Associated Press
Vice President Kamala Harris has a new advertising push to draw attention to her plan to build 3 million new homes over four years, a move designed to contain inflationary pressures that also draws a sharp contrast to Republican Donald Trump’s approach.
Harris, the Democratic nominee for President, highlights her plan in a new one-minute ad released Tuesday that uses her personal experience, growing up in rental housing while her mother saved for a decade before she could buy a home. The ad targets voters in the swing states including Arizona and Nevada. Campaign surrogates are also holding 20 events this week focused on housing issues.
In addition to increasing home construction, Harris is proposing the government provide as much as $25,000 in assistance to first-time buyers. That message could carry weight at this moment as housing costs have kept upward pressure on the consumer price index. Shelter costs are up 5.1% over the past 12 months, compared to overall inflation being 2.9%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Vice President Harris knows we need to do more to address our housing crisis and that’s why she has a plan to end the housing shortage” and will crack down on “corporate landlords and Wall Street banks hiking up rents and housing costs,” said Dan Kanninen, the campaign’s battleground states director.
The Harris plan would create tax breaks for homebuilders focused on first-time buyers and expand existing incentives for companies that construct rental housing. Because local zoning often restricts the supply of homes, she would also double the available funding to $40 billion to encourage local governments to remove the regulations that prevent additional construction.
That shortage became more problematic when inflation jumped as the country recovered from the pandemic and faced higher food and energy costs after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The high inflation damaged the approval ratings of President Joe Biden, who Republicans and some economists blamed for sparking the price runups with his pandemic aid.
Mortgage rates climbed to levels that were prohibitively high for many would-be buyers. At the same time, many existing homeowners held off on listing their properties for sale in ways that compounded the inflation challenge.
Trump has floated an array of ideas for lowering housing costs — including his suggestion in a June speech in Wisconsin that stopping illegal immigration would reduce demand for housing and bring down prices.
“I will also stop inflation by stopping the invasion, rapidly reducing housing costs,” Trump said.
There is also the possibility of opening up more federal land for home construction with the Trump campaign proposing a competition to charter as many as 10 new cities. Economists supportive of Trump’s agenda have suggested — despite deficits climbing during his presidency — that Trump would get federal spending under control if he was President again, which would lower interest rates.
The Trump campaign has also opposed efforts by Democrats to encourage the construction of apartments and condominiums in suburbs and cities, which could alleviate the housing shortage. Trump has said in a video that such efforts are “Marxist” and would be a “war on the suburbs” that would destroy property values.
Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s national Press Secretary, in a statement said that “Kamalanomics” is to blame for home ownership becoming less attainable, an attempt to undermine Harris’ message of being a change candidate who can open up opportunities for the middle class.
Trump’s main play has been to claim that Harris can’t pay for her housing agenda. That’s even though he also attacks her for supporting tax increases and other revenue raisers proposed by Biden that could in theory offset the costs.
“She has no clue how’d she paid for $25,000 to every first-time homebuyer, including illegals,” said Trump at an August 19 rally in York, Pennsylvania, claiming without clear evidence that her policy would support immigrants without legal status.
The Harris campaign plans to hold housing affordability events in the Pennsylvania cities of Lancaster, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as well as the Arizona cities of Phoenix and Tucson. There will also be events in the Nevada cities of Las Vegas and Reno and the North Carolina cities of Asheville and Charlotte, in addition to Savannah, Georgia.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
31 comments
Deplorable Pinellas
August 27, 2024 at 4:07 pm
Why build 3 million new homes when we have city upon city of run down dilapidated neighborhoods all over America. Instead of clear-cutting land and destroying rural America, try fixing run down ghetto America first.
Yrral
August 28, 2024 at 7:25 am
What about trailer park trash areas of Florida
rick whitaker
August 28, 2024 at 11:54 am
YRRAL, the state is one big trailer park, some trailers are just big and fancy, that’s all. “trailer park” is a state of mind, a redneck maga state of mind. you elected desantis twice, come on, wise up. yrral, i’m reffering to the bad floridians, not you.
Marvin M.
August 27, 2024 at 4:15 pm
It’s a great idea. It is an ambitious idea.
It will be a game changer for many families wanting to become homeowners and many municipalities trying to deal with homelessness.
I look forward to hearing Donald Trump’s plan to deal with housing shortages, high rents/mortgages, and lack of affordable housing.
ELVIS
August 28, 2024 at 9:50 am
“And a free soft, cuddly, puppy for everyone that votes for me”, said Kamala.
rick whitaker
August 28, 2024 at 10:55 am
EARL AKA ELVIS AKA NUTCASE, your cynicism is almost as bad as your sexism, racism, and childish cornball attempts at humor. harris is a wonderful candidate, but you are too “whatever” to see it. if there was a hell, you would run the place.
ELVIS [FKA EARL]
August 28, 2024 at 6:44 pm
Your still my Besty Lefty Rick thanks for your trust in my management abilities but I will be spending eternity in Christian Heaven. And I am still going to use my Sage Abilities to convert you so we can spend eternity together.
Honestly what could be better than “Eternity With ELVIS [FKA EARL]?
rick whitaker
August 30, 2024 at 6:02 pm
EARL, i just told you fool, there is no eternity. eternal life is a christian con. if you can’t spot the con, you are the mark. earl, you are a mark.
