As she pushes forward with her nascent presidential campaign, US Vice President Kamala Harris is revealing how she will tackle the major issues facing the nation.
In speeches and rallies, she has expressed support for continuing many of President Joe Biden’s measures, such as lowering drug prices, forgiving student loan debt and eliminating so-called junk fees. But Harris has made clear that she has her own views on some key issues, particularly Israel’s treatment of Gazans in its war against Hamas.
In a departure from her 2020 presidential run, Harris' campaign has confirmed that she has backed away from many of her more progressive stances, such as her interest in a single-payer health insurance system and a ban on fracking.
Harris is also expected to put her own stamp and style on issues ranging from abortion to the economy to immigration, aiming to walk the fine line of taking credit for the administration’s accomplishments without voters jointly blaming her for its shortcomings.
Her early presidential campaign speeches have offered a glimpse of her priorities, though she has stuck to broad themes and has yet to unveil more nuanced plans. Like Biden, she aims to contrast her vision for America with that of former President Donald Trump.
"Right now, I believe we are faced with a choice between two different visions for our nation: one focused on the future and one focused on the past," he told members of the historically black sorority Zeta Phi Beta at an event in Indianapolis in late July. "And with your support, I am fighting for the future of our nation."
Here’s what we know about Harris' views:
Abortion
Harris took the lead in abortion rights advocacy following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Last January, she embarked on a multi-state "reproductive freedom tour," including a stop in Minnesota believed to be the first by a sitting U.S. president or vice president at an abortion clinic.
On abortion access, Harris embraced more progressive policies than Biden in the 2020 campaign, criticizing the president’s previous support for the Hyde Amendment, a measure that blocks the use of federal funds for most abortions.
Policy experts suggested that while Harris' current policies on abortion and reproductive rights may not differ significantly from Biden’s, as a result of her national tour and her own focus on maternal health, she may be a stronger messenger.
Economy
High prices are a top concern for many Americans struggling to cope with the cost of living after a period of high inflation. Many voters give Biden poor marks for his handling of the economy, and Harris could face their ire as well.
In her early campaign speeches, Harris has echoed many of the same themes as Biden, saying she wants to give Americans more opportunities to get ahead. She is especially concerned about making health care, child care, senior care and family leave more affordable and available.
At a rally in late July, Harris promised to continue the Biden administration’s push to eliminate so-called “junk fees” and disclose all charges, such as those for events, lodging and car rentals. In early August, the administration proposed a rule that would prohibit airlines from charging parents extra fees for seating their children next to them.
“From day one, I will take on price gouging and drive down costs. We will ban more hidden fees and surprise late fees that banks and other businesses use to boost their profits,” she said.
Since becoming vice president, Harris has taken more moderate stances, but a look at her 2020 campaign promises reveals a more progressive bent than Biden’s.
As a senator and 2020 presidential candidate, Harris proposed providing middle-class and working-class families with a refundable tax credit of up to $6,000 a year (per couple) to help support living expenses. The measure, called the LIFT the Middle Class Act or Livable Incomes for Families Today, would have cost about $3 billion over 10 years.
Unlike a typical tax credit, the bill would allow taxpayers to receive the benefit — up to $500 — on a monthly basis so that families would not have to resort to loans with very high interest rates.
As a presidential hopeful, Harris also advocated for raising the corporate tax rate to 35%, where it was before the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that Trump and congressional Republicans pushed for lowered it to 21%. The figure is higher than the 28% that Biden has proposed.
Affordable housing was also on Harris’ radar. As a senator, she introduced the Rent Relief Act, which would establish a refundable tax credit for renters who annually spend more than 30% of their gross income on rent and utilities. The amount of the credit would range from 25% to 100% of the excess rent, depending on the tenant’s income.
Harris called housing a human right, saying in a 2019 press release about the bill that every American deserves to have basic security and dignity in their own home.
Consumer Debt
High debt burdens, which weigh on people’s finances and erode their ability to buy homes, get car loans or start small businesses, are also an area of focus for Harris.
As vice president, she has promoted the Biden administration’s initiatives on student debt, which have so far forgiven more than $168 billion for nearly 4.8 million borrowers. In mid-July, Harris said in a post on X that “nearly 950,000 public officials have benefited” from student debt forgiveness, up from just 7,000 when Biden took office.
A potential Harris administration could keep that momentum going, though some of Biden’s efforts have been mired in litigation, such as a program aimed at reducing monthly student loan payments for about three million borrowers enrolled in a repayment plan the administration launched last year.
The vice president has also led White House efforts to ban medical debt from credit reports, noting that those with medical debt are no less likely to repay a loan than those without unpaid medical bills.
In a late July statement praising North Carolina’s move to alleviate medical debt for some two million residents, Harris said she is "committed to continuing to alleviate the burden of medical debt and creating a future where every person has the opportunity to build wealth and thrive."
Healthcare
Harris, who has had shifting stances on health care in the past, confirmed through her campaign in late July that she no longer supports a single-payer health care system.
During her 2020 campaign, Harris advocated for shifting the U.S. toward a government-backed health insurance system, but stopped short of wanting to eliminate private insurance entirely.
The measure called for a transition to a Medicare-for-all-type system over 10 years, but would continue to allow private insurers to offer Medicare plans.
The proposal would not have raised taxes on the middle class to pay for expanded coverage. Instead, the necessary funds would be raised by taxing Wall Street trades and transactions and changing the taxation of corporate income abroad.
