Beto O'Rourke and Julian Castro: Where the 2020 Democratic candidates stand on the issues
One of the two Texans vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination immediately burst from the starting line to the head of the pack, only to stall and fall to the middle. The other adopted a marathon runner’s pace he hopes will carry him to the front over the course of a long campaign.
So let’s examine the issues former El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke and former cabinet secretary and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro have staked out in their quest for the right to take on Republican President Donald Trump.
Immigration
Castro in April 2019 unveiled an ambitious plan to deal with the immigration and humanitarian crisis at the nation’s southern border.
MORE:Democratic debate: What to know before Texas candidates take the stage
Key to the proposal is what the former San Antonio mayor calls a “Marshall Plan for Central America” modeled on the massive U.S. aid package designed by then-Secretary of State George Marshall to help rebuild western Europe after World War II.
Other components of Castro’s immigration plan include decriminalizing unauthorized border crossing, overhauling and reorganizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and eliminating privately run “for profit” detention centers that house undocumented immigrants.
The plan would also provide a path to citizenship for children who entered into and live in the United States with their parents who did not have documentation.
MORE:Julian Castro touts immigration plan at rally on same day Trump visits San Antonio
O’Rourke, who came within 2.6 percentage points of unseating Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, laid out his immigration plan in late May. The plan, among other things, would stop President Donald Trump’s border wall.
It also suggests working with Congress to establish a citizenship pathway for millions of undocumented immigrants, including “Dreamers” who were brought to the country as kids.
MORE:2020 Election: Democratic Candidate Beto O'Rourke unveils sweeping immigration reform plan
The plan would up the number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection staff at ports of entry to reduce wait times and combat drug smuggling. The plan would also look to add judges, court interpreters and court staff to streamline the asylum process.
Education
Just as he did as mayor of San Antonio, Castro calls for universal prekindergarten for the nation’s 3- and 4-year-olds. He acknowledged the program would carry significant costs, but says the price tag would pay dividends down the road.
“For every dollar we invest in early childhood education, we see up to $9 in return on investment,” Castro said. “Investing in early childhood education isn’t just the right thing to do on behalf of our children, it’s an investment that we can’t afford not to make.”
Other features of his education plan include tuition-free public higher education at tax-supported colleges, universities and technical and vocational learning centers.
For those carrying existing debt from student loans, Castro said he would overhaul the repayment process “to ensure that payment is not expected until the investment of higher education begins to pay off for the borrower and so that student loan debt does not impede major life choices.
MORE:5 takeaways from Beto's speech during the 2020 presidential campaign rally in El Paso
O’Rourke hasn’t laid out a specific plan to tackle education, but he has said he’s for increasing federal dollars for public schools in low-income areas. He also said he supports universal pre-K, increased teacher pay and debt-free college education during an El Paso rally.
Economy
A key pillar in Castro's plan for the economy is a multi-pronged proposal the former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development calls "People First Housing."
That includes establishing a refundable tax credit for Americans whose rent payments take up 30 percent or more of their income. He also wants to boost construction of affordable housing by increasing the Housing Trust Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund by at least $45 billion a year.
He would also cut premiums for FHA-backed mortgages to boost access to affordable mortgages and make home ownership more affordable.
O’Rourke -- calling small businesses the “backbone of America’s economy” -- has a small business plan centered on advancing women and minority-owned small businesses.
In the plan, O’Rourke vows to create more than 200,000 new women and minority-owned small businesses by the end of his second term.
The plan includes tripling the funding to the Minority Business Development Agency and changing the tax code to make it more supportive of small business owners.
MORE:What Beto O'Rourke and Julian Castro must do to shine in the first Democratic debate
Healthcare
Castro is among the Democrats who favors “Medicare for all,” which would allow Americans of all ages to buy into the Great Society era federal program that provides health coverage paid largely by the government.
"It’s time for Medicare for All -- universal health care for every American,” Castro tweeted on the day he announced for president in January 2019.
On Facebook in 2018, O’Rourke maintained “single-payer Medicare-for-all program is the best way to ensure all Americans get the healthcare they need." Later, he said it was “one option” toward universal healthcare.
