CHICAGO — Democrats released their party platform document on Sunday, laying out more than 90 pages of policy priorities just one day before its convention kicks off.
But the party platform was written and voted on by the Democratic National Convention’s Platform Committee before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, and the document repeatedly highlights the president’s achievements and positions — even when they differ slightly from Vice President Kamala Harris’ comments.
The platform refers to Biden’s “second term” more than a dozen times, underscoring the unprecedented timing of the top of the ticket shake-up.
The document was approved by the Platform Committee on July 16, just days before Biden bowed 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 his country club at Mar-a-Lago; and Joe Biden, who sees it from kitchen tables in Scranton like the one he grew up around,” the document says in the economy chapter.
The economy chapter emphasizes many Democratic priorities that Biden and Harris have touted, including improving infrastructure, supporting unions and pushing for a federal minimum wage of $15 an hour. The document also highlights Biden’s proposal for a $10,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, though the 2020 platform pushed for a $15,000 credit.
Harris, however, said last week that she would provide a $25,000 subsidy for first-time homebuyers, a more than twofold increase from the party platform document.
The platform also touted Democrats expanding the child tax credit to $3,600 for “nearly 40 million families.” Harris said last week that she would go further, touting a plan to offer “$6,000 in tax relief to families during the first year of a child’s life.”
The policy platform is divided into nine chapters, emphasizing the party’s top issues, including lowering costs, fighting climate change and gun violence, and strengthening democracy.
“It makes a strong statement about the historic work that President Biden and Vice President Harris have accomplished hand-in-hand, and offers a vision for a progressive agenda that we can build on as a nation and as a Party as we head into the next four years,” the DNC said in a press release.
The policy document also discusses the party’s position on Israel amid a party divide over the White House’s response to the war in Gaza.
The document says Biden supports “a negotiated two-state solution that ensures Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state with recognized borders and upholds the right of Palestinians to live in freedom and security in a viable state of their own.”
“The United States strongly supports Israel in the fight against Hamas,” the document said.
The party platform also reiterates support for a “lasting ceasefire deal” that includes the release of hostages and addresses “the displacement and death of so many innocent people in Gaza.”
The document dedicates a section to securing the southern border as well, an issue that Republicans repeatedly use as fodder for attacks on Democrats’ records.
“In President Biden’s second term, he will push Congress to provide the resources and authorities that we need to secure the border,” the document said. “This includes additional border patrol agents, immigration judges, asylum officers, cutting-edge inspection machines to help detect and stop the flow of fentanyl, and funding for cities and states that are sheltering migrants.”
