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Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's Vice Presidential Pick, on All of Today's Pressing Issues

Photo credit: Justin Sullivan - Getty Images
Photo credit: Justin Sullivan - Getty Images

From Prevention

Kamala Harris is Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's running mate. She is the first Black woman to run on any major political party's presidential ballot, and if elected, she will be the first Black woman to serve as vice president.

The California senator and former presidential hopeful has rested her candidacy on her record: first as San Francisco's District Attorney, then California's Attorney General, and now as her home state's senator. However, her record is also what's attracting the most flak from critics, especially those eager to point out her harsh prosecutorial record.

She fought truancy, for instance, by supporting a statewide policy of arresting the parents of children who habitually missed school. Her opponents argue that the law, rather than encouraging kids to go to school, trapped already disadvantaged communities into a cycle wavering between poverty and the criminal justice system.

Scroll down to catch up on what Harris is saying about today's most pressing issues. Stay tuned for more quotes from the senator throughout the 2020 presidential race.


On desegregation busing:

“There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools and she was bused to school every day. And that little girl was me.” —Democratic presidential debate | June 27, 2019

On the racial injustices Black Americans face:

“Let’s speak the truth: People are protesting because Black people have been treated as less than human in America. Because our country has never fully addressed the systemic racism that has plagued our country since its earliest days. It is the duty of every American to fix. No longer can some wait on the sidelines, hoping for incremental change. In times like this, silence is complicity.” —Cosmopolitan.com | June 4, 2020

On defunding the police:

"It is status quo thinking to believe that putting more police on the streets creates more safety. That’s wrong. It’s just wrong. You know what creates more safety? Funding public schools, affordable housing, increased homeownership, job skill development, jobs, access to capital for those who want to start small businesses, or who are running small businesses in communities.

"But, no, we’re not going to get rid of the police. We all have to be practical. But let’s separate out these discussions.

"Many cities in our country spend one-third of their entire budget on policing. With all the responsibilities those cities have, one-third on policing? Put it in the context of the fact that over the last many decades, we have essentially been defunding public schools. If anyone thinks that the way we’re going to cure these problems is by putting more police on the street, they’re wrong." —The New York Times | June 10, 2020

On Abortion:

"We cannot tolerate a perspective that is about going backward and not understanding women have agency. Women have value. Women have authority to make decisions about their own lives and their own bodies.

"And let me just tell you, as president, I will fight every day for a woman to make the decision for herself, which means I will respect any woman who decides that is not the decision she wants to make, that she wants to make a different decision, but we have got to respect women in this country." —MSNBC Town Hall | May 28, 2019

On Gun Control:

"Upon being elected, I will give the United States Congress a hundred days to get their act together and have the courage to pass reasonable gun safety laws. If they fail to do it, then I will take executive action." —CNN Town Hall | April 22, 2019

On Medicare for All:

"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. This would function similar to how private Medicare plans work today, which cover about a third of Medicare seniors, and operate within the Medicare system. Medicare will set the rules of the road for these plans, including price and quality, and private insurance companies will play by those rules, not the other way around. This preserves the options that seniors have today and expands options to all Americans, while also telling insurance companies they don’t run the show." —Medium | July 29, 2019

On Big Pharma:

"The biggest barrier to access to health care in our country is cost. And we've got the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance companies that keep jacking up premiums and co-pays and prescription drugs and the cost of prescription drugs, and I've taken them on. When I was attorney general, I took on the pharmaceutical companies. I delivered over $200 million for the people of my state because of their practices that were about fraudulent practices. And we need somebody in these United States of America who is at the top level of leadership who understands that there are people every day in our country suffering because they don't have access to health care." —MSNBC Town Hall | May 28, 2019

On Oil and Gas Companies:

"When you take away that money because you take them to court and sue them, as I have done, it’s extraordinary how they will change behaviors. They have to be held accountable. Maybe this is the prosecutor in me. They have to be held accountable. These are bad behaviors. They are causing harm and death in communities. And there has been no accountability. Certainly not by this administration, nor, and I hate to say it so generally, by the Republicans in Congress.” —CNN Town Hall on Climate Change | September 4, 2019

On Banning Plastic Straws:

"I think we should [ban them], yes. I mean, look, I'm going to be honest: It's really difficult to out of drink out of a paper straw—like, if you don’t gulp it down immediately, it starts to bend, and then the little thing catches it. So, we gotta kind of perfect that one a little bit more." —CNN Town Hall on Climate Change | September 4, 2019

On Student Loan Debt:

