Harris to propose $25K in down payment support for 1st-time homeowners
(WASHINGTON) — When Vice President Kamala Harris unveils her economic policy proposals in North Carolina on Friday, it will include a proposal to provide up to $25,000 in down payment support for first-time homeowners, according to a campaign official.
The campaign is vowing that during its first term, the Harris-Walz administration would provide working families who have paid their rent on time for two years and are buying their first home up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance, with more generous support for first-generation homeowners.
In a preview statement obtained by ABC News, the campaign says, “Many Americans work hard at their jobs, save, and pay their rent on time month after month. But they can’t save enough after paying their rent and other bills to save for a down payment — denying them a shot at owning a home and building wealth. As the Harris-Walz plan starts to expand the supply of entry-level homes, they will, during their first term, provide working families who have paid their rent on time for two years and are buying their first home up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance, with more generous support for first-generation homeowners.”
“The Biden-Harris administration proposed providing $25,000 in downpayment assistance for 400,000 first-generation home buyers — or homebuyers whose parents don’t own a home — and a $10,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers. This plan will significantly simplify and expand the reach of down-payment assistance, allowing over 1 million first time-buyers per year – including first-generation home buyers – to get the funds they need to buy a house when they are ready to buy it,” the campaign said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Joe Biden at the White House Thursday to discuss the U.S.-Israeli relationship amid tensions over the ongoing conflict in Gaza and a changing political landscape in the U.S.
“Welcome back, Mr. Prime Minister. We got a lot to talk about,” Biden said in brief remarks shortly before cameras left the room.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is seeking to succeed Biden, is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu later Thursday. She has been more outspoken than Biden about killed Palestinian civilians and called on Israel to allow in more humanitarian aid.
The meeting comes just hours after Biden, in an Oval Office address, told Americans that getting peace in Gaza — ending the fighting between Israel and Hamas and freeing hostages — is one of his top goals in his remaining six months in office. Netanyahu so far has resisted Biden’s efforts, rejecting his calls for a cease-fire.
Netanyahu brought up their long relationship and other Israeli leaders Biden has known throughout his career.
“From a proud Jew Zionist to a proud Irish American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel. And I look forward to discussing with you today and working with you in the months ahead on the great issues before us,” Netanyahu said.
Biden reflected on that first meeting, joking, “I was only 12 then.”
Other U.S. officials attending included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the president was going to press Netanyahu to help “close the gaps” with the peace deal that would return the Israeli hostages.
“We are closer now than we have ever been before,” he said.
The meeting is the first time the leaders have come face-to-face since Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race and endorsed Harris’ run.
Kirby said that both leaders would meet with American families of Israeli hostages.
Kirby would not comment on why Harris was meeting with Netanyahu later but noted that she had campaign events during the same time as Biden met with the prime minister.It also comes a day after Netanyahu addressed a joint meeting of Congress, which Harris did not attend, holding a previously scheduled campaign event instead.
The prime minister has praised Biden for “half century of friendship to Israel” and U.S. support following the Oct. 7 attacks.
“He rightly called Hamas ‘sheer evil.’ He dispatched two aircraft carriers to the Middle East to deter a wider war. And he came to Israel to stand with us during our darkest hour — a visit that will never be forgotten,” Netanyahu said in his speech to lawmakers on Wednesday.
The prime minister did not mention Harris. But he did he did laud former President Donald Trump for his support of Israel during his four years in office.
Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Trump Friday at Mar-a-Lago.
The prime minister has called on the U.S. to provide bipartisan support for Israel during the conflict and urged leaders to, “Give us the tools faster and we’ll finish the job faster.”
“Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and its role in Gaza and bring all our hostages home. That’s what total victory means. And we will settle for nothing less.”
In May, Biden paused a shipment to Israel of unguided bombs citing concerns that they could be used on civilians.
Congress sent $26 billion in aid to Israel and provided humanitarian relief for people in Gaza in April as part of a foreign aid package.
About $4 billion of that was dedicated to replenishing Israel’s missile defense systems. More than $9 billion of the total went toward humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
(WASHINGTON) — Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance will deliver remarks on the economy on Tuesday in Big Rapids, Michigan, at an outdoor farm — during which he will speak from behind bulletproof glass, the first time there has ever been one at a solo event for Vance
It’s similar to the new safety measures in place for former President Donald Trump’s outdoor rallies following his assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July.
