Press Release
VP Harris Unveils Strong Economic Vision with Emphasis on Lower Costs for American Families
08. 16. 2024
The Harris-Walz agenda aligns with ESPA's blueprint for a fairer economy that shifts power from corporations to communities
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RALEIGH, N.C.—Vice President Kamala Harris today announced a strong economic agenda focused on bread and butter issues and cutting costs for families. Her whole-of-family approach to policymaking would make daily living more affordable for American families at every stage: from birth to raising a child, to accessing affordable housing, to aging with dignity and care.
In the speech delivered in North Carolina, Harris pledged to reinstate the expanded Child Tax Credit, offering a new and historic $6,000 credit to families with children in their first year of life, and to increase competition where corporate interests have concentrated markets and driven up costs for families, particularly in the housing, grocery, and healthcare sectors. By addressing the rising cost of living and broken markets, the Haris-Walz agenda offers a comprehensive approach to tackle the most pressing and entrenched economic concerns of voters today. The Harris-Walz platform aligns with Economic Security Project Action’s economic vision, laid out in a new policy agenda for a more equitable economy.
“The policies outlined by Vice President Harris are crucial components of building an economy that works for all Americans, not just the wealthy few. Today’s speech sends a clear message that the Harris-Walz ticket understands the economic challenges American families face. Costs went up after the pandemic, but we also know that it’s longstanding inequities in our economy that have made life unaffordable for too many Americans. By championing policies like an expanded Child Tax Credit and stronger enforcement of competition in the housing, agricultural, and healthcare sectors, the vice president proves she’s putting the needs of working families ahead of corporations,” said Taylor Jo Isenberg, Executive Director of Economic Security Project Action. “This approach not only addresses immediate affordability concerns, but also lays the groundwork for long-term economic resilience. We are encouraged to see the vice president embrace critical policies that will help shift power from corporations back to workers, consumers, and families.”
Harris’ speech highlighted key policies that ESPA has advocated for including:
- Reinstate the expanded monthly Child Tax Credit, with a bold new proposal to provide parents more support – up to $6,000 worth – in a baby’s first year of life.
- Support middle class workers through an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
- Combat corporate price gouging and junk fees to protect consumers, particularly at the grocery store.
- Support efforts to halt outsized corporate power and control over key markets in our economy, including abuses by the pharmaceutical industry, private equity, and Wall Street, which have padded executive’s pockets at the expense of American families.
This week, ESPA released a memo advising the Harris-Walz administration to promote policies that lower costs for families, expand economic freedom, and tackle the affordability crisis. ESPA’s analysis shows that these policies are not only effective but also popular with voters across the political spectrum.
For more information on ESPA’s economic policy recommendations, please refer to our economic agenda memo. To schedule an interview with leaders from Economic Security Project Action, including ESPA co-founder Chris Hughes and ESPA Executive Director Taylor Jo Isenberg, contact Jenna Severson at [email protected].