FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 12, 2024
WASHINGTON—A nonpartisan Presidential Comparison, offering a side-by-side view of the records and positions of the two major-party nominees for President, is the latest voter education resource offered by NETWORK Advocates for Catholic Social Justice as part of its 2024 nonpartisan Vote Our Future campaign.
“Our commitment to the common good calls us to participation in the political process by learning about the issues, researching the candidates, and casting our vote,” said NETWORK Deputy Executive Director & Chief Equity Officer Joan F. Neal.
“Catholics and other value voters need comprehensive resources to evaluate candidates for elective office. NETWORK’s new tool helps our field – and all people interested in this election – easily discern where these two candidates stand on major issues of faith and politics,” said NETWORK Executive Director Mary J. Novak.
The Presidential Comparison outlines, with links to extensive documentation, the records and positions of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. It is divided into six sections, highlighting issues on which NETWORK focuses its advocacy. The sections are (with examples following each):
Freedom to Care for Ourselves and Our Families
Harris: Pledges to cut taxes for workers and families with kids, by expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and restoring the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) that reduced child poverty by half in 2021.
Trump: The 2017 Trump tax law gave $1.4T in tax breaks benefitting the wealthy and corporations. He vows to extend the breaks if elected, costing $4T, the Congressional Budget Office estimates.
Freedom to be Healthy
Harris: The Biden-Harris admin.’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) expanded Medicaid coverage in 41 states.
Trump: Proposed cuts to Medicaid ($1.5T) and Medicare ($800B) over 10 years in his 2020 budget.
Freedom from Harm
Harris: Supports a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.
Trump: Rolled back gun safety regulations, including one that made it harder for people with mental illness to buy a gun.
Freedom to Participate in a Vibrant Democracy
Harris: Announced Biden-Harris admin.’s steps to promote accurate voter info. and student voter participation, protect election workers, and fight voter suppression.
Trump: Went to court in 2020 to make it more difficult for voters in Texas to vote by mail. Continues to promote restrictive state voter-ID laws.
Freedom to Live on a Healthy Planet
Harris: Cast tie-breaking vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest investment in climate initiatives to date, for renewable energy, electric cars and buses, home energy upgrades, and more.
Trump: Promises to reinvest in fossil fuels and eliminate all Biden-Harris administration clean energy initiatives.
Freedom to Live in a Welcoming Country That Values Dignity and Human Rights
Harris: Supports comprehensive immigration reform and an earned pathway to citizenship, including for Dreamers.
Trump: Promises to launch “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history” if elected in 2024.
For more comparisons between the records and positions of Vice President Harris and former President Trump, visit the full online version of the resource.
Founded by Catholic Sisters in 1972, in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, NETWORK is an inclusive, national, Catholic advocacy organization open to all who share our values, working to achieve equity and justice for everyone. Grounded in Gospel values and the Catholic social justice tradition, NETWORK transforms our society by shaping federal policies that achieve racial, economic, and social justice; serve the common good; and honor the dignity of all.
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