On Sunday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) stood by Vice President Harris in light of criticism directed at her recently introduced economic plan. During a campaign event in North Carolina on Friday, Harris laid out various economic policy initiatives, including a call for a federal ban on corporate price-gouging.
When questioned by CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” about his support for her price-gouging ban, Jeffries offered his backing. Jeffries emphasized that Harris has put forth a crucial plan aimed at reducing costs for Americans, curbing price-gouging, and supporting middle-class growth. He stated that House Democrats are eager to collaborate with Harris to lower costs nationwide.
Jeffries ties Harris’s proposals to overcoming economic challenges from the previous administration
Despite this endorsement, Harris’s economic proposals were met with skepticism by The Washington Post editorial board, which criticized her agenda as “populist gimmicks” in an editorial published on Friday.
The editorial argued that Harris missed an opportunity to present a detailed plan for managing the economy, opting instead for what they viewed as superficial measures. Tapper referenced this criticism during his interview with Jeffries, pressing him on the matter.
In response, Jeffries highlighted the challenges President Biden faced when he took office, inheriting what he described as three major crises from the previous administration. Jeffries detailed the public health crisis due to COVID-19, the economic fallout from the shutdown, and the democratic crisis linked to the January 6 Capitol attack.
He explained that the economic shutdown had ripple effects that contributed to the current inflationary pressures, exacerbated by supply chain disruptions. Jeffries defended Harris’s stance, arguing that addressing price-gouging is essential to ensuring that markets function fairly and effectively, aligning with core American principles.