On lowering drug costs, Harris previously proposed that the federal government set “a fair price” for any drug sold at a cheaper price in any economically comparable country, including Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Japan or Australia. If manufacturers were found to be price gouging, the government could import their drugs from abroad or, in egregious cases, use its existing but never-used “step-in” authority to license a pharmaceutical company’s patent to a competitor that would produce the drug at a lower cost.
Climate
Harris has spent decades advocating for climate and environmental justice. As California attorney general, Harris sued oil majors like BP and ConocoPhillips, and investigated Exxon Mobil for its role in climate change misinformation. While in the Senate, she sponsored the Green New Deal resolution.
During her 2020 campaign, she enthusiastically supported a ban on fracking, but a Harris campaign official said in late July that she no longer supports such a ban.
Fracking is the process of using liquid to release natural gas from rock formations, and the primary way to extract gas for energy in the contested Pennsylvania terrain. During a September 2019 town hall on the climate crisis hosted by CNN, she said she would start “with what we can do on Day 1 around public lands.” She later retracted that when she became Biden’s running mate.
Biden has been the most climate-friendly president in history, and climate advocates consider Harris an interesting candidate in her own right. Democrats and climate activists plan to campaign on the stark contrasts between Harris and Trump, who has vowed to push the United States decisively back to fossil fuels, promising to undo Biden’s climate and clean energy legacy and pull the U.S. out of its global climate commitments.
If elected, one of the biggest climate goals Harris would have to hammer out early in her administration is how much the U.S. would reduce its climate pollution by 2035, a requirement of the Paris climate agreement.
Immigration
Harris has been quick to try to counter Trump’s attacks on her immigration record.
Her campaign released a video in late July citing Harris’ support for increasing the number of Border Patrol agents and Trump’s successful push to scuttle a bipartisan immigration deal that included some of the toughest border security measures in recent memory.
The vice president has shifted her position on border control since her 2020 campaign, when she suggested Democrats needed to “critically examine” the role of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after being asked if she was on the side of those in the party who advocate abolishing the department.
In June of this year, the White House announced a crackdown on asylum applications in order to further reduce crossings at the US-Mexico border, a policy that Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez told CBS News in late July would continue under a Harris administration.
Trump’s attacks come as Biden tasked Harris with overseeing diplomatic efforts in Central America in March 2021. While Harris focused on long-term solutions, the Department of Homeland Security remained responsible for overseeing border security.
She has only spoken occasionally about her efforts, as the situation along the US-Mexico border became a political vulnerability for Biden. But she put her own stamp on the administration’s efforts, involving the private sector.
Harris created the Central America Partnership, which has acted as a liaison between businesses and the US government. Her team and the partnership coordinate closely on initiatives that have led to job creation in the region. Harris has also engaged directly with foreign leaders in the region.
Experts credit Harris' ability to secure private sector investments for her most visible performance in the region to date, but have cautioned about the long-term durability of such investments.
Israel-Hamas
The war between Israel and Hamas is the most tense foreign policy issue facing the country and has sparked protests across the United States since it began in October 2023.
After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late July, Harris delivered a powerful and remarkable speech on the situation in Gaza.
"We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot afford to become numb to the suffering. And I will not be silent."
Harris echoed Biden’s repeated comments about “ironclad support” and “unwavering commitment” to Israel. The country has a right to defend itself, she said, though she noted that “how it does so matters.”
The empathy she expressed regarding the Palestinian plight and suffering, however, was far more forceful than what Biden has said about it in recent months. Harris twice mentioned the “grave concern” she expressed to Netanyahu about civilian deaths in Gaza, the humanitarian situation and the destruction she called “catastrophic” and “devastating.”
She went on to describe “the images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time.”
Harris stressed the need to recover Israeli hostages held by Hamas, naming the eight Israeli-American hostages, three of whom have died.
But in describing the ongoing ceasefire agreement, she did not highlight the exchange of hostages for prisoners or the entry of aid into Gaza. Instead, she highlighted the fact that the agreement stipulates the withdrawal of the Israeli army from populated areas in a first phase before withdrawing "fully" from Gaza to "put a definitive end to hostilities."
Harris did not preside over Netanyahu’s speech to Congress in late July, instead preferring to devote herself to a planned trip to a brotherhood event in Indiana.
Ukraine
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Harris has pledged to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, having met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at least six times and last month announcing $1.5 billion for energy assistance, humanitarian needs and other aid for the war-ravaged country.
At the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, Harris said: "I will make clear that President Joe Biden and I stand with Ukraine. Working with bipartisan majorities of support in both chambers of the U.S. Congress, we will work to secure the critical weapons and resources that Ukraine so desperately needs. And let me be clear: failure to do so would be a gift to Vladimir Putin."
“More broadly, NATO is essential to our approach to global security. For President Biden and I, our sacred commitment to NATO remains steadfast. And I believe, as I’ve said before, that NATO is the greatest military alliance the world has ever known.”
Police funding
Harris’ campaign has also backtracked on the “defund the police” approach Harris expressed in 2020. What she meant was that she supports being “tough and smart on crime,” Mitch Landrieu, Harris’ national campaign co-chair and former New Orleans mayor, told CNN’s Pamela Brown in late July.
Amid the 2020 nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Harris expressed support for the “defund the police” movement, which advocates redirecting funding from law enforcement to social services. Throughout that summer, Harris supported the movement and called for demilitarizing police departments.
Democrats largely backed away from calls to defund the police after Republicans attempted to link the movement to rising crime during the 2022 midterm elections.