Students for Seals–Dan on the Issues
The Economy
While the Obama administration has made some progress in stopping our economic ship from sinking, the United States still has a long way to go. Not only do we have to get men and women back to work right now, we have to invest in solutions to spur long term economic growth. Dan will use his business background to work with the Obama administration in their effort to lower the costs of energy, education, and healthcare; create economic growth by supporting small businesses and research and development efforts while in the long run, reducing the debt and supporting education.
Health Care
Dan believes all Americans deserve affordable and comprehensive health care. It is unacceptable that over 47 million of us remain uninsured, which is why Dan supports the public option. He believes that it is the most effective way to lower costs and provide a choice for consumers while allowing individuals to keep the option of choosing private health insurance.
Within the past decade, the National Institutes for Health (NIH) has made astounding progress in medical research to improve women’s health. Science, development of new technologies, and research will promote wellness and help drive down health care costs. If elected, Dan will serve as a strong advocate for NIH and medical research in Congress and support funding for the great medical advances researchers accomplish every day.
In Congress, he will focus on lowering costs, expanding coverage, and improving outcomes.
College Affordability
A college diploma today is what a high school diploma was for our nation’s previous generation. It is a requirement to fully participate in today’s global economy and is also the key to a better life. Yet, since 2001, the average cost of tuition at a public university alone has risen 40%—from $3,739 to $6,185—pricing out an estimated 200,000 students every year.
While our tax code is meant to make it easier for our children to go to college, it offers too much complexity and not enough help. Many families face confusion when deciding to send their children to college. The IRS 970 booklet, which outlines tax benefits for education, is over 80 pages in length and details 12 different higher education tax benefits, which apply to different income levels, expenses, and kinds of schools. As a result of this complexity, the Government Accounting Office estimates that over 600,000 tax filers every year fail to claim higher education tax benefits they are entitled to.
That is why Dan has proposed collapsing all of the different higher education tax incentives into one, easy-to-understand $3,000 tax credit, which would cover half of the cost of tuition at the average public university. He has advocated for expanding access to the credit to more families middle class by making it available to individuals making up to $80,000 and married couples making up to $160,000. Also, under the current law, families who have no income tax liability—nearly half of all families with children—are not eligible for the available tax credits. Seals’ proposal would benefit these families for the first time by making the credit partially refundable.