"As president, I’ll establish a student loan debt forgiveness program for Pell Grant recipients who start a business that operates for three years in disadvantaged communities. [...] We have an opportunity gap in our country, and one thing we need to do is support Black entrepreneurs. I have a plan to do that on multiple fronts. Student loan relief for Pell Grant recipients is just one component of our plan to reduce the opportunity gap for Black entrepreneurs—along with $12 billion in direct capital. We can ensure Black entrepreneurs have a real shot at starting small businesses." —Twitter | July 27 & 28, 2019

On Race in the United States:

"On the issue of race, I couldn’t agree more that this is an issue that is still not being talked about truthfully and honestly. There is not a Black man I know, be he a relative, a friend, or a coworker, who has not been the subject of some form of profiling or discrimination. Growing up, my sister and I had to deal with the neighbor who told us her parents said she couldn’t play with us because we were Black. [...] I’m going to now direct this at Vice President Biden. I do not believe you are a racist. I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground. I also believe it’s personal. It was actually hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country. It was not only that, but you also worked with them to oppose busing. There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools. She was bused to school every day. And that little girl was me." —First Democratic Presidential Debate | June 27, 2019

On Immigrants:

"Let's be clear. This is a nation founded by immigrants. Unless, you know, your history is of―your ancestors being kidnapped and brought over on a slave ship, unless you are Native American, your people are immigrants." —MSNBC Town Hall | May 28, 2019

On Trump's Immigration Policies:

"The President's immigration actions and Muslim ban will make America less safe. As a prosecutor, I can tell you it is a serious mistake to conflate criminal justice policy with immigration policy as if they are the same thing. They are not. I have personally prosecuted everything from low-level offenses to homicides. I know what a crime looks like. I will tell you: An undocumented immigrant is not a criminal." —Senate Speech | February 16, 2017

On Criminal Justice Reform:

"It’s time to end mass incarceration. This includes legalizing marijuana, sentencing reforms, and abolishing private prisons. With the addition of job training and education, these actions will reduce crime and help build healthy communities.

"We must build trust between law enforcement and the communities they are sworn to serve. As president, I’d set a national standard to use deadly force only as a last resort to ensure accountability. My criminal justice plan will ensure incarcerated individuals are treated with dignity and aren’t criminalized for poverty. This includes ending money bail and fines that criminalize poor and low-income people, and ending the federal death penalty and solitary confinement.

"And we must protect the vulnerable. As president, I will clear the nationwide rape kit backlog in my first term, ensure corporate bad actors are held accountable, and fight for victims’ rights." —Twitter | September 9, 2019

Explaining Her Prosecutorial Stance on Truancy:

"I believe that a child going without an education is tantamount to a crime. So, I decided I was going to start prosecuting parents for truancy. Well, this was a little controversial in San Francisco. And frankly my staff went bananas. They were very concerned, because we didn’t know at the time whether I was going to have an opponent in my reelection race. But, I said, 'Look. I'm done.' This is a serious issue and I've got a little political capital and I'm gonna spend some of it. And this is what we did: We recognized that in that initiative, as a prosecutor and law enforcement, I have a huge stick. The school district has got a carrot. Let's work in tandem around our collective objective and goal, which is to get those kids in school." —Speech to Commonwealth Club | January 14, 2010

On the Difference Between Being "Tough" or "Soft" on Crime:

"Getting smart on crime does not mean reducing sentences or punishments for crimes. Being smart on crime means using the time and resources we now spend on offenders more productively to reduce their odds of re-offending." —Interview with CBS News | February 26, 2010

On the Iran Nuclear Deal:

"Frankly, I believe that we need to get back into the Iran nuclear deal. I would strengthen it. I would include ballistic missile testing. I think that we can strengthen what we do in terms of monitoring and verification, of progress. But there's no question that a lot of negotiation with a great deal of depth took place over a long period of time to reach that agreement, and it was it was an agreement that was being complied with by all parties." —Interview with CBS News | June 23, 2019

On Patriotism:

"A patriot is not someone who condones the conduct of our country whatever it does. It is someone who fights every day for the ideals of the country, whatever it takes.” —The Truths We Hold: An American Journey | 2019

On Trump:

"We have very good reason to believe that there is an investigation that has been conducted which has produced evidence that tells us that this president and his administration engaged in obstruction of justice. I believe Congress should take the steps towards impeachment. I believe that we need to get rid of this president. That's why I'm running to become president of the United States. That is part of the premise, obviously, of my plan." —CNN Town Hall | April 22, 2019

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