Trump vs Harris: The Ultimate Showdown on Government Aid and Social Welfare—Who’s Got the Better Plan?

Trump vs Harris: 2024 Presidential Election

Housing, inflation, and health insurance Understanding the social welfare policy dispute between Trump and Harris at a glance

WASHINGTON — As the 2024 presidential election approaches, social welfare policies are a key focus for voters, with contrasting views from Democrats and Republicans on government intervention and economic fairness. Vice President Kamala Harris advocates for expanding aid programs, increasing the child tax credit, and securing Social Security and Medicare funding through higher taxes on high-income earners.

In contrast, former President Donald Trump emphasizes maintaining existing benefits without tax increases, promoting economic growth to sustain Social Security, and reducing federal involvement in healthcare. The debate extends to housing policies, with Harris proposing significant federal investment in affordable housing while Trump favors a market-driven approach. Public sentiment has shifted, with younger voters supporting expanded welfare programs. In comparison, older voters lean towards reducing government intervention, highlighting the ideological divide between the two parties regarding the role of government in addressing social and economic issues.

Key Concepts

• Contrasting views on social welfare policies between Democrats and Republicans characterize the 2024 presidential election.
• Social Security and housing issues are significant concerns for voters, especially among young Americans.
• Vice President Kamala Harris supports expanding government aid programs to reduce poverty, while former President Donald Trump emphasizes tax cuts and economic growth.
• The sustainability of Social Security and Medicare is a growing concern, with projections indicating potential funding shortfalls in the coming years.
• Harris advocates for tax increases on high-income earners to secure funding for Social Security and Medicare, while Trump focuses on economic growth to maintain these programs.
• The debate over child tax credits highlights differing philosophies, with Harris proposing a universal model and Trump favoring work incentives.
• Harris supports comprehensive paid family leave and childcare reforms, while Trump promotes voluntary business provisions and family-based solutions.
• Housing policy approaches differ significantly, with Harris advocating for federal investment and Trump favoring market-driven solutions.
• Public support for government welfare programs has declined as inflation concerns have risen, reflecting changing attitudes toward fiscal sustainability.
• Demographic divides exist in attitudes toward government assistance, with younger and low-income voters favoring expansion, while older voters prefer maintaining the status quo.

As the 2024 presidential election approaches, the debate over social welfare policies has once again become one of the focal points of voters’ attention. The differences between Democrats and Republicans on welfare policies reflect the two parties’ very different positions on government intervention, personal responsibility, economic fairness, and policy priorities.

According to a recent poll by CNBC, most American voters listed social security as one of the important issues in their voting decision. Another Gallup survey showed that housing issues have become the second largest financial worry for Americans, second only to inflation. Especially for young voters aged 18 to 29, housing issues are also one of their most concerned issues in addition to inflation and health care.

Social welfare policy has become a key issue in the election partly because the two major political parties in the United States have different understandings of the role of the government in solving social inequality. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump represent different positions of the two parties, forming a sharp contrast. The New York Times reported in August that the presidential campaign between Harris and Trump “marks the most intense anti-poverty policy battle in at least a generation. Its results will directly affect the economic security of millions of low-income Americans.”

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 severely threatened the economy. President Trump signed an economic stimulus plan that included a large amount of aid, providing important economic support for the poor. After President Biden and Harris moved into the White House, they promoted more government aid measures aimed at accelerating economic recovery after the pandemic and further reducing the poverty rate.

Democrats, including Harris, believe that the government has played a key role in alleviating people’s difficulties. Harris’s policy platform advocates the continuation and expansion of these assistance policies, including food, medical, and housing subsidies, and the restoration of the child tax credit policy, turning it into a basic income guarantee for families with children. Harris also supports raising the federal minimum wage to $15 and strongly advocates childcare subsidies and paid family leave.

In contrast, Trump prefers to emphasize the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) he implemented in 2017 and believes that this tax cut policy has promoted US economic growth and reduced the poverty rate to a historic low before the epidemic. Some provisions in the bill will expire next year, and Trump has promised to extend these tax cuts if elected. During his tenure, Trump also proposed cutting several social welfare programs, including Medicaid and the Food Stamp Program (SNAP), which he believes are too large and prone to fraud. He also seeks to reduce the number of people receiving housing subsidies and increase their rents.

“Democrats want to build on pandemic anti-poverty policies, but Republicans accuse President Biden and Harris of triggering inflation by pushing trillions of dollars in federal spending and argue that the aid has weakened labor incentives,” The New York Times reported.

VOA has compiled the two candidates’ positions and views on social security, housing, medical care, and other policies for you.

Social Security and Medicare

Social Security and Medicare are one of the focal points of the bipartisan debate.

The latest Social Security Trust Fund report predicts that the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Trust Fund will only be able to pay full benefits until 2035, but if Congress does not act, benefits will be reduced to about 83% after that. According to the Social Security Administration, about 68 million people in the United States receive some form of Social Security benefits each month, and the federal government spends about $1.5 trillion on it each year.

The report of the Medicare Trust Fund shows that the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund’s funding flow can be maintained until 2036, after which it can only cover 89% of the costs. Currently, 67.5 million people in the United States participate in Medicare. The program provides health insurance and prescription drug coverage for people over 65 years old and some young people with serious illnesses or disabilities.

Harris’s policy

Harris advocates for securing funding for Social Security and Medicare by increasing taxes on high-income earners, particularly those making more than $400,000 a year, according to her campaign website.