Vance did have bulletproof glass in Asheboro, North Carolina, last week, but that was a joint event with the former president.
The U.S. Secret Service made arrangements for Trump to resume outdoor campaign rallies by surrounding his podium with bulletproof glass, multiple sources told ABC News earlier this month.
The Secret Service recommended Trump stop holding outdoor rallies last month after a gunman in Butler, Pennsylvania, fired at him from a rooftop 400 feet from the stage, hitting his ear. A man in the crowd was killed in the attack.
Between July 13 and Aug. 20, Trump held nearly a dozen campaign events, all of them indoors.
However, since being announced as Trump’s running mate on July 15, Vance has held several outdoor campaign events without bulletproof glass.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held their first joint event since Biden exited the 2024 race and endorsed her to take his place atop the Democratic ticket.
The two walked out together to cheers to deliver remarks on stage at Prince George’s County Community College in Maryland about the economy and what their administration’s done to alleviate costs for Americans.
That includes the administration’s announcement earlier Thursday that the Department of Health and Human Services reached an agreement on price negotiations for 10 commonly used drugs that they say will save Medicare enrollees $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs when the new prices go into effect in 2026.
“We know it is not just about health care, it is about your dignity,” Biden said. “It’s about peace of mind. It’s about security. It’s about taking care of your family. It’s about giving folks just a little bit more breathing room. That’s all. Look, I believe health care should be a right and not a privilege in America.”
Harris spoke first and took a moment to praise Biden for his work on the issue, as the crowd broke out into chants of “Thank you, Joe!”
“I could speak all afternoon about the person that I’m standing on the stage with,” she said. “Our extraordinary president, Joe Biden. And he’s going to speak in a minute, but there’s a lot of love in this room for our president. And I think it is for many, many reasons, including few leaders in our nation have done more on so many issues, including to expand access to affordable health care.”
When it was Biden’s turn, he returned the plaudits.
“Folks, I have an incredible partner,” he said. “The progress we have made. She’s going to make one hell of a president.”
The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act allows the government to directly broker with drug manufacturers for the first time in the history of the Medicare program. In addition to the 10 drugs negotiated for 2026, the government can select 15 more drugs for negotiation in 2027 and another 15 drugs for 2028 and up to 20 more drugs each year after.
Harris said she was “proud” to have casted the tie-breaking vote to get the law passed in the Senate.
“We believe deeply every senior in our nation should be able to live with security, stability, and dignity,” she said. “And so in the United States of America no senior should have to choose between either filling their prescription or paying their rent. That is the subject of today.”
While Harris is associating herself with Biden’s agenda to lower costs on Thursday, it comes one day before she is set to make campaign remarks in North Carolina about her own economic platform to deal with the rising cost of living, which will be her first major policy rollout since becoming the party’s nominee.
As Biden left the White House for Thursday’s event, he said he does not believe Harris will try to shift away from his economic policies when was asked by a reporter if he’d be bothered if she did so for political reasons.
“She’s not going to,” Biden responded.
Harris on Friday will propose a federal ban on corporate price-gouging on food and groceries, her campaign announced. She will also call for giving the Federal Trade Commission as well as state attorneys general the power to investigate and punish companies that violate the new rules.
“Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know that price fluctuations are normal in free markets,” the campaign said in a press release. “But there’s a big difference between fair pricing in competitive markets, and excessive prices unrelated to the costs of doing business. Americans can see that difference in their grocery bills.”
Recently, Harris has also called for eliminating a tax on tips for service workers — a plan former President Donald Trump had introduced weeks ago. Her campaign also said her economic agenda will feature items to lower health care and housing costs.
Trump, in his own remarks delivered Wednesday that were also intended to focus on the economy, slammed the Biden-Harris administration record and briefly outlined his proposal to eliminate the tax on tips and taxes on Social Security benefits for seniors.
Trump’s criticisms often included falsehoods about the state of the economy and his own record, as he hit Biden and Harris over inflation.
“With four more years of Harris, your finances will never recover, they’re never going to recover. Our country will never recover, frankly, more importantly. It will be unrecoverable,” he claimed. “Vote Trump, and your incomes will soar, your savings will grow, young people will be able to afford a home and we will bring back the American dream bigger, better and stronger than ever before.”
ABC News’ Fritz Farrow and Lalee Ibssa contributed to this report.