Roots of the militarization of local police departments extend back to the 1997 National Defense Authorization Act and the creation of the 1033 Program, or Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) Program. It authorized the Department of Defense to transfer excess military equipment, vehicles, and other supplies to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the expansion of the Global War on Terror, these transfers intensified over terrorism fears. Manufacturers also began marketing military-grade equipment directly to local police departments. Training programs for police departments increasingly adopted a “warrior” ethos and combat tactics.
Matt is fighting to demilitarize the police. The forever war is over but its impacts are still felt in communities around the country. It is time to end the forever war at home, too.
End the 1033 Program which transfers military surplus equipment to police departments at no cost
Reclaim the controlled equipment still under ownership of the Department of Defense, like vehicles, and redeploy them to our ally in Kyiv for the defense of Ukraine
Place restrictions on federal grant programs which fund equipment purchases
Condition federal funding contingent on local police demilitarization efforts
Provide federal funding for community policing models which show positive results over militarization
Additional transparency requirements for the acquisition and tracking of equipment transfers
The budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs increased over 6x since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001. Yet it persistently faces multi-billion dollar funding shortfalls. To compound the issue, the VA is hampered by long-standing mismanagement.
The current administration, however, exacerbated matters with cuts of nearly 28,000 employees, or roughly 6 percent of agency staff, over the course of 2025. It resulted in the loss of 2,700 nurses, 1,000 medical officers, and 1,000 psychologists and social workers, and 1,800 administrative staff focused on veterans’ claims for benefits. A Senate report found the cuts to be even more steep: 40,000 employees; 88 percent of whom were health care staff.
Since May 2025, over 10,000 veterans lost their homes to foreclosure because the Trump administration killed a VA home loan program. The result: the highest pace of foreclosures for VA loans in a decade.
Staffing shortages through 2025 show 52,652 vacancies. Veterans who need care will not receive it.
These cuts reflect a long-running disregard and disrespect for servicemembers, veterans, and their families.
He’s disrespected prisoners of war. He improperly spent $2.82 million in funds raised for veterans charities on his campaign. He repeatedly insulted a Gold Star family with vile insults of the parents of a fallen U.S. soldier. An annual Vietnam veterans ceremony had to be relocated for the military parade on his birthday. His unqualified personal lawyer denigrated veterans fired from federal jobs as “not fit to have a job at this moment.” On multipleoccasions, he refused to honor fallen U.S. soldiers.
Matt respects the service of our veterans and is fighting to honor a debt we can never repay in full. Matt’s father was nominated to West Point by Oakland Congressman Ron Dellums in 1974. His uncle John served in the 173rd Airborne in Vietnam. He grew up with a particular reverence for the military with a strong desire to serve—even offered a ROTC scholarship out of high school but deferred for family and financial reasons.
Restore VA budget cuts and expand funding to reach proper staffing levels
Restructured benefit payouts to keep up with inflation
Fund suicide prevention programs to combat the crisis of struggling veterans with telehealth for veterans in disparate regions and an increase in mental health services at VA facilities
Pass the Saving Our Veterans Lives Act to add barriers when a veteran is in crisis
Expand funding for the Housing and Urban Development Department’s VA Supportive Housing program and similar initiatives for rental assistance and services to homeless veterans
Expand G.I. Bill education benefits, job training programs, and hiring preferences in the workforce
Pass the Military Spouse Hiring Act to combat high unemployment as a result of the demands of military life on spouses
Increase payouts to family members caring for severely injured veterans and funding for greater access to in-home care
Pass the Innovative Therapies Centers of Excellence Act for veterans to access groundbreaking treatments and therapies through psychedelics to study impact
In his first campaign for president, Donald Trump sought to tap the American people’s growing dissatisfaction with foreign interventions. Afghanistan lingered for another five years. Iraq was fought under false pretenses. Operations in Libya, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, and more. With help from the press, Trump continues to be described as an isolationist. A dove.Anti-war.
Yet he campaigned on a promise to commit human rightsviolations and to “bomb every inch” and “leave nothing left.” Once he became president, drone strikes ratcheted up. It tripled in the first couple months. It escalated from there. A botched special operations raid in Yemen. Unlawful strikes against Syria and Iran.
His return to the presidency brought with it more illegal strikes against Iran, murder in the Caribbean. Abduction of the leader of a sovereign power. It culminated with an unconstitutional regime change war with Iran. The impact of which is unknown.
Matt is fighting to put an end to Donald Trump’s reckless and illegal foreign aggression. These actions damage the reputation of the United States on the international stage. These actions are potentially destabilizing in their respective regions. These actions are illegal.
Housing is too expensive. It is a financial strain that this administration made clear it has no intention to alleviate. Studies show it is a primary driver of houselessness: “high in urban areas where rents are high and homelessness rises when rents rise.” Recent data shows the median age of a first-time homebuyer is now 40 years old for the first time in history. The median age of all homebuyers jumped from 49 to 59, another record high.
Estimates on housing inventory show a shortfall which estimates range from 2.8 million to 6.5 million homes. Data from cities like Austin, Sarasota, and Berkeley showed that when housing supply is increased through a construction boom, housing prices go down.
Prices for housing construction materials increased significantly over the past year. Upward pressure by inflation, exacerbated by this administration’s belligerent tariff regime, pushes housing costs up. The need for sustainable living spaces which require more expensive components also plays a role.
A 2025 study into the costs of multifamily housing construction found California to be the most expensive state. Higher cost per square foot and 22 month longer development timelines than Texas.
Matt will fight for federal investment in housing construction, assistance for and incentives to sell to first-time homebuyers, and put an end to these disastrous tariffs. As a renter, Matt knows the difficulty searching for affordable housing first-hand. Both he and his wife grew up in homes their parents owned. Yet, like many families, homeownership is out of reach for them.
Put the power of the federal government behind a nationwide effort to build millions of more affordable housing.
Federal housing construction program to build millions of affordable and sustainable homes
Work with state and local authorities on zoning reform, reduce permit wait times and fee burdens while maintaining labor protections and environmental standards
Adopt sustainable smart growth strategies with housing and retail developed in and near transit hubs to create walkable communities
Revoke the disastrous tariffs which increase the cost of building materials like timber from Canada
Invest in apprenticeships and training programs to shore up labor shortages
Federal downpayment assistance to first-time homebuyers
Provide financial incentives for developers and homeowners to sell to first-time homebuyers
Restrict ownership of housing properties by large LLCs
Passed and signed into law in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force provided the Executive wide latitude to conduct counter-terror operations for over twenty years. The authorization identifies no specific enemy, determines no specific geographic location, and fails to provide a list of permissible operations or to what extent.
Matt is fighting to repeal the 2001 AUMF and return war powers to the Congress. The 2001 AUMF enables the Executive Branch to undertake open-ended conflicts without seeking congressional approval or oversight. Administrations across both parties used the 2001 AUMF to justify use of force in many countries—Afghanistan, Iraq (operations against ISIS and Al-Qaeda-linked groups), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kenya, Libya, the Philippines, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.
