Kamala Gets Called Out To Her Face In 60 Minutes Interview Preview
Vice President Kamala Harris struggled to provide specifics during a recent interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes when
Vice President Kamala Harris struggled to provide specifics during a recent interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes when pressed about her plan to boost small businesses and how she would navigate her policies through a likely divided Congress.
The interview, conducted by CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker, will air in full at 8 p.m. ET.
During the sit-down, Harris emphasized the importance of small businesses in the U.S. economy, saying, “My plan is about saying that when you invest in small businesses, you invest in the middle class, and you strengthen America’s economy. Small businesses are part of the backbone of America’s economy.”
However, Whitaker interrupted to push for more concrete details, specifically asking, “Pardon me, Madam Vice President, the question was, ‘How are you going to pay for it?’”
In response, Harris shifted the conversation to tax fairness, stating, “It is not right that teachers and nurses and firefighters are paying a higher tax rate than billionaires and the biggest corporations. And I plan on making that fair.”
She did not provide specific details on how her proposals would gain support in Congress.
Whitaker pressed further, saying, ‘But, we’re dealing with the real world,’ then asking how the vice president planned to push her economic agenda through what could be a divided Congress.
Harris responded, “You know, when you talk quietly with a lot of folks in Congress, they know exactly what I’m talking about ’cause their constituents know exactly what I’m talking about. Their constituents are those firefighters and teachers and nurses.”
Harris’ economic proposal includes increasing tax deductions for startups to $50,000, a move she believes will help drive small business growth.
However, a nonpartisan analysis released by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that her plan could add $3.5 trillion to the national debt, despite her proposals to raise taxes on corporations and high-income earners, which she says could bring in $4.25 trillion in revenue.
The vice president’s claim that high-income earners and billionaires pay a lower tax rate than middle-class workers such as teachers, nurses, and firefighters has been disputed.
According to both the U.S. Treasury Department and the Congressional Budget Office, the top 1% of earners contribute 46% of the nation’s tax burden, paying a current tax rate of 37%.
In contrast, the average tax rate for workers in professions like teaching, nursing, and firefighting is around 22%, with that rate potentially dropping to as low as 12% for married couples or heads of households.
The interview drew attention to Harris’ tendency to rely on repetition when pressed for clarity on her policy positions.
This has been a recurring issue for the vice president, with critics pointing to previous interviews where she used vague or repetitive language.
For example, in a recent interview with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle, Harris repeated the word “holistic” three times in 23 seconds when describing her approach to governance.
The vice president’s proposals, if implemented, would likely face significant opposition from Republicans and moderate Democrats in Congress, raising questions about how effective her agenda can be in a divided government.
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