“I will always fight for a woman’s right to choose and the right to privacy. Reproductive issues are medical-related issues and they should be kept private between a woman and her doctor.” – Alma Adams
Alma Adams’ support for women’s reproductive rights is widely known throughout the district, the state, and nationally. She has been clear in all of her comments that women should make the choice about their bodies and that a woman cannot call herself free if she does not own and control her own body.
Now, more than ever, American households are relying on women for their primary source of income – and yet our country still pays women only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. While Congress took an important step in passing the Lilly Ledbetter Act, there is much more we need to do to ensure women receive equal pay for equal work. In Congress, as Chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee on the House Committee on Education and Labor, Alma has led the fight to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to make it easier for women to know when they are being discriminated against and to prevent big corporations from retaliating against women who ask questions about their pay in relation to their male colleagues.
For decades, the US maternal mortality and morbidity rates have gotten worse for all mothers, but especially for Black women whose health outcomes are further compounded by systemic and structural racism. As co-founder of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, she has successfully pushed to include the Momnibus (H.R.959 / S.346), in President Biden’s Build Back Better Act which will now provide $1.1 billion to address the maternal health crisis. Black Mamas Matter!
“As a retired educator, I have seen first-hand the impact a great education can have on a young person’s life. I will always be a champion for public schools, our teachers, our children, and our HBCUs.” – Alma Adams
Education has always been a top priority to Alma Adams. As a retired professor, Alma knows quality education opens up opportunities for anyone to live the American Dream. Throughout her career in public service, Alma has relentlessly fought against the reckless cuts to our public and higher education systems, and especially those cuts that disproportionately affect HBCUs in North Carolina.
Alma Adams will always stand up and fight for our public schools. She knows a good public education is an American value, and she will work to provide a good public education for everyone.
Adams opposes any school voucher program. She will always fight for public schools to get the funding they need and deserve so everyone can have access to quality education.
Alma understands the challenges facing public education as well as anyone. She knows it is getting harder and harder for students to afford to attend colleges and universities. In Congress, Alma will work to increase student supports, such as Pell Grants, and the reduction in the interest rate on student loans. She also will continue fighting to cancel debt for past and current students who are struggling to pay off their loans. Specifically, she has introduced a resolution with Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley calling on the President to forgive $50,000 in student loan debt for every American.
She has introduced the bipartisan, bicameral IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act – the most significant investment in HBCUs infrastructure in generations.
She introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution to condemn the bomb threats made against HBCUs, which passed the House (418-0) and Senate unanimously.
Additionally, she introduced the bicameral EDUCATORS for America Act with Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the most significant initiative to improve the teacher pipeline and graduate more career-ready teachers and school support staff in a decade.
“Health insurance needs to be affordable and available for everyone, not just the wealthy. I will always fight to improve the access, level of care, and affordability of health care.” – Alma Adams
Everyone should have access to affordable, quality health care. The Affordable Care Act has moved us further in that direction. Alma Adams supports prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage for preexisting conditions. She also supports allowing children to remain on their parent’s insurance policy until the age of 26. The focus on preventive care services is vital to improving our health as well as lowering medical bills. Alma encourages routine check-ups, and she supports a no-copay policy for regular preventative care services. Preventative care for women is certainly important to Alma. She supports increasing access to women’s health clinics to provide mammograms, cervical screenings, other preventative services, and family planning. She successfully pushed to include the Momnibus (H.R. 959 / S.346) in President Biden’s Build Back Better Act which will now provide more than $1.1 billion to address the maternal health crisis.
Health insurance needs to be affordable and available for everyone. That’s why Alma supports government discounts for insurance based upon income. She also supports tax incentives for small businesses that provide coverage for their employees, and she fought to close the Medicaid coverage gap, which would provide more than 212,000 North Carolinians access to healthcare.
Adams also voted for H.R. 6833, the Affordable Insulin Now Act, to cap out-of-pocket costs for insulin at no more than $35 a month.
