Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris returned to Pittsburgh Wednesday to outline an economic program she said would boost the middle class and with it America’s prosperity.
“We have an extraordinary opportunity to make our middle class the engine of America’s prosperity, to build a stronger economy where everyone everywhere has a chance to pursue their dreams and aspirations and to ensure the United States of America continues to out-innovate and outcompete the world.” she said in her presentation to the Economic Club of Pittsburgh in a packed Philip Chosky Theatre at Carnegie Mellon University.
Ms. Harris promised to work with businesses and unions to create jobs. “I am a capitalist,” she said.
Specifically, she called for speeding up permitting for construction, noting that the Empire State Building was built in a year.
“In America, it takes too long and it costs too much to build,” she said. “China is not moving slowly, and we can’t afford to either. …Patience might be a virtue but not when it comes to job creation.”
She said she wanted to help families do more than just be able to pay their bills. She said they should be able to put away money for their children’s education, take vacations and buy holiday gifts.
“I want Americans and families to not just be able to get by but to get ahead,” she said, “We know how to build an economy like that. We do know how to unlock strong shared economic growth for the American people. History has shown it time and time again: When we invest in those things that strengthen the middle class, we grow our economy.”
Among Ms. Harris’ proposals was a tax cut for 100 million Americans and a promise that no one earning less than $400,000 a year would pay more in taxes.
She also proposed a $6,000 tax credit for families during a child’s first year of life and a $3,600 tax credit per child for working families.
She reiterated her call for a $50,000 tax deduction for new small businesses (up from $5,000), and $25,000 to help first-time homebuyers with down payment.
She promised to work to reduce prescription drug prices for everyone, not just the elderly.
Ms. Harris also said that the U.S, has “taken enormous steps” to recover from the economic downturn and pandemic that the current administration inherited from Trump.
Those steps are evidenced by low unemployment, the Federal Reserve recently lowering interest rates, inflation continuing to decline, and 740,000 manufacturing jobs being created, including 650 of them at the Eos Energy zinc battery plant in Turtle Creek that once was a Westinghouse factory, she said.
Even so, she acknowledged that “the cost of living in America is just too high. You know it, and I know it.”
Ms. Harris criticized Trump for again wanting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which studies have shown would reduce the number of Americans with health insurance by more than 20 million people.
And she contrasted her philosophy with what she said was his.
“The American people face a choice between two fundamentally different paths for our economy,” she said. “I intend to chart a new way forward and grow America’s middle class. Donald Trump wants to take America backwards to the failed policies of the past. He has no intention to grow our middle class. He’s only interested in making life better for himself and people like himself, the wealthiest of Americans.”
Trump Pennsylvania campaign spokesman Kush Desai said Ms. Harris has been in office for more than three years and should be taking action rather than just talking about it.
“Instead of campaigning on vague promises of what she’ll do to improve people’s lives after winning her next election, why isn’t Kamala just doing the work now?” he said. “Kamala’s all-talk, no-action campaign is another reason why Pennsylvanians are going to vote for another four years of peace, prosperity, and stability under President Trump over another four years of gross incompetence and empty promises from Kamala.”
The speech took place in and marked her third trip to Pittsburgh this month.
It was an attempt to reach out to Pennsylvanians who continue to tell pollsters that Trump would be better for the economy than Ms. Harris, even as the vice president leads on other issues.
Polls by Monmouth and Muhlenberg College show the two major party candidates running neck and neck in the most populous battleground state where the winner of its 19 electoral votes likely will be the next president of the U.S.
“It certainly is an important visit on an important issue,” said Christopher Borick, a professor of political science at Muhlenberg and director of its Institute of Public Opinion.
“You have a race that is dead even, you have a No. 1 issue in that race and the Democratic nominee is considered less of a choice on that matter by a lot of voters. You need to make progress. How do you make progress? You come to the key state and you focus your communication on that and maybe move the needle a bit.”
Mia Everett, 48, who heard Ms. Harris’ speech from inside the center, said she welcomed her proposals.
"As a small business, you need assistance, it's very hard for start-ups,” said Ms. Everett, who lives in the South Side Slopes and works in finance. “I think it's a start. It's much better than $5,000.”
Yale Cohen, 68, a retired software engineer from Squirrel Hill, said he appreciated that the vice president was being specific on policy, though he said he'd like to hear more.
"Getting back to our small businesses and everything that affects them" is a large part of the American economy, he said, endorsing her proposed $50,000 tax deduction for small business start-ups.
Young voters are an important Democratic constituency, and Ms. Harris’ visit was welcomed by students on campus.
Sophie Elliott, a 20-year-old CMU junior from Maryland, called it “super awesome” that Ms. Harris came to visit.
“We’re definitely excited that she’s getting young voters excited to vote and getting people registered here in Pennsylvania. That’s super important to us.”
Ms. Harris wasn’t the only famous person that Samhitha Srinivasan, a 22-year-old master’s student from California, saw on campus Wednesday. She ran into billionaire Mark Cuban, a Mt. Lebanon native who has campaigned for Ms. Harris and her economic policies.
“He was awesome,” Ms. Srinivasan said. “He was walking on the street, taking pictures with students, and he was really humble.”
She took a selfie with Mr. Cuban and called him her “inspiration.”
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