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Washington:
Kamala Harris has unveiled a number of centrist-oriented policies, abandoned some past positions and left many other matters vague as she prepares for a critical US presidential debate with Donald Trump.
The Democratic vice president unveiled a list of policies on her website on the eve of the clash, with Republicans accusing her of “flip-flopping” on key issues.
Here’s where the White House hopefuls stand in five key areas:
‘Opportunity economy’
Harris has emphasized her commitment to the United States’ middle class, citing her own background as raised by a single mother in California, and said she wants to create an “opportunity economy.”
One of her most concrete policies yet is a $6,000 child tax credit for families with newborn children. She has also promised tax cuts for 100 million Americans, while raising taxes on the wealthiest and lowering housing prices.
Taxes are one of the few policy areas where she has broken with President Joe Biden. In a nod to moderate voters, she wants a 28 percent tax on capital gains, lower than Biden’s proposed 39.6 percent.
Harris has also pledged to end taxes on tips on service industry workers — weeks after Trump announced a similar policy.
She has said she will tackle “price gouging” by companies to tackle high prices – one of her key weaknesses against Republican Trump – but her plans on that front remain vague.
Environmental slippers
Harris has not laid out detailed environmental policies, except in one key area: fracking.
She has vowed not to ban the practice, which uses high-pressure water to extract oil and gas, despite previously saying she was against it.
In her first and only on-screen interview since becoming the Democratic nominee, she told CNN that her “values haven’t changed,” even though her position has.
Harris has also backtracked on her opposition to plastic straws, according to the news site Axios.
As vice president, she strongly supported Biden’s green energy transition under the so-called Inflation Reduction Act.
Border consequences
Illegal migration across the US-Mexico border is one of the most sensitive issues in the campaign.
Harris said in her CNN interview that there would be “consequences” for people crossing the border illegally.
She backed Biden’s effort to tighten migration policies and backed investments in the “border wall” Trump called for — despite criticizing it in the past.
However, Biden’s proposals never passed through a divided Congress, with Republicans blocking them to cause political damage to Democrats.
Strong in abortion
Harris’ position on abortion, another major election issue, is unquestioned.
She has repeatedly criticized Trump for boasting that he had enabled the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the federal right to terminate pregnancies.
Harris has said that if elected, she would push to enshrine abortion protections in U.S. law.
The Gaza Swamp
Harris has been more outspoken than Biden on the issue of civilians killed by Israel in the Gaza war, leading to speculation that she could take a tougher stance on the US ally.
But during her CNN interview, she said she would not halt arms shipments to Israel, despite calls from Democrats and Arab-American voters to do so, and vowed to help Israel defend itself.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)