As Gen Z enters the workforce and relies on financial income for basic necessities, it is important to develop an economy that works for everyone and not just the wealthy. In order for all Americans to live life to the fullest, the federal government must adjust the minimum wage for inflation, productivity, and cost of living while making large corporations pay their fair share to support beneficial social programs like universal child care.

We envision a revitalized tax system which prioritizes success and stability for all of society, not just the ultrawealthy. Accordingly, we support a 2% tax on every dollar made by the top 0.1% of earners beyond $50 million, which in concert with a progressive income tax would help fund critical government programs and create opportunity for millions of disadvantaged Americans. Additionally, our unemployment system must be federalized in order to provide oversight of benefits and ensure sufficient payments. We must also work toward the implementation of a four-day workweek without loss of pay to support the energy and efficiency of workers and to ensure that working people have more time for leisure, travel, socializing, learning, and creativity.

We must reassess our government’s economic priorities. At least 10% of the Pentagon’s bloated budget — much of which essentially amounts to welfare for weapons manufacturers — must be reallocated by Congress to the State Department, USAID, and various domestic programs which prioritize social welfare, American innovation, and the arts and humanities.

To invigorate our economy and protect our planet, we must promote green energy policies; to protect the people on our planet, we must support unions and the wellbeing of workers by defeating “right-to-work” legislation, guaranteeing workers the right to organize, and guaranteeing universal healthcare regardless of employment status. Our economic system must not allow the ultrawealthy to accumulate so much unearned wealth while the tens of millions of Americans who create that very wealth struggle to make ends meet.

Recent legislation such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act have moved the nation forward with regard to sustainable infrastructure and clean energy. However, as power outages, bridge collapses, and crumbling highways across the country indicate, there is still much progress to be made when it comes to ensuring that every American has access to safe, efficient transportation and housing. The United States’ power systems are heavily decentralized and unprepared for severe weather events, which will only worsen if the climate crisis continues to go unaddressed. Americans deserve safe, reliable, and environmentally-friendly infrastructure.

Congress and state legislatures must invest in efficient and resilient power derived from solar, wind, and hydroelectric energy, creating millions of good-paying jobs in the process. By 2030, Congress must pass a multi-trillion dollar investment in a nationwide high-speed rail system and ban commercial and private domestic flights with less than 250 miles between the takeoff point and destination, with limited exceptions for areas that are inaccessible by other modes of transportation. By 2030, we must continue to invest in sustainable American innovation by banning the import and manufacture of most vehicles powered only by gas, instead prioritizing and subsidizing hybrid and electric vehicles and sustainable public transportation.

Infrastructure isn’t just roads and bridges and must be redefined in the 21st century to include internet access, convenient transportation, and affordable, sustainable housing. We support the Biden Administration’s efforts to expand access to broadband and housing and future legislative priorities must continue to reflect these realities and the needs of everyday Americans.

Recent legislation such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act have moved the nation forward with regard to sustainable infrastructure and clean energy. However, as power outages, bridge collapses, and crumbling highways across the country indicate, there is still much progress to be made when it comes to ensuring that every American has access to safe, efficient transportation and housing. The United States’ power systems are heavily decentralized and unprepared for severe weather events, which will only worsen if the climate crisis continues to go unaddressed. Americans deserve safe, reliable, and environmentally-friendly infrastructure.

Congress and state legislatures must invest in efficient and resilient power derived from solar, wind, and hydroelectric energy, creating millions of good-paying jobs in the process. By 2030, Congress must pass a multi-trillion dollar investment in a nationwide high-speed rail system and ban commercial and private domestic flights with less than 250 miles between the takeoff point and destination, with limited exceptions for areas that are inaccessible by other modes of transportation. By 2030, we must continue to invest in sustainable American innovation by banning the import and manufacture of most vehicles powered only by gas, instead prioritizing and subsidizing hybrid and electric vehicles and sustainable public transportation.

