Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Unemployment relief from The CARES Act - a popular and bipartisan solution - was a key lifeline not just for our families but also for small businesses.
I grew up in a household where a missed day of work meant bills were not paid, I've lived through the stress that confronts many South Carolina families.
Our goal should be to protect our borders and our national security, while instituting humane policies that reflect our values as a nation of immigrants.
I headed off to Yale, and eventually Georgetown Law, but I never forgot where I came from. I came back to South Carolina to teach 9th grade social studies.
State governments should not have to compete in bidding contests against each other in order to get the necessary supplies to protect and help their citizens.
No parent should have to choose between their job and caring for their child, and no person should miss valuable moments with their loved ones because of work.
Our country was built upon the idea that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can achieve the 'American dream' and create a better future for your children.
No one helped my grandparents when a con man stole our house, or when I needed help paying for a plane ticket to get to college. But my community always had my back.
I was born to a single mother and often struggled to find my next meal. With the right opportunities from public education and mentors, I achieved the American dream.
Too many people have lost their lives, particularly in the African-American community, for the right to vote. I stand in their shadows and I am standing on their shoulders.
Folks here in South Carolina want someone with a backbone, with a spine. Someone who's going to stand up for them and their families, regardless of who's in the White House.
With a common-sense approach, we can reduce waste, fraud and abuse, cut back on unnecessary bureaucracy and provide for the pillars of a strong economy and life in our state.
I think for young people, there are so many issues, not only student loan debt but health care and all these various issues that I believe can impact the quality of your life.
No, I absolutely do not support defunding the police. But it's clear we have been investing too much in force and need to reinvest in understanding and serving our communities.
Caring about the long-term vibrancy of our coasts means transitioning ambitiously to cleaner energy, which would spur job growth in high-paying industries and cut air pollution.
Growing up in Orangeburg, I didn't know that I lived in the 'corridor of shame.' I was the son of a single mom who learned to read from comic books. My grandparents helped raise me.
HBCUs have been a bedrock of the Black community since their founding, evolving into institutions of prodigious scholarship and activism, and educating African-Americans nationwide.
I can tell you as a black person in South Carolina whose grandparents grew up through Jim Crow, when you lose the courts and justice no longer becomes just, we're in a world of trouble.
Lindsey Graham has wavered on this, but I won't: We need to ban offshore drilling. A spill off our beaches would destroy jobs and harm the coastal environment that makes South Carolina beautiful.
The coronavirus is not causing our health care problems in South Carolina. But it will likely make them worse - and increase the burden on working people - if we don't take action in a decisive way.
They didn't have a lot, but my grandparents taught me the important stuff: that hard work and character, matter. When I got my acceptance (and scholarship) to college, it felt like a dream come true.
Hillary Clinton, who followed her heart to Arkansas, understands that the American Dream extends beyond the Mason-Dixon line and that South Carolina's motto, 'While I breathe, I hope,' applies to all.
Listen, I have lived the American dream, which is something that I am deeply proud of and something that I believe every child in South Carolina or across the country should have the opportunity to do.
To campaign in the South is a unique cultural experience. You go into the little church facilities and meet people, or you go to a spaghetti supper, and it's about talking and hugging and shaking hands.
The reality is that front-line workers like restaurant servers, bus drivers and retail store clerks - whose jobs require person-to-person interactions - do not have the luxury of being able to 'work from home.'
When I think about our HBCUs, I think of icons like my mentor Jim Clyburn, a South Carolina State graduate, who fought against discrimination and segregation, and continues to champion for civil rights and equality.
I want to make sure that every kid, every young boy and young girl in this country gets the opportunity to live their American dream. That's what the role of being in Congress and being a United States senator is all about.
I support DACA, which prevents the deportation of undocumented immigrants who came to America as children. Congress should cement this program into law by supporting the DREAM Act, which has overwhelming bipartisan support.
I know what it's like to dig in the couches to find a quarter or two to pull together so you can get a gallon of gas and your grandfather can go to work. That is not something defined by whether you're a Democrat or Republican.
Am I a Democrat? Yes, I'm a Democrat. But at the end of the day, when I take the oath as a senator it won't be to do the bidding of the Democratic Party or a president in the White House. I will be there to fight for the people of South Carolina.
I'm hoping that college students and young professionals in general will pay very close attention to what is being said by both parties and all the candidates in the parties and pick the best person that best reflects the values that we all have.
Democrats believe in a New South because no matter your race, immigration status, income, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, we all have the same aspirations for high-quality education, jobs, neighborhoods, health care, and retirement.
Every February, we reflect on and honor the achievements, struggles, and icons that comprise Black history. As a proud, Black man running for office and raising two young, Black boys in the South, I am acutely aware that I stand on the shoulders of giants.
I know what it's like to lose your home. I know what it's like to be hungry. I know what it's like to lose a family member because of a lack of health care. So all of these things aren't just political issues for me. All of these things are personal to me.
Listen, running against Senator Graham is indeed a tough climb, but it is equally a hill worth climbing. I've faced things people have deemed impossible my entire life, and this is yet another journey where I prove that in America, the impossible is always possible.
My entire life, people have told me that I couldn't do certain things. They told me I couldn't go to college. They told me I couldn't go to Yale, Georgetown, couldn't end up doing much on Capitol Hill. Couldn't be party chair. And my response has always been, 'Watch me.'
America can win the global energy race of the future, but only if we act boldly. We can and should seize the massive economic opportunity of leading the world in clean energy, by making investments that would create countless high-paying jobs and clean up our air and water in the process.
For centuries, our country has welcomed people fleeing religious persecution, war and humanitarian crises to create a better future for themselves and their futures. With proper safeguards in place, we should offer refuge to some migrants with legitimate fears of persecution and violence.
With a crisis as complex as coronavirus, multiple government agencies and departments are involved in responding. There needs to be one qualified and experienced person who will make sure every relevant cabinet secretary, agency director and policy advisor are on the same page - day in and day out.
I grew up in Orangeburg, South Carolina, which has the proud distinction of being the home to two of the eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the state: South Carolina State University and Claflin University. When I was a kid riding around town with my grandfather, we often drove by the colleges.
The American Dream is alive and well for some, but not all Americans. Here in South Carolina, rural hospitals are closing, schools are underfunded, and our coasts are threatened by offshore drilling. We need a Senator who's fighting to improve the lives of South Carolinians rather than focusing on interests in Washington D.C.