Harris campaign website releases policy platform
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US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks at a Labor Day event at Northwestern High School in Detroit, Michigan, September 2, 2024. Photo: JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign outlined her policy agenda on its website Sunday, days before she is set to face off against former President Donald Trump in their first (and possibly only) debate before November.
Why it matters: As Harris aims to sustain her crunch-time campaign's early momentum, she's begun zooming in on a clearer agenda.
- The Trump campaign, other critics and journalists have targeted Harris' lack of clear policy positions since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, also labeling her a "flip-flopper" for moving to the center on some issues like immigration.
- The Trump campaign's site includes a general list of 20 Agenda 47 policy goals, along with a link to the official GOP 2024 platform.
Zoom out: Harris' policy page, titled "A New Way Forward," details her economic and foreign policy agenda, as well as other key tenets of her administration's aspirations.
- It contrasts Harris and Democratic VP nominee Gov. Tim Walz's policy goals with "Trump's Project 2025 Agenda," referencing the conservative playbook to drastically expand government power.
- Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from the Heritage Foundation-linked project — as Democrats have consistently tried to link him to the plan.
Zoom in: The section dedicated to her economic vision says that as president, she would aim to cut taxes for "more than 100 million working and middle class Americans" while lowering everyday costs.
- Harris and Walz aim to achieve that goal, the page outlines, through restoring two tax cuts: The Child Tax Credit (expanded to provide a $6,000 cut to families with newborns) and the Earned Income Tax Credit.
- It also reiterated her goal to provide first-time homebuyers with up to $25,000 in down payment support — and more for first-generation homeowners — as affordable housing supply increases.
Building on President Biden's economic goals, the page said Harris would extend the $35 cap on insulin prices and the $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket spending.
- Her platform page targets Trump's sweeping proposals on taxing imported goods and alleges his economic plans would trigger a recession, slash jobs, "increase the debt by over $5 trillion" and increase inflation.
On immigration, Harris' campaign reiterated she'd revive bipartisan border legislation that failed to move through Congress earlier this year and sign it into law.
- The vice president "knows that our immigration system is broken and needs comprehensive reform that includes strong border security and an earned pathway to citizenship," her campaign states.
On foreign policy, the agenda touts Harris' international experience, characterizing her as a "a tireless and effective diplomat on the world stage." It says she is working with President Biden "around the clock to get a hostage deal and a ceasefire deal done" in the Israel-Hamas War.
- National security ideals listed on the page say Harris will "stand up to dictators," "protect U.S. forces and interests from Iran" and "make sure that America, not China, wins the competition for the 21st century," among other goals.
On reproductive rights, the page includes vows to sign a bill restoring Roe v. Wade, if passed by Congress, as well as to pass legislation enshrining voting rights protections.
- It labels Trump as "a threat to our fundamental rights and freedoms."
The bottom line: Releasing the campaign's agenda before the debate could taper Republican criticisms that Harris' policy positions are not clear or set — and answer voter questions in a neck-and-neck race.
Go deeper: Harris, Trump tax-cut promises make 2024 a season of giving
