Cost of living is crushing working families. Price-gouging, hidden fees, and unaffordable housing, healthcare, groceries, utilities, and childcare are pushing New Yorkers out of the city we built. In Albany, I banned junk fees, banned hidden healthcare charges, and delivered $50 million for our district. In Congress: Medicare for All, drug price negotiation, the Homes for All Act, and universal childcare.

Corruption fuels that crisis. When dark money buys elections, working families lose. I will ban congressional stock trading, work to overturn Citizens United, and end dark money in our elections.

Invasive tech is the third front. AI and social media companies are running an unregulated experiment on our kids. I wrote and passed the RAISE Act, the strongest AI accountability law in the country, over a Trump executive order trying to block it. In Congress, I will do the same nationally. My full plan, with 43 specific proposals, is available at alexbores.nyc.

Money in elections should be much more limited. Our democracy is under siege from unlimited corporate and dark money, and my race is exhibit A. Three of Donald Trump's biggest donors, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and Greg Brockman, created a superPAC and pledged to spend more than $10 million to defeat me because I authored the country's strongest AI accountability law. There is no one more motivated in the country than I am to eliminate superPACs.

My own campaign takes no PAC money except from labor unions, and I committed to the People's Pledge to try to keep superPACs out of my race. The federal government must restore transparency and limits. Citizens United and SpeechNow opened the floodgates; Congress can close them. In Congress, I will fight to pass the DISCLOSE Act, overhaul the FEC, and build a public-financing system so candidates answer to constituents, not megadonors.

Callais is a devastating attack on voting rights and on the right to fair representation. The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision did not formally strike Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, but as Justice Kagan wrote in dissent, it renders the law "all but a dead letter." By requiring voters of color to prove intentional discrimination, the Court has handed states a roadmap to dilute Black and Latino votes behind a veneer of partisanship.

The fallout is already here: Louisiana suspended its primary, and Tennessee, Florida, and Alabama moved within days to redraw maps and eliminate majority-minority districts.

Congress must respond. I will cosponsor the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore preclearance and the Freedom to Vote Act to ban partisan gerrymandering and mandate independent redistricting commissions. Until we have the votes to pass them, Democrats must keep building power and use every legal and political tool to fight back.

Trump has handed fossil fuel polluters free rein, gutting the EPA under Lee Zeldin and trying to claw back the historic clean energy investments in the Inflation Reduction Act. Working families pay the price: in dirty air, in rising asthma rates, in floods and storms our infrastructure was never built to withstand.

Congress must defend and expand the IRA's clean energy tax credits, rebuild EPA enforcement, and pass climate accountability laws that make polluters pay. Congress should also end the billions of dollars in federal fossil fuel subsidies so taxpayers aren’t paying the most profitable polluters on earth to keep polluting. And we must treat climate as the job opportunity it is by building the clean energy economy here in America. In Albany, I cosponsored the New York Climate Superfund Act, which raises $3 billion a year from the biggest historical polluters to fund resilience, a model I will bring to Washington.

When Trump abandons international institutions, America surrenders the leadership that has kept the postwar peace and constrained authoritarianism. These institutions are imperfect, but they are how we coordinate responses to pandemics, war crimes, refugee crises, climate change, and threats to women's health worldwide.

Congress must reassert American leadership. I will fight to restore full funding for NATO, the UN, USAID, and the WHO. A strong NATO is how we deter Russian aggression and stand with Ukraine and other democratic allies on the front lines of authoritarianism. Bipartisan programs like PEPFAR have saved more than 25 million lives; we must defend and reauthorize them, not slash them. I will also permanently repeal Trump's expanded Global Gag Rule, which closes clinics and costs lives. Strong international institutions are the cheapest, most effective way to keep America safe and our values alive in the world.

Donald Trump, Trumpism, and MAGA. Trump, his family, and those taking advantage of the American people for personal gain are the number one challenge facing our country.

The affordability and housing crisis facing New York City and America. Over 50% of New Yorkers are rent-burdened, with median rent up nearly 30% over five years. Coupled with inflation and rising living costs, we must act to ensure everyday New Yorkers can continue calling the greatest city in the world home.

Affordable, accessible, quality healthcare for all Americans. Attacks on the ACA, Medicare, and HHS are crippling millions of Americans’ access to life-saving care. Short-term, we must reinstate ACA tax credits, restore Medicare funding, impeach RFK Jr., and return the HHS to science-based decisions. Long-term, I support a public healthcare option for all who need it.

