Kamala Harris (D)

Pro
Should Universal Background Checks for Gun Purchases Be Made Law?

"Mandate near-universal background checks by requiring anyone who sells five or more guns per year to run a background check on all gun sales.

An estimated 1 in 5 gun purchases in America occur without a background check. These dangerous sales go through because the federal government does not consider most gun sellers that operate online, at gun shows, or out of their garage as being a 'dealer' of firearms.

As a result of this loophole, these gun sellers are not required to conduct background checks by federal law, and millions of guns are sold each year with no questions asked in the 30 states without universal background checks. This is how dangerous people buy guns: about 80% of all firearms acquired for criminal purposes are bought through unlicensed sellers.

If Congress fails to pass universal background check legislation within her first 100 days, Harris will consider any person or business that sells five or more guns for profit in a calendar year a 'dealer' of firearms, and require they conduct background checks on all gun sales."

Pro
Should Recreational Marijuana Be Legal Federally?

"To help end the era of mass incarceration, Kamala will take action to legalize marijuana... To help ensure those returning from prison and jail can successfully re-enter their communities, Kamala will start by fighting to expunge records for marijuana offenses, increase investments in reentry support and job training programs, and take executive action to 'ban the box' so employers consider a job candidate’s qualifications first—without the stigma of a former conviction."

Pro
Should the Federal Government Provide Universal Childcare?

"Kamala will fight to pass the Child Care for Working Families Act to ensure no family making under 150 percent of state median income spends more than 7 percent of their income on child care. The bill would also significantly improve the compensation and training of the child care workforce so these workers have the support they need to deliver high-quality care. Kamala will also fight to ensure that child care workers are able to join a union and have a collective voice in issues affecting them and the children they care for."

Pro
Should Federal Taxes Be Increased?

"I think these [Bernie Sanders's proposals to pay for Medicare-for-All] are good options, especially making the top 1% and corporations pay their fair share through a more progressive income, payroll, and estate tax...

To pay for this specific change [Medicare-for-All], I would tax Wall Street stock trades at 0.2%, bond trades at 0.1%, and derivative transactions at 0.002%. Think of it like this: that’s a $2 fee on a $1,000 trade by investors and big banks. I would also end foreign tax shelters by taxing offshore corporate income at the same rate as domestic corporate income. Together, these proposals would raise well over $2 trillion over ten years, more than enough to make up the difference from raising the middle-class income threshold."

Pro
Should the Federal Minimum Wage Be Increased?

"In America today, the cost of living is going up, paychecks aren’t keeping up, and the rules keep being written to benefit big corporations and the top 1%. When the bankers who crashed our economy get bonuses but the workers who brought our country back are barely getting by, it’s clear: Our economy isn’t working for working people...

To raise wages, Kamala will fight to empower unions, make a $15 minimum wage the national floor, and create stricter penalties for companies that cheat their workers."

Pro
Should Public College Be Tuition-Free?

"Providing relief to students today is critical, but Kamala knows we also have to tackle the driver of this crisis: the runaway cost of college. Over the past 30 years, the cost of public college has increased over 200 percent, putting college entirely out of reach for many families and forcing others to take on mountains of debt.

Kamala believes that in America, your family’s wealth should not dictate your success. That’s why as president, she’ll fight to make community college free, make four-year public college debt-free, and provide an income boost to nearly 1 in 7 Pell Grant recipients through her LIFT Act, the largest tax cut for working Americans in generations."

Pro
Should Election Day Be a National Holiday?

"There is no question that Election Day should be a national holiday."

Pro
Should the US Adopt a Climate Change Plan such as the Green New Deal?

“Climate change is an existential threat—it’s critical we act now to achieve a cleaner, safer, and healthier future. But it is not enough to simply cut emissions and end our reliance on fossil fuels. We must ensure that communities already contending with unsafe drinking water, toxic air, and lack of economic opportunity are not left behind. We need a Green New Deal based in climate and environmental justice, which means building a clean economy that protects communities that have been neglected by policymakers for far too long. I’m proud to work with Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez on this comprehensive proposal, and I’m hopeful that it brings a Green New Deal closer to reality."

Pro
Should the US Re-Enter a Nuclear Deal with Iran?

"Iran presents a threat to the United States, which is why we engaged and entered into the nuclear agreement in the first place... And so the question then becomes, knowing the danger and the potential threat presented, what do we do to keep our nation safe? And a lot of thought and negotiations went into what seemed to be a feasible solution, which was the deal. Where we would have the ability to track and to have accountability. And now he's [Trump] pulled us out of that. I would certainly have us rejoin it [the nuclear deal]. I would also have us look toward expanding it. To be honest with you, I would like to see it cover also ballistic missile testing. I'd like to see that we would have certainly accountability but also probably increased oversight."

Pro
Should Abortion Be Legal?

"As Senator, Kamala championed the rights of sexual assault survivors and led the charge against Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. She introduced the EMPOWER Act to help end the culture of fear and silence that still exists around workplace harassment, and cosponsored legislation to protect women’s right to safely access an abortion.

As president, Kamala will continue to champion the rights of women and girls. She’ll protect Planned Parenthood from Republican attempts to defund essential health services, nominate judges who respect Roe v. Wade, and immediately roll back dangerous and discriminatory rules put in place by President Trump to limit access to contraception and safe abortion in the United States and around the world."

Pro
Should the US Switch to a Medicare-for-All Healthcare System?

"In America, health care should be a right, not a privilege only for those who can afford it. It’s why we need Medicare for All. Imagine changing a job and not having to worry about your health care coverage. Imagine going to the pharmacy and not having to worry about an outrageous price increase on the prescription drug you need...

Medicare for All will cover all medically necessary services, including emergency room visits, doctor visits, vision, dental, hearing aids, mental health, and substance use disorder treatment, and comprehensive reproductive health care services...

[I]n setting up this plan, we will allow private insurers to offer Medicare plans as a part of this system that adhere to strict Medicare requirements on costs and benefits."

Pro
Should LGBTQ+ People Have Protection from Being Fired for Being LGBTQ+?

"Today, the Trump Administration will argue to the Supreme Court that, in our country, it should be legal to fire someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This is wrong—and we must fight back."

Pro
Should Transgender People Be Allowed to Serve in the US Military?

"As president, here's my plan for LGBTQ+ Americans:

• Establish a Chief Advocate for LGBTQ+ Affairs in the White House
• Sign the Equality Act into law
• Reverse the ban on trans service members
• Make PrEP affordable and accessible"