CHICAGO — Democrats released a party platform document Sunday that laid out more than 90 pages of policy priorities just a day earlier. its convention begins.
But the party’s platform was written and voted on before the president by the Platform Committee of the Democratic National Convention. Joe Biden dropped out of the race, and the document repeatedly highlights the president’s accomplishments and positions — even if they differ slightly from the vice president’s Kamala Harris‘ comments.
The platform refers to Biden’s “second term” more than a dozen times, highlighting the unprecedented timing of the top of the ticket.
The document was approved by the Platform Committee on July 16, a few days before Biden out of the race On July 21. Convention delegates will vote on the platform Monday night, a largely ceremonial procedure.
“This election is a choice between two very different economic visions for America: Donald Trump, who sees the world from the country club at Mar-a-Lago, and Joe Biden, who sees it from kitchen tables in Scranton as he grew up around,” the document’s economics section says.
The economics section highlights many of Biden and Harris’ Democratic priorities, including improving infrastructure, supporting unions and raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. The document also highlights Biden’s proposal for a $10,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, though his 2020 platform pushed for a $15,000 credit.
However, Harris he said last week it will provide a $25,000 subsidy for first-time home buyers, more than double the party’s platform document.
The platform also highlighted Democrats expanding the child tax credit to $3,600 for “about 40 million families.” Harris said last week he would go further come up with a plan Offering “a $6,000 tax break for families in the first year of a child’s life.”
The policy platform consists of nine chapters and highlights the party’s key issues, including cutting spending, tackling climate change and gun violence, and strengthening democracy.
“It makes a powerful statement about the historic work that President Biden and Vice President Harris have done together and offers a vision of a progressive agenda that we can advance as a nation and a party as we begin to move forward.” the next four years,” the DNC said in a press release.
The policy document also discusses the party’s position on Israel amid bipartisan disagreement over the White House’s response to the war in Gaza.
The document says Biden supports “a negotiated two-state solution that secures Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state with recognized borders and protects the right of Palestinians to live in freedom and security in their own state.”
The document states: “The United States strongly supports Israel in the fight against Hamas.
The party platform also reiterates support for a “sustainable ceasefire agreement” that includes the release of hostages and addresses the “displacement and death of many innocent people in Gaza.”
The document also focuses on southern border security, an issue that Republicans have repeatedly used as fodder for attacks on Democrats’ records.
“In President Biden’s second term, he will push Congress to provide the resources and authority necessary to secure the border,” the document said. “This includes additional border patrol agents, immigration judges, asylum officers, advanced screening vehicles to help detect and stem the flow of fentanyl, and funding for cities and states that provide asylum to migrants.”