Issues
Issues
Abortion & Reproductive Healthcare
Now more than ever, we need more women on the frontlines defending our rights and our freedom. As the mother of a daughter, Filler-Corn has always defended a woman’s right to choose. And she’s been at the forefront of the fight for reproductive health care for well over a decade.
In 2012, Eileen helped lead the charge against the Republican transvaginal ultrasound bill and led the successful fight against HB1, the “personhood” bill that threatened contraception and IVF. Then, in 2017, she wrote and passed HB2267, the first women’s reproductive health care bill to pass the General Assembly in a decade, requiring insurance coverage for a full year of hormonal contraceptives at one time.
In 2020, as Speaker of the House, Eileen led the House to roll back right-wing abortion restrictions, including repealing TRAP laws, an unnecessary ultrasound requirement, and a 24-hour waiting period mandate. As the next Congresswoman, she’ll stand up to Donald Trump, block his national abortion ban, and fight to codify Roe to protect reproductive rights.
Democracy & Voting Rights
Eileen knows all our voices should be heard, and protecting our democracy is pivotal. Under her speakership, the Commonwealth implemented eight new voting rights expansion measures, including same-day voter registration and expanded absentee voting, making voting more accessible for all eligible voters to cast their ballots. This moved Virginia from 49th in ease of voting to 12th in the country. Now, Virginia has the most progressive voting laws in the South.
In Congress, Eileen will continue the fight to strengthen our democracy, working to restore the Voting Rights Act.
Gun Violence Prevention
The fight for gun violence prevention is what got Eileen into advocacy in the first place. After she was carjacked with her young children, she got involved in advocating for security improvements at that location. She became a lead organizer for the Million Mom March, the largest gun violence prevention movement of its time. And when her sister survived a workplace mass shooting that left seven coworkers dead, her resolve to prevent gun violence increased even more.
As Speaker, Eileen led the charge to pass the country’s most transformative gun violence prevention legislation, including the expansion of background checks, mandatory lost or stolen firearm reporting, and a red flag law to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals who were a threat to themselves or others. The legislation she passed in Virginia became a model for the federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
In Congress, Eileen will continue the fight for commonsense gun safety reform and fight to pass a federal assault weapons ban to keep us safe. Her advocacy is why she’s endorsed by gun safety advocates, survivors, and leaders, including Fred Guttenberg, Andy Parker, Lori Haas, Martina Leinz, Andrew Goddard, Donna Dees-Thomases, Peter Read, and Lisette Johnson.
Economy
Eileen knows many families still feel like they are struggling to make ends meet — whether it’s for groceries or the cost of a home. And while wages are up and unemployment is down, not everyone is benefitting from the economic recovery — we still have a long way to go. Eileen believes we must continue to fight to lower costs — from implementing historic legislation to lower prescription drugs costs, health insurance premiums, and clean energy costs, to taking on hidden junk fees that companies use to rip off consumers, to calling on large corporations to pass on to consumers the savings they have been seeing for months now.
As Speaker, Eileen led the commonwealth to do better by workers at the same time Virginia was the best state in the country for business. She led the House to finally legalize public sector collective bargaining and increased the minimum wage for working families. In Congress, she will continue to fight to make living in this country more affordable — from implementing legislation to lower prescription drug costs to finally raising the federal minimum wage.
Environment & Climate Change
Climate change is the existential threat of our time. As a mom, Eileen worries about what kind of planet we are leaving to our children. That is why, as Speaker, she led the successful effort to put Virginia on a pathway to carbon neutrality and oversaw efforts for the Commonwealth to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a regional agreement between Atlantic Coast states to reduce energy consumption.
This should be simple: every family deserves access to clean air, safe drinking water, and a healthy planet. In Congress, Eileen will fight for legislation to do just that. We must build a smart power grid, transition away from fossil fuels, clean up hazardous waste, remove toxic chemicals from our drinking water, and so much more.
Healthcare
Eileen grew up with a mother who suffered from multiple sclerosis, so ensuring everyone has access to quality, affordable healthcare is personal for her. She has long advocated for Medicaid expansion and, in 2018, as part of House Democratic leadership, helped lead efforts to persuade the Republican-controlled Assembly to expand Medicaid. Her personal approach, speaking to Republican members directly about how the legislation could improve the lives of their constituents helped add to the momentum it needed to become a reality. Thanks to that effort, over 750,000 additional Virginians now have access to Medicaid. Eileen also worked to require insurance companies to offer coverage for pre-existing conditions like diabetes and heart disease and prevent them from overcharging for lifesaving medicines like insulin.
