The U.S. has done big things before. We can do it again.
Poll workers are counting primary votes. Candidates have amassed enough delegates to secure their party’s nominations. And the American public—and the world—are bracing for what's next.
You might be wondering: What is Oxfam, the global organization fighting inequality to end poverty and injustice, doing as we approach the 2024 US elections?
The truth is that every day matters in our mission to create a more equal future—but some days matter more. Our political debates and decisions in the U.S. have global ramifications, so it’s our responsibility to make choices that advance justice and equality for all. This is a moment that we must all rise to meet—together.
There's an inequality crisis on the ballot—and the 2024 elections will be a decisive moment for a range of issues that are core to Oxfam’s mission.
It’s now or never to take decisive climate action
The super-rich and the fossil fuel industry are wrecking our climate, and the next president will have to lead the fight to solve the climate crisis in bold and unapologetic ways. The world sits on the cusp of breaching the 1.5 Celsius target to prevent catastrophic climate change. But the U.S. has done big things before—and we can do it again.
We want the next president and our elected officials to:
- Commit to a national climate plan, funded by wealthy polluters, that rapidly phases out fossil fuels and carbon pollution and prioritizes economic, racial, and gender justice
- Support the Environmental Justice for All Act to fund public health initiatives in communities on the frontlines of environmental pollution.
- Scale up U.S. assistance to lower-income countries affected by climate change and invest in clean energy technologies to help countries transition off dirty fossil fuels.
- Do not approve any new Liquefied Methane Gas exportation facilities that dramatically increase climate pollution and have devastating consequences for surrounding communities.
- Read more of Oxfam’s climate action proposals.
Fight for economic, gender, and racial justice for families—and tax the rich
Billionaires are living it up as levels of wealth concentration in the U.S. soar. Meanwhile the fight against global poverty has stalled, and the U.S. is failing its caregivers and care workers. But the U.S. has done big things before—and we can do it again.
We want the next president and our elected officials to:
- Deliver a tax agenda that aggressively tackles extreme concentrations of wealth and reduces inequality, including a wealth tax on the richest multi-millionaires and billionaires.
- Permanently expand the child tax credit (CTC), including an increase in the amount for each child and making the credit fully refundable.
- Raise the federal minimum wage and end all minimum wage exclusions so that all workers can thrive.
- Enact policies that support caregivers in the workplace: comprehensive paid family and medical leave and flexible schedules.
- Read more of Oxfam’s economic and racial justice proposals.
Reverse global hunger trends and demand dignity for people in crisis
The fight for dignity at our southern border and around the world continues as many are forced to leave their homes. Worsening hunger and looming famines are but one consequence of the climate crisis and devastating conflict. But the U.S. has done big things before—and we can do it again.
We want the next president and our elected officials to:
- Change U.S. policy to end the conflict in Gaza by forging a permanent ceasefire, bringing home the hostages, restoring basic services along with commercial activities and humanitarian assistance, and rebuilding what was destroyed
- Shift U.S. policies to generate substantially more pressure on the Government of Israel to refrain from violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including by bringing a swift end to the occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory
- Maintain strong, robust funding for global food security and hunger programs that provide aid in response to disasters as well as long-term support to build resilient communities.
- Restore and expand access to asylum and humanitarian protection for people seeking safety in the U.S.
- Read more of Oxfam’s humanitarian response proposals.
Defend reproductive freedom
Laws and policies restricting access to abortion services violate the human rights of people who can become pregnant. Inequalities in our healthcare systems are deepening across race, gender, and class, and the impact will fall hardest on those already struggling to get by. But the U.S. has done big things before—and we can do it again.
We want the next president and our elected officials to:
- Protect the rights of people who become pregnant by supporting the right to legal, safe, and accessible abortion.
Protect voting rights
Voters of color are systematically disenfranchised through racist policies that block their access to the ballot box. From gerrymandering that dilutes the Black vote to voter ID laws, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian Americans face systemic barriers to voting. But the U.S. has done big things before—and we can do it again.
We want the next president and our elected officials to:
- End barriers to voting that disproportionately affect communities of color and efforts to reduce the power of those communities by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
The path to a more equal future must pass through ballot boxes at every level of U.S. government. That means we must mobilize more people to demand pro-poor, pro-environment, pro-justice, and pro-equality policies again and again and again until the future of justice, equality, and prosperity that we deserve is finally here.