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The 2024 Presidential Election is here, with current Vice President Kamala Harris running for the democratic party with her running mate Tim Walz. Understanding where presidential candidates stand on certain issues is crucial to making an informed vote.
Economy:
- Harris has stated she wants to focus on the future of the people with economic policy. She calls her economic plan an “opportunity economy”.
- “In short form it [the economic plan] is about what we can do more to invest in the aspirations, the ambitions, and the dreams of the American people. While addressing the challenges that they face, whether it be the high price of groceries or the difficulty of being able to acquire home ownership,” Harris said during an interview with Forbes.
- In depth, she plans to cap the cost of prescription drugs and insulin across the United States. Harris wants to work with developers to help with the cost of homes and build new homes in America. There is a plan to give 100 million people tax cuts and $6,000 to families during the first year with a newborn child.
- During the 2024 Vice-Presidential Debate, Tim Walz explains that both he and Harris grew up in the middle class and that is where their economic plan focuses on.
Climate Change:
- Harris has announced that climate change is an “existential threat”. During a climate change panel in 2023, Harris said there should be more technological developments for farmers to have better access to the changes in climate and give them more options on how to make their crops thrive.
- She is for electric vehicles, especially electric school buses, to limit the fumes that children, bus drivers, and those in the “education ecosystem” consume.
- Walz is also an active believer in climate change, he stands with the Biden Administration’s work and stated, “My farmers know climate change is real. They’ve seen 500-year droughts, 500-year floods back-to-back. What they’re doing is adapting. We are producing more natural gas and more oil at any time than we’ve ever had. We are also producing more clean energy.”
- The Harris Campaign strives to continue what the Biden Administration started.
Immigration:
- Kamala Harris’s immigration stance for her 2024 presidential campaign emphasizes both border security and comprehensive immigration reform.
- She feels that our borders should be well protected and strengthened. “When someone does not make an asylum request at a legal point of entry, and instead crosses our border unlawfully, they will be barred from receiving asylum,” Harris stated.
- Harris feels it is crucial to take preventative measures towards drug trafficking and human trafficking. Drawing on her experience as California’s attorney general, Harris has pointed out her record of prosecuting drug cartels and transnational gangs. She plans to implement more personnel and technology at the border to catch fentanyl coming into the country.
- “While we understand that many people are desperate to migrate to the United States, our system must be orderly and secure,” she stated. Harris plans to create a “pathway to citizenship” for hard working immigrants that have been in the U.S. for years.
- She aims to create a system of immigration that is “safe, orderly, and humane”.
Abortion:
- Kamala Harris has positioned herself as a strong advocate for abortion rights, emphasizing the need to codify protections like those under Roe v. Wade.
- “I believe in the fundamental freedoms of Americans to make decisions about their own bodies, and not have their government tell them what to do,” she stated strongly in her closing argument speech in Washington D.C.
- She feels that women should have access to safe and legal abortions up to fetal viability, which is typically between 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
- “I will fight to restore what Donald Trump, and his hand-selected Supreme Court Justices took away from the women of America,” she adds.
Foreign Policy:
- Harris strongly supports NATO and transatlantic alliances. She has voiced her support for upholding the commitment to defend Ukraine in response to Russia’s aggression.
- “I will ensure that America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world,” Harris stated, expressing her desire to uplift the U.S. military.
- Regarding the Israel-Hamas war, Harris stated “now is the time to get a hostage deal, and a ceasefire deal done.” She feels strongly in favor of protecting Israel, and ensuring their military is plentiful. At the same time, she has shown remorse and compassion for the suffering people in Gaza. She states that her administration is working towards ending the war, releasing the hostages, and protecting the Palestinians of Gaza.
- Harris touches on Iran and North Korea stating, “I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran backed terrorists.” She adds that she will not “cozy up” to dictators such as Kim Jong Un.