Staff ReportsIn a grand twist of irony, Vice President Kamala Harris decided to channel her inner Donald Trump yet again. During a recent stop in Pennsylvania, she vowed to scrap degree requirements for certain federal jobs, a move that echoes an executive order Trump signed way back in 2020. Apparently, Harris has taken to recycling Trump’s policies like they’re last year’s Christmas decorations.
While delivering her speech in Wilkes-Barre, Ms. Harris proclaimed her intentions to make federal jobs more accessible for individuals without four-year degrees. This revelation raises eyebrows and could easily prompt anyone with a sense of humor to wonder if Ms. Harris has been lurking in the Trump War Room X account for inspiration. After all, the Trump campaign didn’t hold back on the opportunity to poke fun, suggesting that Harris might be borrowing Trump’s homework and just changing a few details so nobody catches on. Sounds familiar, right?
Kamala Harris proposes jobs policy Trump previously signed as an executive orderhttps://t.co/EaLs89ucyV pic.twitter.com/FYwK93j1h7
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) September 16, 2024
Let’s take a trip down memory lane to June 26, 2020, when Trump signed that executive order addressing this very issue, directing the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to reconsider educational qualifications for federal positions. The order stressed that minimum educational requirements should only be established when legally necessary to perform job duties in specific locales. Harris may have forgotten that this isn’t a brand-new thought bubble she conjured but rather a strategy that was set into motion by Trump’s administration.
This all stems from the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, co-chaired by none other than Ivanka Trump, whose mission was to enhance job training and broaden the hiring pool. Ivanka emphasized that the focus would shift from “where you went to school” to “the skills and talents that you bring to the job.” The resulting order had states like Pennsylvania, Maryland, Colorado, and Utah nodding along, as they eagerly adopted similar measures, proving that even states could see which way the wind was blowing.
The déjà vu doesn’t stop there. Harris has been busy lifting Trump’s initiatives left and right. Just two months after Trump pitched eliminating taxes on tips during a rally in Las Vegas, Harris found herself echoing that very sentiment. As if that weren’t enough, she also expanded upon a $5,000 child tax credit proposed by Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, introducing a $6,000 version in her economic plan. It seems imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, at least when it comes to Harris’s recent political moves.
If nothing else, Harris’s latest stunt showcases an unwavering trend: when it comes to policy proposals, there’s no shame in borrowing from Trump’s playbook. Whether it’s cutting degree requirements, tossing around tax credits, or finding ways to make federal jobs more inclusive, the question remains—what’s next on her list of Trump-like initiatives? With the way things are going, one can only wait and see.