Infrastructure isn’t just roads and bridges and must be redefined in the 21st century to include internet access, convenient transportation, and affordable, sustainable housing. We support the Biden Administration’s efforts to expand access to broadband and housing and future legislative priorities must continue to reflect these realities and the needs of everyday Americans.

Our criminal-legal system has become almost devoid of justice due to the criminalization of acts which should not be illegal. A broad model of decriminalization, decarceration, and community investment is needed to facilitate change. Poor people and people of color disproportionately face the consequences of this flawed system and redress is long overdue. It’s time to finally end the unsuccessful and misguided War on Drugs, which has wasted taxpayer dollars and caused severe harm to marginalized people, by decriminalizing all drug use and prioritizing treatment and rehabilitation over incarceration.

From suicide prevention to narcotics education efforts, the government should discourage the public from making self-destructive choices due to the fact that criminalizing such acts is ultimately counterproductive and ineffective. We agree with the Biden Administration and countless healthcare providers that no one should be incarcerated solely for a nonviolent drug offense and call on the President and governors in all 50 states to grant immediate clemency to all people currently imprisoned for nonviolent drug offenses. Instead of a prison sentence, drug use should be met with resource and rehabilitation options, which is why Congress must decriminalize all drug use and possession without intent to distribute while legalizing and regulating the sale of less harmful drugs like psychedelics.

President Biden’s blanket pardon of people convicted of simple cannabis possession and his decision not to renew federal private prison contracts constitute real progress, however the prison industrial complex continues to profit massively from the imprisonment of nonviolent drug offenders that disproportionately come from underserved communities. As long as American prisons continue to exist, we must ensure that sentences are handed down without prejudice based on race, ethnicity, income, as well as other relevant demographic factors. We must also work to modernize and humanize American prisons, following models established by Scandinavian countries, and provide many more resources for imprisoned people, including access to education, healthcare, and counseling.

Improving prisons is nowhere near enough: we must also work to empty them. Far too many people are in prison because of their income bracket or their race. Others are imprisoned due to convictions for acts which are currently illegal but should not be, like drug use and consensual sex work.

The privatization of our criminal justice system has led the United States to have the sixth-highest prison population per capita in the world. Disparities in prison sentencing detrimentally affect people of color and people of lower socioeconomic status. After centuries of racial discrimination, it’s time for redress. Pursuing justice means doing away with “criminal justice” as we know it and we will continue to advocate for immediate abolition of private prisons, cash bail, solitary confinement, and the death penalty.

As one of the few political organizations and the only progressive think tank actually operated by Gen Zers, we are in a unique position to advocate on behalf of young Americans. We seek to dispel the notion that young people are apathetic and uninterested in politics and we do so both by improving youth engagement and by highlighting what our generation has accomplished just over the past few years — from increased voter turnout to shaping narratives around key policy issues.

While we aren’t apathetic, we are sometimes plagued by a sense of isolation. Young people are increasingly alienated from the fruits of our labor, seeing the ultrawealthy and megacorporations profit from our hard work while we fight just to stay afloat financially. Gen Zers and younger Millennials also are on the frontlines of a loneliness epidemic, fuelled by economic instability, climate uncertainty, and social media. We strive to connect young people with their communities, to amplify youth voices, and encourage healthy relationships between Gen Zers, our social surroundings, and previous and forthcoming generations. We support federal funding of research to determine to what extent social media regulations will be effective and whether changes to platforms’ terms of service could induce positive outcomes for teens and young adults.

Path to Progress is a proud member of the Youth In Gov Coalition, an alliance of 100+ youth-led and -focused organizations working together to create more job opportunities for young Americans in the federal government along with a Young Americans Advisory Council and an independent office within the Executive Office of the President, led by a Director of Young Americans who would sit on the Domestic Policy Council and work with the National Security Council and National Economic Council to prioritize the interests of young Americans. In working with Youth In Gov and other organizations, we have reaffirmed to the federal government and various stakeholders our commitment to a youth-oriented agenda which elevates the voices of young Americans who are currently underrepresented in the federal workforce. We also provide support to young candidates for public office, particularly Gen Zers and younger Millennials.

