Ryan Bourne of the Cato Institute reminds us of some of Vice President Kamala Harris’s positions on economic policy.
- Pandemic checks of $2,000/month for most individuals until three months after the end of the declared emergency.
- Mandate that Federal Reserve banks interview at least one person of each gender and racial or ethnic diversity for the position of president.
- End of minimum work requirement during the preceding year before becoming eligible for family and medical leave.
- $15 minimum wage (I assume she will want more now).
- The federal Price Gouging Prevention Act that would guarantee bigger and more widespread shortages during emergencies.
- A climate “equity” bill that would create a new agency to assess legislation for DEI purposes: the Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Accountability. The name says it all.
She is also a protectionist and voted against president Trump’s free-trade USMCA (U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement). During her first campaign (she got fewer votes than the Democrat who won the primary in Samoa this year, as I learned from Matt Continetti), she supported Medicare for All (though she later modified her stance. That means she may shift again), the Green New Deal, federal paid family leave, and free college tuition for most Americans. These are only a few things she is for, in addition to all the things that happened during the last few years.
I get that some of her economic positions may be acceptable these days among a few in the New Republican Right. But that doesn’t make them any less worrisome for those of us who believe in economic growth, innovation, and human flourishing.