Day 36
August 27, 2024 at 5:07 pm
Kammy would bankrupt the most successful McDonald’s or Starbucks franchise. She has no business sense and this is pure populism fluff. It will end up costing much more than forecast. The current administration that brought us record high inflation and prices, this will simply continue down that road.
Dont Say FLA
August 27, 2024 at 5:35 pm
Turmip is the clear leader… in bankruptcies
cassandra was right
August 28, 2024 at 12:39 pm
Q:What would bankrupt the most successful McDonald’s?
A: McDonald’s giving their customers BK vouchers so that BK could compete!
Trump bankrupts businesses!
Vote for Harris!
Ocean Joe
August 27, 2024 at 5:34 pm
Make sure the 2017 tax cuts expire. If we dont have money to build houses or help with down payments we dont have money to fund a giant tax cut targeted at the wealthy and corporations either.
She’s a politician with no business sense and Trump’s a businessman whose gone into bankruptcy 11 times, including a casino.
I’d say it’s a draw.
Cindy
August 27, 2024 at 5:36 pm
3 million homes to migrsters of het choice Plus a 15 percent Lean when they sell at higher prices .
I guess that’s a booster hand up.
Dont Say FLA
August 27, 2024 at 5:37 pm
VP Harris hasn’t yet disclosed how she’ll fund a proposed policy, huh.
Has Turnip Truck even paid his lawyers or his rent yet? Has he confessed to his own policy being his yet?
LOL @ Turnip J Truck
Cindy
August 27, 2024 at 5:39 pm
3 million new homes to migrants .,plus a 15 percentage tag when they sell for higher amounts.
Sounds like a great financial hands up booster
Making no sense
August 27, 2024 at 5:46 pm
Harris going into a real Estate Business. Wood just. Went up 550 percent
Day 36
August 27, 2024 at 8:38 pm
Makes sense. She and Joe brought us record inflation.
Dont Say FLA
August 28, 2024 at 8:19 am
Psssst, hey, who brought record inflation to the rest of the world?
Oh wait I know who: It was that guy who knew, KNEW Covid was a lab leak, and he knew that because he’s the damned fool who had it leaked trying to pain China, thinking it would never make it out of China if he just put a big enough tariff in place, having misunderstood how tariffs function exclusively within the economic realm, and not within the realm of viral infections.
Who got inflation back into the 2%s in USA? Ah, now THAT was the Biden Harris administration.
rick whitaker
August 30, 2024 at 6:06 pm
DAY 36 AKA PEACHY, you just told another lie. biden didn’t ” bring us record inflation “. quit lying dude or dudette
Day 36
August 27, 2024 at 5:59 pm
The socialists are out in full force.
rick whitaker
August 28, 2024 at 11:02 am
DAY 36 AKA HOWLER MONKEY, look monkey, the nubag maga rats are out in full force. what do you have to say for yourself? look, no one wants to be called a nutbag maga rat, but sadly, you are.
Michael K
August 28, 2024 at 12:02 am
Affordable housing is a problem nationwide, and even worse in Red states with higher rates of poverty, infant mortality, and lack of health care. The need for coordination and leverage between federal, state and local government is critical. We need national leadership on this issue, and Democrats can lead the way. Vote blue.
Day 37
August 28, 2024 at 5:54 am
So how many millions did the “Blue” leader and the “Blue” Border Czar allow to enter this country illegally. Now we have a housing issue. Hmmmm. And you want to trust “Blue” to fix this?
Yrral
August 28, 2024 at 7:34 am
You cannot build a house without undocumented workers in America cheap
rick whitaker
August 30, 2024 at 6:07 pm
PEACHY, MORE LIES.
Day 37
August 28, 2024 at 6:40 am
Oh and now “flip flopper” wants to build a border wall. Will the real Kammy Harris please stand up?
Yrral
August 28, 2024 at 7:26 am
What about trailer park trash areas of Florida
Yrral
August 28, 2024 at 7:29 am
More jobs for undocumented workers,I saw some Mexican build a brick house in one month,from foundation to completion You can buy a tiny home on Amazon for less than 25000 dollars Google Amazon Tiny House
Day 37
August 28, 2024 at 10:19 am
I will really laugh my azz off when Kammy says, “drill baby drill”!
Will the real Kammy Harris please stand up?
Michael K
August 29, 2024 at 8:46 am
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are speaking directly to the American people – and the people who are listening like what they hear.
She’s smart to define herself on her terms. Politico published a long list of insults and demeaning nicknames that Trump Inc RNC has tried to use to belittle her, and not a single one has stuck. Why? Because America is sick and tired of the depravity of the stale old boring Trump reruns. We’re sick of his schtick. And we deserve better.
rick whitaker
August 29, 2024 at 11:56 am
DAY 37, will the real peachy keep up this maga trash talk after the trump defeat in november ? peachy how did your head get so screwed up? were you in a car accident? did your mom not feed you properly, just what is the cause of your pathetic condition? you won’t tell me, but it would be an interesting lie to hear. you maga cultist are going to find it much harder when harris gets elected. is your motto, live by insanity, die by insanity? 5 questions here, i don’t expect any answers.
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