“We must strengthen the middle class in order to build a stronger American economy.” – Alma Adams
Creating and retaining good-paying jobs should be the primary focus in Congress. There are things we need to do in order to strengthen and protect the middle class right here in North Carolina.
We must invest in public education and job training programs so businesses can hire a skilled workforce.
Small businesses and the middle class are the backbones of our economy. They need the resources to compete. We need to give small businesses tax cuts so they can create jobs. They also need easier access to capital so they can expand their businesses and invest in people.
Women and minorities need to be given more opportunities and resources to succeed in the business world.
Alma has always been a strong advocate for the middle class. A strong middle class means a stronger American economy. She supports giving more tax cuts to the middle class and raising the minimum wage – indexing it to the rate of inflation. By putting more money in the hands of hard-working Americans, companies can sell more products, appliances, cars, and other items that will continue to spur our economic growth.
Rising inflation has hit the middle class especially hard recently. Alma voted for the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strengthening (America COMPETES) Act (H.R. 4521), a comprehensive, strategic package aimed at addressing inflation by investing in the U.S. supply chain so that more goods are made in America, accelerating the production of U.S. made semiconductor chips which are critical for any electronics, and building our research capacity at HBCUs and other institutions of higher education to foster domestic innovation, advance global competitiveness and ensure we lead the technologies of the future.
“We must keep our promise to our seniors in the form of Medicare and Social Security. I’ll fight against any attempt to privatize Social Security or defund Medicare.” – Alma Adams
Keeping our promise to our seniors in the form of Medicare and Social Security should be a top priority. They have paid into these programs their entire working lives so we cannot raid the benefits which they have already earned.
In Congress, Alma Adams will be an outspoken advocate for protecting and funding Social Security and Medicare.
“It’s time for Congress to act, restore the Voting Rights Act, and take action to prevent voter disenfranchisement. As your Congresswoman, I will stand up to the extremists in the Republican Party to ensure civil rights are protected for everyone.” – Alma Adams
We must do more for civil rights pertaining to all minorities, women, and the LGBT community. Alma is a co-sponsor of the Equality Act in Congress.
The number one concern at the federal level is the Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned critical sections of the Voting Rights Act.
Specifically, Congress needs to rework Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 so that Section 5 (still existing) can be applicable. Section 4 sets out the criteria that is necessary for the Voting Rights Act to be implemented; changes have occurred in voting patterns since the act was implemented so the criteria need to be revisited and reworked.
Every day, people of color and immigrants, and other members of marginalized communities experience discrimination, intimidation, harassment, and violence. Hate, both speech and crimes, endures in America. This reflects a dangerous rise in white supremacist terrorism that threatens all of us. Congress can and must play a role to address the increase in hate crimes. Alma voted for the Emmitt Till Anti-lynching Act and she will support efforts to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), ensuring that they’re enforcing federal hate crime laws and aggressively prosecuting white supremacist violence. We can allocate more resources to state and local law enforcement agencies to accurately track and report hate crimes, and we can continue to speak out against hateful, racist rhetoric and actions.
One of the ways Alma hopes to reinstate the Voting Rights Act, end voter suppression, and expand opportunities for all Americans is by supporting and passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. [H.R.4]. The Act assures that the right of citizens to vote is not denied or abridged on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group as a result of the implementation of certain qualifications or prerequisites to voting, or standards, practices, or procedures with respect to voting. This includes making sure that voting materials are available in a multitude of languages.
“As a proud parent, I know how tough it can be balancing work and family responsibilities. We must do more to help our working families succeed both at work and at home.” – Alma Adams
As Chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, Alma Adams’s number one focus is to expand benefits for our workers. The top priority must be expanding and strengthening our paid family leave laws in this country. Currently, the U.S. ranks near the bottom of industrialized nations in terms of its family leave, and even the laws we do have on the books are not enough to keep many people from falling through the cracks.
