Vice President Kamala Harris announced she would keep US Steel under domestic ownership at her campaign stop in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Monday — marking yet another policy she has swiped from her opponent’s playbook.
“US Steel is an historic American company, and it is vital for our nation to maintain strong American steel companies,” Harris said. “… US Steel should remain American-owned and American-operated.”
Harris’ policy is in line with President Biden’s view announced in March that US Steel should not sell the company to Japan’s Nippon Steel. Her remarks Monday parroted Biden’s from his announcement six months ago nearly word-for-word.
“US Steel has been an iconic American steel company for more than a century, and it is vital for it to remain an American steel company that is domestically owned and operated,” Biden said in March.
The announcement was a notable development from the vice president, who has yet to announce a comprehensive policy agenda upon taking the 2024 reins from Biden.
Former President Donald Trump had voiced opposition to the US Steel deal even earlier, saying in January that he would block the sale if voters return him to the White House.
“I would block it instantaneously. Absolutely,” Trump said at the time. “We saved the steel industry. Now, US Steel is being bought by Japan. So terrible.”
Harris has taken several policies directly from Trump’s campaign during her short time on the trail, including no taxes on tips and proposing a child tax credit.
No taxes on tips
The former president first proposed a “no tax on tips” policy at a campaign rally in early June and quickly adopted it as a pillar of his promised administration’s agenda.
He claimed during the Republican National Convention that the policy came to him after speaking to a “very smart waitress” in Nevada who bemoaned the government taking her tips.
Harris then announced her policy of eliminating taxes on tips in August.
“It is my promise to everyone here when I am president, we will continue our fighting for working families of America including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers,” she said at a rally in Las Vegas.
Trump accused Harris of copying his policies at the time.
“Kamala Harris, whose ‘Honeymoon’ period is ENDING, and is starting to get hammered in the Polls, just copied my NO TAXES ON TIPS Policy,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “The difference is, she won’t do it, she just wants it for Political Purposes! This was a TRUMP idea – She has no ideas, she can only steal from me. Remember, Kamala has proposed the LARGEST TAX INCREASE IN HISTORY – It won’t happen. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
Child tax credit
Harris also came out with a child tax credit proposal in her economy speech, coinciding with a policy that Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), had championed just days before to a chorus of criticism from some Democrats.
The vice president on Aug. 16 said she would expand the child tax credit to give middle-income and lower-income families with children in their first year of life a maximum of $6,000 in tax breaks. She did not define what the middle- and lower-income cutoffs would be.
Her campaign also said Harris will fight to restore Biden’s American Rescue Plan’s extended child tax credit of $3,600 per child.
Vance had spoken out in favor of instituting a child tax credit for all families on Aug. 11 — no matter their income — for up to $5,000 per child.
“I’d love to see a child tax credit that’s $5,000 per child,” Vance had said just five days before Harris made her policy public. “President Trump has been on the record for a long time supporting a bigger child tax credit, and I think you want it to apply to all American families.”
Vance slammed Harris for copying the Trump campaign’s policies during a campaign stop in Michigan on Tuesday.
“Kamala’s advisers are considering adopting all of Donald Trump’s policies. … I’ve heard that for her debate in a few weeks, she’s going to put on a navy suit, a long red tie and adopt the slogan ‘Make America Great Again,’” Vance said.