In Iowa in March 2019, he expressed support for a plan called “Medicare for America,” according to The Texas Tribune.
MORE:Democratic debate No. 1: What you need to know
Energy/Environment
O’Rourke’s plan to address climate change was his first policy proposal in his presidential run. The proposal outlines a four prong approach to combat what O’Rourke called “the greatest threat we face.”
In the plan, O’Rourke would use executive action to re-enter the Paris Agreement. Trump announced in 2017 that the U.S. was withdrawing. O’Rourke also calls on the mobilization of $5 million over 10 years for investment in infrastructure and innovation in areas like energy, water, agriculture and industry.
Another pillar of O’Rourke’s plan is achieving net zero emissions by 2050, and getting halfway there by 2030. Finally, O’Rourke’s plan outlines a need to “defend” communities as they prep for and combat extreme weather, like fires, floods, droughts and hurricanes.
Castro is a proponent of the United States rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, which Trump has pulled out of, to reduce greenhouse gases worldwide in the effort to slow the rising of Earth's temperature.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that we have to choose between growing our economy and protecting our planet. We can fight climate change and create great jobs here in America,” Castro said in his announcement speech.
Castro supports expanding federal funding for clean-energy research, but he is not anti-fossil fuel.
As mayor, he was a major booster of the economic gains that came to San Antonio and nearby communities during the fracking boom in the oil- and gas-rich Eagle Ford Shale.
MORE:Poll: What do Democrats want to hear about at the debates? (Hint: It's not Trump.)
Military, veterans and 'war tax'
O’Rourke announced a veterans plan in June that includes bringing a “responsible end” to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In the plan, O’Rourke proposes that for every $2 dollars saved by ending the wars, $1 be invested into programs benefiting veterans.
The plan would also create Veterans Health Care Trust Fund for every war the country fights. A “war tax” would be paid by households without current or veteran Armed Force members, according to the plan.
MORE:Beto O'Rourke unveils plan for war tax to improve healthcare for military veterans
“This new tax would serve as a reminder of the incredible sacrifice made by those who serve and their families,” the plan states.
Other elements of the plan include increased funding by Congress for National Institutes of Health research of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia.
Castro has been less specific when it comes to foreign policy and the military, other than to say Trump's presidency has reduced America's standing in the world and has undermined the nation's traditional alliances.
"I would repair the damage that this president has done to alliances around the world that have helped keep us safer," he said during a CNN town hall discussion in April. "My first order of business would be to make sure that we repair those alliances.
“The country has a role to lead for the values that we believe in, for freedom, democracy, and opportunity. That doesn't mean that we entangle ourselves in wars. However, we need to reclaim our role as the world leader in standing up for things like human rights around the world.
Impeachment
O'Rourke showed support for beginning impeachment proceedings against Trump during a CNN Town Hall in May 2019.
Trump "invited the involvement of a foreign power in this democracy in 2016 and did everything in his power to obstruct the investigation into what has happened," O'Rourke said.
"If we do nothing because we’re afraid of the polls or the politics or the repercussions in the next election, then we would have set a precedent for this country that in fact some people, because of the position of power and public trust that they hold, are above the law," O'Rourke said.
Castro is among the Democrats calling for impeachment proceedings to begin in Congress.
"Congress has a constitutional duty to hold Donald Trump accountable if he broke the law," he said in a tweet last month. "Robert Mueller's report made it abundantly clear: the ball is now in Congress's court—it's time to begin impeachment proceedings.
Codell Rodriguez contributed to this report.
John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at jmoritz@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @JohnnieMo.
Eleanor Dearman covers the justice system and Texas politics. Consider supporting local journalism with a digital subscription to the Caller-Times.
MORE COVERAGE
Who is Beto O'Rourke? Get to know the 2020 presidential candidate
Julian Castro 2020: What you need (and want) to know about the presidential candidate
What you need to know about the 2020 election so far
When are the 2020 presidential election primaries?
Who is running for president in 2020? An interactive guide
Lots of debate about Democrats' 2020 debates
Why will Trump be in Orlando? Because Florida is the road to the White House