Vice President Kamala Harris is promoting among other things $25,000 for homebuyers, student loan debt relief, price controls on foods and other consumer goods, as well as a $10 trillion plan to fight climate change.
John Shelton, policy advisor for Advancing American Freedom, says all of this would add to an already high national debt. "There's not a proposal out there that would not do that," he says.
The national debt currently exceeds $35 trillion.
The proposed $25,000 payout to first-time buyer families who have paid their rent on time for at least two years. Upwards of $25,000 is available for first-generation buyers.
"Many Americans work hard at their jobs, save, and pay their rent on time month after month. But they can’t save enough after paying their rent and other bills to save for a down payment -- denying them a shot at owning a home and building wealth,” a statement from the Harris campaign said.
Harris points to her single mother's difficult experience of buying a home as a reason to help people find housing. While many Americans have similar stories, Shelton says there is a better way.
"The problem with housing is that there's not enough, and so what you need to do is incentivize more building," says Shelton. "You do that by removing red tape, by getting government out of the way. But what Harris wants to do is just throw more money into the system – and all that's going to do is drive prices up. There's going to be more people competing for the same houses. It's just going to get more expensive."
In terms of the climate agenda, Shelton warns it will prevent people from buying the car of their choice and making long road trips to go see their loved ones.
Aggressive gas emissions goal
The Harris climate plan would reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2045.
“Climate change is an existential threat to our species, and the United States must lead the world with bold action to safeguard our future and protect our planet,” Harris said, when first unveiling the plan as a senator in 2019. “The Trump administration is pushing science fiction, not science fact, putting our health and economy at risk.”
"I think what we'd be getting with Kamala Harris is California policies for the entire country,” Shelton said.
But what about taxes? Democrats have said for years now that people need to pay their fair share. Shelton dismisses that notion.
"The thing about taxes is the more you raise them the less the economy grows," he adds. "When you look past the smiles and the vibes as people these days call it, you realize that they don't actually address the problems that they're supposed to address."
