NASHUA – After arriving in New Hampshire very early Tuesday by escaping the chaos of the Iowa caucuses, Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar made her case to area voters at Nashua Community College, a fitting venue for sharing her plans to improve education throughout the country.

The U.S. senator from Minnesota seeks to make a major investment in K-12 public education, in addition to preschools.

Secondly, she aims to invest in community colleges just like the one at which she spoke on Tuesday. Additionally, aside from firing current U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Klobuchar wants to make Pell Grants more available to more families. On top of that, the senator also plans to make it easier for people to pay back their student loans.

“If multimillionaires can refinance their yacht, students should be able to refinance their student loan,” Klobuchar said.

As President Donald Trump preparing to deliver his State of the Union speech inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Klobuchar called out his playbook, which she said can be summarized in three words – “divide and demoralize.”

Klobuchar then described her own playbook in three words, “unite and lead.”

The senator also spoke of the difference between an actual plan and a “pipe dream.” Klobuchar highlighted some past promises made by Trump, citing his promises that she believes have not yet come true regarding infrastructure, and promising to make life easier for people in rural areas. Klobuchar also said Trump made promises to bring prescription drug prices down, although they are currently on the rise. The senator told voters in Nashua she intends to take on pharmaceutical prices in a big way, among other things.

Klobuchar also aims to bring down the cost of premiums with a nonprofit public option, a strategy similar to that of competitors Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg.

“Let’s be practical for a second,” Klobuchar said. “The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is now nearly 10 points more popular than the president of the United States.”

One thing Klobuchar’s state of Minnesota and New Hampshire have in common is that the two both border Canada to the north. Klobuchar said in her home state, some can see Canada from their home, just as those in some in the northern part of the Granite State can. However, when she and fellow Minnesotans look at drug prices north of the nation’s border, they see they are less expensive than what people are paying in the U.S.

“That’s why I think bringing in less expensive, safe drugs from other countries would be part of the solution here,” Klobuchar said.

Klobuchar also discussed climate change. One of her plans to tackle this global threat is to get back into what she calls the international climate change agreement (Paris Agreement). The senator also expressed interest in clean power standards, gas mileage standards and putting a price on carbon.

Other topics Klobuchar highlighted were addiction and mental health, citing how New Hampshire has been ravaged by the opioid epidemic. She also shared a brief remark relative to immigration reform.

“Immigrants don’t diminish America – they are America,” Klobuchar said.

Adam Urquhart may be contacted at 594-1206, or at aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.

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