Democratic platform draft calls for lowering health care costs, protecting abortion rights

The Democratic Party released a draft of its party platform on July 13, outlining the organization’s vision for the future. The document will be formally ratified by party members at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.

“Our Drafting Committee incorporated a diverse set of expertise and perspectives, inviting Democrats from across the nation to participate in our process and contribute to our Platform. The breadth and depth of this Platform is rooted in our collective experience and reflects a bold agenda that affirms Democrats’ commitment to protecting fundamental freedoms,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement.

The draft document contains a commitment by Democrats to codify in federal law the right to abortion, as was previously affirmed by the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. That right was rescinded by a 5-4 decision of the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, who voted with the majority to overturn Roe, were appointed by former President Donald Trump.

The Democratic platform contains pledges to maintain policies put in place by the administration of President Joe Biden to cut health care costs, including provisions of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that capped the cost of insulin for Medicare recipients and authorized the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices.

The Inflation Reduction Act was unanimously opposed by congressional Republicans. House Republicans have filed a bill to repeal the law. A 2022 report from the Senate Joint Economic Committee determined that repealing the law would increase health care costs for families and negatively affect job growth. Repeal would also threaten significant investments in clean energy.

The draft platform also calls for a ban on assault weapons, universal background checks for gun purchases, the passage of legislation to protect voting rights, protection of the right to unionize, a raise in the federal minimum wage, and increased taxes for the ultrawealthy.

The priorities in the document stand in stark contrast to Project 2025, a plan for the next Republican presidency that was created by allies of Trump at the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank, and other contributors.

Project 2025 is a multipronged plan to use the federal government as a tool to enshrine right-wing principles in official policy. On abortion, Project 2025 calls for a ban on abortion drugs such as mifepristone and calls for the federal Comstock Act to be used to prevent abortion drugs from being sent through the mail system.

The Project 2025 document also calls for a radical overhaul of the tax system, cutting taxes for the wealthiest while increasing the tax burden on middle class earners.Trump has attempted to distance himself from the project, although  former Trump administration officials, including former senior adviser Stephen Miller, are contributors to Project 2025.