US Polls 2024: Harris unveils ‘New Way Forward’ policy platform, challenges Trump’s agenda

Harris launched her policy platform for polls (File)

As Vice President Kamala Harris gears up for the 2024 presidential election, she has unveiled a comprehensive policy platform dubbed "New Way Forward," addressing key national issues and contrasting sharply with former President Donald Trump’s "Project 2025."

Harris, who had faced criticism for lacking a policy page on her website, has collaborated with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to develop this detailed agenda. Her platform aims to build a fairer economy, protect civil rights, and tackle pressing concerns like healthcare, climate change, and gun violence. It offers voters a clear choice between her vision and Trump's policies.

Central to Harris’s agenda is the creation of an “Opportunity Economy,” designed to empower every American, regardless of their location. Her plan includes significant tax cuts for over 100 million working- and middle-class Americans, expanding the Child Tax Credit, and restoring the Earned Income Tax Credit. She promises a $6,000 tax cut for families with newborns and assures that no one earning under $400,000 will face a tax increase.

Harris contrasts this with Trump’s "Project 2025," which she argues benefits the wealthiest Americans and corporations. She plans to implement a billionaire minimum tax, roll back Trump’s tax cuts for the affluent, and increase the tax on stock buybacks. Harris criticises Trump's policies for potentially raising costs for the middle class through measures like a Trump sales tax on imports, estimating it could add $3,900 annually to household expenses.

Harris's "New Way Forward" focuses on lowering costs for families, including healthcare. She intends to expand the Affordable Care Act (ACA), make its tax credit enhancements permanent, and cap insulin costs at $35 for all Americans. Her plan includes negotiating prescription drug prices through Medicare, continuing efforts from the Inflation Reduction Act. In contrast, Trump’s agenda aims to dismantle the ACA, risking millions of Americans losing affordable coverage. Trump’s plans to weaken Social Security and Medicare further diverge from Harris’s commitment to protect and expand these programmes.

Harris underscores the importance of small businesses within her Opportunity Economy. Her strategy includes expanding access to capital, increasing Small Business Administration lending to Black-owned businesses, and targeting 25 million new business applications by the end of her first term. She seeks to reduce red tape and increase the startup expense tax deduction. Harris argues that Trump’s agenda has historically favoured large corporations and neglected small businesses and entrepreneurs.

To address rising consumer costs, Harris proposes cracking down on corporate price gouging and anti-competitive practices. She advocates for a federal ban on corporate price gouging on essentials like food and groceries, aiming to create a competitive economy that benefits consumers.

Building on her role in passing the Inflation Reduction Act, Harris’s climate agenda focuses on continued investments in clean energy and environmental justice. She aims to lower household energy costs and create millions of clean energy jobs. Harris plans to hold polluters accountable and promote global climate cooperation, contrasting with Trump’s downplaying of climate change and support for fossil fuel industries. She criticises Trump’s deregulation policies that, she argues, prioritised profits over environmental protections.

Harris’s commitment to civil rights is evident in her platform, which includes passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. These measures aim to expand early voting and vote-by-mail options while protecting against voter suppression. Harris also supports LGBTQ+ rights through the Equality Act. She claims that Trump’s "Project 2025" threatens civil rights and voting protections, citing his post-2020 election actions as undermining democracy.

Harris has prioritised gun violence prevention, building on her previous work to pass major gun safety legislation. Her plan includes banning assault weapons, expanding background checks, and implementing red flag laws. She contrasts this with Trump’s alignment with the gun lobby, his calls for arming teachers, and a lack of comprehensive gun control support.

Harris’s immigration policy combines enhanced border security with a humane approach to immigration. She proposes a bipartisan border security bill to tackle drug trafficking and supports an earned pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Her plan reflects a belief in a broken but fixable immigration system, differing from Trump’s stance.