Clinton, Trump don’t see eye-to-eye on issues, too

Oct. 12--Although the presidential race between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump has been dominated by personal attacks, the candidates also clash on many of the issues key to America's future.

Immigration

Clinton is seeking immigration reform, including "a pathway to full and equal citizenship." She also wants to end family detention, close private immigration detention centers and continue the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, which allows some undocumented immigrants who arrived before 16 to work and be exempt from deportation.

Trump has called for a wall to be built on the Mexican border, although whether it's real or metaphorical is unclear. He wants increased border security and a "mass deportation force." His original ban on Muslim immigrants has changed into what he called "extreme vetting" and bans on immigration from countries deemed to have been compromised by terrorism.

His plan for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" remained on his website on October.

Economy

Clinton calls for a large investment in infrastructure and establishing the U.S. as the "clean energy superpower." After originally supporting the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, she now opposes it and calls for "smarter, fairer, tougher trade policies that put U.S. job creation first and get tough on nations like China." The TPP does not meet "a high bar of creating good-paying jobs and raising pay," she says.

Clinton wants to invest in research and technology to create "the jobs of the future" and encourage businesses to provide employee training and apprenticeship programs.

Trump has said he would withdraw from the TPP if it is approved by the time he takes office, renegotiate NAFTA or withdraw from it, "appoint tough and smart trade negotiators," target China as a "currency manipulator" and impose tariffs "if China does not stop its illegal activities."

Trump wants to create 25 million new jobs over the next 10 years by boosting economic growth by 3.5 percent per year on average.

Taxes

Clinton wants to enact a 4 percent "fair share surcharge" on the top 0.02 percent of Americans who make more than $5 million per year, close corporate tax loopholes and an "exit tax" for companies leaving the U.S.

The proceeds would pay for job programs and debt-free college without adding to the national debt, she said. That also is how she would pay for a family leave program that would guarantee up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave at at least two-thirds of current wages, at no additional cost to businesses.

Trump said he would reduce taxes across the board, and "ensure the rich will pay their fair share," though the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank, said most of the tax savings under Trump's plan would go to the highest-income households. He also wants to eliminate "special interest loopholes" and lower the business tax rate.

Trump also wants to allow families to fully deduct the average cost of child care from their taxes. A plan unveiled in September would federally mandate six weeks of maternity leave coverage.

Health care

Clinton wants to defend Obamacare from Republican attempts to repeal the law, citing the 20 million people covered by the plan and its protections for those with pre-existing conditions. She supports letting people 55 and older buy into Medicare, create incentives for states such as Florida to expand Medicaid, and wants to bring down the cost of out-of-pocket co-pays, deductibles and prescription drugs.

Trump wants to repeal and replace Obamacare with Health Savings Accounts, which are not subject to federal income tax. He also wants to create high-risk pools for those who would lose coverage because of pre-existing conditions and allow people to purchase insurance across state lines. He would replace the current Medicaid program with block grants for states.

Clinton is in favor of abortion rights and supports a repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding to clinics that provide abortion services. Trump, who has been in favor of abortion rights in the past, is now anti-abortion and has said there should be "some form of punishment" for women who get abortions. He later backed away from that statement, however.

Environment

The Democratic nominee's plan to combat climate change includes a greenhouse gas-reducing Clean Power Plan, launching a $60 billion "Clean Energy Challenge" to cut carbon pollution and grow clean energy and investments in clean energy infrastructure and workforce development. She also wants to cut tax subsidies for oil and gas companies.

Trump, who has said "the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese," wants to create American energy dominance by tapping into shale, oil, and natural gas reserves. He also wants to open up onshore and offshore drilling on federal lands and eliminate the moratorium on coal leasing.

Guns

Clinton calls for expanding background checks on gun purchases, including closing gun show and Internet loopholes and preventing domestic abusers and those on the terror watch list from buying and owning guns. She also called for keeping "military-style weapons off our streets," though she has said that pushing for return of the assault weapons ban would only come after other gun safety measures are approved.

The Republican nominee says he wants to enforce the gun laws on the book and "get serious about prosecuting violent criminals." He calls for a "national right to carry" in all 50 states, fixing a "broken" background check system instead of expanding it. He is opposed to a new ban on assault weapons.

Foreign policy

Clinton wants "stick with our allies," including NATO and Israel, and says she will "stand up to Vladimir Putin." The former secretary of state calls for embracing diplomacy, "often the only way to avoid a conflict that could end up exacting a much greater cost." She will "vigorously enforce the nuclear agreement with Iran" and supports re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba and ending the embargo.

She calls for defeating ISIS by "taking out" their strongholds in Iraq and Syria, working with allies to dismantle terror networks, and strengthening defenses in the U.S.

Trump has talked about making NATO treaty defense obligations conditional, has praised Putin and said he wants closer ties with Russia. "Peace through strength will be at the center of our foreign policy," his issue statement says, adding he wants to fully repeal the defense sequester and "end the current strategy of nation-building and regime change."

He would pursue joint and coalition military operations against ISIS and "establish a Commission on Radical Islam ... to expose the networks in our society that support radicalization."

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