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In a 2019 interview with _[The Root](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Root_/(magazine/) "The Root (magazine)")_, Harris said her position on sex work had relaxed. Asked whether she thought it should be decriminalized, she said: "I think so. I do." She then said she had prioritized arresting [pimps](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimps "Pimps") and johns over sex workers.[\[103\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-103)[\[104\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-j069-104) According to _[Rolling Stone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone "Rolling Stone")_, her comments were viewed as support for partial decriminalization, akin to the [Nordic approach to sex work](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_model_approach_to_prostitution "Nordic model approach to prostitution").[\[101\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-RS2020814-101) |
Vice President Kamala Harris listens during a meeting with Black women leaders on Voting Rights, July 2021. |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### Voting rights |
Harris attributed the 2018 gubernatorial losses of [Stacey Abrams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacey_Abrams "Stacey Abrams") and [Andrew Gillum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Gillum "Andrew Gillum"), in [Georgia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Georgia_gubernatorial_election "2018 Georgia gubernatorial election") and [Florida](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Florida_gubernatorial_election "2018 Florida gubernatorial election") respectively, to [voter suppression](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_suppression "Voter suppression").[\[105\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-105) |
In 2020, Harris and Representatives [Jim Clyburn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Clyburn "Jim Clyburn") and [Marcia Fudge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcia_Fudge "Marcia Fudge") introduced the Vote Safe Act, which proposed uniform national standards for all registered voters to use mail-in absentee voting, a minimum early in-person voting period of 20 days, and $5 billion in funding and grants for states to increase the safety and availability of voting during the COVID-19 pandemic.[\[106\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-106) The [ACLU](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACLU "ACLU") endorsed the bill.[\[107\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-107) |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
## Economic issues |
Harris has said "I believe in [capitalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism "Capitalism"), but capitalism is not working for most people" and that she is not a socialist but insists that more needs to be done to ensure equal opportunities, particularly for working people |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### Campaign finance |
Harris's 2020 presidential campaign disavowed most corporate donations and committed to rejecting money from corporate political action committees, instead relying on individual donors.[\[32\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-Herndon_2019-32)[\[111\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-Reuters_2019-111)[\[112\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-112) |
> Our campaign is not taking a dime from corporate [PACs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_action_committee "Political action committee") or [lobbyists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbyists "Lobbyists")—and that was a very deliberate choice.[\[113\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-Accepted-113) |
Harris, along with candidates [Cory Booker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_Booker "Cory Booker"), [Julian Castro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Castro "Julian Castro"), [Tulsi Gabbard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsi_Gabbard "Tulsi Gabbard"), [Kirsten Gillibrand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsten_Gillibrand "Kirsten Gillibrand"), [Amy Klobuchar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Klobuchar "Amy Klobuchar"), [Bernie Sanders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders "Bernie Sanders"), [Elizabeth Warren](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Warren "Elizabeth Warren"), and [Marianne Williamson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne_Williamson "Marianne Williamson"), explicitly discouraged single-candidate super PACs from operating on her behalf, though she cannot prevent them from doing so.[\[114\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-114) |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### COVID-19 |
In April 2020, Harris, Representative [Adam Schiff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Schiff "Adam Schiff"), and Senator [Dianne Feinstein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianne_Feinstein "Dianne Feinstein") unveiled legislation to establish a bipartisan commission to review the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to the [9/11 Commission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11_Commission "9/11 Commission") and the [Pearl Harbor Commission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberts_Commissions "Roberts Commissions").[\[115\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-115) Harris and her colleagues also sent a letter to the Trump administration's health officials demanding a consistent protocol for counting the number of casualties the virus caused to prevent deflation and underreporting of deaths.[\[116\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-116) |
Harris announced that she would introduce legislation to create a task force that would address racial disparities, the COVID-19 Racial and Ethnic Disparities Task Force Act. Under the law, the [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Department_of_Health_and_Human_Services "U.S. Department of Health and Human Services") would be empowered to make recommendations about effective distribution of resources to communities suffering from racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death rates. Representative [Robin Kelly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Kelly "Robin Kelly") introduced a companion bill in the House.[\[117\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-117) |
