Where both candidates stand on the key issues

With the 2024 presidential election less than a month away, there is a lot of information (and misinformation) about where the candidates stand on key issues affecting American voters. Using information from several nonpartisan sources, we’ve summarized where the candidates stand on key issues and provided resources to find more unbiased information about the positions of presidential and other candidates before casting your vote.

Abortion:

Harris has stated that she will push Congress to restore access to abortion nationally, as it was before the landmark 2022 Supreme Court decision that essentially overturned Roe v. Wade.

In the past, Trump has supported the Supreme Court’s ruling that abortion access should be decided at the state level. He is unclear whether or not he will sign a blanket federal abortion ban. However, he has indicated that he would support a federal ban after a certain gestational age. It is unclear whether there would be any exemptions if the mother’s life was in danger.

Crime:

Harris took a tough approach to crime as prosecutor but has now called for criminal justice reform, especially for non-violent drug crimes. She has also proposed temporarily halting the death penalty.

Trump believes in giving the police more authority to fight crime. He has called for more funding for training and hiring of police, and pushed for qualified immunity for law enforcement agencies. He has also called on the National Guard to assist local police as necessary.

Economy:

Although she initially proposed repealing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 in its entirety, it appears Harris now plans to expand the provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 to include those earning less than $ 400,000 per year, to expand the child tax credit and income tax. credit, and add more funding to subsidize Affordable Care Act premiums. Harris said she will end the tax on tips. She plans to pay for this by raising corporate tax and capital gains rates from 21% to 28% and raising tax rates on wealthier Americans and large corporations. Under her plan, billionaires would have a minimum tax rate of 25%. Harris has proposed cutting taxes for small businesses. Harris has proposed expansions of the Child Tax Credit (CTC).

Trump also plans to extend provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Trump says he will end taxes on overtime and Social Security benefits for individuals and lower the corporate tax rate to 15% for domestic U.S. manufacturers. Trump has also said he will end taxes on tips. Trump will pay for this by imposing tariffs of between 10% and 20% on every foreign import entering the US from places other than China. A tariff of more than 60% would apply to imports from China. He has also said he will cut corporate taxes to boost hiring and economic growth. While Trump has not explicitly stated whether or not he believes in expanding the Child Tax Credit (CTC), his running mate JD Vance has indicated that, like Harris, he also supports expansion.

Education

Harris has said she will continue to work to reduce student loan burdens and provide more funding for colleges and universities (particularly HBCUs), including technical programs.

Trump has said he will eliminate the Department of Education. This would leave oversight of public schools to the states if they chose to have oversight of the matter.

Environment:

Harris has said she plans to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. She plans to continue Biden’s plans to provide tax breaks for environmentally friendly initiatives at the corporate and individual level (such as tax breaks for the purchase of electric vehicles). She has said she plans to address how environmental problems often disproportionately impact poor and minority communities, but she has not outlined specific measures to do so.

Trump has said he will end “Green New Deal atrocities” on his first day in office. It is believed he was referring to certain energy policies of the Biden administration, including limits on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and increases in fuel economy standards. He also plans to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil by accelerating natural gas pipelines to the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York and tapping into reserves of liquid gold for energy development. He will also leave the Paris Climate Agreement, just as he did when in power (Biden rejoined during his term). He also plans to fight harder against certain legal challenges from environmentalists.

Healthcare:

During his time in office, Trump made an unsuccessful attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. He has indicated he will seek to withdraw the plan and replace it with a “better” plan, although no details have been provided. Trump has also spoken out about placing restrictions on life-saving prescription medications such as insulin. During his time in office, he pushed for work requirements and more monitoring as conditions for Medicaid eligibility.

During her tenure as vice president, Harris and the Biden administration passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), temporarily expanding and increasing eligibility for ACA Marketplace subsidies, which will continue through 2025 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act .

Housing crisis:

Harris has said she will advocate for more federal funding to provide affordable housing and reduce homelessness.

Trump has said he will encourage more construction of new homes by incentivizing homebuilders to build new, affordable homes.

Neither candidate has explicitly addressed the question of whether or not they will regulate companies’ ability to purchase multiple homes.

Israel/Gaza:

Harris has been critical of Hamas and supported Israel’s right to defend itself, but does not support further Israeli invasions of Palestinian territory. She has called for a ceasefire and said she supports a two-state solution.

Trump has expressed both support and criticism for Israel, but largely believes the United States should keep its involvement to a minimum.

Legalization of Marijuana:

Despite her aggressive prosecution of marijuana-related crimes as district attorney and attorney general, Harris now supports full legalization of marijuana at the federal level, explaining that marijuana laws have historically targeted minorities. She has also called for the expungement of non-violent marijuana-related offenses.

Trump has indicated that he supports the legalization of marijuana and the possible elimination of marijuana-related crimes, but believes this should be decided at the state level rather than at the federal level.

Ukraine:

Harris has repeatedly expressed support for Ukraine and announced during her tenure in the Biden administration that about $1.5 billion in aid would be sent to Ukraine for infrastructure and other civilian assistance.

Trump has not officially taken a side in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia (he has called it a proxy war more than once), but said reaching a peace deal will be a high priority once he is in power. Trump has given no indication that he will continue to fund Ukraine’s efforts.