Inherently, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has a fundamental duty to safeguard its free and fair elections. We must not allow unlimited and undisclosed corporate wealth to drown out the voices of ordinary voters. We must continue to push for greater transparency and an electoral process that focuses on uplifting the everyday Americans who work hard to build our communities, not billionaires or special private interests seeking to buy influence. Whether that means following Hawaii’s recent legislation or advancing federal legislation like to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act, such as the DISCLOSE act. or finding a completely new framework to regulate the influx of dark money, this issue must be addressed by both the legislative and executive branches of our government. Our democracy is not a commodity to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

By severely weakening Section 2, this ruling gives state legislatures a green light to eliminate majority-minority districts for partisan purposes.

That threatens marginalized communities everywhere, including here in New York City. For the immediate future we must fight fire with fire in democratic states to balance out the unconscionable and unconstitutional power grab of Trump’s GOP.

In the long term, we must advance federal legislation and eliminate all racial and political consideration in the congressional redistricting process.

Climate change is an existential threat to the future of humankind and our national security, driving global instability and mass displacement. The alarming increase in severe storms, historic droughts, and extreme weather events at home and across the globe cannot and must not be dismissed any longer. This cannot be a partisan issue, but rather one informed by science and facts as we take action to remedy a rapidly developing catastrophe. The federal government must take an active role in regulating polluting industries, guiding sustainable development, removing our dependence on fossil fuels, and investing heavily in a clean-energy job economy. We must repeal and undo the sweeping policies of the Trump administration that have undermined the EPA, decimated funding for renewable energy progress, and put the health of our environment and the American people dead last behind profit margins. Turning a blind eye to science compromises our future.

The United States must again become a reliable partner and a stable force in international affairs. The Trump administration's distancing of longtime allies, destabilization of trade through tariffs, and push toward nationalist isolationism have severely damaged our geopolitical standing. We can and must reengage in good faith with NATO to provide ongoing aid, support, and security against any encroachment on shared democratic ideals. Being a superpower is a profound responsibility that Trump has shirked almost entirely—and continues to undermine for personal gain. Though we may have policy disagreements with other nations at the UN, we cannot retreat from international forums. Instead, we must fully commit to restoring our voice, honoring our alliances, and reclaiming our position as a true global leader.

The three biggest challenges are whether the American Dream is still real: whether people can belong, stay healthy, and build a good life through hard work.

First, our immigration system is broken. We need secure, orderly, and humane reform. For instance, H1-B visa workers bring their talents to the US and depend on companies to stay in the US. They need a fair path to citizenship.

Second, healthcare is too expensive and too complicated. No family should be bankrupted because someone gets sick. I support lowering prescription drug costs and expanding access to Health Savings Accounts.

Third, we need good jobs and upward mobility. America should lead in AI, clean energy, semiconductors, infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing while investing in workers, apprenticeships, unions, small businesses, and housing so wages are not swallowed by rent.

The goal is simple: rebuild the American Dream so every family can dare to dream again.

The federal government has a responsibility to protect democracy from corruption, dark money, and the perception that public office is for sale. Elections should be decided by voters, not unlimited money spent behind the scenes.

I support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and make it clear that Congress and the states can set reasonable limits on campaign spending. Free speech matters, but money is not the same thing as speech, and corporations should not have the same political power as people.

I also support tougher enforcement against illegal coordination between campaigns and Super PACs and support public financing models that amplify small donors.

The goal is simple: candidates should be accountable to the people they hope to represent, not to the biggest check-writers.

I align with Justice Elena Kagan’s dissent in Louisiana v. Callais. The Voting Rights Act is intended to prohibit discriminatory results, not only intentional discrimination. This case sits within a much larger American struggle over gerrymandering, representation, and whether district lines empower voters or protect political power. The hard constitutional question is how to respect the Equal Protection Clause while still enforcing the Voting Rights Act’s promise that minority communities should not have their voting power diluted. I support voters choosing their representatives, not representatives choosing their voters. Independent redistricting commissions, clear standards, transparency, and strong Voting Rights Act protections would be steps in the right direction.

The national government must treat climate change as an economic, public health, and national security threat. That means cutting emissions while also preparing communities for the extreme heat, flooding, storms, and infrastructure stress already here.

