Vice-President Kamala Harris has been enjoying a meteoric rise as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee thanks to a string of favourable polls and exuberant rallies. But where does she stand on the issues that are important to Americans, except the positive vibes? legislator, her 2020 bid for the presidency and subsequent role in the White House give hints as to where Kamala Harris stands on a number of policy areas. Some of her views have changed over time, and even those closest to her admit that she sometimes struggles with difficulty defining herself. However, she attempted to set her vision for America apart from that of her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, as she accepted the Democratic nomination at the party convention in Chicago.

here’s where her positions on 10 important issues.

Economy (1st important issues)

During her tenure as a senator, Kamala Harris supported several progressive ideas, such as free education for low- and middle-class families, paid family leave, and affordable housing. She assisted Mr. Biden in passing significant economic legislation as vice president, which has been dubbed “Bidenomics” and includes large investments in renewable energy and infrastructure. However, surveys indicate that a lot of people are still concerned about the state of the economy despite the fact that high interest rates and inflation continue to plague American wallets. To help combat inflation, Ms. Harris has so far unveiled her economic plan, which includes tax credits for new parents, mortgage assistance for first-time homebuyers, and prohibitions on grocery store price gouging.”An opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed” is what she said her ideas could create in her convention acceptance speech.

Immigration (2nd important issues)

Over time, Kamala Harris’s views on the border have evolved. She took somewhat radical stances throughout her 2020 presidential campaign, vowing to shut down immigration detention facilities, for example.

In 2021, Mr. Biden asked Kamala Harris to lead the diplomatic effort with immigration-related matters at the southern border of the United States as vice president. She has been called a “border tsar” by many Republicans, but her correct assignment was to collaborate with Central American nations to solve the “root causes” of the migration crisis that was pulling people to the US.As part of that task she declared in 2023 that she had assisted in raising almost $3 billion, mostly from private businesses, to invest in local areas in the hopes of creating possibilities that would deter people from choosing to immigrate to the US. She supported the harsh bipartisan border security agreement earlier this year that called for hundreds of millions of dollars to be used for building border walls. However, Trump contributed to the deal’s collapse by claiming that Biden’s border policies were to blame for “death, destruction, and chaos in every American community.” During her DNC acceptance speech, Ms. Harris declared that she will “revive the bipartisan border security bill that was killed by him (Trump).” And I’ll enact it by signing it.

Abortion (3rd important issues)

Kamala Harris has consistently backed women’s access to abortions. She was fundamental in the Biden campaign’s attempt to turn abortion rights into a major issue in the 2024 race, and she has long supported laws that would guarantee reproductive rights across the board.” As president of the United States, I will sign an act into law when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedoms,” she declared during a 2024 campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia. In her acceptance address at the DNC, she restated that pledge. Being the first vice president to visit an abortion facility, Ms. Harris travelled the nation to discuss the rising number of abortion restrictions in the US following the US Supreme Court’s 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, frequently presenting the topic as one of individual liberty. Reproductive Freedom for All and Emilys List, two significant pro-choice advocacy organisations, have formally sponsored Ms. Harris since she began her presidential campaign.

Nato and Ukraine aid (4th important issues)

Although Kamala Harris’s early career was mostly centred on the state of California, she has expanded her involvement on the international scene after moving to Washington as a senator in 2017.She visited Jordan, Israel, Afghanistan, and Iraq while serving as a senator. She has visited 21 countries and met 150 world leaders in her role as vice president. She spoke at the Munich Security Conference last year, denouncing isolationism and supporting NATO, the Western security alliance. She also promised to stand for Ukraine “for as long as it takes” in its conflict with Russia. At the “peace conference” that Ukraine called in June in Switzerland, Ms. Harris spoke on behalf of the US and reiterated Washington’s backing. She stated in her DNC speech that she had a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky to “warn him about Russia’s plan to invade” five days prior to the Kremlin’s order to invade Ukraine. From there, she claimed to have “helped mobilise a global response”. Additionally, she promised in her speech that “we strengthen – not abdicate – our global leadership” and that “America – not China – wins the competition for the 21st Century”.

 

 

 

 

ALSO READ : Harris defended the economic policies in a high-stakes first interview

Harris defended the economic policies in a high-stakes first interview

In her first interview since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, US Vice President Kamala Harris defended her economic and immigration record and also attacked former President Donald Trump.

Ms. Harris claimed that the Biden administration was able to “recover the economy” after the pandemic and that illegal border crossings have decreased in recent months.

 

 

 

 

 

Israel-Gaza War (5th important issues)

Kamala Harris has consistently supported a two-state solution and demanded an end to the Gaza War.

She pledged to make sure “that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realise their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination” if elected president in her DNC acceptance speech.

Compared to Mr. Biden, she has been more willing to criticise Israel throughout the Israel-Gaza conflict while serving as vice president. Her concerns regarding the “humanitarian catastrophe for Palestinians” and her first calls for a “immediate cease-fire” made her one of the first members of the administration to hold Israel accountable for putting an end to the violence.