Harris and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduced a bill to expand by 30% access to the [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supplemental_Nutrition_Assistance_Program "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program"), commonly known as food stamps.[\[118\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-118) Harris and Republican Senator [Tim Scott](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Scott "Tim Scott") also introduced a bipartisan bill, with the support of chef [José Andrés](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Andr%C3%A9s "José Andrés"), to expand eligibility for assistance from [FEMA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FEMA "FEMA"), allowing state and local governments to partner with restaurants and nonprofit groups to feed those in need during the pandemic.[\[119\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-119) Harris also introduced a bill with Senators Bernie Sanders and [Ed Markey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Markey "Ed Markey") to give Americans a monthly payment of $2,000 during the pandemic, with payments to every U.S. resident earning up to $120,000 as the unemployment rate spiked to 14.7%.[\[120\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-120) |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### Disaster relief |
In October 2017, after [Hurricane Maria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Maria "Hurricane Maria") and [Hurricane Irma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Irma "Hurricane Irma"), Harris signed a letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security [Elaine Duke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Duke "Elaine Duke") urging her "to provide all necessary resources to confirm that storm-related deaths are being counted correctly" given that President Trump seemed "to be using the number of fatalities to determine the quality of the disaster response."[\[121\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-121) |
In August 2018, Harris was one of eight senators to sign a letter to the [Federal Emergency Management Agency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Emergency_Management_Agency "Federal Emergency Management Agency") charging the agency with not assisting displaced homeowners in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of [Hurricane Maria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Maria "Hurricane Maria") under the [Individuals and Households program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuals_and_Households_program "Individuals and Households program") (IHP) at "alarming rates."[\[122\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-122) |
Harris tours Puerto Rico in 2017. |
In February 2019, Harris introduced the Protecting Disaster Relief Funds Act, a bill that would prevent Trump from taking funds allocated to the Departments of [Homeland Security](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Homeland_Security "Department of Homeland Security") and [Housing and Urban Development](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Housing_and_Urban_Development "Department of Housing and Urban Development") or the [Army Corps of Engineers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Corps_of_Engineers "United States Army Corps of Engineers") for disaster relief and using the funds in construction of physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. She said the bill would "ensure that funds intended for victims of natural disasters do not go towards a wall that Congress won't fund and people on the border don't even want" and "stand up for Congress's power of the purse and help California families affected by recent natural disasters begin the process of recovery."[\[123\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-123) |
In March 2019, Harris was one of 11 senators to sign a letter to congressional leaders urging them to "bring legislation providing disaster supplemental appropriations to your respective floors for consideration immediately" after noting that the previous year had seen 124 federal disaster declarations approved for states, territories, and tribal nations across the U.S.[\[124\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-124) |
In April 2019, Harris announced her opposition to a Republican disaster aid package, charging the Trump administration with playing "politics with disaster funding by failing to fully assist California wildfire victims and the millions of American citizens still struggling in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Survivors of these disasters are hurting, and they deserve immediate and meaningful support—this bill does not do that."[\[125\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-125) |
In November 2019, [wildfire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildfire "Wildfire") conditions forced California power companies to begin presumptive [public safety power shutoff events](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_California_power_shutoffs "2019 California power shutoffs"). Nearly 800,000 customers were left without electricity for days. People in areas particularly vulnerable to the fires were left with limited means of getting information and supplies. Harris introduced the Wildfire Defense Act, a bill that would invest $1 billion to establish guidelines to create community wildfire defense plans, provide grants of up to $10 million to implement such plans, and establish best practices to protect communities from wildfires.[\[126\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-126) |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### Consumer protection |
On April 10, 2020, Harris and Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced the Price Gouging Prevention Act, a bill that would empower the [Federal Trade Commission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Trade_Commission "Federal Trade Commission") to enforce a ban on excessive price increases of consumer goods amid national emergencies and specifically consider any price increase above 10% to be price gouging during such a declaration.[\[127\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-127) |
In April 2020, Harris, Senator [Sherrod Brown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherrod_Brown "Sherrod Brown"), and Representatives [Ayanna Pressley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayanna_Pressley "Ayanna Pressley") and [Gregory Meeks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Meeks "Gregory Meeks") sent the Small Business Administration and Treasury Department a letter requesting that the agencies move to ensure minority-owned businesses remain under the Paycheck Protection Program and calling for the Trump administration to revise guidance on the program to reaffirm that lending institutions comply with fair lending laws and mandate that they report the demographics of program lending.[\[128\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-128) |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### Free trade |
In 2016, Harris opposed the [Trans-Pacific Partnership](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership "Trans-Pacific Partnership"), saying the proposed trade deal did not do enough to protect workers and the environment, and later spoke against [tariffs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariffs "Tariffs") imposed by the Trump administration.[\[129\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-129) |