First, we should accelerate clean energy: modernize the grid, expand transmission, invest in solar, wind, geothermal, battery storage, and advanced nuclear, and make permitting faster without sacrificing environmental review.

Second, we need climate resilience: flood protection, coastal infrastructure, heat mitigation, stronger stormwater systems, and upgraded public housing, schools, hospitals, and transit.

Third, America should lead the clean industrial revolution. We should manufacture the next generation of clean-energy technology here: semiconductors, grid equipment, batteries, heat pumps, and advanced materials.

Climate action should lower costs, create good union jobs, reduce pollution, and strengthen American competitiveness.

The United States has a responsibility to lead, not retreat. International institutions like the United Nations, NATO, and the International Criminal Court are imperfect, but they reflect a basic lesson of history: when no nation helps stabilize the international system, chaos fills the vacuum.

NATO remains essential to deterring aggression. The UN is a necessary forum for diplomacy, humanitarian aid, public health, and crisis response. On the International Criminal Court, the U.S. should support accountability for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity, while insisting on fairness, due process, and consistent standards.

American leadership should be principled and practical. We should strengthen institutions when they advance peace, security, human rights, and development and reform them when they fall short.

The three most important challenges are (1) accountability for the government, (2) affordability for the people, and (3) advancement of technology responsibly. For accountability, to root out corruption, I will propose terms limit for Congress and the Supreme Court, end insider trading by public officials, and impose ethical standards for the Supreme Court. For affordability, I will prioritize bipartisan passage of universal catastrophic coverage as a starting point for medicare for all, ensure affordable housing becomes a 1:1 matching fund to ensure locally driven activism, and a simplified and equalized tax code to charge based on wealth not just work. Finally, we need regulation of market manipulations in crypto, consumer/worker/IP protections for AI, and investing in quantum computing.

The federal government has a responsibility to protect democracy from corruption and ensure that elections are driven by voters—not corporations, billionaires, or foreign interests. As the “Courage Candidate” endorsed by Courage For Democracy in NY-12, I have pledged to support a Constitutional amendment clarifying that constitutional rights belong to people, not corporations. Citizens United opened the floodgates to unlimited special interest spending, and it cannot be fully reversed through legislation alone. In the meantime, Congress must require full transparency for all Super PAC and dark money funding sources, strengthen enforcement against coordination loopholes, and prohibit any foreign-linked money or influence in U.S. campaigns. We also need stronger public financing systems so candidates can run competitive campaigns without relying on wealthy donors. Our democracy should be accountable to the public interest—not purchased by the highest bidder.

As a civil rights attorney, I view the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais as one of the most dangerous setbacks to voting rights in our history as a nation. The Court has effectively killed off the Voting Rights Act and made it lawful to have racially discriminatory maps by allowing states to hide behind “partisan” explanations for voter dilution. I fear this decision opens the door to a modern form of Jim Crow politics — where Black and minority communities are systematically stripped of fair representation through gerrymandering rather than poll taxes or literacy tests. Across the South, states are already moving to redraw districts in ways that dilute Black voting power. We should be expanding democracy, not dismantling it. Congress must respond by restoring and modernizing the Voting Rights Act, banning partisan gerrymandering at the federal level, and protecting the constitutional promise that every American deserves an equal voice in our democracy.

The climate crisis threatens our national security, public health, and economy, and the federal government must act with urgency. I support a whole-of-government approach that accelerates clean energy while protecting working families. That includes investing in resilient infrastructure, modernizing the electric grid, expanding renewable energy, and preparing communities for floods, heat waves, and storms. We must hold corporate polluters accountable, strengthen EPA enforcement, and ensure low-income communities and communities of color are not disproportionately burdened. I also support protecting public lands and urban green spaces, advancing climate-conscious housing and transportation policies, and investing in American innovation, including climate technology. The clean energy transition should create union jobs, lower energy costs, and strengthen U.S. competitiveness. We cannot afford half-measures anymore.

The United States must lead through strong alliances, international law, and democratic values—not isolationism or transactional politics. I support restoring U.S. commitments to the United Nations and strengthening our role within NATO to rebuild America’s credibility abroad. When the U.S. retreats from international cooperation, authoritarian regimes fill the vacuum. I also support accountability under international law, including cooperation with international tribunals investigating war crimes, corruption, and crimes against humanity. No nation, including our own, should be above the rule of law. American leadership should be rooted in diplomacy, human rights, accountability, and collective security—not unilateralism or impunity. American leadership should be rooted in diplomacy, accountability, human rights, and collective security—not unilateralism or impunity.

