In major policy speech, Kamala Harris promises to ‘bring down costs’

US Democratic presidential candidate presents plan to tackle food ‘price gouging’, child care and housing costs.

Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has promised to “bring down costs and increase economic security for all Americans” in one of her first major policy speeches in the United States presidential campaign.

The US vice president, who secured the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month, put forward a set of proposals on Friday that she said would help boost the economy and combat food “price gouging”.

“I will be laser-focused on creating opportunities for the middle class,” Harris told a crowd of supporters in North Carolina. “Together, we will build what I call an opportunity economy.”

The plan includes an effort to end so-called price hikes on groceries, with Harris saying she would seek to pass a “first-ever federal ban” on the practice. She also proposed a scheme to provide $25,000 in support for some first-time homebuyers, as well as tax incentives for affordable home builders.

Moreover, Harris backed a $6,000 tax credit for children in their first year of life and an earned tax credit to cover people in lower-income jobs without children. She also renewed Biden’s pledge to lower the price of prescription medications.