VP Kamala Harris’s leading tagline at the Democratic National Convention centered on hope and progression as she touted the importance of creating an opportunity economy for the country.
“We are charting a new way forward, forward to a future with a strong and growing middle class, because we know a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success,” Harris told the riveted crowd on August 22 in Chicago.
“Building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. I’ll tell you, this is personal for me. The middle class is where I come from. My mother kept a strict budget. We lived within our means, yet we wanted for little. She expected us to make the most of the opportunities that were available to us and to be grateful for them because as she taught us, opportunity is not available to everyone. That’s why we will create what I call an opportunity economy, an opportunity economy where everyone has the chance to compete and a chance to succeed.”
Her approach hinges on dissecting regulatory policies to upend economic issues that lower middle class families are plagued by everyday.
In Harris’s “Opportunity Economy” proposal, the program aims to topple grocery price gouging, rising housing costs, medications, and near doubling the child tax credit for middle-class and low-income families. She also stressed the importance of supporting small businesses and burgeoning solopreneurs.
“Whether you live in a rural area, small town, or big city, As President, I will bring together labor and workers and small business owners and entrepreneurs and American companies to create jobs, to grow our economy, and to lower the cost of everyday needs like health care and housing and groceries. We will provide access to capital for small business owners and entrepreneurs and founders, and we will end America’s housing shortage and protect social Social Security and Medicare.”
Noble goals, yes but there may be some uphill battles to fight before any progress is actually made.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that Harris’s agenda could increase the federal budget deficit by $1.7 trillion over the next ten years according to The Hill.
Despite that, Vice President Kamala Harris is now the leading contender for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination to go up against Donald Trump.