My top priority in Congress will be to lead the way on a cohesive, powerful resistance to the destructive Trump administration. I have done this in the Assembly by leading on mid-decade redistricting and passing bills to protect our immigrant communities from ICE. In Congress, I will continue to fight for New Yorkers with the urgency the moment demands. I have written extensively about what this will take in my own Project 2026 (micahlasher.com/project2026).

I will also prioritize the cost of living crisis by championing dramatic investments in housing construction, a significant increase in the federal minimum wage, and Medicare for All.

Finally, I will protect and defend our most vulnerable neighbors and communities by fighting to codify reproductive rights, strengthen gun laws, preserve our environment, and abolish ICE.

I believe that corporations today — particularly in the aftermath of Citizens United — exercise too much power over our political system. That is why I have introduced legislation, together with Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, to end Citizens United by prohibiting corporations from spending money on elections in New York, using a novel legal theory in an effort to overcome the legal obstacles to progress. I strongly support the public financing of elections for Congressional campaigns, and believe we must pursue every available avenue to reduce the influence of big money in politics.

60 years of civil rights progress are being erased one ruling at a time. The Supreme Court’s decision on Louisiana's voting map is the latest step in dismantling the Voting Rights Act and disenfranchising Black Americans. Congress needs to use every legislative tool it has to fight back against this attack on our democracy, including by passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and clarifying the legal standard for plaintiffs to prove racial discrimination in how election districts are drawn.

I have a long record of work addressing climate change. While working for the City, I helped pass legislation to move NYC away from dirty home heating oil. As Chief of Staff to the State Attorney General, I helped launch landmark investigations into Peabody Coal and Exxon Mobil for lying about climate change. As Policy Director for Governor Hochul, I helped pass the All Electric Buildings Act. And as a member of the State Assembly, I introduced and passed legislation to unlock wind and solar power projects across the State. In Congress, I will push for the U.S. to rejoin — and begin again to lead — international efforts to fight climate change, starting with the Paris Climate Accord. I will strongly advocate for reinvesting in the energy transition, and, particularly here in New York, in climate-resilient infrastructure. And I will champion legislation to quickly and dramatically curb carbon emissions.

So much of Donald Trump’s foreign policy seems like something from a dark novel. I believe it’s long past time for Congress to reassert its power over foreign policy, one explicitly granted by the Constitution. I will fight to restore the United States’ role as a serious leader on the international stage, advancing democracy, human rights, and collaboration to resolve shared global challenges, and for a foreign policy rooted in diplomacy and the rule of law.

I have three policy priority areas, the 3 C’s: Costs, Corruption, and the Constitution. We need to address the affordability crisis, fight Trump’s corruption and direct attacks on the rule of law, while also working to unrig the system – which for decades has worked against ordinary people. We must build more housing, and make our housing system more affordable for renters, which is why I have proposed a Standard Renter’s Deduction (SRD) which would allow renters to deduct at least a portion of their rent from their federal taxes. I also support a stock trading ban and would fight to get dark money out of our elections, so that everyday people nationwide could finally see real, progressive change and trust those in government.

The federal government must correct the Citizens United decision, which to me, signaled the end of our free and fair election process. Citizens United has allowed major corporations and billionaires to dump endless amounts of money into elections, essentially buying them. They drown out the voices of ordinary, hardworking citizens. With companies and billionaires able to throw millions of dollars behind candidates they become beholden to them, and it results in regulatory capture. Take what the fossil fuel and gun industries have done. They have such a chokehold on politicians that there has been little, if anything done, to regulate them. We cannot allow the same to happen with other industries, like AI.

I am proud to have taken an integrity pledge and therefore I do not accept corporate PAC, super PAC, special interest, or big AI money. My campaign has raised more than $2.75 million dollars with an average donation of less than $40 and more than 65,000 donations from all 50 states.

