Simone Lawson
Kamala Harris is the former Vice President of the United States and the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to hold this position. Harris has had a trailblazing career and has been a strong advocate for women's rights and reproductive rights. She has also focused on economic policies, including tackling the cost of living, making housing more affordable, and creating jobs. Harris's political positions are reflected in her Senate voting record, public speeches, and interviews. She has also released policy guides, highlighting her agenda and priorities. In this paragraph, we will explore where you can find more information about Kamala Harris's policies and political stances.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Political Position | Kamala Harris's political positions are reflected by her United States Senate voting record, public speeches, and interviews. |
| Criminal Justice Record | Harris has been called "tough on crime" by critics despite calling herself a "progressive prosecutor". |
| Immigration | Harris has supported policies that do not inquire about immigration status during criminal investigations. She has also expressed support for reductions to ICE operations, including funding cuts and an end to immigration detention. |
| Climate Change | Harris has defended California's climate laws and sued oil companies for environmental damage. She has also called for a ban on fracking and supported the Green New Deal. |
| Economic Policies | Harris has focused on tackling the cost of living, creating jobs, and making housing more affordable. She has also proposed tax cuts for working- and middle-class Americans. |
| Social Issues | Harris has supported reproductive rights, including abortion access, and the freedom to live safe from gun violence. She has also advocated for paid family leave and government funding for gender transition surgery for immigrants and federal prisoners. |
| Foreign Policy | Harris has made 17 foreign trips, travelled to 21 countries, and met with over 150 world leaders. |
| Political Future | Harris is considering a run for governor of California in 2026 and may seek the presidency again in 2028. |
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What You'll Learn
Kamala Harris's stance on immigration
Immigration has been a constant in American society, and Kamala Harris's stance on immigration has evolved over the years. As a former Attorney General and current Vice President, Harris's approach has shifted to emphasize both enforcement and pathways to citizenship, blending a firm stance on border security with humanitarian reforms.
Harris has expressed support for a previously blocked bipartisan border security bill, which includes increasing funding for border agents, expanding detention facilities, and enhancing asylum processing. She aims to balance security with legal pathways for undocumented immigrants, addressing the root causes of migration from regions like Central America, such as poverty and violence. This differentiates her approach from her predecessors, who primarily focused on border security.
Harris's border security policies also include cracking down on transnational gangs and human traffickers, drawing on her prosecutorial record as California's Attorney General. She has also called for sweeping reductions to ICE operations, including drastic cuts in funding, and an open-ended pledge to "end" immigration detention.
In the lead-up to the 2024 election, immigration emerged as a key and contentious issue, with Harris's supporters taking a notably different position from Trump's supporters. While Trump backers largely favored mass deportations and saw more immigrants as a negative impact on their lives, Harris supporters opposed mass deportations and believed that life would remain largely unchanged with more immigrants in the country.
Despite immigration being a priority for Americans, voters have expressed dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party's approach to the issue. Harris's team and the Democratic Party have faced calls to rethink their approach to immigration policy, moving away from the "'crisis' narrative and hardline policies" that have characterized past administrations. Instead, there is a push for Harris to focus on building diverse legal pathways for immigrants, including through labor, family reunification, and humanitarian bases.
Overall, Harris's immigration policies reflect a blend of enforcement and reform, aiming to address border security concerns while also providing legal pathways and addressing the root causes of migration.
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Kamala Harris's stance on abortion rights
Kamala Harris, the former Vice President of the United States, has been vocal about her support for abortion rights. Her stance on abortion has been described as "bold" and "frank", and she has been praised for speaking "unapologetically" about the issue. Harris has been at the forefront of the Biden-Harris administration's "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour, advocating for a right to abortion following the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
During her time as vice president, Harris has championed various bills that aim to protect and advance reproductive rights. For instance, in 2019, she co-sponsored the Women's Health Protection Act, which sought to establish a federal statutory right to abortion. She has also expressed support for sweeping reductions to ICE operations, including cuts in funding for immigration detention, and has pledged to end discriminatory barriers to abortion care, such as insurance coverage bans.
Harris has promised that, if elected president, she will work with Congress to enact federal protections for abortion access. She has stated that she will sign any law passed by Congress that restores reproductive freedoms. This stance is in line with the Abortion Access Now campaign, which aims to ensure that everyone has the right to access reproductive healthcare without stigma or barriers.
Harris's candid approach to the topic of abortion may mark a turning point in the national conversation about women's health. Experts suggest that her willingness to speak freely about abortion rights could energize voters and force the Republican Party to address the issue.
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Kamala Harris's stance on climate change
Kamala Harris, the former Vice President of the United States, has made her stance on climate change very clear. She has called climate change an "existential threat" and has urged the United States to take urgent action to address it. During her 2020 presidential campaign, Harris called for climate change policies via a Green New Deal, which included a $10 trillion climate plan to invest in renewable energy, hold polluters accountable, help communities affected by climate change, and protect natural resources.