In many ways, we as young Americans have been handed a broken country and a world which is often literally on fire. We will be the first generation that is less financially stable than our parents and we are already facing the consequences of climate change. However, Gen Z has shown up when it matters and will continue to do just that. Our generation turned out in record numbers in 2020 to defeat the most dangerous President this country has ever known and has rallied for climate crisis prevention, women’s rights, an end to gun violence, and so much more. In the face of adversity, Gen Z shows up to stand against fascism and police brutality; we have proven to be the most empowered, empathic, diverse, and informed generation in our nation's history. We hope to empower Gen Z to become even more politically engaged, both nationally and locally.

The United States was founded by immigrants, some who came here willingly and some who did not. Despite our nation’s diverse origins, our current immigration system is broken and unfair. People who come to the United States seeking opportunity and refuge are too often turned away by authorities while being vilified by media figures and politicians. Visa and asylum seekers face grueling waiting periods — sometimes upwards of a decade — before their requests are fully processed. Federal judges often deport immigrants and refugees knowing full well that they face certain death upon returning to the places from which they fled.

The United States must work closely with Central American partners to tackle root causes of immigration crises so that people who want to remain in their home countries can do so without fear of violence and political instability. We must also welcome vast numbers of refugees from countries like Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan where American intervention has directly contributed to humanitarian crises.

A more humane approach to our immigration system also includes expanding DACA and granting Dreamers a simple and direct pathway to citizenship while decriminalizing the mere act of seeking refuge by crossing an American border without preliminary approval or proper documentation. We must view the rise in the rates of deportation which has occurred under the past four presidential administrations as a crime against humanity — as a set of actions which punish people for the “crime” of wanting better lives for themselves and their loved ones.

It should go without saying in this day and age that discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, creed, skin tone, national origin, or any related demographic marker is wholly unacceptable. Every person regardless of race deserves to feel a sense of belonging and have their rights respected, both by the government and by fellow citizens. Addressing the harms done by the United States’ criminal justice system will provide a good start to tackling the challenges of achieving full equality. Federal law enforcement officials consistently cite white supremacist groups as posing the greatest risk of domestic terrorism. Despite this reality, law enforcement often disproportionately targets poor communities and communities of color. We must also seek to accomplish the difficult task of separating the American government from systemic racism. For hundreds of years, the two have been inextricably linked. It is incumbent on us now to create systems which fully prioritize equity and fairness while maintaining the democratic ideals which our nation has imperfectly sought for centuries.

Our pursuit of racial justice extends beyond the legal system. As Americans, we must work to not only eliminate systemic racism from our laws and norms but also from our minds. We must take steps to close the racial wealth gap by canceling student loan debt and guaranteeing debt-free public college for all Americans. We must guarantee that all people have equal access to good-paying jobs and that employment discrimination on the basis of race remains illegal. The federal government must also finally take responsibility for the lasting legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, and redlining by authorizing substantive research and reports on the potential impacts of reparations to the Black community. We continue to call on the President to use Executive Authority to designate groups like the Proud Boys, the Ku Klux Klan and its offshoots, the Three Percenters, and other far-right militias as domestic terrorist organizations.

Education is a foundational element of a healthy society. The ability to learn is a basic human right, not a privilege to only be awarded to a select few. Every child, no matter their ZIP code, should have access to a quality education starting in pre-kindergarten. Universal childcare, pre-K, and Head Start programs constitute a vital component of an equitable education system. Research shows that low-income children often fall behind their peers academically, compounding in larger inequities later in life. Public education has the power to uplift individuals and communities when funded equitably. Our representatives must prioritize public schools over charter schools and seek to find better measurements of academic and intellectual success than standardized testing, the results of which often deprivilege those who are already most disadvantaged.

