PITTSBURGH — Vice President Kamala Harris laid out her ‘pragmatic’ economic agenda in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, outlining over $100 billion in new investments in manufacturing and drawing contrast with former president Donald Trump.
Harris’ economic plan, called “A New Way Forward For The Middle Class”, outlines her plan for tax credits to boost investment and industrial job creation, along with investments in artificial intelligence, science and energy development, as well as supporting American-made products.
“This plan will cost approximately $100 billion and will be paid for by a portion of the proceeds of international tax reform, which seeks to prevent a global race to the bottom and to discourage inversions, outsourcing, or international tax strategies designed by corporations to avoid paying their fair share to the United States,” the Harris campaign said in a fact sheet.
Speaking at the Economic Club of Pittsburgh, Harris said her views on the economy are “rooted in her middle-class upbringing” while Trump’s comes from a “gilded path to wealth.”
“For Donald Trump, our economy works best if it works for those who own the big skyscrapers. Not those who build them. Not those who wire them. Not those who mop the floors,” she said.
“I promise you I will be pragmatic in my approach,” Harris added. “Because I believe we shouldn’t be constrained by ideology and should instead seek practical solutions to problems.”
Harris’ remarks come as she tries to cut into Trump’s edge on the economy as polls show voters believe Trump would do a better job with the economy. The former president has argued in recent days that Harris is responsible for the current economic climate as part of President Joe Biden’s administration.
An ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted after the ABC News presidential debate earlier this month found that the economy was the top issue for voters. That poll found voters trusted Trump to do a better job handling the economy than Harris by 7-point margin.
Harris’ team knows this and this is why her a major part of her speech was framing the broad contrast with Trump she’s seeking to drive.
“My opponent Donald Trump makes big promises on manufacturing,” she said. “On Trump’s watch offshoring went up and manufacturing jobs went down across our country… He constantly got played by China.”