Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is pitching a $100 billion plan to fight what she characterized as President Trump’s “war on rural America.”
The Democratic presidential candidate on Thursday described Trump’s actions since taking office as a “betrayal” of what he promised rural communities during his 2016 campaign. She said her goal is to “reverse” those policies by investing $100 billion in a fund for businesses that prioritize hiring from rural communities and support their development.
{mosads}“Donald Trump lied to rural America to get their votes, but has since turned his back on them,” Harris said in a statement. “When I am President, rural America will have a partner ready and willing to listen and work together on real solutions to the problems they face every day.”
Harris’s plan includes a rural jobs tax credit for companies that hire people from rural communities. Businesses would receive a credit of $10,000 for each new full-time employee per year, with a $250,000 cap.
Harris said she also intends to end Trump’s trade war against China, arguing it is damaging rural communities, particularly family farmers. She proposed ensuring the Department of Justice pushes antitrust laws to secure family farmers.
Other aspects of Harris’s proposal include addressing rural access to the internet, health care facilities and child care.
Harris added that would she would provide incentives for farmers and ranchers on the “front lines of the climate crisis” to mitigate the effects of climate change.