Vice President Kamala Harris is packing her bags for a nationwide tour to tout economic initiatives aimed at boosting wealth and ensuring every American has the shot to succeed. Announcing her Economic Opportunity Tour, Harris plans to spotlight the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts in investing in communities and expanding access to capital. The tour is set to kick off in Atlanta, GA, on April 29, followed by a stop in Detroit, MI, with more dates to be disclosed, according to The White House.
The vice president emphasized the administration's dedication to "creating an economy in which every person has the freedom to thrive." Harris cited historic steps like increasing access to capital, investing in small businesses, housing affordability initiatives, slashing healthcare costs, and student loan forgiveness as methods used to level the playing field. "Our economic approach has delivered great progress, and we will continue to invest in you, your family, and your future," Harris said in a statement that underlines the administration's successful strategies in spurring economic growth and prosperity for disparate American demographics, as per The White House.
The tour aims to build on the reported successes under the Biden-Harris government: the fast creation of Black-owned businesses in three decades, record job numbers, improved access to capital for underserved groups, infrastructure investments, medical debt erasure, and expansive student loan cancellations. Officials insist these steps have concretely benefited American families. Harris, on her upcoming tour, will be accompanied by members of Congress, local leaders, and other core figures of the Biden-Harris administration, signaling an effort to expand deeper into the economic progress narrative.
Harris' effort is not just a one-off sprint but a continuation of a marathon that has seen her make over 35 trips to 16 states since the onset of 2024. She has been meeting with entrepreneurs and small business owners, particularly in underserved areas, to grasp the challenges they face and the opportunities that lie ahead. In March, for instance, she informed the denizens of Durham, NC's Black Wall Street of a $32 million boon to bolster historically disadvantaged entrepreneurs, and she rang in the new year in Las Vegas, NV, by bringing attention to an SBA rule change beneficial to Americans with criminal records who aspire to business ownership.
Before Harris was vice president, her senatorial efforts were instrumental in securing a $12 billion investment for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) in December 2020. Last year the Treasury's CDFI Fund allocated over $1.73 billion to 603 CDFIs, Harris having also helped launch the Economic Opportunity Coalition, pooling together more than 20 private sector entities to invest in underserved communities, nearing or exceeding the $1 billion mark in community financial institution deposits. Such financial wins, according to the vice president, are a testament to a broader commitment to guiding prosperity to the corners of America often left in the shadows of economic progress.
