shame that there are 28 million people who don't have health insurance. Proud to join @RepJayapal, @SenSanders, & @RepDebDingell in re-introducing #MedicareForAll to affirm health care as the human right that it is." (x.com)
  • "Your reminder that health care is a fundamental human right and no one should have to choose between getting essential care or going into debt — especially in the richest country in the world. It’s time for #MedicareForAll." (x.com)
  • "Pregnancy loss should be met with compassion, care, resources, research, & paid leave. Pass it on." (x.com)
  • "Say it with me: every worker deserves paid sick leave. Denying them this right is an affront to workers everywhere." (x.com)
  • "The fact that the U.S. has 0 weeks of guaranteed paid leave is shameful. We can & must change that in the #BuildBackBetter Act." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 6201 "Families First Coronavirus Response Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "@HouseDemocrats fought hard to cap insulin at $35/month for Medicare beneficiaries. Now, even more people with diabetes will feel this relief. This will save lives and is a testament to the power of our collective advocacy." (x.com)
  • "No one should have to choose between paying for their insulin or feeding their families. I’m proud to join @RepCori & @SenSanders' #InsulinForAllAct to cap insulin prices at $20 & stop the egregious price-gouging by Big Pharma." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 3 "Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 6833 "The Affordable Insulin Now Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "I agree with @RepBarbaraLee & @Repjayapal. There is no military solution in Ukraine. Harsh sanctions & massive increases in military aid will only raise tensions and hurt our chances of reaching a diplomatic solution. We can and must prioritize diplomacy and de-escalation." (x.com)
  • Voted in favor of Voted in favor of HR 7108: "Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 6968 "Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "We need comprehensive data privacy legislation to regulate big tech, protect data privacy, & combat disinformation. Not a one-off ban on a platform that millions of people rely on for news, livelihood, & community. That's why I voted NO to ban TikTok." (x.com)

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