(CNN) — Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to call for a federal ban on price gouging to lower food prices and everyday costs for Americans in her first economic policy speech on Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The proposal is part of Harris’ efforts to prevent food and grocery companies from raising prices on consumers and is one component of a larger plan she will launch to combat high costs and inflation, according to a press release from the Harris campaign team.
In her first 100 days in office, the vice president’s campaign announced she would implement a cost-cutting plan, including empowering the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to investigate and impose tough penalties on companies that violate the federal ban, providing resources to uncover price-fixing, and providing more support to small businesses so they can grow into competitors to large companies.
Harris’s policy speech comes at a time when the economy remains a critical issue for voters. An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released last week found that Americans trust former President Donald Trump more to handle the economy than Harris – but opinions were split widely: 51 percent said Trump was better at handling the economy, while 48 percent said Harris.
Harris on Saturday backed eliminating the tip tax on hospitality and service industry workers, endorsing a measure first proposed by Trump. The proposal was one of the first notable measures the vice president has proposed since ascending to the top of the Democratic ticket last month.
In her speech, Harris will compare her economic policies to Trump’s, arguing that Trump’s plan would increase inflation and costs for middle-class families. She will also argue that the former president’s economic policies include hidden tariffs on everyday household items.
Before Trump’s economic speech on Wednesday in Asheville, North Carolina, the Harris team sharply criticized the former president for his agenda.
“No matter what he says, one thing is certain: Trump has no plan, no vision, and no serious interest in building the middle class. We already know who Trump’s economic agenda, Project 2025, is intended to benefit: Donald Trump and his rich friends,” the campaign said in a press release.
The campaign team also criticized Trump’s record during his presidency, arguing that he “cost the country millions of jobs, brought us to the brink of recession and gave massive handouts to billionaires and major corporations.”
While prices remain high for Americans, Harris’ campaign pointed to the Consumer Price Index, a key report measuring inflation, released Wednesday, which showed that price increases slowed more than expected in July, falling below 3 percent for the first time in more than three years.
“Inflation is at its lowest level in over three years and our economy is strong,” Harris campaign spokesman Joseph Costello said in a statement. “Donald Trump’s agenda would set us back: He would give tax breaks to the same big corporations that are ripping off Americans, while raising prices for the middle class by $2,500 and driving our economy into recession.”
In her speech, Harris will emphasize her “lifelong commitment to fighting for the middle class,” the campaign team said. She will make it clear to voters that reducing the cost of living has been a priority “from the start.”
