Vice President Kamala Harris has refused to hold a formal press conference for nearly a month after she was essentially anointed by President Joe Biden to become the Democratic nominee. But she did finally take some questions from reporters on Sunday, and it didn’t go well, as many predicted.
Harris was taking questions after arriving in Chicago ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which is set to begin on Monday. One reporter asked about her economic plans, which critics have said are similar to those of the former Soviet Union and current communist regimes.
Harris has proposed a plan that would empower the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to impose substantial fines on grocery stores and their suppliers if their prices are deemed excessively high. Additionally, she aims to provide $25,000 to “first-generation home buyers” and to “forgive” medical debt, primarily targeting individuals who support the Democratic Party.
“You unveiled your economic policies last week. Can you explain how you’re going to pay for those, and can you give me an example of what other policies you want to unveil next?” the reporter asked. Harris went on to respond with what many have characterized as her typical “word salad” answer.
“Well, I mean, you just look at it in terms of what we are talking about, for example, around children, and the child tax credit, and extending the EITC. That is at $6,000 for the first year of a child’s life. The return on that investment, in terms of what that will do and what it will pay for, will be tremendous,” the vice president said, adding that the Biden-Harris regime has “reduced child poverty by 50 percent” without providing specifics.
“And then what we’re doing in terms of the tax credits, we know that there’s a great return on investment. And when we increase homeownership in America, what that means in terms of increasing the tax base, not to mention property tax base, what that does to fund schools, again, return on investment,” Harris continued while her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, looked on.
“I think it’s a mistake for any person who talks about public policy to not critically evaluate how you measure the return on investment. When you are strengthening neighborhoods, strengthening communities, and in particular the economy of those communities, and investing in a broad-based economy, everybody benefits, and it pays for itself,” she claimed.
WATCH:
Reporter: How are you going to pay for your crazy proposals?
Harris: (Incoherent word salad)pic.twitter.com/DHFwZdVoiC
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) August 18, 2024
Harris’ economic plans immediately received pushback, with many observers claiming that home sellers would simply boost the price of their offering by $25,000. Others noted that the taxpayer-funded handouts would also grow an already out-of-control national debt.
You would think, if someone knows they’re getting a free 25K towards a home why wouldn’t they look that much higher. Why are we paying with tax dollars down payments for homes. Dammit I’m so sick of this hand out society. My kids all recently bought homes. No grants, they work 2… pic.twitter.com/YFJS0skRUT
— MagaMalinois???????? (@MagaMalinois) August 16, 2024
won’t that just increase the price of all homes by $25,000 while also increasing the deficit https://t.co/F4VgpA1e1K
— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) August 16, 2024
Democrats don’t understand market forces.https://t.co/63vPHtsAG3
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) August 16, 2024
Don’t forget that higher prices for entry level homes means
1) higher local property tax assessed value=higher yearly property taxes
2) Higher home value=higher yearly home insurance costs
Put that in your household budget pipe and smoke it.— Do better (@dean1941_d) August 16, 2024
The Harris campaign is suggesting the same subprime mortgage structure that caused the 2008 crisis, except at a higher cost to tax payers, and WILL cause inflation of pricing. https://t.co/JuLT430mmr
— California Redacted ?? (@CARedacted) August 16, 2024
According to a statement on the website of House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, “The monthly mortgage payment for a median priced new home has increased by $970 and is 85 percent higher than when President Biden and Vice President Harris took office in January 2021. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, prices are 20 percent higher, paychecks don’t cover as much, and buying a house is now a luxury even fewer can afford. None of these failures would be possible without Vice President Harris,” Smith added.
