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Vice President Kamala Harris responded to inquiries from the media on Monday, just before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago got began. For her, it did not go well. Regarding her economic approach, which has been compared to the economies of Venezuela and the Soviet Union, a reporter questioned Harris.
Harris has developed a pricing strategy that would allow the grocery stores and their vendors to face severe fines from the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general if their prices are deemed to be excessive. In addition, she wants to forgive the medical debt and donate $25,000 to first-generation home buyers, which is primarily to the Democratic Party supporters.
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A reporter inquired about the economic policies Harris unveiled the previous week, asking how she planned to fund them and requesting an example of other policies she intended to introduce. In response, Harris reportedly provided a vague answer, often described as a “word salad,” in which she did not clearly explain how her policies would be implemented if she were to win the November election.
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The vice president discussed her economic policies by referencing initiatives such as the child tax credit and extending the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), explaining that the child tax credit would provide $6,000 for the first year of a child’s life and emphasizing the significant return on investment these measures would generate. She then claimed that the Biden-Harris administration had reduced child poverty by 50 percent, though specifics on the implementation of her plan were not provided.
Harris continued by mentioning the benefits of tax credits, noting their positive impact on the tax base and how increased homeownership could enhance funding for schools through property taxes. She stressed the importance of evaluating public policy through the lens of return on investment, arguing that strengthening neighborhoods, communities, and local economies ultimately benefits everyone and is self-sustaining.
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Both liberals and conservatives, as well as a few well-known left-leaning economists, have attacked Harris’s radical and socialist economic program. Harris’s views are not sensible, according to Harvard economist Jason Forman, a top economic assistant in the Obama administration. Donald Trump, the former president, has likened Senator Harris’ recommendations to those of Nicolas Maduro, the despot of Venezuela.
During a press conference earlier this week, the former president reportedly criticized Kamala Harris for proposing what he described as communist price controls, arguing that although he would support them if they were effective, they have the opposite effect. He claimed that such controls lead to food shortages, rationing, hunger, and significantly higher inflation. He also referred to the Inflation Reduction Act as a disaster and a con job, asserting that it was the cause of the current inflation.
The former president further stated that he had predicted the act would result in significant inflation, which he believes has occurred, especially in areas like energy. He likened Harris’s approach to what he called the Maduro plan, comparing it to policies seen in Venezuela or the Soviet Union.