As a candidate for United States Senate in Oklahoma I believe candidates—AND elected officials—should stop blaming and finger pointing and become problem solvers of the issues taking a bite out of every day Americans. My problem solving plan is THE NEW FAIR DEAL.
The original Fair Deal, proposed by President Harry Truman in 1949, was built on a simple idea: every American deserves a fair chance at a good life. Truman pushed for national health insurance, stronger Social Security, civil rights protections, and major housing investments. Many of its most ambitious components were never enacted because of the opposition of conservative Republicans and southern Democrats, as well as the Korean War taking the focus off domestic issues. Although Senator Robert Taft (a conservative Republican and frequent Truman opponent) opposed most of Truman’s Fair Deal, he did play a major role in passing one of the most important pieces of Truman’s broader Fair Deal agenda: The Hill–Burton Act of 1946
This law, co‑sponsored by Republican Senator Robert Taft and Senator Lister Hill — was the single biggest healthcare achievement connected to Truman’s Fair Deal vision with bipartisan leadership. What Hill–Burton did:
Funded the construction of thousands of hospitals, especially in rural and underserved areas
Expanded medical facilities across the country
Required hospitals receiving funds to provide a “reasonable volume” of free or reduced‑cost care
Created the modern American hospital infrastructure that Truman later built on in the Fair Deal
Truman wanted universal health insurance, but Congress blocked it. Hill–Burton became the practical compromise — expanding access by building hospitals rather than creating a national insurance program. And Taft, despite opposing Truman on many issues, actively supported and helped pass Hill–Burton, making it one of the few major bipartisan healthcare expansions of the era. This can happen through Bringing America Together Again and bi-partisan cooperation.
Truman was on to something that addresses current needs in America. Today, families face updated versions of the same problems:
Stagnant wages and higher prices for everyday essentials
Housing shortages in rural, suburban, and urban communities
Health care costs that rise faster than wages
The New Fair Deal updates Truman’s vision for modern realities. It focuses on three pillars:
1. Affordable Living
2. Affordable Housing
3. Affordable Health Care
Each pillar includes clear policy proposals and specific funding mechanisms so voters understand how it works and how it’s paid for. In this article I present the first policy pillar.
POLICY PILLAR 1: AFFORDABLE LIVING
The Problem to be Solved: The rising cost of living outpaces wage gains for most Americans
Goal: Reduce the cost of everyday life and make work pay again.
Policy Components
1. Cost‑of‑Living Tax Credit
This is a refundable tax credit that helps families cover the biggest monthly bills:
Rent or mortgage
Childcare
Health insurance premiums
Utilities like electricity and water
Refundable means families receive the full value even if they owe little or no income tax — making it especially helpful for working‑class households. A refundable tax credit works by first reducing the amount of tax you owe, dollar for dollar. If the credit exceeds your tax liability the government pays you the leftover amount as a refund.
2. Wage and Labor Standards Modernization
This includes:
Raising the federal minimum wage so full‑time workers aren’t in poverty. A livable wage in Oklahoma in 2026 is $20.73 according to the MIT Livable Wage Calculator. Each state varies but federal wage law could be tailored so that each state’s minimum wage would need to be a livable wage in their state over a phased in number of years.
Enforcing overtime rules so workers are paid for extra hours. Misclassification of workers (exempt vs non-exempt) and requiring “off the clock work” must be stopped. As an employment lawyer I’ve handled many cases like this and it can be solved through education and enforcement.
Cracking down on wage theft, which costs workers billions each year
What We Mean by “Wage Theft” Wage theft happens when workers aren’t paid the money they’ve already earned under existing law. This includes unpaid overtime, forcing employees to work “off the clock,” illegal paycheck deductions, or misclassifying workers as contractors to avoid paying benefits. Wage theft and corporate violations can generate fines that fund stronger enforcement. This means the plan doesn’t require new taxes — it simply ensures that companies who break the law pay for the enforcement needed to stop it, while honest businesses are protected.
3. Targeted Anti–Price‑Gouging Authority
This focuses on markets where a few companies dominate — such as groceries, utilities, or prescription drugs — and prevents unjustified price spikes. Instead of broad price controls, the Federal Trade Commission would operate like a specialized fraud and market-abuse unit that activates only under defined conditions — similar to how states already regulate price gouging during emergencies. Think of it as: When markets fail and consumers are being exploited, the FTC steps in to restore fairness — not to set prices.
4. Ending Trade Tariffs that drive up the cost of living
The current administration has imposed reckless and harmful tariffs which drive up the cost of living for Americans. Ronald Reagan warned “Tariffs are just taxes on Americans — they raise prices, cost jobs, and hurt the very people they claim to protect.” Congress has not stepped up to assume its responsibility in this area. No wonder only 10-15% of Americans approve of Congress!
In the next post we’ll address the second pillar of the New Fair Deal: Affordable Housing.