By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Vice President Kamala Harris has announced a nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour to spotlight the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to foster economic growth, build wealth, and ensure American prosperity.
The tour, which began with a moderated conversation in Atlanta on April 29, will see the Vice President visiting several states to emphasize the administration’s commitment to creating an economy where every person can thrive. A subsequent event is scheduled for Detroit, with more dates and locations to be announced soon.
“President Biden and I are committed to creating an economy in which every person has the freedom to thrive,” Harris stated. “Our economic approach has delivered great progress, and we will continue to invest in you, your family, and your future.”
During the tour, Harris plans to highlight the administration’s historic investments that have supported communities and individuals. According to a White House Fact Sheet, these include unprecedented investments in small businesses, the fastest creation of Black-owned small businesses in over 30 years, record job creation, increased access to capital for underserved communities, and significant healthcare reforms such as cutting insulin prices and erasing medical debt.
The vice president will also discuss the administration’s efforts in education, affordable housing, childcare, and boosting the wealth of American families. She will describe additional measures the Biden-Harris Administration takes to build on this work.
The White House said administration officials, members of Congress, local leaders, and others will join Harris on the tour.
Officials said the tour builds on Harris’ extensive travel to communities nationwide. Since the beginning of 2024, she has made more than 35 trips to 16 states, engaging with small business owners and entrepreneurs in underserved communities to discuss challenges and opportunities.
Earlier this year, Harris announced $32 million in funds to support historically underserved entrepreneurs during a visit to Black Wall Street in Durham, NC. She also announced an SBA rule in Las Vegas that ensures individuals who have served time are eligible for SBA loan programs to start and run small businesses.
Officials said Harris has always supported minority, rural, and low-income communities. Last year, she announced over $1.73 billion in grants to 603 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) through Treasury’s CDFI Fund. In 2022, she launched the Economic Opportunity Coalition (EOC), a public-private partnership investing tens of billions of dollars to create opportunity and wealth in historically underserved communities.
As a senator, Harris secured a transformative $12 billion investment for CDFIs and MDIs in December 2020 and has since worked to ensure the success of these programs. “Since that time, she has worked to ensure these programs are as successful as possible,” administration officials stated.
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