In May 2019, Harris said she would not have voted for the [North American Free Trade Agreement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement "North American Free Trade Agreement") (NAFTA) because "we can do a better job to protect American workers" and called for the U.S. to do "a better job in terms of thinking about the priorities that should be more apparent now than perhaps they were then, which are issues like the climate crisis and what we need to build into these trade agreements."[\[130\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-130) |
In September 2019, Harris declared she was not a "[protectionist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protectionism "Protectionism") Democrat."[\[131\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-131) In January 2020, she was one of ten senators to vote against the [USMCA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USMCA "USMCA"),[\[132\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-132) saying, "by not confronting climate change, the USMCA fails to meet the crises of the moment."[\[133\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-133) |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### Healthcare |
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks during a virtual Vaccine Month of Action in June 2021. |
On August 30, 2017, Harris announced at a town hall in Oakland that she would co-sponsor Senator [Bernie Sanders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders "Bernie Sanders")'s "[Medicare for All](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_for_All "Medicare for All")" bill, supporting [single-payer healthcare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-payer_healthcare "Single-payer healthcare").[\[134\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-134)[\[32\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-Herndon_2019-32) |
In April 2018, Harris was one of ten senators to sponsor the Choose Medicare Act, an expanded public option for health insurance that also increased Affordable Care Act subsidies and rendered people with higher income levels eligible for its assistance.[\[135\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-135) |
In August 2018, Harris introduced the Maternal Care Access and Reducing Emergencies (CARE) Act, a bill designed to reduce racial disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity. The risk of death from pregnancy-related causes for African American women is three to four times higher than for white women, and Black women are twice as likely to have life-threatening pregnancy complications. She was joined by 13 of her Democratic colleagues.[\[136\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-136) |
In December 2018, Harris was one of 42 senators to sign a letter to Trump administration officials [Alex Azar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Azar "Alex Azar"), [Seema Verma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seema_Verma "Seema Verma"), and [Steve Mnuchin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Mnuchin "Steve Mnuchin") arguing that the administration was improperly using Section 1332 of the [Affordable Care Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affordable_Care_Act "Affordable Care Act") to authorize states to "increase health care costs for millions of consumers, while weakening protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions." The senators requested the administration withdraw the policy and "re-engage with stakeholders, states, and Congress."[\[137\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-137) |
In February 2019, Harris and 22 other Democratic senators introduced the State Public Option Act, a bill that would authorize states to form a [Medicaid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicaid "Medicaid") buy-in program for all residents and thereby allow them to buy into a state-driven Medicaid health insurance plan if they wished. [Brian Schatz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Schatz "Brian Schatz"), a co-sponsor, said the legislation would "unlock each state's Medicaid program to anyone who wants it, giving people a high-quality, low-cost public health insurance option" and that its goal was "to make sure that every single American has comprehensive health care coverage."[\[138\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-138) |
In June 2019, Harris was one of eight senators to co-sponsor the Territories Health Equity Act of 2019, legislation that would remove the cap on annual federal Medicaid funding, increase the federal matching rate for Medicaid expenditures of territories, and provide more funds for prescription drug coverage to low-income seniors in an attempt to equalize funding for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands with that of U.S. states.[\[139\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-139) |
On July 29, 2019, Harris unveiled a health plan that would expand coverage while preserving a role for private insurance companies. It called for transitioning to a Medicare for All system over 10 years and automatically placing infants and the uninsured into the system while others could buy into the plan.[\[140\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-140) Some Democrats and Republicans criticized the plan.[\[141\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-141) |
In November 2019, during a _[Morning Joe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_Joe "Morning Joe")_ interview, Harris declined to specify the inconsistencies in Elizabeth Warren's Medicare For All plan, saying that her own plan was superior and that she was "not going to take away people's choice about having a public or a private plan. I am going to give people a transition that allows folks like [organized labor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organized_labor "Organized labor") to actually renegotiate their contract."[\[142\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-142) |
In April 2020, Harris was one of 28 Democratic senators to sign a letter to the [United States Department of Health and Human Services](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Health_and_Human_Services "United States Department of Health and Human Services") urging it to reopen the Affordable Care Act's online marketplace to help uninsured Americans get health insurance amid the [COVID-19 pandemic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic "COVID-19 pandemic"), opining that opening the marketplace "would provide an easy pathway to coverage for those who under previous circumstances may have decided to forego health insurance or purchase a substandard, junk insurance plan, but now in a global pandemic are in vital need of comprehensive coverage to protect themselves, their families, and our broader community."[\[143\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-143) |