As a senator, Harris supported a national zero-emissions vehicle standard and, as vice president, she helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which provided hundreds of billions of dollars in government subsidies for electric cars and other clean-energy technologies. This included tax credits for clean energy and energy-efficient home projects. Harris also announced more than $1 billion in grants in 2022 for states to address flooding and extreme heat, which are exacerbated by climate change.
Harris's plan for a safer climate future involves cutting climate pollution, levelling up clean energy, and supporting lower energy costs by helping Americans move away from costly fossil fuels. She has also expressed support for small businesses seeking to enter the clean industry and has acknowledged the link between the housing crisis and the climate crisis. Harris's stance on climate change is consistent with that of President Joe Biden, with whom she worked to pass major economic legislation, including major investments in infrastructure and green energy.
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Kamala Harris's criminal justice record
Kamala Harris' criminal justice record has been described as mixed. As a prosecutor, she has been labelled "tough on crime", despite calling herself a "progressive prosecutor". She has criticised liberals for their "biases against law enforcement" and has been reluctant to release prisoners. Harris has also supported anti-truancy policies, threatening parents of children who skipped school with prosecution and punishment.
In her 2010 campaign for Attorney General of California, she opposed the legalisation of recreational cannabis, arguing that selling drugs harms communities. However, in 2015, she called for an end to the federal prohibition of medical cannabis, and during her 2020 presidential campaign, she supported a Green New Deal to address climate change.
Harris has also been a criminal justice reformer, starting a "first-of-its-kind" racial bias training program for police officers and expanding her prison diversion program throughout California. She made the California Department of Justice the first statewide agency to require body cameras and launched a platform for the public to track police killings.
During the 2020 presidential primary, Harris worked to shed her tough-on-crime image, aligning herself with Biden on criminal justice issues like solitary confinement, federal mandatory minimum sentences, and decriminalising border crossings. She proposed creating a federal sentencing review unit to consider early release for people who had served at least 10 years of 20-year sentences or more.
Harris' criminal justice record has been scrutinised, particularly following the murder of George Floyd, fluctuations in crime rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, and record border crossings. Her stance on criminal justice has been difficult to categorise as purely reformist, progressive, or tough on crime, as the political landscape has shifted since the beginning of her career.
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Kamala Harris's stance on economic policies
Kamala Harris's economic policies are largely in line with those of President Joe Biden, with whom she served as vice president. During her 2024 presidential campaign, Harris provided details of her fiscal and economic agenda, which included carrying forward much of Biden's FY 2025 budget. This comprised higher taxes aimed at businesses and high earners, and an expansion of the child tax credit (CTC) and other tax credits and incentives. Harris's proposals also included exempting tips from income tax.
Harris's tax policies have been estimated to increase taxes by about $4.1 trillion from 2025 to 2034. They would also increase primary deficits by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years on a conventional basis and by $2.0 trillion on a dynamic basis, which includes a reduction in economic activity. Lower and middle-income households would generally benefit from increased transfers and credits, while higher-income households would be worse off. Harris's proposals would also increase spending by $2.3 trillion over 10 years, with a net revenue increase of $642 billion.
In terms of specific economic policies, Harris has proposed cutting taxes, including expanding the Child Tax Credit to provide a $6,000 tax break for new parents during the first year of their child's life, and increasing the $2,000-per-child tax benefit to up to $3,600. She has also proposed tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for workers who aren't raising children. Additionally, Harris has stated that Americans who make below $100,000 will continue to pay no taxes on long-term capital gains, while families earning $1 million or more will continue to pay the maximum rate of 20%. She has also outlined a plan to increase the tax rate on long-term capital gains for those who make $1 million or more to 28%.
Harris has also proposed policies to address the cost of housing and childcare. To increase the housing supply, she has suggested cutting red tape, offering assistance to builders, and implementing the Neighborhood Homes Tax Credit, which promotes the construction or rehabilitation of over 400,000 single-family, owner-occupied houses in lower-income communities. She has also proposed a tax cut to encourage the construction of affordable homes and providing down payment assistance of $25,000 for first-time home buyers. To reduce rental prices, Harris has said she would address landlords who use algorithmic price fixing and investors who buy and mark up homes in bulk. She has also proposed expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LITHC) to incentivize building rental housing for low-income families.
To cut the cost of childcare and eldercare, Harris has suggested giving more working people easier access to paid leave, as well as the possibility of Medicare covering the costs of in-home care services. She has also proposed expanding prescription drug savings and accelerating Medicare prescription drug negotiations.
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Frequently asked questions
Kamala Harris's policies can be found on her website, kamalaharris.com. She also released a detailed policy guide in early September 2024, which outlined her economic and foreign policy agenda.
Kamala Harris's key policies include her commitment to tackling the cost of living, reproductive rights, and immigration reform. She has also focused on job creation, particularly through investment in small businesses and community banks. Additionally, she has supported climate change policies, such as the Green New Deal, and has called for an end to the country's reliance on foreign oil.
Kamala Harris was the Democratic Party's nominee for president in the 2024 election, with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. She lost the election to Donald Trump.
Kamala Harris has served in various political roles, including as the junior senator from California (2017-2021), the first female Vice President of the United States (2021-2024), and she is now considering a run for governor of California in 2026.