The Louisiana v. Callais dealt a devastating blow to voting rights and we have seen Republicans act at warp speed to eviscerate majority minority districts which in turn will dilute the voices of minority communities. The ramifications of this decision will be reflected in the makeup of our next Congress. It is expected that numerous members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) will lose their seats due to aggressive redistricting. Congress must legislate their way out of this as soon as possible. We cannot allow the Supreme Court to silence the voices of minority communities nationwide. If elected to Congress, this would immediately be one of my top priorities.

As someone trained in environmental law, this is a top priority to me. Trump has not only rolled back the progress made through the IRA for renewable energy investment and development, but has also unleashed attacks on science through firing key environmental scientists and researchers, inflicting massive layoffs upon the EPA, and rescinding the EPA endangerment finding. We need to claw back what has been stripped away and go much further. We must rapidly scale and develop renewable energy via tax incentives, regulatory structures and government funding. We cannot continue to rely on environmental legislation that is 50+ years old, which is why we need a new Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act to deal with this century’s problems. This new Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act must grant the EPA’s jurisdiction over the waters of the United States.

We cannot abandon our obligations to NATO, which Trump has begun to carelessly throw around. Trump’s actions are dangerous and present a need to be concerned, especially as he has scaled back US military presence in Europe. We must continue to support NATO and with that we must carry out our required obligations. I strongly disagree with President Trump’s current approach and believe it threatens peace and security throughout the world and gives our adversaries an opening to step in. The United States has an obligation here and we cannot allow Trump to throw this to the wayside simply because NATO allies did not back his unapproved choice war in Iran.

As for the ICC, the United States is not a member and therefore it does not have power over American citizens. I do not agree with or believe in all actions that ICC has carried out, which is why I would support a continuation of the status quo. Once elected, I would be open to receiving a full briefing to learn more.

I have spoken with more than 1,500 voters across the district. Their top concerns are healthcare, affordability, and restoring accountability. My first federal priorities will focus on three areas: The American Health Security Act: Protecting and expanding Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act; lowering healthcare costs through stronger drug price negotiation; expanding Federally Qualified Health Centers; and rebuilding the NIH, FDA, and CDC. Securing Affordability: Expanding the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, fully funding public housing, strengthening SNAP and WIC, and creating a Social Housing Development Authority modeled on Mitchell-Lama to build permanently affordable housing for working families. Reasserting Congressional Authority: Forcing votes on unauthorized military action, rejecting blank-check war funding, rebuilding diplomacy, and redirecting resources from excessive military spending toward healthcare, housing, and economic security at home.

Democracy should not be controlled by wealthy donors or special interests. In 2024, just 100 billionaire families spent $2.6 billion on federal campaigns, while outside groups spent another $4.4 billion, turning our elections into an auction rather than a democracy. We must overturn or limit the effects of Citizens United, which opened the door to unlimited super PAC spending and distorted political equality. I support the DISCLOSE Act to require every political ad to reveal who paid for it and end anonymous dark money. I also support public financing built on small-dollar matching funds to strengthen grassroots campaigns and reduce the influence of corporations and billionaires. The connection is clear: the wealthiest 400 billionaire families pay an average federal tax rate of just 8.2%, less than many working Americans. New York City and State already use matching systems for local races. Congress should do the same.

The Court's decision weakens protections against racial vote dilution and makes it harder for communities to secure fair representation. We should be strengthening democracy, not narrowing access to it. That means supporting independent redistricting commissions that draw fair maps without partisan retaliation or eye-for-an-eye gerrymandering. No voter, Republican, Democrat, or independent, should be disenfranchised for political advantage. We also need broader reforms that give people a stronger voice. I support the For the People Act, the most comprehensive voting rights legislation in a generation, which would guarantee automatic voter registration and restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act that decisions like this one continue to erode. I also support the Ranked Choice Voting Act, so that winners reflect genuine majority support, and ballot initiatives that let communities participate directly in shaping policy. A healthy democracy depends on fair representation.

The federal government must treat climate change as both an emissions crisis and a public health emergency. We need to expand tax credits for wind, solar, EVs, and battery storage, modernize the grid, and end fossil fuel subsidies by redirecting those funds into clean energy and good-paying jobs. We must also resore the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding and keep climate policy grounded in science. We also need to prepare for worsening climate disasters by strengthening FEMA, investing in resilient housing, funding sea walls and climate infrastructure, and rejoining the Paris Agreement. Climate change is expanding the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes, increasing threats like West Nile, dengue, Zika, and malaria in places that rarely faced them before, including New York. As the only candidate in this race with a PhD in Public Health, I will make restoring CDC and NIH funding to track and respond to these threats a day-one priority.

