The Texas Progressive Caucus is guided by our Founding Principle, which is rooted in the modern meaning of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.  We believe that all people are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among those are justice, freedom, and opportunity.

We believe that all people, regardless of birth or circumstance, should be treated with dignity and given the real opportunity to achieve health and happiness. We recognize that, as President Franklin Roosevelt stated, we must build our country into one where no one is left out. We recognize that we all go up or else all go down as one people. Everyone does better when everyone does better.

As we stand fully committed to our Founding Principle as stated above, we recognize there can be nuances in policies in how we ultimately achieve our vision. While TXPC members as described in Article II must agree and abide by our Founding Principles, we respect differences of opinion on how exactly to achieve our goals. We also respect where each individual member falls on the Overton Spectrum Path to Progressivism.

To that end, all TXPC members must agree to at least some of the policies we believe will endow all people with justice, freedom, and opportunity. 

For Justice, we believe:

1. that everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law and is therefore entitled to equal rights and treatment and that no one should be denied these basic rights because of race, color, creed, class, national origin, sex, age, religion, ethnic identity, ethnicity, language, culture, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, economic status or disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; 
2. that no one should be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention without charge, and that all people are entitled to due process by an independent, impartial, and civilian court of law (or a military court of law if in the military); 
3. that since all people are born equal in dignity and rights and are endowed with reason and conscience, they should be free from the oppression of orchestrated fear, targeted persecution, wrongful dispossession, displacement, and exile. Aggression at the hands of organized forces directed at a specific group of people because of race, color, creed, class, national origin, sex, age, religion, ethnic identity, ethnicity, language, culture, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, economic status or disability, whether they exist internally in a state or are the result of a foreign presence, should not be tolerated; 
4. that no person should be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; 
5. that in a civilized society, the death penalty must be abolished and replaced with a system that views justice as containing principles of both redemption and rehabilitation as well as restitution; 
6. that preemptive war is wrong and that all countries must seek solutions to international threats, ending military occupations and regime change policies. This is achieved through equitable diplomacy, the United Nations, and other organizations that respect Human rights, international law and the principle of self-determination;
7. that the U.S. revokes first-strike use of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction and should work towards removing and ultimately banning the use of all weapons of mass destruction;
8. that the military, and especially its contractors, should be audited and any wasted funds should be redirected to programs, such as but is not limited to global infrastructure, foreign aid, etc;
9. that the U.S. must create a humane and fair immigration system, that asylum seekers should be welcomed and aided, that Dreamers are given immediate citizenship, that the use of family separation is forever renounced, and that as a nation of immigrants we remain true to the guiding words of the Statue of Liberty, that “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door;”
10. that the indigenous people of Texas have rights and deserve forms of reparations, and that tribal lands should be returned when at all possible;
11. that Americans ought to be free from fear of private or state violence, including gun violence, to this end we support strong universal background checks, red flag laws, a ban on assault rifles and high capacity magazines, raising the minimum age to buy a weapon and other common-sense measures;
12. that U.S. relations with other countries and peoples should be based on equality, democracy, and respect for the struggles of those seeking freedom, not on defense of corporate profits or on the false and destructive premise that any country has a right to dominate others; 
13. that the US should better fund our State Department as it is the U.S.’s main instrument of peace in the world; 
14. in the complete separation of Church and State, and the complete freedom of worship for all people; 
15. that since freedom of expression, civil liberties, democracy, and constitutional rights are the hallmarks of an equitable society, the right to a free and independent media must be guaranteed for all, free from domination or monopolization from either state or corporate influence; 
16. the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its subsequent specific conventions must guide the way to a universal community where democracy, respect for the humanity of others, and responsibility for the common good prevail;
17. that cannabis products be made available to those with medical needs, while ultimately culminating in full discrimination and expunging of low-level cannabis crimes; and 
18. Above all, all other policies needed to create a just society where everyone’s worth as a human being is respected and feels safe in their personhood, their house, and their family.

For Freedom, we believe:

1. in the Constitution of the United States of America and the right of the People to self-government;
2. that as the most basic measure of democracy, citizens of voting age have the right to vote and have their vote counted and tangibly proved as cast; 
3. that partisan gerrymandering must be made illegal and fully replaced by a non-partisan committee dedicated to balance and representation of the people;
4. that campaign contribution limits are needed for state and local candidates in Texas, and that Citizens United must be reversed on the federal level so that corporate and money domination of our elected officials is ended;
5. that fair and reasonable term limits ought to be enacted for all state and local officials;
6. that all forms of voter intimidation are made illegal and persecuted;
7. that all general elections, regardless of federal, state, local, amendment, or ballot measure, are consolidated into one single day, that day is made a federal and state holiday, and that all workers are able to vote;
8. that the Fairness Doctrine ought to be reinstated to remove propaganda channels from media, many of which spread election lies and distrust; 
9. that the use of mail-in ballots be expanded to all persons who want to vote in that manner, and that all unreasonable hardships to mail-in ballots be removed; and
10. above all, while we recognize freedom has many meanings and touches many aspects of life, without democracy, no other freedom, a form of justice, or opportunity is possible. 

For Opportunity, we believe:

1. that education is a right, not a privilege, that every child must have the guarantee of a free, high-quality public education in a safe environment, and that no public money should be redirected to charter schools; 
2. that that Medicaid must be expanded, the ACA must be fully implemented in Texas, and the federal government must pass legislation, whether as a single-payer system or other, to make healthcare a human right;
3. that women must have full autonomy over their body and full reproductive rights;
4. in the right of workers everywhere to form and join unions for the protection of their interests, and that labor, commerce, and profits gained without respect for fair wages, decent working conditions, dignity, or self-determination by workers are both unjust and immoral; 
5. in the democratization of the workplace and the economy as a whole, so that human needs take preference over private profit; 
6. in lifting all people out of poverty, including the sick, the disabled, the homeless, the hungry, the elderly, and the unemployed, and as a part of resetting our local, state, and national priorities, to make available affordable housing and a living wage for all; 
7. that all international trade must be made in fairness with respect for workers, climate, and opportunities;
8. that Americans with disabilities deserve all the rights and opportunities as any other American;
9. In that small family farmers and ranchers have been devastated by Big Agriculture corporations, small producers must be given the opportunity to sell their products directly and safely to consumers without corporate interference; 
10. that the environment is a public trust and responsibility for its preservation and sustainability must rest publicly, with the people and not with private enterprise;
11. as investments into NASA and the space industry have created great opportunities for Texans and many new technologies, NASA ought to be better funded; and
12. above all else, that opportunity means that all people, regardless of the privileges of their parents, the limitations of their neighborhoods, or the quality of their schools, have a fair chance to reach the heights of their potential.