Zach Dembo

Education

In Congress, I’ll fight to fully fund our public schools and jobs training programs, fairly pay our teachers and educators, and make sure our universities have the research funding they need to stay best-in-class institutions. We also need to make sure that there is robust funding for apprenticeship and job training programs, since not every job requires a college degree and we want to be sure folks can flourish whether or not they go to college. Learn more

Government Reform

We also need to take steps to make the Department of Justice completely independent from the whims of this president. The enforcement of our nation’s laws should be apolitical, and we need to make sure Congress makes that independence the law by moving the Department of Justice out of the executive branch and protecting the Attorney General and his or her subordinates from the political vicissitudes of an increasingly chaotic White House. I believe the Attorney General should be appointed for six year terms, and he or she should only be removable for cause. Learn more

Healthcare

In Congress, I’ll push for a law to make drug companies charge the same here as they do overseas so Kentuckians can afford the medications they need. We also need price transparency requirements for medical procedures so people know exactly what they’re paying, caps on out-of-pocket expenses, reforms to reduce administrative overhead and waste in the insurance system, and fight for a public option in healthcare so everyone can afford care. Learn more

In Congress, I’ll work to expand health coverage and lower costs so that every Kentuckian has access to quality, affordable care. Learn more

Central Kentuckians could also see their premiums double if ACA tax credits aren’t fully funded. These subsidies are keeping healthcare affordable for tens of thousands of families across our state. In Congress, I’ll fight to restore and expand ACA tax credits so that health insurance remains within reach for working families. Learn more

One in three Kentuckians rely on Medicaid for their health coverage. Cutting Medicaid hurts families, threatens our hospitals, and eliminates good-paying jobs. We need to reverse these cuts and fully fund Medicaid so that working families and seniors can access the care they need. Learn more

Housing

We need to do everything we can to increase housing supply to reduce housing prices – funding research into cheaper construction materials, massive public-private partnerships to increase supply, expanded first-time homebuyer programs like the VA loan program that helped me to other public servants that serve their communities (like teachers, nurses, and first responders), and stopping Wall Street from buying up homes from all the rest of us. Learn more

Immigration

We must hold ICE to the same standards as all law enforcement: comprehensive training (not just 47 days), body cameras for transparency, no hiding identities behind masks, and a focus on actual violent criminals – not law-abiding people in courthouses, schools, or churches. We can have both security and humanity. Learn more

We also need immigration reform that secures our border while treating people with dignity and creating a path to citizenship for those already here working hard and contributing to our communities. Learn more

Wages / Job Benefits

Labor unions made the middle class. We only have the 40-hour work week, weekends, paid time off, and overtime pay because organized labor fought for it for all of us. In Congress, I’ll fully support the PRO Act, advocate for workplace safety standards, fund apprenticeship programs, protect unemployment benefits, and defend the right to collectively bargain and unionize. Learn more