The United States must strengthen and lead international institutions because global challenges cannot be solved alone. In my work with UNICEF, UNHCR, and international organizations worldwide, I have seen how multilateral cooperation saves lives during humanitarian crises and global health emergencies. The Trump administration withdrew from the WHO, abandoned the Pandemic Treaty, and undermined the UN without consulting Congress. I will legislate permanent US membership in the WHO, ratify the Pandemic Treaty, restore full engagement with the UN, resume payment of assessed dues, and recommit to NATO as a cornerstone of collective security. This is personal to NY-12: the UN supports more than 20,000 jobs in New York City and generates billions in economic activity. Undermining it hurts our district directly. I also support the ICC’s mandate to hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable, including in Gaza. Retreating from institutions does not make America safer. Leading them does.

Affordability, healthcare, and immigration all pose immediate challenges the country must address.

Soaring costs and stagnant wages are eroding the middle class and making cost of living unaffordable for many. Housing costs make up the bulk of this; I would advocate for the development of more affordable housing, Section 9 housing, and Section 8 vouchers. I would also fight to reduce co-op and condo maintenance fees in urban areas, a significant source of cost.

On healthcare we must work towards a universal healthcare landscape, where the option to keep one's private insurance is possible. Medicare should also include dental and vision.

An immigration "Blue Card" would provide a new pathway to citizenship. Undocumented immigrants who have no criminal record after 10 years working in the U.S. would be eligible to apply for the "Blue Card" legal status and after another designated number of years, with no criminal record, would become naturalized.

The Citizens United SCOTUS decision was one of the most damaging decision to U.S. elections in recent memory. Dark money has no place in elections--it undermines the electoral process without holding anyone accountable, and produces a degree of influence that diminishes the individual's vote at the ballot box.

The federal government must do a better job monitoring the role money has in elections at every level, from local to federal. A version of the DISCLOSE Act, first introduced in 2010, is a good first step in ensuring that there is more transparency regarding who is contributing to campaigns and by how much.

Public financing of federal campaigns should be considered, given its success in places like New York City. The EMPOWER Act would reinstate public financing of presidential elections, which would be a good first step in ensuring that the influence of dark money is limited and all candidates have an opportunity at winning an election based on merit, not financial support.

The SCOTUS ruling in Louisiana v. Callais is a significant blow to the Voting Rights Act and all the progress it represented in producing fair elections while reducing disenfranchisement.

This ruling already has impact on upcoming elections; Louisiana is already redrawing their districts, and many other southern states are likely to follow suit. This case is about discrimination. This will result in one thing: the disenfranchising of many Americans, specifically minority Americans. And it raises evidentiary hurdles that will make challenges to redistricting impossible.

It is incumbent upon Congress and States to act. Congress can pass legislation that provides protections to limit the amount of partisan and racially-based redistricting that can occur. Specifically, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act must be reconsidered and passed immediately. And states can pass their own Voting Rights Acts, providing cover when federal law fails to protect majority-minority districts.

Climate change is real and is rapidly changing the world. The federal government must be doing everything in its power to ensure all protections to mitigate climate change are implemented. For starters, we must continue the transition from fossil fuels to renewables. This can mean solar, nuclear, or even energy harnessed from waste. Converting waste to energy is also something that must be studied and implemented. A cap-and-trade program would give entities a defined cap on emissions. Vehicle emissions standards must be readdressed, as should building codes. And we must preserve our forests, while encouraging carbon sequestration and methane reduction from farmers and the agriculture industry.

The U.S., like the rest of the developed world, has both a responsibility and a reason for supporting leading international institutions, but to a certain extent.

These institutions provide a space for the international community to convene and reach consensus on the most pressing issues facing the world, from prosecuting war crimes to guaranteeing security against known threats (it is worth noting that first and foremost, the U.S. must recognize the legitimacy of the ICC before supporting it).

This support can come from official recognition to financial support, but for the latter, the U.S. cannot be the sole or primary contributor. While the U.S. has one of the largest economies in the world, its contributions to the UN, NATO, and other organizations must be commensurate to our GDP and to what the return on investment is. As long as there is a guaranteed return, there should be unwavering support from the country.