GENERAL ELECTION
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, U.S. Representative Greg Casar, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke hosted multiple “Our Fight, Our Future” rallies across the I-35 corridor to “register voters and energize the working class around a progressive agenda.” The Daily Record sat down for an interview with Sanders ahead of the rally at Texas State University, which occurred on Oct. 1.
Editor’s Note: U.S. Senator Ted Cruz's campaign initially said they would make the senator available for an interview with the Daily Record, but he has not yet been available to do so.
“This is an election not just about protecting the needs of workers, protecting women's rights [and] protecting our environment, it is also about protecting American democracy,” Sanders said. “I think on those issues, the choice is pretty clear.”
Sanders believes that although Kamala Harris may be the underdog in Texas, there is an “outside chance” that she could prevail.
“If she wins here, the election is over,” Sanders said. “I want to do everything I can to see that she wins, help Colin [Allred] perhaps get a few more votes in his race for the Senate and do what we can to push progressive politics through young people — getting them involved in the political process as well.”
Though Texas may be more blue than in previous years, it is still a Republican stronghold. But Sanders said he believes that the progressive agenda, when “properly understood,” will appeal to all Texans, regardless of their political party. He said he is confident Texans will agree that healthcare should be guaranteed as a human right in this country like “every other major country in the world,” prescription drug costs should be cut in half and shouldn’t cost more in the United States than they do in other countries, the wealthy should pay “their fair share of taxes,” public colleges and universities should be tuition free, medicare should be expanded to cover dental, hearing and vision, social security benefits should be raised and the minimum wage should be increased to a “living wage.”
“All of those and more are part of the progressive agenda,” Sanders said. “If you poll those in Texas, every one of them would be supported. So the point is, what we have got to do is to make clear what we stand for and create a movement that rallies around that agenda. We do that [and] Texas will become a progressive state, as will the rest of the country.”
The progressive agenda involves bolstering renewable energy production and moving away from the use of fossil fuels in order to protect the environment and mitigate the negative effects of climate change, but the Texas Oil and Natural Gas industry is very important to the Texas economy and the many families who are employed by it. According to the Texas Oil and Gas Association, the industry paid $26.3 billion in state and local taxes and state royalties in fiscal year 2023. The U.S. Energy Information Administration stated that Texas accounted for 43% of the nation's crude oil production in the same year. When questioned on the impacts of progressive policies on the oil and gas industry, Sanders said he believes that it is imperative to move away from the use of fossil fuels but that it needs to be done in a way that protects the people that rely on that industry to feed their families. He pointed to climate change for the weather disturbances happening across the world whether that is the “forest fires in the West Coast, drought in the Midwest [or] extreme weather disturbances in Vermont.” According to Sanders, that is the reality that the earth is facing, and “it will only get worse.”
“We have to transform our energy system away from fossil fuel. It ain't going to happen tomorrow. But the way to do that is to understand that people who work in the fossil fuel industry are not the enemy. They're trying to feed their families … and they deserve a lot of support and help as we transition away from fossil fuel,” Sanders said. “This is not a choice. If we want a planet that's going to be livable and habitable for our kids and future generations, you have to recognize that climate change is real. We cannot continue to dump carbon emissions into the atmosphere. So it is a tough issue, but we're going to have to be very cognizant that workers in the industry are not our enemies. They are doing their best to feed their families. And as a government, we have to make sure that there is a just transition to protect employment and the other benefits that they need in order to live a decent life.”
When it comes to border security, Sanders said that no one should be allowed to break the law for any reason, but immigration reform is pivotal.
“That means entering this country is illegal [for noncitizens without proper documentation], and that should be prevented, period,” Sanders said. “On the other hand, it also goes without saying that comprehensive immigration reform in this country is long overdue. There are people in this country who came here at the age of one, who have worked their entire lives, who deserve to become citizens. They are taxpayers right now. We need a broad comprehensive immigration reform approach, which we have not been able to achieve yet in Congress; that's the goal. So [we need to] keep the border strong, but at the same time, we need strong and comprehensive immigration reform.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 2.5 percent over the last 12 months as of August, and the effects of seasonal patterns were removed from the equation. Many in the U.S. are struggling as wage increases have not been keeping up with price increases. Sanders said the contributing issue is not the current administration but “corporate greed” in addition to supply chain issues.
“In the beginning when we saw inflation take off, there was an understanding — I think correctly — that it had to do with the war in Ukraine and had to do with broken supply chains from China, etc,” Sanders said. “I think what people and economists increasingly understand [is] that today, it has everything to do with corporate greed. So you take a look at where people are paying increased prices, find out the profits that those industries are now experiencing, and as often as not, you're going to see record breaking profits while they raise their prices. So I think the issue of corporate greed, the issue of concentration of ownership in industry after industry [is part of the problem]. Whether it is the food industry, whether it's financial services, whether it's agriculture — you're seeing fewer and fewer very, very large conglomerates control those industries. And when you do that, you can engage in price fixing, if you like, and raise prices to an unconscionable level. That I think is a major factor.”
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in 2022, U.S. prices across all drugs — both brand-name and generic — were almost 2.78 times higher than the prices in comparison countries. Brand-name drugs were 3.22 times higher than comparison countries. Sanders is currently the chairman of the Senate Health Committee, and he said they have been working to make prescription more affordable for Americans.
“We have had some progress in recent years,” Sander said. “If you look at where the American people are coming from, what they believe is they are sick and tired of paying by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. I have made two trips in my career from the United States over the Canadian border with Americans, and we were able to purchase the same exact product … for 1/10 the price compared to what it was sold for in the United States. What we have managed to do in recent years is cut the price of insulin very substantially for seniors. So right now, if you're a senior on Medicare, you're not going to pay more than $35 a month. What we've also been able to do… if you're on Medicare, no matter how many prescription drugs you are taking, you're not going to pay more than $2,000 a year out of pocket. That's a big deal.”
Sanders credited the Biden administration for a first that he said is going to make a huge difference in prescription prices.
“Medicare is now negotiating prescription drug prices. Now the reason that prices in this country are so much higher is that every other country negotiates prices. We don’t,” Sanders said. “I think the end result of that will be lower prices. …I have legislation, which… basically says that, in the United States, we should not be paying prices any higher than the average prices all over the world. So there's a lot to be done. We're making a little bit of progress, but much more has to be done.”
