Vice President Kamala Harris is ramping up her campaign with a new ad spotlighting her plan to address the housing crisis by building 3 million new homes over the next four years.
This initiative aims to counteract inflationary pressures and offers a stark contrast to former President Donald Trump’s approach to housing and economic policy.
In a compelling one-minute advertisement released on Tuesday, Harris shares her personal story of growing up in rental housing while her mother saved for a decade to purchase a home. The ad targets key swing states like Arizona and Nevada, and the campaign is organizing 20 events this week focused on housing issues to bolster support.
Harris’s plan includes not only a significant increase in home construction but also proposes up to $25,000 in assistance for first-time homebuyers. This move comes as housing costs have contributed to upward pressure on the consumer price index, with shelter costs rising 5.1% over the past year compared to a 2.9% increase in overall inflation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
READ ALSO: VP Harris Unveils Plan to Tackle Soaring Housing and Grocery Prices
Dan Kanninen, the campaign’s director for battleground states, emphasized, “Vice President Harris understands the urgent need to address our housing crisis. Her plan will tackle the housing shortage and hold corporate landlords and Wall Street banks accountable for driving up rents and housing costs.”
The Harris plan also includes tax incentives for homebuilders focusing on first-time buyers and expands support for companies constructing rental housing. To address local zoning restrictions that limit housing supply, Harris proposes doubling funding to $40 billion to encourage local governments to remove these regulations.
In contrast, Donald Trump, despite his background as a real estate developer, has faced criticism for the persistent housing shortage during his presidency. This issue worsened with inflationary pressures following the pandemic and rising food and energy costs exacerbated by global events such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Critics have pointed to these factors as contributing to the decline in President Joe Biden’s approval ratings, with some attributing the inflation surge to his pandemic relief measures.
Trump’s approach includes various proposals to reduce housing costs, such as his suggestion to address illegal immigration to lower demand for housing. Trump has also proposed opening up more federal land for home construction and creating new cities. Supporters of Trump’s agenda argue that reducing federal spending could lower interest rates, though deficits increased during his presidency.
Trump’s campaign has criticized Harris’s housing plan, with Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary, accusing her policies of worsening housing affordability issues. Trump himself has questioned the feasibility of Harris’s plan, alleging without evidence that it could benefit individuals without legal status.
READ ALSO: Biden and Trump Differ on Lowering Home Prices and Rents
As part of her campaign strategy, Harris plans to host housing affordability events in several key cities, including Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania; Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona; Las Vegas and Reno in Nevada; Asheville and Charlotte in North Carolina; and Savannah in Georgia.
The upcoming campaign events are expected to further highlight Harris’s commitment to addressing the housing crisis and provide a platform for discussing her proposals in detail.