Biden taps Kamala Harris as running mate: Where she stands on economic issues
Joe Biden tapped California Sen. Kamala Harris to be his vice president on Tuesday after months of speculation about who the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate would choose to be his running mate against President Trump.
"Her record of accomplishment -- fighting tooth and nail for what’s right -- is why I’m choosing her," Biden said in an emailed statement to supports. "There is no door Kamala won’t knock on, no stone she’ll leave unturned, if it means making life better -- for the people."
Harris, a first-term California senator and a former state attorney general and San Francisco district attorney, has become a reliable surrogate for Biden, appearing with him in online fundraisers amid the unusual social distancing standards forced on the campaign by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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As recently as two weeks ago, Harris headlined her own event for Biden, one focused on the Raleigh area in North Carolina, a battleground state where Harris' dual appeal to Black voters and college-educated white women could boost Democrats' prospects.
A former presidential candidate, Harris began the race as a serious contender for the Oval Office -- she regularly polled as a top-tier candidate -- but her campaign struggled to maintain its momentum, plummeting in the polls amid reports of turmoil among campaign staff, insufficient campaign funds and the lack of a clear strategy. Harris dropped out at the beginning of December, eventually endorsing Biden ahead of the Super Tuesday nominating contests.
“I just wanted you guys to know … I have decided that I am, with great enthusiasm, going to endorse Joe Biden," she said at the time.
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Here's everything you need to know about Harris and where she stands on the economic issues:
Taxes: Like Biden, Harris has called for a full repeal of President Trump's biggest legislative accomplishment, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
She also called for the introduction of new taxes to fund her health care initiative. That would include taxes on financial trading. Her plan would impose a levy on stock trades at 0.2%, bond trades at 0.1% and derivative transactions as 0.002%. She claimed it would raise “well over $2 trillion” within 10 years.
Harris, to the skepticism of some, has said that taxes would not rise for families making under $100,000. Critics also have argued that it’s difficult to tax financial transactions without jeopardizing retirement goals for a number of Americans.
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In 2018, Harris introduced the LIFT the Middle Class Act, which would provide a refundable tax credit of up to $3,000 in earned income. The credit would begin to phase out for individuals earning more than $50,000.
Health care: Harris took a middle-of-the-road path on health care. Last July, she introduced a plan to achieve universal health care coverage by expanding Medicare with the help of private insurers.
“Medicare works,” Harris wrote in a Medium essay. “Now, let’s expand it to all Americans and give everyone access to comprehensive health care.”
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Minimum wage: Harris supports making a $15 minimum wage the national floor. She's said she wants to impose "stricter penalties" on companies that cheat their workers.
Student loans: While running her presidential campaign, Harris touted a student-debt forgiveness plan, part of a broader proposal to invest in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Black entrepreneurs.
Under Harris's plan, which was widely panned on Twitter when she introduced it, borrowers who received a Pell Grant -- could have up to $20,000 of their student loans forgiven if they start a business and operate it for at least three years in a disadvantaged community.
But during the coronavirus pandemic, Harris has endorsed Biden's proposal to forgive $10,000 of federal student loans.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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