Eileen knows we need a new approach to healthcare that drives competition, lowers prices, and provides better patient outcomes. As the next Congresswoman, she will support a public option to compete with private insurance and drive down costs for everyone. She will also support legislation to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical and medical device companies and allow the reimportation of FDA-approved pharmaceuticals from Canada, saving money and improving access to much-needed medical treatment.
Transportation
It is rare for a Speaker of the House to sponsor legislation personally, but Eileen carried the Omnibus Transportation Bill in 2020 personally because she knew how important it was for our Northern Virginia communities. Over four years, that legislation provided about $1 billion to improve highways and railways.
It also created the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, establishing a way for the Commonwealth to own and manage rail infrastructure and allowing for funding of the Long Bridge project, which will better connect Virginia to the DMV region and Amtrak’s Northeast corridor. Eileen also brought over $50 million a year in additional transportation funding to Northern Virginia and helped improve WMATA funding to make projects like the Silver Line expansion a reality. In Congress, Eileen will be a leader on transportation issues, supporting Virginia’s infrastructure and working with partners in D.C. and Maryland to keep us connected to the region.
Foreign Policy
Eileen believes American security and prosperity are enhanced when the United States leads. In Congress, she will stand with our democratic allies that are threatened worldwide. She supports policies that reaffirm our treaty obligations and NATO commitments and believes we must make it clear that the US will defend our allies and honor our treaty obligations without exception.
Eileen knows the United States’ global power comes from our military strength and diplomatic and international aid programs equally. That’s why she believes we must invest more in diplomacy, development, and addressing the climate crisis — all of which are essential for sustaining our national security in a competitive world.
Our world is more connected than ever, which means there is more pressure than ever for the U.S. to be a global leader on these critical issues — our international credibility depends on it. In Congress, Eileen will be a leader in foreign policy, including the modernization of our national security, diplomatic and humanitarian funding, and issues related to peace and security.
Education
As a mom and former PTA board member, Eileen has long prioritized our teachers, students, and public schools. As Speaker, Eileen led passage of an historic teacher pay raise so the best and brightest are teaching our kids, secured nearly $90 million to get more counselors and nurses in our schools, and invested in higher education. Working closely with Governor Northam, Eileen sponsored the bill that created the “G3” program, which makes tuition-free community college available to low- and middle-income students.
Social Security & Medicare
Seniors should not be forced to pick between essential needs like food, shelter, and necessary medication for their well-being. Eileen believes that a dignified retirement is essential to the American Dream, and its cornerstone lies in two enduring institutions tasked with making that dream a reality: Medicare and Social Security. In Congress, Eileen will work to keep that dream alive for seniors, Americans with disabilities, and future generations. She will fight back against right-wing plans to privatize Social Security and stand strong against a reduction in benefits or an increase in the retirement age. She will also work to protect the Medicare trust fund and ensure it remains solvent for future generations.
Rural
As Speaker of the House, Eileen Filler-Corn delivered for all Virginians, including those in rural communities. She believes that the challenges we face as a nation aren’t limited just to big cities or their suburbs – housing affordability, access to healthcare, and expanding broadband access are fights we must face together. In Congress, she work with rural communities to tackle their concerns head-on. Geography doesn’t change what our greatest challenges are as a nation.
Justice
Eileen has always had the courage to stand up for what’s right for Virginia, even when facing tough odds. As Speaker, she removed confederate statues from the statehouse, took action against election deniers, updated law enforcement standards for training on sensitivity and awareness of racism, passed sentencing reform, increased police transparency, ended no-knock warrants, and much more. These actions brought numerous threats against her from those who did not want change – there are even two white supremacists who are now in federal prison after plotting to assassinate her.
Human Rights
Before Eileen was Speaker of the House, Virginia did not explicitly protect LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination. Eileen righted that wrong and led the House to pass the Virginia Values Act, making the Commonwealth the first state in the South to adopt comprehensive non-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ+ community. She oversaw efforts to modernize Virginia’s HIV criminalization laws, create transgender-inclusive school policies, ban the practice of “conversion therapy,” prohibit the use of LGBTQ+ panic defense, and passed extensive anti-discrimination measures.
As Speaker, she helped lead the effort to make Virginia the critical 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Now, the only thing stopping the ERA from becoming the 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution is an arbitrary deadline that Congress can remove. In Congress, she will do just that, removing the arbitrary deadline to finally make the ERA the law of the land, and will continue her fight for LGBTQ+ Americans.