American Dream

Ruben Gallego's Plan To Save America's Middle Class: Higher Taxes and More Unions

The senator wants to “triple union density by 2035” and pay for a host of social welfare programs with new taxes on data centers and AI companies.

Tosin Akintola | 10.7.2026 5:55 PM

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(Illustration: IMAGO/Matrix Images / Gent Shkullaku/IMAGO/Matrix Images/Newscom)

In a 32-page plan unveiled Wednesday, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D–Ariz.) claims that the American dream is being blocked by officials who have "let billionaires and giant corporations create our unbalanced economic system." To "rebuild" America's middle class, Gallego calls for establishing "a New Deal–style public service jobs program" that "funds jobs that allow AI-displaced workers to help families and serve communities."

And that might be the tamest idea in this sprawling populist platform. It's unlikely that any of Gallego's plans will actually be signed into law anytime soon. But his proposals do provide some insight into what policies progressive candidates could be offering in 2028.

Gallego's plan calls on the government to mandate higher pay rates for overtime and holiday work, expanded unemployment........

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