In April 2020, Harris was one of 20 senators to sign a letter to [United States Secretary of Health and Human Services](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Health_and_Human_Services "United States Secretary of Health and Human Services") [Alex Azar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Azar "Alex Azar") regarding the removal of [Rick Bright](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Bright "Rick Bright") as director of the Research and Development Authority. The senators said it was of "the utmost importance that there be stable leadership within HHS and that decisions are driven by science and the public health" during the pandemic and warned that the U.S. could not have a steady response if its leadership was "being constantly shuffled and if experts are being constrained or removed when they insist on following the science and sticking to the facts."[\[144\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-144) |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### Housing |
In April 2019, Harris was one of 41 senators to sign a bipartisan letter to the housing subcommittee praising the [United States Department of Housing and Urban Development](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Housing_and_Urban_Development "United States Department of Housing and Urban Development")'s Section 4 Capacity Building program as authorizing "HUD to partner with national nonprofit community development organizations to provide education, training, and financial support to local community development corporations (CDCs) across the country" and expressing disappointment that Trump's budget "has slated this program for elimination after decades of successful economic and community development." The senators wrote that they hoped the subcommittee would support continued funding for Section 4 in Fiscal Year 2020.[\[145\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-145) |
In November 2019, Harris and Representative [Maxine Waters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxine_Waters "Maxine Waters") introduced the Housing is Infrastructure Act, a bill that would grant $70 billion for clearing a backlog of repairs and upgrades to federal subsidized housing and $25 billion for grants for affordable housing construction and maintenance in low-income communities, Native American reservations, disaffected rural areas, and vulnerable groups such as the elderly and disabled.[\[146\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-146) |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### Labor unions |
In the final weeks before the [2010 California Attorney General election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_California_Attorney_General_election "2010 California Attorney General election"), union groups such as California Labor Federation, Service Employees International Union Local 1000 and the California Nurses Association "spent hundreds of thousands of dollars" in an attempt to help Harris defeat Republican nominee [Steve Cooley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Cooley "Steve Cooley").[\[147\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-SanFranciscoLabor-147) |
President [Joe Biden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden "Joe Biden") and Vice President Harris walk out to the [South Lawn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Lawn "South Lawn") before signing the [Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrastructure_Investment_and_Jobs_Act "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act"), November 2021. |
In May 2018, Harris co-sponsored the Workplace Democracy Act, a bill introduced by Representatives [Donald Norcross](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Norcross "Donald Norcross"), [Mark Pocan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Pocan "Mark Pocan"), and [Rosa DeLauro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_DeLauro "Rosa DeLauro") and Senator [Bernie Sanders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders "Bernie Sanders") intended to help workers bargain for higher wages, benefits, or better working conditions. It included a mandate that there be a union for workers when a majority of them in a bargaining unit sign valid authorization cards to join a union and prevented employers from exploiting workers by mischaracterizing them as independent contractors or denying them overtime.[\[148\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-148) |
In June 2018, Harris led seven other senators in sponsoring a bill amending the [Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Labor_Standards_Act_of_1938 "Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938") to include a mandate forcing farmers to pay workers time and a half for each hour worked past the standard 40-hour work week. She said the bill aimed "to correct some of the injustices they face and guarantee they will get paid for the hours they work, including overtime and minimum wage, which right now they are not entitled to by law."[\[149\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-149) |
In April 2019, Harris delivered a speech at a labor dinner honoring state legislators in [Sacramento](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento,_California "Sacramento, California") in which she listed workers benefits that would not have been possible without organized labor and condemned rhetoric that calls unions "special-interest groups".[\[147\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-SanFranciscoLabor-147) |
In July 2019, Harris and Representative [Pramila Jayapal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pramila_Jayapal "Pramila Jayapal") introduced the [Domestic Worker's Bill of Rights](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_Worker%27s_Bill_of_Rights "Domestic Worker's Bill of Rights"). The bill included protections against harassment and discrimination, guarantees for meal breaks, a minimum wage, and overtime pay. Harris said that for too long American workers had "not been afforded the same rights and benefits as nearly every other worker, and we must change that" and that the bill was "an opportunity to bring economic justice and empowerment to millions of domestic workers—particularly those who are immigrants and women of color."[\[150\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-150) |