Fairer college admissions processes must be put in place to ensure equal access to higher education. More tuition-free public colleges and universities would give students the education they deserve without incurring massive debt. Additionally, we support complete student debt forgiveness and policy which foregrounds debt-free public college in the future, meaning that tuition would be tailored to an individual and their family’s ability to pay. The federal government must also expand Pell Grants as well as both merit- and need-based scholarships.

At the local level, we stand in strong opposition to book bans and educational restrictions which most often come at the expense of people of color and LGBTQ+ people. The federal government must take action against statewide so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation while also guaranteeing that teachers are free to teach the truth about American history and that school curricula reflect reality. All public school teachers must earn a minimum of $60,000 per year and should never be forced into a position where they have to pay for their own school supplies. All schools — public and private — must adopt universal meals programs, guaranteeing breakfast and lunch to all students who need it.

Though many strides have been made, the LGBTQ+ community continues to face disparities in healthcare, employment, education, and many more aspects of day-to-day life. In multiple states, it remains legal to deny people loans, fire people, and even evict them just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Hundreds of anti-trans bills have been introduced in state legislatures in recent years, including bans on drag performance which violate the First Amendment and serve only to vilify queer people. Because of these extreme challenges and the prejudices that many politicians in power unfortunately hold, the fundamental American ideal of equality for all fails to apply to every American.

It is essential that people earn equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender or sexuality. Women and gender-nonconforming people continue to make less than their male counterparts with comparable jobs. Congress must continue to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), finally giving women and people of other marginalized gender identities full legal equality with men.

Our elected officials' failure to address these issues means our state and federal governments are not adequately serving all of their constituents. To put an end to these problems, we support passage of the Equality Act at the federal level which would make it illegal to discriminate against people on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We applaud the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified into federal law the right of anyone to marry whomever they love regardless of race or gender. However, there is much more to be done.

Congress must enshrine into law the precedent set by Roe v. Wade guaranteeing people the right to terminate their pregnancies. Access to reproductive healthcare and abortion procedures is a human right which must be upheld by our federal government. But legalization and access are not enough — we must work to destigmatize reproductive healthcare and undo the influence which far-right religious extremists have exerted on our courts and our culture.

A democratic government is supposed to be by the people and for the people, but right now in the United States not everyone’s voices are being heard or even acknowledged. As citizens of a country which strives to be a democracy, we must demand better for ourselves and our collective future. Enough with long voting lines, money in politics, and polling place closures! Our democracy, like any, is fragile but also worthy of protection. That is why we wholeheartedly support public funding of elections, the overturning of the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United v. FEC ruling, mandatory civics education for all high schoolers, automatic voter registration, and completely accessible systems of voting.

Citizens deserve transparency from elected officials and candidates for public office. By removing dark money from politics and making presidential candidates release at least ten previous years of tax returns, we will see less corruption and more transparency, two things which voters deserve from our candidates and elected officials.

We must end gerrymandering by creating nonpartisan redistricting commissions in every state and expanding voting opportunities such as early and absentee voting. With policies like these implemented, we can hope to completely end voter disenfranchisement. Congress must pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, both of which will improve election integrity and prevent violence sprouting from conspiracy theories pertaining to stolen elections.

Our judicial system is also in desperate need of reform. The Supreme Court’s downward slide toward right-wing partisanship over the past decade cannot be ignored. The solution is not to shift the Supreme Court and the federal bench to the left, but rather to depoliticize the courts in favor of legal objectivity so that courts can best fulfill their duty as impartial arbiters of the law. This can be done in a number of ways, including Supreme Court sortition and Supreme Court expansion. We support the creation of federal panels to examine the best ways to depoliticize the Supreme Court and to study the ramifications thereof.

