Ahead of the pivotal 2024 presidential election, the Delta Collegiate is endorsing Kamala Harris for president of the United States.
Kamala Harris is a flawed politician (as is every politician). Despite this, she is uniting people across ideologies under the common goal: keep Donald Trump out of office. This is not a situation of choosing the “better of two evils.” In choosing to endorse Harris, we are choosing to protect the future of our country. Here are some of the facts we are considering when looking at the 2024 presidential ballot.
Environmental Protections
Kamala is an environmental engineer with a history of education in energy and climate change, and has actively made changes.
Biden and Harris assisted in passing three bills: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, The Inflation Reduction Act, and The CHIPS and Science Act. These bills support funding and research for clean energy and bolster U.S. leadership in emerging technologies like AI, clean energy, and biotechnology. These three bills allocated billions of dollars for infrastructure, incentives for clean energy manufacturing, and provided funding for clean energy research
Comparatively, Donald Trump has dismissed “man-made” climate change as a hoax, actively rolling back clean energy initiatives, including overturning Obama-era regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions in 2020. Trump also appointed three justices, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh, who voted to constrain the EPA’s ability to curb carbon emissions during his presidency
Protection of Personal Rights
Harris and Trump have extremely contrasting opinions on how much say the government should have on our bodily autonomy. Harris was a co-sponsor of the Women’s Protection Act back in 2019. Though it was denied, the act would have protected the right to an abortion federally. This bill would have also expanded the rights of mothers with high-risk pregnancies. Harris has also opposed many anti-abortion bills as senator and outspoken about the detriment to women living in states where “Trump Abortion Bans” are enforced. These extreme bans do not allow for assistance even in unjust and unfair cases. Harris has worked hard to break down barriers in not only access to abortion, but also to gender-affirming healthcare for minors and those within governmental facilities that would not have access to such care.
Trump has also been boastful about his efforts when it comes to abortion policy, especially in his success of overturning Roe v. Wade. Trump’s three justices all played an essential role in taking these historical rights away. Though Trump has spoken out in his most recent campaign regarding a new take on abortion rights, he has campaigned on outlaws and a “cease on all programs” that support gender-affirming care.
Middle-Class Restoration
Harris-Walz aims to cut taxes for 100 million Americans, providing economic stability for working-class families. They propose reinstating the expanded Child Tax Credit to significantly lower child poverty rates and introducing a $6,000 tax cut for expenses during a child’s first year.
To make healthcare more affordable and accessible, they seek to expand the Affordable Care Act, relieve medical debt, tackle the opioid crisis, and lower prescription drug costs by extending caps on insulin prices and accelerating Medicare determinations for all Americans.
Their broader plan includes creating a fair tax system that makes the wealthiest Americans and corporations pay their fair share, lowers taxes for the middle class, and promotes financial responsibility to support long-term growth.
By contrast, Trump had a $1.9 trillion tax cut that favored corporations and the wealthy. Business investment declined, wage growth was stagnant, and deficits increased. Over his presidency, Trump also attempted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would have reduced the growth of Medicaid. Although most of these efforts failed, Trump weakened these essential governmental programs.
The 2024 presidential election is here. As we consider who is fit for the presidency, we should weigh not only the candidates’ policies, but their vision of America’s future. In our decision to endorse Kamala Harris, we are advocating for a leader committed to environmental protection, personal rights, and supporting the middle class.
Disclaimer: This editorial reflects the majority view of the team and may not represent all staff opinions.