The Family and Medical Leave Act is an important piece of legislation, but Alma would like to see companies offer family leave benefits beyond the FMLA. Alma believes we need to set the standard for paid parental leave around the world.
Alma will also work to increase the availability of affordable child care services. She will always ensure American workers are given a fair chance to succeed in today’s economy. She is a strong proponent of raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation so that people who work for a living are less likely to live in poverty.
“We must protect our most precious resource, our environment, for future generations.” – Alma Adams
Alma Adams received the highest grade of 100 from the League of Conservation Voters in their most recent legislative scorecard. She has been endorsed by the Friends of the Earth Action. Alma will always work to protect our land and water resources. She understands that we must do more to combat climate change by supporting investments in more renewable energy sources and green technology. This will protect and preserve our environment for our children and grandchildren, while also creating millions of jobs in North Carolina.
“The assault on the working class and the poor is appalling and it needs to stop. I will work hard every day to eliminate hunger and combat poverty. We must do more to lift up our fellow brothers and sisters.” – Alma Adams
Alma Adams will stand up to those who want to cut unemployment benefits, food stamps, and other programs designed to help the poor and working families. These programs are a hand-up, not a handout.
Ending hunger is one of Alma’s most important priorities. She helped ensure children would continue to receive free and reduced school breakfast and lunch during the pandemic through her bill, the FEED the Children Act.
One of her first priorities in Congress was to form the Adams Hunger Initiative. The Initiative brings together key stakeholders to address hunger and food insecurity and works together with local agencies and food banks to protect critical programs for those in need of food.
Alma has encouraged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use their authority to reexamine the calculation of SNAP benefits under the Thrifty Food Plan, which led to an average 27% increase on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in 2021. Additionally, she introduced the Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2021, which would modernize the SNAP program and increase benefits by 30%.
Over 16% of North Carolinians live below the poverty level, nearly two points higher than the national average – and in many communities, this number is higher still. Alma will work to lift these individuals out of poverty and help them find the good-paying jobs they need to support their families.
As a retired educator, Alma Adams understands that fighting poverty begins with a good education. Education is the key to North Carolina’s future. Our investments in our public schools, colleges, and job training programs should be second to none.
Alma Adams will always work to ensure that everyone has the ability to make a living wage that is capable of supporting their families. In both the NC General Assembly and the U.S. Congress, she has led the fight to raise the minimum wage.
“We must do more to combat rising crime rates in America. It starts by having some common sense gun laws.” – Alma Adams
Alma Adams wants to make sure law enforcement and first responders have adequate resources to protect its citizens. At the same time, Congress must do something to counter the easy access to deadly weapons to criminals and others who could do us harm.
Gun control legislation is essential to fighting crime, protecting our citizens, and reducing the dangers our law enforcement face each day. Congress needs to ban certain high-powered assault weapons, close the gun show loophole, require background checks for purchases of firearms, and improve the tracking of firearms in our country.
“Demand for housing is exceeding the supply and the lack of affordable housing for many has become an epidemic. Everyone deserves decent, safe, affordable housing; anything less than this is not an option. Shelter is a basic human need, and housing is a fundamental human right. It should be a Constitutional right.” –Alma Adams
Alma Adams supports measures that will make housing more affordable and legislation that requires lenders to provide important disclosures on mortgages and housing counseling. When we support programs that lift the poor and the middle class, it makes it easier for people to afford good housing. Adams is the primary sponsor on legislation to make it easier for coronavirus relief funds to be used for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits projects. The bipartisan LIFELINE Act (H.R. 7078) would allow cities, counties, and states to use their Fiscal Recovery Fund dollars to maintain a robust pipeline of affordable housing developments.
Additionally, Adams helped secure over $100 million for Emergency Rental Assistance in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, and facilitated community events with RAMP CLT to make sure all of our neighbors in need could keep a roof over their heads during COVID-19.