In July 2019, Harris signed a letter to [United States Secretary of Labor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Labor "United States Secretary of Labor") [Alexander Acosta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Acosta "Alexander Acosta") that advocated that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration fully investigate a complaint filed on May 20 by a group of Chicago-area employees of [McDonald's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald%27s "McDonald's") that detailed workplace violence incidents, including customers throwing hot coffee and threatening employees with firearms. The senators argued that McDonald's could and must "do more to protect its employees, but employers will not take seriously their obligations to provide a safe workplace if OSHA does not enforce workers rights to a hazard-free workplace."[\[151\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-151) |
In August 2019, Harris delivered a speech at the Nevada State AFL-CIO Convention asserting that workers were benefiting from the American economy and that the U.S. would be stronger if it invested in the American worker.[\[152\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-152) |
In August 2019, a bill that would mandate a California Supreme Court ruling that deems a greater share of workers to be employees as opposed to independent contractors be made law was seen as "setting up a clash between organized labor and prominent California companies like [Uber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uber "Uber") and [Postmates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmates "Postmates")." Ian Sams, a spokesperson for Harris's 2020 presidential campaign, said Harris supported the bill because "we need to go even further to bolster worker protections and benefits and elevate the voice of workers", adding that she wanted all workers to have a "robust social safety net" and the right to join a union.[\[153\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-153) |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### Paid leave |
Vice President Harris participates in a tour of the Carpenters International Training Center in [Las Vegas, Nevada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas,_Nevada "Las Vegas, Nevada"), July 2021. |
On October 7, 2019, Harris unveiled a six-month paid family and medical leave plan that included forming a new Office of Paid Family and Medical Leave that would determine eligibility and authorize benefit payments. Harris's program would be funded through general revenue and payroll contributions and establish a federal Bureau of Children and Family Justice. In a statement, Harris said a guaranteed six-month paid leave would bring the U.S. "closer to economic justice for workers and ensures newborn children or children who are sick can get the care they need from a parent without thrusting the family into upheaval".[\[154\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-154) |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### Small business |
In May 2020, Harris and [Ayanna Pressley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayanna_Pressley "Ayanna Pressley") introduced the Saving Our Street Act, a bill that would allocate grants of up to $250,000 to businesses with fewer than 10 employees, providing relief to "micro businesses" shut out of the larger coronavirus relief bill. Under the bill, 75% of the $124.5 billion program would go to business and nonprofit owners from underrepresented groups and businesses with less than $1 million in annual gross revenue.[\[155\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-155) |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### Taxes |
Harris opposed the [Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_Cuts_and_Jobs_Act "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act") and has called for a repeal of the bill's tax cuts for wealthy Americans.[\[156\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-:0-156) In 2018, she proposed a tax cut for most working- and middle-class Americans. An analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimated that the bill would reduce federal revenue by $2.8 trillion over a decade. She proposed to pay for the tax cuts by repealing tax cuts for wealthy Americans and increasing taxes on corporations.[\[111\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-Reuters_2019-111)[\[156\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-:0-156)[\[157\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-157) |
In April 2020, Harris co-sponsored of the All Dependents Count Act, legislation to expand eligibility for the CARES Act's $500 credit per dependent for all taxpayers.[\[158\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-158) |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### United States Postal Service |
In March 2019, Harris co-sponsored a bipartisan resolution led by [Gary Peters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Peters "Gary Peters") and [Jerry Moran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Moran "Jerry Moran") that opposed privatization of the [United States Postal Service](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Postal_Service "United States Postal Service") (USPS), citing the USPS as an establishment that was self-sustained and noting concerns that privatization could cause higher prices and reduced services for customers, especially in rural communities.[\[159\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-159) |
In April 2020, Harris was one of 14 senators to sign a letter led by Cory Booker to Senate Majority Leader [Mitch McConnell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_McConnell "Mitch McConnell") and Senate Minority Leader [Chuck Schumer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Schumer "Chuck Schumer") urging them "to provide appropriate funding to the United States Postal Service (USPS) in the next coronavirus package that Congress takes up" because millions of Americans rely on the USPS for essential goods and duties.[\[160\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-160) |
## Kamala Harris' political views |
### Workplace harassment |
In March 2019, Harris and Republican Senator [Lisa Murkowski](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Murkowski "Lisa Murkowski") reintroduced the Ending the Monopoly of Power Over Workplace Harassment through Education and Reporting (EMPOWER) Act, a bill that would prohibit non-disclosure and non-disparagement clauses some employers use in employment requirements.[\[161\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-161) |
In April 2019, Harris signed on to the Be HEARD Act, legislation intended to abolish the tipped minimum wage and end mandatory arbitration and pre-employment nondisclosure agreements. The bill also gave workers additional time to report harassment and was said by co-sponsor [Patty Murray](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patty_Murray "Patty Murray") to come at a time when too many workers are "still silenced by mandatory disclosure agreements that prevent them from discussing sexual harassment and long-standing practices like the tipped wages that keep workers in certain industries especially vulnerable."[\[162\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Kamala_Harris#cite_note-162) |