Kamala Harris announces plan to tackle housing affordability, rising food costs

RALEIGH, N.C. (CN) — Vice President Kamala Harris said building up the middle class will be a primary goal of her presidency during a campaign stop in Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday, where she announced a plan to address housing affordability, expand child tax credits and tackle increased grocery costs on consumers.

Harris’ proposed plan would call on Congress to remove tax benefits for major investors who acquire large numbers of single family homes, and create a tax incentives for builders to sell starter homes to first-time home buyers. It would also target price-setting algorithms that rental companies use to increase rent.

“We will fight for people who are being exploited in the housing market. And I know what housing ownership means,” said Harris. “It’s a symbol of the pride that comes with hard work. It’s financial security. It represents what you will be able to do for your children.” 

Harris also said she plans to create a $10,000 tax credit for first time homeowners, and provide $25,000 in down payment assistance for 400,000 first generation homeowners. 

The vice president — who wasn’t accompanied in Raleigh by her running mate Tim Walz — also said she planned to target price-fixing and anti-competitive behavior in the food and grocery industries. 

Meat prices have accounted for a drastic increase in grocery bills, Harris’ campaign said, and a lack of competition in the industry allows middlemen to drive up consumer prices while reducing earnings for farmers.

Harris said she plans to provide support to smaller businesses so they can grow to challenge the corporations that are dominating the meat industry. 

“I will go after the bad actors. And I will work to pass the first ever federal ban on price gouging on food. My plan with this is new penalties for opportunistic companies that exploit crises and break the rules. And we will support smaller food businesses that are trying to play by the rules and get ahead,” Harris said. “We will help the food industry become more competitive, because I believe competition is the lifeblood of our economy. More competition means lower prices for you and your families.”

Harris also said she will expand the child tax credit for the lower and middle class, increasing it up to $3,600 per child, and provide a $6,000 tax relief credit for families with a newborn.

She also spoke about working with states to reduce medical debt, and crack down on pharmaceutical companies who block competition.

Harris is committed to ensuring earners under $400,000 won’t pay more in additional taxes, her campaign said. 

“The middle class is one of America’s greatest strengths,” said Harris. “And to protect it, we must defend basic principles, such as: your salary should be enough to provide you and your family with a good quality of life.”

Angella Dunston, a voter in the audience, said she was excited that Harris planned to address issues that eat up the paychecks of the middle and lower class. She was a Joe Biden supporter, but she sees a new energy and excitement in voters now that Biden has stepped out.

"She’s a unifying force,” Dunston said. “You've got white men for Kamala, you've got heterosexual people for Kamala, you've got LGBT folks for Kamala, you've got Asians for Kamala. She's a unified force, and right now this country needs that. We've been so divisive in politics, more divisive than I've ever seen it, and I think she's the force that can help unify. And so she's talking about saving democracy, or preserving democracy. And that's very important. That's the one thing that America stands on, is the fact that we're a democratic society. We're a democratic country, and we need someone who's a leader who believes in that and supports that.” 

A recent survey of swing states released by the Cook Political Report on Wednesday has Harris in a slight lead over former President Donald Trump in North Carolina, with 46% to Trump’s 44% when third party candidates are factored in. The matchup is even closer when voters are asked to choose one of the two, with Harris only maintaining a one percentage point lead over Trump: 48% to 47%. 

Historically, Republican presidential candidates have dominated in North Carolina. In the last ten presidential elections, former President Barack Obama was the only Democrat to win, in 2008. 

At Harris’ campaign event, Democrat Governor Roy Cooper said that the election has the same 2008 feeling.

“Vice President Harris has ignited a firestorm of excitement as we head into the final stretch of this election,” Cooper said. 

The governor’s race in North Carolina is also typically extremely close.

Cooper won two elections in a row, and has been term limited. Democrats have been aggressively campaigning to secure the governor’s seat, with Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson and Attorney General Josh Stein set to face off in November. 

Harris was originally scheduled to campaign in Raleigh on Aug. 8, but canceled her trip due to Hurricane Debby, which passed through the area last week. Trump also held a campaign rally in North Carolina this week, in Asheville on Wednesday. 

This is Harris’ eighth visit to North Carolina this year, and her 16th since she became vice president. 

Follow @SKHaulenbeek

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