International Courant
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held their first joint assembly since Biden withdrew from the 2024 race and endorsed her to take his place on the high of the Democratic ticket.
The 2 walked onto the stage collectively to cheers at Prince George’s County Neighborhood Faculty in Maryland to ship a speech in regards to the financial system and what their administration has carried out to ease prices for People.
That additionally goes for the administration’s announcement earlier Thursday that the Division of Well being and Human Companies has reached an settlement to barter costs for 10 generally used drugs, which it says will save Medicare beneficiaries $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket prices when the brand new costs take impact in 2026.
“We all know this is not nearly well being care, it is about your dignity,” Biden mentioned. “It is about peace of thoughts. It is about security. It is about caring for your loved ones. It is about giving folks a bit bit extra respiration room. That is it. Look, I consider well being care must be a proper, not a privilege in America.”
Harris spoke first, taking a second to reward Biden for his work on this problem as the group started to chant, “Thanks, Joe!”
“I might discuss all afternoon in regards to the individual I am standing on this stage with,” she mentioned. “Our extraordinary president, Joe Biden. And he is about to talk, however there’s a whole lot of love on this room for our president. And I believe it is for a lot of, many causes, certainly one of which is that few leaders in our nation have carried out extra in so many areas, together with increasing entry to inexpensive well being care.”
When it was Biden’s flip, he returned the compliments.
“People, I’ve an unimaginable accomplice,” he mentioned. “The progress we have made. She’s going to be an ideal president.”
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris stroll out of the constructing collectively throughout a gathering on Medicare drug value negotiations in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Aug. 15, 2024.
Ken Cedeno/Reuters
The Inflation Discount Act of 2022 permits the federal government to barter immediately with drug producers for the primary time in Medicare historical past. Along with the ten medicine negotiated for 2026, the federal government can choose 15 further medicine for negotiation in 2027, 15 extra medicine for 2028, and as much as 20 further medicine annually thereafter.
Harris mentioned she was “proud” to have solid the decisive vote to get the invoice via the Senate.
“We consider passionately that each senior in our nation ought to be capable of reside in security, stability and dignity,” she mentioned. “And so no senior in america of America ought to have to decide on between taking their prescription or paying their hire. That is what we’re speaking about immediately.”
Whereas Harris aligns herself with Biden’s cost-cutting agenda on Thursday, it comes a day earlier than she is scheduled to ship marketing campaign speeches in North Carolina on her personal financial platform to handle the rising price of residing, her first main coverage function since changing into the occasion’s nominee.
As Biden left the White Home for Thursday’s assembly, he mentioned he didn’t consider Harris would attempt to deviate from his financial insurance policies. A reporter requested him if he would thoughts if she did so for political causes.
“She’s not going to do this,” Biden responded.
Harris will suggest a federal ban on overpricing for meals and groceries on Friday, her marketing campaign introduced. She will even name for giving the Federal Commerce Fee and state attorneys normal the facility to analyze and punish firms that violate the brand new guidelines.
“Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know that value volatility is regular in free markets,” the marketing campaign mentioned in a press launch. “However there’s a huge distinction between truthful costs in aggressive markets and extreme costs that don’t have anything to do with the price of doing enterprise. People are seeing that distinction of their grocery payments.”
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris talk about their administration’s efforts to decrease prescription drug prices throughout an occasion at Prince George’s Neighborhood Faculty in Largo, Maryland, Aug. 15, 2024.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
Harris has additionally not too long ago known as for eliminating a tax on suggestions for service suppliers — a plan that former President Donald Trump launched weeks in the past. Her marketing campaign has additionally mentioned her financial agenda will embody gadgets to decrease the price of well being care and housing.
In his personal speech on Wednesday, which additionally targeted on the financial system, Trump criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s document and briefly outlined his proposal to remove the tip tax and taxes on Social Safety advantages for seniors.
Trump’s criticism typically consisted of lies in regards to the state of the financial system and his personal document, comparable to when he criticized Biden and Harris over inflation.
“With 4 extra years of Harris, your funds won’t ever get well, they are going to by no means get well. Our nation won’t ever get well, fairly frankly, and extra importantly, it will likely be irreparable,” he claimed. “Vote Trump, and your revenue will skyrocket, your financial savings will develop, younger folks will be capable of afford properties, and we’ll carry again the American dream larger, higher, stronger than ever earlier than.”
-Fritz Farrow and Lalee Ibssa of ABC Information contributed to this report.
Biden, Harris greeted with chants of ‘Thanks, Joe’ at first joint occasion since he dropped out of the race
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