Our Verdict on Kamala Harris’s New Plans

Matt Bruenig reviews Kamala Harris’s new economic policy proposals — from money for first-time homebuyers to fighting grocery price gouging to an expanded child tax credit. Some of her ideas are good. Some are bad. Most are meh.

President Biden And Vice President Kamala Harris Speak In Maryland

US vice president Kamala Harris gives remarks alongside US president Joe Biden on August 15, 2024, in Largo, Maryland. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)


Kamala Harris unveiled many campaign policy proposals today. Jeff Stein and Dan Diamond have it covered at the Washington Post. Below are reactions to some of these proposals.

1. A $25,000 subsidy for first-time homebuyers

This is a bad idea. It is unfair to people who, even with the subsidy, cannot afford to buy a home and those who prefer to rent. Because it is a demand subsidy without any corresponding price controls, some of the money will also just get captured as higher home prices, negating the affordability goals of the policy.

A better idea that is thematically related would be to take the annual cost of this program, divide it by the number of people who turn eighteen each year, and then give the resulting dollar amount as a lump sum to people when they become adults. If they want to use it for a down payment, then they can. But they can also use it for college, buying assets other than owner-occupied real estate, or whatever else. This policy is sometimes called a demogrant and was, for a time, all the rage in the racial equality world, typically sold under the name of “baby bonds.”

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