The environment is not just an abstract set of ecosystems made up of obscure flora and fauna. Environmental degradation can take the form of pollution, deforestation, fracking, mining, and much more — and ultimately harms humans just as much as it does plants and animals. In the long term, the climate crisis poses an existential threat to humanity, even to those who deny the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of environmental degradation. In the short term, marginalized communities exposed to pollutants are much more likely to develop cancer, lung problems, and other life-threatening illnesses. The United States’ energy consumption must be 100% by 2030 and, leading by example, our government must exert pressure on other countries to do the same. In order to accomplish this, we must move beyond cap-and-trade programs to directly limit and tax emissions while developing greener infrastructure as highlighted in the Green New Deal. We must elect candidates at all levels of government who support eliminating subsidies for fossil fuel companies and implementing a total ban on all oil drilling.

We must also continue to protect and expand our public lands while promoting Indigenous stewardship and Native autonomy. Oil, gas, and coal are not essential to the 21st century economy. In fact, continued investments in nonrenewable energy sources will lead to both long-term environmental degradation and economic turmoil.

Creative endeavors offer vision, hope, and inspiration in even the most difficult of times. Yet in many ways our society has lost out on the powers of a sentimental film, a prescient novel, an engaging painting, or the like, in no small part because our government has failed to substantially invest in American creativity and cultural literacy. For instance, the words “arts” and “humanities” did not appear at all in President Biden’s FY2024 federal budget proposal and in FY2023, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts received a combined $332.9 million, equivalent to less than 0.02% of the $1.73 trillion allotted to the Department of Defense during the same period of time. We must seriously reevaluate our budget priorities in order to ensure that the money spent on defense does not vastly exceed the money spent on that which is worth defending.

As of today, the art market is influenced almost exclusively by the ultrawealthy, as public art commissions make up only a small percentage of art market activity. While the roles of many wealthy patrons of the arts — ultrawealthy tycoons deserve the credit for some of the largest public collections of art and endowments for creativity — cannot be overlooked, we believe that the private and public sectors must each have significant stakes in the arts and humanities. We seek to usher in a New Renaissance in which the government plays a vital role in facilitating unrestrained creativity and in which the phrase “starving artist” is made oxymoronic. Here, history can be particularly instructive. Looking to President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal implementation of the Works Progress Administration, we can once again create a society which strives to reward creativity while also beautifying public spaces and molding a more aesthetically-aware and creatively-conscious citizenry.

Cultural literacy is also a labor issue. When people are paid fair wages for their work with reasonable hours and strong benefits, we have more time to enjoy making and receiving art and literature. To this end, we must also make sure that museums, galleries, libraries, theaters, symphony halls, and other cultural institutions are accessible to all regardless of wealth or income.

While science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are crucial to a well-rounded education, STEM’s prioritization over the past two decades has come at the expense of the other disciplines, detracting from civic engagement and cultural literacy. Critical thinking, the understanding of other cultures, and feeling empowered to engage politically are all important outcomes of funding the arts and humanities which are necessary for solving modern-day challenges. As we progress through the 21st century, democratizing the cultural sphere in many ways means democratizing society as a whole, something which is especially important given the steady rise of far-right fascism in the United States and across the world.

Technologization, late-stage capitalism, grind culture, and many other factors contribute to a near-dystopia of long hours, low wages, constant surveillance, and profit prioritized above all else. We must work culturally and legislatively to curb the negative effects of artificial intelligence and algorithmic content suggestions which can spread false information and propagate ideological echo chambers. At the same time, we must make sure to not grant government officials undue power to regulate speech and expression. This is why we oppose regressive legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act which would allow state attorneys general to unilaterally determine what does and does not constitute “harmful” content. The Internet must be democratized and regulated to usher in a true information age, not a disinformation age.

We must also foster a society which values personal traits ahead of follower counts, kindness ahead of wealth, and personality ahead of demography. We must abolish all nonspecific forms of social credit scores (including actual credit scores) and ensure that all Americans can maintain their financial security and personal reputations regardless of their financial or carceral history.