• Harris supports preserving and expanding Social Security benefits and opposes any plans to cut them. She supported the Social Security Expansion Act, which proposed raising the minimum benefit and adjusting the cost of living calculation to fit the needs of the modern economy. Her policy continues the Biden administration’s position of raising taxes on the wealthy with annual incomes over $400,000 to increase funding for Social Security.
• Harris is also committed to controlling health care costs through drug price negotiations and reducing fraud and supports expanding health care coverage under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. She also advocates for including long-term home care in health insurance to reduce the burden on families between caring for the elderly and children.

Trump’s policies

Trump’s policies focus on maintaining existing benefits, promising not to cut benefits, and ensuring the sustainability of these programs through economic growth and lower taxes. He advocates the elimination of taxes on social security benefits, arguing that the elderly should not pay taxes for them. Trump is inclined to increase the privatization options of the healthcare system, allowing insured persons to choose to use healthcare funds to purchase private insurance to increase market competition and reduce costs.

• No cuts to benefits or raising the eligibility age: Trump has repeatedly said he will not cut Social Security benefits or raise the eligibility age, arguing that such measures would negatively impact seniors who rely on the programs.
• Eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits: Trump advocates eliminating taxes on Social Security income, arguing that seniors should not pay taxes on the benefits they deserve. In 2023, he reiterated on social media: “Seniors should not pay taxes on Social Security,” and said the move would help reduce the financial burden on retirees.
• Securing Social Security funding through economic growth: Trump hopes to increase tax revenue for Social Security by driving up wages through economic growth, rather than increasing tax rates to maintain funding for the program. He believes that enhancing economic vitality and reducing unnecessary government spending are the keys to the security program.

In terms of health care, Trump’s policy focuses on reducing government involvement and pushing states to take more responsibility for health care. During his tenure, he has repeatedly tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as “Obamacare”, cut the expansion of federal Medicaid, and proposed that state governments bear part of federal health care expenses.

Family support

Child Tax Credit (CTC )

Harris: She proposed restoring and expanding the child tax credit policy in the American Rescue Plan Act, changing it to a model similar to Universal Basic Income. Under the plan, families with newborns will receive a tax credit of $6,000, children aged 1-6 will receive $3,600 per year, and children aged 7-17 will receive $3,000 per year. The plan will also be fully refundable, allowing low-income or even no-income families to benefit. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, such policies are popular among low-income voters because they can directly alleviate economic difficulties. However, opponents worry that this subsidy model may weaken employment motivation and lead to a decline in labor participation.

Trump: Trump increased the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000 in 2017 and expanded the income cap to make more families eligible. He plans to make this policy permanent in the future, but he stressed that only families with income should enjoy the tax credit to encourage work participation. Trump’s position is that the government should incentivize people to work through policies rather than simply handing out subsidies. However, critics point out that this is not fair to families in deep financial trouble.

Paid Family Leave

Harris: She co-sponsored the FAMILY Act, which advocates for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for all workers, and plans to fund the program through a small payroll tax shared by employers and employees. She emphasized the importance of paid leave for elder care and child care and promised to “ultimately get paid leave to all workers” in her administration.

Trump: While Trump has provided 12 weeks of paid leave to federal employees during his term, he has preferred broader paid leave policies to be addressed through voluntary provision by businesses or by allowing families to access their retirement savings early.

Childcare costs

Harris: She proposed limiting family spending on child care to 7% of household income and increasing wages for childcare workers. These policies are intended to support childcare institutions through federal funding, reduce childcare costs, and ensure high-quality childcare services.

Trump: Trump has mentioned that the revenue from increasing tariffs could be used to raise funds to support childcare services. In addition, his running mate JD Vance recently suggested that more family members (such as grandparents or relatives) should participate in childcare to reduce childcare expenses.

Housing Policy

Harris is more focused on government intervention and protecting low-income families, while Trump prefers to promote market development by reducing regulations.

Harris: Advocates for increasing federal funds to support affordable housing construction and proposes to develop 3 million new homes. She supports providing $25,000 down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers and restricting companies from large-scale acquisitions of residential properties to combat speculation and protect the housing needs of ordinary families. However, critics point out that simply increasing housing subsidies may push up demand, leading to rising housing prices, and does not solve the fundamental problems of the housing market.

Trump: Emphasizes promoting market development by reducing construction and land use regulations. He believes that relaxing regulations can increase housing supply and reduce home purchase costs. He opposes building low-income housing in traditional single-family residential areas, believing that this may damage the community environment. In addition, Trump also proposed to house the homeless by building tent cities and requiring them to receive rehabilitation treatment.

American voters’ attitudes toward welfare policies

According to polls conducted by the Pew Research Center, American voters have different attitudes toward government intervention and welfare policies, and there has been some change in recent years.

At the beginning of the epidemic in 2020, 52% of respondents supported expanding government aid, even if it would increase the national debt. But as the economy recovered and inflation rose, this support gradually declined. In 2024, the proportion of support for this position dropped to 45%, and the public’s concerns about government deficits and long-term fiscal burdens gradually intensified.

Young Americans, African Americans, and low-income groups are more inclined to support expanding government assistance. More than half of voters under 30 years old support expanding welfare programs, while voters aged 65 and above are more inclined to maintain the status quo or reduce intervention. In addition, 65% of Republican supporters believe that government welfare does more harm than good and advocate reducing government intervention in economic life. In contrast, about 76% of Democratic supporters believe that government assistance to the poor does more good than harm.

In this election campaign, Harris and the Democratic Party generally advocated that the government should play an active role in supporting vulnerable groups, believing that this is the key to achieving social equity and promoting economic mobility. Trump and the Republican Party generally emphasize the importance of market mechanisms and personal responsibility, believing that excessive government intervention will weaken economic vitality.