Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to announce a pledge to keep U.S. Steel domestically while campaigning in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Monday, another policy she stole from her opponent's playbook.
“During his visit to Pittsburgh today, the Vice President is expected to underscore his commitment to always support American steelworkers, saying U.S. Steel should remain domestically owned and operated,” a Harris campaign official said in a statement.
Harris' policy is consistent with President Biden's position announced in March that U.S. Steel should not sell the company to Japan's Nippon Steel Corporation, but it is notable coming from the vice president, who has yet to announce a comprehensive policy agenda for when he takes over from Biden in 2024.
“U.S. Steel has been an iconic American steel company for more than a century, and it's vital that it remains an American steel company, domestically owned and operated,” Biden said in March.
Former President Donald Trump has previously voiced his opposition to the U.S. Steel deal, saying in January he would block the sale if voters returned him to the White House.
“I would stop it in a heartbeat. Absolutely,” Trump said at the time. “We saved the steel industry. Now U.S. Steel is being bought by the Japanese. It's terrible.”
During her short campaign, Harris adopted several policies directly from the Trump campaign, including proposals to exempt tips from taxation and the child tax credit.
There is no tax on tips
The former president first proposed a “no tip tax” policy at a campaign rally in early June and quickly adopted it as a pillar of his administration's campaign platforms.
He claimed the idea for the policy came to him at the Republican National Convention after a “very smart waitress” in Nevada complained that the government was taking her tips.
Harris then announced a plan to end the tip tax in August.
“I promise all of you here that if I become president, I will continue to fight for working American families, including raising the minimum wage and eliminating the tip tax for service and hospitality workers,” she said at a rally in Las Vegas.
Trump accused Harris of copying his own policies at the time.
“Kamala Harris, whose 'honeymoon' period is over and she's starting to lose ground in the polls, just copied my no tip tax policy,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “The difference is, she's not doing it. She just wants it for political purposes! It was Trump's idea. She has no ideas, she can only steal from me. Remember, Kamala proposed the biggest tax increase in history. It's not going to happen. Make America Great Again!!!”
Child Tax Credit
In her economic speech, Harris also floated a proposal for a child tax credit, which is consistent with a policy promoted by Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), just days before the speech drew fierce criticism from some Democrats.
The vice president said on August 16 that he would expand the child tax credit to give middle- and low-income families with children in their first year of life a tax cut of up to $6,000. He did not say how much the credit would be for middle- and low-income families.
Harris' campaign said she would also fight to restore Biden's American Rescue Plan's extended child tax credit of $3,600 per child.
Governor Vance said on August 11 that he supports implementing a child tax credit of up to $5,000 per child for all families, regardless of income.
“I would love to see a $5,000 per child child tax credit,” Vance said just five days before Harris unveiled her platform. “President Trump has long supported expanding the child tax credit, and I think you want to make it available to every American family.”
During a campaign stop in Michigan on Tuesday, Vance slammed Harris for copying the policies of the Trump campaign.
“Kamala's advisers are considering adopting all of Donald Trump's policies, and we're hearing that at the debate in a few weeks she plans to wear a navy suit and a long red tie and use the slogan 'Make America Great Again,'” Vance said.
