Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled a comprehensive economic plan at her presidential campaign rally in Raleigh on Friday that focuses on everyday economic problems faced by many people, such as high grocery bills, the cost of raising a family and paying for a home.

For voters, the economy is the top priority. Polls have shown that voters prefer former President Donald Trump on economic issues, even as Harris has narrowed his lead, the Washington Post reported this week.

Her plan to build what she calls an “economy of opportunity” aims to address the economic problems that plague Americans, including housing costs that discourage first-time home buyers, food prices and high rents.

The US economy is the strongest in the world by almost any measure, she told invited guests on the north campus of Wake Tech Community College. Under Biden’s administration, millions of jobs have been created and annual inflation has fallen below three percent for the first time in three years. But not everyone feels the progress in their daily lives, she said.

“The costs are still too high. And on a deeper level, it’s so hard for too many people to even get ahead, no matter how hard they work,” Harris said. “As president, I will be completely focused on creating opportunities for the middle class that strengthen their economic security, stability and dignity.”

Their suggestions include:

• Prohibition of price gouging on food and groceries.
• Support eligible first-time homebuyers by providing a $25,000 down payment to individuals who have paid their rent on time for at least two years.
• Offer a tax incentive to developers who build single-family homes and sell them to first-time buyers.
• Expand existing tax incentives that encourage the construction of affordable rental housing.
• Restoring the $3,600 child tax credit that was part of the American Rescue Plan but expired in 2021. The one-year extension was credited with helping reduce child poverty. After Congress allowed the credit to expire, the child poverty rate doubled, reaching the largest increase in history. The maximum credit is now $2,000 per child. In addition, Harris proposes giving middle- and low-income families up to $6,000 in tax relief when a child is born.
• Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income people who are not raising children to reduce their taxes by up to $1,500.

Most of their proposals require approval by Congress.

Food prices rose during the pandemic because supply chains faltered, Harris told the crowd in Raleigh, but “our supply chains have improved and prices are still too high.” Most companies are following the rules, but some are not, she said. Citing her experience as California’s attorney general, Harris won more than $1 billion for consumers by taking action against companies that illegally raised prices or colluded with competitors to keep prices high.

“As president, I will take action against the perpetrators,” she said.

Recent polls show Harris doing nearly as well as Trump, if not better, with North Carolina voters. The campaign announced Friday that it will open six more offices in rural counties, in addition to the 20 it has in the state.

Different visions for the country

Harris’s visit to Raleigh and Trump’s campaign rally in Asheville earlier this week provided voters with an opportunity to compare the two presidential candidates’ economic plans.

In his loose speech in Asheville, in which he attacked Harris as well as his economic agenda, the former president vowed to restart oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and speed up work on natural gas pipelines. Trump promised oil executives at a fundraiser in Houston in the spring that he would support their projects, the Washington Post reported.

Trump blamed Harris for inflation and promised an economic boom if he was re-elected.

Trump floated the idea of ​​tariffs of up to 20 percent, which would amount to a tax on goods imported from other countries.

Harris said Trump’s proposed tax would raise prices on everyday products.

“It will mean higher prices on virtually every item of everyday life. A Trump tax on gasoline. A Trump tax on groceries. A Trump tax on clothing. A Trump tax on over-the-counter drugs,” Harris said. Trump’s plan would cost a typical family $3,900 a year, she said. “At this moment when everyday prices are too high, he would raise them even further.”

Harris’ speech was a departure from her usual campaign speech. Although Harris avoided some of the phrases that have become crowd favorites, the crowd chanted them anyway, at one point yelling, “We are not going back.”

Harris appeared at another community college earlier this week. On Thursday, she joined President Joe Biden onstage at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland, where the two discussed negotiating lower prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.

Friday was Harris’ 16th trip to the Tar Heel State during her vice presidency.

The feeling of 2008

“I have that feeling from 2008,” said Governor Roy Cooper as he introduced Harris. The crowd erupted in cheers. “We in North Carolina know what that means because that was the last time we voted for a Democratic presidential candidate: a certain Barack Obama.”

Brian Hamilton arrived at the event wearing a shirt with a comma followed by “la,” a play on Harris’ name.

He has lived in North Carolina all but five years of his life. He said he agreed with Cooper about “that 2008 feeling” and expected Harris to take office.

Hamilton appreciated hearing about Harris’ specific economic agenda and how it would impact his personal life.

“I like that she refrained from name-calling,” said Hamilton, comparing Harris’ speech to Trump’s usual speeches. “Occasional jibes are fine, but you shouldn’t base your entire campaign on them.”

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