On his July visit to Washington, she had “frank and constructive” meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

She claimed to have informed Mr. Netanyahu of her “serious concerns” on the number of casualties in Gaza and the importance of Israel’s self-defence.

“It’s time for this war to end,” she declared following in-person discussions at the White House. Nonetheless, she has not backed an arms embargo on Israel, despite calls from those on the US left.

“I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself,” she declared during the convention, adding that she would “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself”.

Taxes (6th important issues)

As a senator in 2017, Kamala Harris backed several progressive tax policies and co-sponsored a measure with Bernie Sanders that raised the investment tax rate in order to increase social security benefits for the elderly.

When she ran for president in 2019, she favoured raising the corporation tax rate from 21% to 35%.

Compared to President Biden’s proposal, which she also backed, this was a more aggressive hike to 28%.The vice president will continue to support President Biden’s idea to keep taxes on Americans making less than $400,000 (£310,000) flat, a campaign official told the BBC.

Kamala Harris declared that she would “pass a middle class tax cut that will benefit more than 100 million Americans” in her DNC acceptance speech, yet there are still not many specifics about her proposal.

Healthcare (7th important issues)

During her tenure as California’s attorney general, Kamala Harris and her team frequently employed antitrust laws to prevent drug corporations, hospitals, and insurance from increasing customer expenses.

She had more progressive ideas than Joe Biden when she ran for president in 2020 and later became a US senator. She was in favour of Medicare expansion and publically funded health care programs.

Medicare is a US government-funded healthcare program that serves disabled individuals younger than 65 as well as those 65 and older.

Prior to this, Kamala Harris had backed Medicare for All, a plan that would give all citizens of the United States access to the program. Before Mr. Biden became president, this was a position that gained popularity among many progressive Democrats.

 

 

 

 

 

ALSO READ : Anxiety about Telegram CEO’s arrest are rife in Russia

Anxiety about Telegram CEO’s arrest are rife in Russia

Pavel Durov, the millionaire who was born in Russia and created the messaging program Telegram, was detained on arrival in Paris on Saturday night, and since then, there has been more talk than action regarding his whereabouts.

“The arrest (or detention) of ‘Russia’s Zuckerberg, Pavel Durov, is one of the most important, but mysterious global news stories,” Nezavisimaya Gazeta said in its headline.

 

 

 

 

She also supported the removal of private health insurance during that time, but she later changed her mind and unveiled a plan during her 2020 presidential campaign that would have put the US on track to provide government-funded health insurance over a 10-year period while leaving private insurance companies intact.

That is no longer the case. The BBC was informed by her campaign that she would not support a single-payer system if elected president. The White House lowered prescription drug costs, set a $35 price limitation on insulin, let Medicare bargain for drug prices, and limited out-of-pocket payments for Medicare prescription coverage during her vice-presidential term.

Crime (8th important issues)

Before being chosen to serve as San Francisco’s district attorney and later as California’s attorney general, Kamala Harris began her legal career pursuing cases against sex traffickers and child abusers.

Although the progressive left criticised her for being “a cop” at times, her offices did raise the conviction rate, especially for violent offenders.

Despite her inconsistent record, the right has accused her of being lenient on crime. She campaigned for California’s ability to continue utilising the death sentence as attorney general, even though as a prosecutor she refused to pursue it against a person who killed a police officer.

In order to set herself apart from her opponent, who was found guilty on 34 counts of conspiring to use hush money to improperly influence the 2016 election, Kamala Harris has also utilised her prior experience as a prosecutor.

During her DNC acceptance speech, she mentioned that Trump “was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans.” additionally held accountable for perpetrating sexual abuse.”

Climate (9th important issues)

Kamala Harris has traditionally supported strict legislation aimed at preserving the environment.

As a prosecutor, Kamala Harris filed lawsuits against oil firms alleging environmental harm and supported California’s climate laws. During her 2020 presidential campaign, she also advocated for “Green New Deal” climate change initiatives, some of which have been implemented by the present administration.

Fracking is a method of extracting gas and oil from shale rock. She stated during a CNN presidential debate in 2019 that “there is no question I’m in favour of banning fracking”. Since entering the 2024 presidential contest, she has changed her mind.

In her capacity as vice president, she contributed to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which has provided hundreds of billions of dollars for tax credits and rebates for electric vehicles and renewable energy sources.

In an earlier speech, she stated that it was “the largest climate investment in our nation’s history” and underlined the importance of weather protection.

In her DNC acceptance speech, she only mentioned the environment once, saying, “The freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis.”

Gun laws (10th important issues)

During her political career, Kamala Harris has consistently supported gun safety legislation. As the attorney general of the state of California, she successfully defended the state’s gun laws against court challenges.

She oversaw the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention in her capacity as vice president, and earlier this year she announced the establishment of resource centres to aid in the enforcement of red-flag legislation, which are designed to keep firearms out of the hands of those who could hurt themselves or others.

Additionally, she urged states to use the $750 million in federal funding allocated for crisis intervention programs by the Biden-Harris administration.