A Fair Deal for Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District

At too many churches, we often hear the same story every Sunday. Grandmothers watch their grandchildren grow up on FaceTime instead of in the pews beside them. Too often the children of Mississippi leave home for better jobs in Dallas, Atlanta, and DC. We celebrate everyone who stayed, but we shouldn't have to choose between opportunity and home. Mississippi can compete with Georgia and Texas—but only if we have a real plan to bring our young people back and give them reasons to stay.

In Congress, Evan will fight to:

• Cancel $10,000/year student debt relief for anyone working full-time in underserved areas (up to $50,000)

• Create federal tax credit for state and local taxes up to $10,000/year (up to $50,000)

• Double credit for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (forgiveness in 5 years instead of 10)

• Provide up to $50,000 down payment support for first-time homebuyers

• Make remote work the default for federal employees—live in Mississippi, work anywhere

The world changed after COVID. Remote work is here to stay. Good jobs, telehealth appointments, online classes—they all require fast, reliable internet. But across the Delta and in Black neighborhoods, families still struggle with slow speeds and service that cuts out when they need it most. Meanwhile, telecom corporations pocket millions while breaking their promises to upgrade our infrastructure. Internet access should work like electricity: essential, affordable, and available to everyone, everywhere.

In Congress, Evan will fight to:

• Provide $20/month high-speed internet everywhere (free for families on Medicaid or SNAP)

• End digital redlining to ensure Black neighborhoods, rural communities, and the Delta get the same speeds as wealthier areas

• Break up and regulate cheating telecom companies by enforcing antitrust laws, capping junk fees, and allowing more community fiber networks

Thirty-three years ago, when Evan’s mother was pregnant with him, she refused to move to Cleveland in the Delta where his father lived. There wasn't a single OB/GYN in Bolivar County. She wasn't going to risk being two hours from her doctor in Jackson. Thank God she stayed: she was in fact hospitalized due to complications with her pregnancy with him. Three decades later, entire counties in Mississippi still don't have the maternal care families need. Black mothers here die from pregnancy and childbirth at three times the rate of white mothers. This is a crisis—and it's a choice. We can choose to leave mothers behind, or we can choose to say: No Moms Left Behind. Not one. Not in our district. Not on Evan’s watch.

In Congress, Evan will fight to:

• Fund mobile maternal health units, providing for fully-equipped medical RVs serving rural areas with free prenatal care, ultrasounds, and screening

• Create a community doula program to fund trained, paid doulas providing free support for every mother who wants these services

• Secure rural hospital maternity grants to keep maternity units open

• Provide 12 months of Medicaid coverage postpartum

• Fund a postpartum home nurse program with twice-weekly visits in the first month after birth

While Brett Favre got millions in TANF money for a volleyball stadium, working families in Mississippi kept struggling to pay rent and put food on the table. That scandal was a slap in the face to every person in this state who plays by the rules and works hard. Meanwhile, billionaires keep getting tax cuts from Washington while families here can't afford their prescriptions. Enough. It’s time working people got their fair share.

In Congress, Evan will fight to expand President Biden’s child tax credit from up to $300/month for every child to up to $300/month for every child and every adult.

Examples:

• Single worker: $3,600/year

• Single parent, 2 kids: $10,800/year

• Married couple, 3 kids: $18,000/year

We've been waiting for out-of-state corporations to save us. They haven't come. They won't come. And we shouldn't be racing to the bottom, giving away our tax dollars to corporations that don't care about Mississippi. It's time we stopped waiting and started building. We'll train our people for good jobs. We'll support our small businesses, not corporate monopolies. We'll employ Mississippians to take care of each other—saving mothers and babies, connecting communities, serving our veterans. This is Mississippi taking care of Mississippi. When we invest in our own people instead of waiting on corporations, Mississippi Works.

In Congress, Evan will fight to:

• Establish paid training programs in healthcare, broadband installation, infrastructure, childcare, and elder care

• Establish a minimum annual salary of $40,000 with benefits for all full-time federal jobs

• Create new field offices for federal agencies (FTC, VA, Social Security, USDA, HHS) in Jackson and Delta cities in order to create permanent federal jobs

• Ensure at least 50% of infrastructure contracts go to Mississippi small businesses

• Create a Main Street Loan Fund of $100M for low-interest loans to small businesses and nonprofits in the district annually

• Fund jobs in the nonprofit sector addressing maternal health, healthcare deserts, and elder care