Kamala Harris’ price control proposals attract criticism

The new economic policy proposal pertaining to price controls by US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, has put her party colleagues in a difficult position and attracted criticism from the sections of the media which have otherwise been supporting her. Her proposals were in response to high inflation, which is very high in the US.

During a campaign rally in the swing state of North Carolina on Friday, Harris introduced several proposals aimed at decreasing the prices of groceries, the housing market, and other essential goods. These included tax cuts, a federal ban on price gouging by food producers (which in India is called ‘profiteering’), and down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers.

“As president, I will take on the high costs that matter most to most Americans, like the cost of food,” she said. “We all know that prices went up during the pandemic when the supply chains shut down and failed. But our supply chains have improved and prices are still too high.”

When grilled by a news channel, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, replied: “People are reading too much into what has been put out there.”

The Washington Post, which has been supporting Democrats for decades, said in an editorial that Harris had “instead of delivering a substantial plan, squandered the moment on populist gimmicks.”

Republicans and conservatives have of course slammed Harris for the proposals which are communist in essence. Former President Donald Trump, who is the Republican nominee for the top office, castigated Harris' economic policies at a rally in Pennsylvania, another crucial swing state, saying she was advocating for “communist price control,” which would lead to “food shortages, rationing, hunger, dramatically more inflation.”