Kamala Harris in CNN "State of the Union" interviews during 2019

On Energy & Oil: Shouldn't sell/lease public land for drilling

Q: How do you plan to support already at-risk and marginalized people who are experiencing the impact of climate change now?

HARRIS: Ultimately, it's about empowering communities that are often ignored. All of those communities have been disproportionately impacted by the change that we are seeing in our climate, not to mention the kind of behaviors by the fossil fuel industry that have been about pollution, about dumping and all that. It should be our responsibility to make sure that we leverage the incredible power we have in a way that is about empowering the communities that have been long overlooked and ignored.

Q: What about public lands?

HARRIS: We should not be selling or leasing public land for the purposes of drilling. One of my greatest priorities on this subject will be about preservation of public lands.

Source: Climate Crisis Town Hall (CNN 2019 Democratic primary) Sep 4, 2019

On Environment: Take on interests with profit motive to pollute

Leaders have to lead. I'm prepared to do it, because, on this issue, it's not a question of debating the science. It's a question of taking on powerful interests, taking on the polluters, understanding that they have a profit motive to pollute. Let's take them to court. Let's require that, if they don't change their behaviors, they will pay those fines and there will be accountability and consequences. Source: Climate Crisis Town Hall (CNN 2019 Democratic primary) Sep 4, 2019

On Corporations: Facebook is like a utility; needs to be regulated

Q: Your opinion on Facebook and social media?

A: I think that Facebook has experienced massive growth and has prioritized its growth over the best interests of its consumers, especially on the issue of privacy. There is no question that there needs to be serious regulation, and that that has not been happening. There needs to be more oversight.

Q: Do you think they should be broken up?

A: Yes, I think we have to seriously take a look at that. They're essentially a utility. There are very few people that can actually get by without somehow, somewhere using Facebook. We have to recognize it for what it is. It is essentially a utility that has gone unregulated. As far as I'm concerned, that's got to stop.

Source: CNN SOTU 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls May 12, 2019

On Foreign Policy: US stronger when working with allies

Q: What do you think of Trump's foreign relations?

A: Part of the failure is that this president and administration have failed to understand that we are stronger when we work with our allies on every issue, China included.

Q: China is an ally?

A: No, meaning working with our allies to address China, in terms of the threat that it presents. This president has a preference for conducting policy by tweet. It is a display of a president who thinks that unilateral action is better than working with friends. It puts us in a weaker position.

Source: CNN SOTU 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls May 12, 2019

On Free Trade: Trade agreements should address climate change

I would not have voted for NAFTA, and because I believe that we can do a better job to protect American workers. I also believe that we need to do a better job in terms of thinking about the priorities that should be more apparent now perhaps than they were, which are issues like the climate crisis, and what we need to do to build into these trade agreements. Source: CNN SOTU 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls May 12, 2019

On Gun Control: If Congress won't act on guns, I will, by executive action

If by my 100th day in office Congress fails to put a bill on my desk, I'm prepared to take executive action. Anyone who sells more than five guns a year will be required to perform background checks. I'm prepared to direct the ATF to remove the licenses of gun dealers who fail to follow the law. 90% of guns associated with crime have been sold by 5% of the gun dealers. We need to take their licenses away. Source: CNN SOTU 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls May 12, 2019

On Health Care: Supports Medicare for All, even undocumented aliens

Q: What about Medicare-for-All?

A: I support Medicare-for-All, and the vision of what it will be includes an expansion of coverage. Medicare-for-All will include vision. It will include dental. It will include hearing aids.

Q: You support giving universal health care to people in this country illegally?

A: I'm opposed to any policy that would deny in our country any human being from access to public safety, public education, or public health, period.

Source: CNN SOTU 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls May 12, 2019

On Tax Reform: Tax credits for middle class & working families

There is no question that, over many decades, the rules have been written in a way that have been to the exclusion of lifting up the middle class and working families in America. That's why I'm proposing that one of the things that we do to address that is that we reform the tax code in a way that we'll give middle-class working families that are making less than $100,000 a year a $6,000 tax credit that they can receive it up to $500 a month. Source: CNN SOTU 2019 interview of presidential hopefuls May 12, 2019

The above quotations are from CNN "State of the Union" interviews during 2019 (Jake Tapper and Dana Bash interviewing candidates for 2019-2020 races). Click here for other excerpts from CNN "State of the Union" interviews during 2019 (Jake Tapper and Dana Bash interviewing candidates for 2019-2020 races). Click here for other excerpts by Kamala Harris. Click here for a profile of Kamala Harris.
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Page last updated: Jan 12, 2020